Are solid catching skills enough to keep Flowers safe with White Sox?

With a .219/.268/.341 hitting line, the overwhelming assumption is Tyler Flowers is heading into his final month wearing a Chicago White Sox uniform.

Maybe general manager Rick Hahn does make a change at catcher this off-season. Don't be surprised if he doesn't.

While Flowers has failed to hit much at all since first joining the Sox in 2009, he has raised his defensive game to a high level this year.

"You look at that spot and you go around the league and you see what the numbers are for a catcher, you don't see a lot of catchers hitting .300," manager Robin Ventura said. "Usually if they do, they want to move them because they don't want them to get hurt. For us, we know that Tyler, the first thing you want to see is the way he calls a game, the way he goes through a game, that impact of getting a pitcher through the game.

"That's a big deal. I think that's what you really focus on. The offensive stuff you can always work on and get better at. There will be years where he'll have a better offensive season than others. But being able to handle a staff, calling games, is the No. 1 priority for a catcher."

Flowers has caught Chris Sale all season, and the White Sox' ace heaps credit on his catcher after nearly every start.

"It doesn't hurt," Flowers said. "I like him on my side, for sure."

Sox pitchers have a solid 3.59 ERA when Flowers is behind the plate. According to researcher Christopher Kamka, rookie left-hander Carlos Rodon has a 1.11 ERA in his last six starts Flowers has caught.

Not surprisingly, Flowers takes pride in his ability to call games.

"I definitely hang my hat on that, especially this year," he said. "It's big. I think it changes games. It changes outcomes of games. It definitely changes outcomes of at-bats. It changes what pitches you throw in certain at-bats and certain counts.

"At the end of the year, I'll be able to look back at a number and know that I had a huge impact on that, with one pitch here and one pitch there. You take a 1-1 pitch and make it 1-2 instead of 2-1, you have endless pitches you can throw. But if you are 2-1, you have a couple of choices."

Now an established veteran, the 29-year-old Flowers calls every pitch.

"I try to," Flowers said. "Sometimes, they shake. We keep score every game. If they shake and give up a hit, they owe me. The other way, I don't owe them. But they owe me. Most guys go with it. Even working with (Jeff) Samardzija just the couple of times, it has been pretty good. I don't always have the answer. Sometimes, there are multiple options."

As for his hitting, Flowers remains a work in progress.

"I think a .220 hitter can be a big-league catcher, without a doubt," he said. "There are so many other more important aspects of the position than batting average on the back of the cards. Getting bunts down, getting guys over. For the most part, I've done pretty well with that. That's what you've got to do when you struggle to hit for a higher average. You have to make sure you do all the little things correctly."