GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If Norge Vera’s statistics from the 2021 DSL White Sox carried forward over the course of his career, then the right-hander would end up as one of the top pitchers in franchise history.

The No. 8 White Sox prospect, per MLB Pipeline, allowed two unearned runs and nine hits over 19 innings, with five walks and 34 strikeouts. Vera understands the challenge is about to increase when he moves to one of the Class A affiliates in the United States. And the 21-year-old Cuban is ready for that next developmental task.

Vera spoke with the media on the back fields of Camelback Ranch on Monday afternoon.

“My mindset is going to be the same: Just try to be as dominant as I can and try to get outs. I’m going to look for good results,” said Vera through interpreter Billy Russo. “It doesn’t matter where or at what level you are pitching, you have to perform and be true to yourself. That’s what I’m planning to do. I don’t know exactly what level I’m going to start the season, but whatever level it is, I’m planning to go out there and perform.”

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Vera had Monday off, as did the 60-some players who participated in the White Sox minicamp prior to the start of Minor League Spring Training. He has been throwing bullpen sessions, although he is not yet scheduled to take part in simulated games, as the White Sox are managing his innings for this first full professional season.

After joining the White Sox via a $1.5 million signing bonus as a Top 20 international prospect, Vera showed off an impressive fastball during his eight games (seven starts) in the Dominican Summer League. That fastball consistently overmatched younger players in the league, leading the White Sox to preach process as much as results for Vera.

“He’s a very polished kid coming over from Cuba, being a little bit older,” said White Sox pitching coordinator Everett Teaford. “You can tell he wants to learn and work, so he’s very mature for his age.

“Continuing to improve the changeup and trying to make the breaking ball a little bit better will be his next step. He’s got a very nice fastball and we’ll try to build off that. His fastball command has been very impressive, from what we’ve seen.”

Repetition becomes key for Vera as he is learning the pro routine, as is the case for so many of these talented, but inexperienced players in the White Sox system. Teaford termed Vera’s curveball grip “unconventional,” adding it was extremely low spin, but efficient. The White Sox are changing that curveball grip to increase the spin, and Teaford believes if he keeps the efficiency, Vera will increase the break overall.

There’s also a belief that Vera can add a slider over time, helping him “develop a nice four-pitch mix,” per Teaford. Vera’s presence adds to the extraordinarily strong Cuban connection for the White Sox, with outfielders Oscar Colás and Yoelqui Céspedes also in camp.

Vera’s quest to learn prompted the White Sox to pair the young Cuban with José Contreras, who was an integral part of the 2005 World Series championship rotation and continues to work with the organization. Contreras traveled to the Dominican Republic to meet and connect with Vera, whose father, Norge Luis Vera, knew Contreras and played against him as a fellow Cuban standout.

When Vera came to the United States, he stayed at Contreras’ Georgia home to work with him.

“He taught me a lot. That experience was very nice. Like I always said, he’s like a father to me. I learned a lot from him,” Vera said. “We talk a lot about his experience. I ask him a lot of questions about how life is in the Majors, how to do things in the Majors. He told me how his experience was, once he got here, and I asked him a lot of questions and he was very good at telling me stories, that I learned from that, too.”

Minor League assignments have not been handed out yet for the 2022 season. Whether he's sent to Low-A Kannapolis or High-A Winston-Salem, Vera knows it’s another step toward reaching his ultimate Major League goal.

“That’s a process and I have to go step by step,” Vera said. “I’m proud of the consistency that I had [in '21]. I was very consistent with my command and my control and my breaking stuff. I was having trouble with that before, trying to be consistent with that, and that was something that I was able to master last year. That’s probably what I’m most proud of all the things I did last year.”