Rozner: White Sox misery part of rebuild process

It's tempting for White Sox Nation to look at the Cubs and attach a calendar to this rebuild.

Especially during a weekend like this one, when the Sox are visiting Wrigley Field, it's easy to think about the Cubs' teardown and wonder if the Sox are creeping closer to 2015 - when the Cubs got to the NLCS ahead of schedule - or if they're still much closer to 2012.

The answer seems obvious after another miserable day for the Sox in miserable weather on the North Side Friday afternoon, but it has been apparent for quite some time.

When their rebuild began, the Cubs' lineup frequently included the likes of Tony Campana, David DeJesus, Alfonso Soriano and Darwin Barney, along with starters like Travis Wood, Paul Maholm and Chris Volstad.

That seems like a long time ago now, but it's a reminder of how many miles must be traveled.

It's worth remembering that the Sox are only 17 months into the process and ahead of schedule because of the trades they were able to make and the prospects collected along the way.

But progress is not linear, as Theo Epstein was known to mutter occasionally, and this is something GM Rick Hahn has tried to convey in his own way.

"We know the baseball gods can be cruel," Hahn said prophetically during spring training. "Remember that Mike Trout got sent back down after he was called up.

"Our goal is to contend for multiple championships over an extended period of time. As to the exact date on which that starts, we're not prepared to put the specific target out there because, in all candor, I would have given you a farther out date a year ago at this time."

Prospects, however, are unpredictable. Some move precisely how they are supposed to, like Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech and Eloy Jimenez, and some do not.

Others get hurt, witness Jake Burger. Talk about cruel.

The big-banging third baseman - drafted in the first round only a year ago - suffered an Achilles rupture in late February, costing him a year on the shelf. A setback, to be sure, but nothing critical.

Last week, while walking in the backyard of his Arizona home, Burger's Achilles popped again and the clock restarts on the year it will take to get him back on the field.

"It appears nothing could've been done to prevent this," Hahn said. "Much like the first one, it's just something that happens."

You will not see Burger for another year.

Jimenez was slowed by an injury and is now catching fire.

Alec Hansen, so dominant last year, just started throwing from a mound after recovering from forearm soreness.

Outfielder Luis Robert should be back on a minor-league field soon after a thumb injury sidelined him for more than a month.

Those are four very big names, four very big parts of the future that have had some bad luck over the last few months.

It happens. It will happen to more players. It's baseball.

That doesn't even take into account poor performances and disappointments, which is why the Sox continue to stockpile prospects, acquiring them in any way possible.

It's a numbers game and the Sox are playing the percentages, knowing the more they have, the better chance there is they'll be able to field most of their team without having to fill their needs with dollars.

They will have to do that, spend in free agency when the time is right, but that is for finishing the process, not beginning it.

They are going about it the right way and making great progress, but the players will decide how many years it will take, not the calendar itself.

So while it's tempting for Sox fans to look up at the World Series flags flying at Wrigley Field and wonder about their own timeline, there is no way to speed the progression.

Patience, hard as it may be to remember sometimes, is the word of the day.

brozner@dailyherald.com

• Listen to Barry Rozner from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays on the Score's "Hit and Run" show at WSCR 670-AM and follow him @BarryRozner on Twitter.