Burke and Whiteman: The Express Middlemen
May 24, 2003 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release
There's an old baseball axiom that says that a team must be strong up the middle. As long as Chris Burke and Tommy Whiteman are roaming the middle of the Dell Diamond infield, that won't be a concern for the Round Rock Express. Burke and Whiteman, both 23, have turned into arguably the best second baseman-shortstop combo in the Texas League and one of the top combos in all of Double A baseball. In his second year in Round Rock, Burke has had a remarkable season, with Whiteman â in his first full season at Double A - not far behind.
Through Friday, Burke is hitting .350, good for fourth in the TL and leads the League with 69 hits from his leadoff spot in the order. He's consistently gotten on base and has generally been a nuisance for opposing pitchers while being the catalyst for the Express lineup.
His partner to his right has been as effective, only in a different way. Whiteman leads the team in home runs (8) and RBIs (34) and has developed into a legitimate middle of the order power hitter. He has been especially hot of late, hitting .371 in his last ten games and had a five RBI game against Midland on May 19.
"The both have the potential as middle infielders to be some productive offensive players," hitting coach Spike Owen said. "The way Burke has taken to the position and to being the leadoff hitter has opened a lot of eyes. He's learned to be more patient and look at more pitches at the plate.
"Whiteman, we knew he had the power but the way that he's been driving the ball and swinging the bat has been great. His run production has been impressive."
The duo, after a throwing correction by Whiteman, has also become dependable defensively. Burke in particular has been a bit of a star in the field, turning second base into his own personal burial ground for seeing-eye grounders.
"He's a real smart player," Whiteman said. "He's real aggressive and I just like the way he plays the game.
"He's always in the game and always knows what's going on. It's been fun to play next to him."
The key to their work has been the same key to any marriage: communication. Though this is their first full season together, Burke and Whiteman have created a keen sense for how each other works.
This was subtly evident late in Saturday's 7-2 loss to the San Antonio Missions. Burke lunged to his right to get a ball that was actually on the shortstop side of second base. When he came up with the ball, Whiteman was waiting for his throw at second and turned the spectacular play into a spectacular double play.
"We're starting to figure out each other's games and finding out which balls the other is going to get to," Burke said. "We're getting real comfortable with each other and finding out what we can do."
The Texas League is finding out what they can do, too.
Shortstop Tommy Whiteman: On playing with Chris Burke: Our biggest thing right now is communication. Communication is a big part of baseball, especially in the middle infield. You have to have it. I think we've developed it.
On how their on-field chemistry developed: It just kind of happened. It's always different when you play with someone new. We focused on on-field communication and it's just gone on from there.
On his first full year at Double A: The pitching is definitely a lot better. They have more to throw and more command of all their pitches. It's just a quicker game. They can throw their off-speeds on any count and for strikes most of the time. That really keeps hitters off balance.
Burke, Whiteman and Owen speak on life in the infield
Second baseman Chris Burke:
On developing communication with Tommy Whiteman: Spike has helped us out a lot. I guess early in the year we weren't talking as much as we needed to. As the season's gone on we've kind of gotten to know each other. This is the first extended period of time that we've gotten to play with each other. I definitely feel like we're getting more comfortable playing with each other as the year's gone on.
On Whiteman: He's a real dynamic player. He can make some really good plays in the field and he's really shown some power and the ability to drive in some runs at the plate. He really brings a lot to the team, especially with that power. That's been a real bonus for us because we haven't been able to hit a lot of home runs this year.
Hitting coach Spike Owen:
How the pair has played in the field: The more that they play together the better they'll be. That's just common when you get a new shortstop and second baseman together. It takes a little time to get adjusted.
Whiteman has a very strong arm. We're trying to get him to throw over top a little more. That's the one area that I think that he needs to continue to improve. His natural throwing slot was down low, but if you get to low he has a tendency to have his ball move down. That's how early on, we've seen a lot of throwing errors. We're staying on top of it, though, and he has improved in that area.
At second base, Burke continues to work hard to get better. He's played a very solid second base. His major strength are balls to his right and taking those base hits away up the middle. We're working with him to be more versatile as far as turning the double play. We don't want to get him locked into one set way and that way, it gives the runners coming down fooled. They don't know whether he's going to stay where he is or go across the base or step back. That's one thing that I've challenged him to work on and make sure he practices all different ways.
Pacific Coast League Stories from May 24, 2003
- Tremie single lifts Express in ninth - Round Rock Express
- Sounds Defeat Royals, 5-1 - Nashville Sounds
- Burke and Whiteman: The Express Middlemen - Round Rock Express
- Tacoma's Homers Enough to Top Sidewinders - Tucson Sidewinders
- Hot Sox Down Trappers in Pitchers Duel - Edmonton Trappers
- Sounds To Honor Military Servicemen During Memorial Day Festivities - Nashville Sounds
- Colon Assigned to Trapper Roster - Edmonton Trappers
- Sidewinders to Host North Division Teams Portland and Salt Lake - Tucson Sidewinders
- Stingers Defeat Zephyrs, 8-6 - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- Trappers Homer Four Times but Lose to Sky Sox - Edmonton Trappers
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