White Sox add Aaron Rowand to player development staff
The Chicago White Sox have named Aaron Rowand as the organization's minor-league outfield and baserunning instructor, replacing Doug Sisson, who left the organization following the 2015 season.
Rowand, 38, batted .273 (1,193-4,374) with 267 doubles, 136 home runs, 536 RBI and 613 runs scored over 11 seasons in the major leagues with the White Sox (2001-05), Philadelphia (2006-07) and San Francisco (2008-11).
"This is a great opportunity for me to give back to the organization which gave me my professional start," said Rowand. "As everyone knows, I have a deep passion and loyalty to the White Sox, so I'm excited to help the organization anyway I can. I feel like I have a lot to offer the players coming up through the system, and I can't wait to get started in spring training."
In five seasons with the Sox, Rowand hit .283 (466-1,647) with 54 home runs, 211 RBI and 255 runs scored over 579 games. He was a member of the White Sox 2005 world championship team, which claimed the organization's first World Series title since 1917.
Following the 2005 season, he was traded to Philadelphia with pitcher Gio Gonzalez in return for Jim Thome. His best season came with the Phillies in 2007 when he was named to the National League All-Star Team and won a Rawlings Gold Glove Award after hitting .309 (189-612) with a career-high 45 doubles, 27 home runs, 89 RBI and 105 runs scored. Rowand also helped the Giants win a World Series in 2010.
"Aaron brings a great deal of passion to the ballpark every day, and we feel like his knowledge and expertise will be valuable assets to our player development system," said Nick Capra, White Sox director of player development. "Aaron's engaging personality and eagerness to teach make him perfect for this outfield and baserunning role, where he can connect with players up and down our system. White Sox fans have always reserved a special place for Aaron because of his all-out style of play and love for the game, so this is a great fit on many levels."
Rowand was selected by the White Sox with a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds of the 1998 draft out of Cal-State Fullerton.
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