In time, Collins expect to plug Chicago White Sox's hole at catcher

The Chicago White Sox finally found their No. 1 catcher last year.

With the No. 10 overall pick in the amateur draft, they jumped on Zack Collins, an impressive left-handed hitter from the University of Miami.

"We think he's a special, polished bat," general manager Rick Hahn said. "A disciplined hitter with some pop, and we believe he's going to stay at catcher for the long term."

Collins posted a .363/.544/.668 hitting line with 16 home runs and 59 RBI in 62 collegiate games with the Hurricanes last season. He followed that up with a .258/.418/.467 slash line at high Class A Winston-Salem while hitting 6 homers and driving in 19 runs in 36 games.

In major-league camp with the White Sox this spring, Collins is out to prove his defense is not that far behind his offense. When he was drafted, many talent evaluators predicted Collins to be a designated hitter once he reaches the major leagues.

"I was a lot worse as a catcher a couple year ago," Collins said at spring training. "I kind of understood it because my bat kind of overshadowed my defense. It's tough because a lot people look at me as an offensive catcher. When you're looking at a guy play and you think he's an offensive catcher, your mind automatically says, 'He can't really catch.'

"I've been trying to prove a lot of people wrong, and so far I've gotten a lot better. I still want to be that offensive catcher in the big leagues, but I've definitely been working hard on my defense, and I'm really happy with how it's come along."

The Sox are convinced the 22-year-old Collins is going to be their catcher of the future, but don't look for him to arrive on the South Side until some point during the 2018 season.

Collins is likely to open this season back at Winston-Salem and end it with Class AA Birmingham.

If he progresses as expected, look for Collins to start the 2018 season with AAA Charlotte before joining the White Sox.

With the Sox finally committed to giving their prospects time to develop in the minors, they brought back veteran Geovany Soto to catch.

Limited to 26 games with the Los Angeles Angels last season because of thumb and knee injuries, Soto did bat .219 with 9 home runs and 21 RBI in 78 games with the White Sox in 2015.

"I know there are a lot of new faces, but for the most part it feels like I never left," Soto said. "There are a lot of the same guys, and I'm really happy to be here."

While Collins hones his skills in the minors, Soto is expected to share major-league time with Omar Narvaez, who was better than expected last year while slashing .267/.350/.337 in 34 games with the Sox.

"Omar gives you a great at-bat," manager Rick Renteria said. "He has a good presence for a young man, understands the pitchers; he works with them very well. He's intelligent. I think the year in the big leagues last year obviously served him well. He's a quality piece for us to have in the organization."