LAS VEGAS -- With one statement during a Wednesday morning conference call, Ivan Nova immediately became White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper's type of hurler.
"Like they always say, the best pitch is strike one," Nova said. "You have to do everything in your power to throw strike one, strike two. A lot of guys can put them away, are strikeout pitchers, but I'm more like a contact pitcher. I like to attack the strike zone. I've always been a strike thrower."
Nova, who turns 32 on Jan. 12, officially became a part of the 2019 White Sox rotation via a trade that sent Minor League pitcher Yordi Rosario and $500,000 in international signing bonus pool money to the Pirates on Tuesday. Nova has an average of 1.75 walks per 9 innings during the last three seasons, ranking him fifth in the Majors behind Josh Tomlin (1.03), Clayton Kershaw (1.30), Mike Leake (1.66) and Bartolo Colon (1.66) during that time.
From Sept. 18, 2016 to April 17, 2017, Nova went six consecutive starts without a walk. He also threw 78 pitches during a complete-game loss at St. Louis in the final start of that span, showing the sort of efficiency the White Sox hope some of their other young starters will emulate. Nova served as a mentor for young pitchers in Pittsburgh and is ready to do the same with his new team.
"[James] Shields did something like that for us the last few years, to try to be the guy. I think Nova's experience will certainly be a part of that," White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. "We think he's going to be able to eat up some innings and pitch effectively for us. All the reports from everybody we've spoken to, this kid's a good pickup for us."

Rule 5 outlook
General manager Rick Hahn thinks the White Sox could lose at least one player and maybe two during Thursday morning's Rule 5 Draft, although he thought the team would lose one in '17 and did not. Right-handers Zach Thompson and Spencer Adams, who were not added to the 40-man roster, seem to be the prime candidates, with Thompson more likely as a reliever.
Hahn was far from definitive on adding through the Rule 5, although that hesitancy didn't deal with future trades or free-agent additions joining a 40-man roster, currently at 38.
"It's a balance between what's available up there and how you project their role over the next couple of years versus some of our internal options and whether we'd be blocking some of the young guys that we've cultivated and we want to give them the chance," Hahn said. "It's not about some of the free-agent plugs that could come down the road or trades that could come down the road and we have this Rule 5 guy on the 40-man.
"We can figure that one out. It's about how the available talent in that Draft coincides with what we already have."
Burger progressing
Jake Burger -- who is working his way back from a pair of torn left Achilles, including the first one last Spring Training -- is progressing well.
"We're projecting him, provided everything goes smoothly, to hopefully be active at an affiliate come June 1," Hahn said of the team's top pick in the 2017 Draft and potential third baseman of the future.
Boras praises the Chairman
Scott Boras, the agent for free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper, had nothing but praise Wednesday for White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
"First of all, he's a very knowledgeable baseball person and he's been a historic figure in the game and certainly somebody that I enjoy talking to all the time," Boras said during his extended media session. "I always know that whenever I call him, or he calls me, we have a very respectful relationship and always have good baseball conversations.
"I'm sure Jerry will do anything that's good business for him. He's a very successful businessman and owner, so I would certainly say that he has certainly an opportunity to look at a star player, as he's done in the past, and looking at that today, it's even a greater advantage."