Aaron Rowand named minor league instructor
The Chicago White Sox announced today that former player and member of the 2005 World Series team Aaron Rowand will serve as their minor league outfield and baserunning instructor. Rowand played for five seasons on the South Side.
The former outfielder and two-time World Series champion (2005 White Sox, 2010 San Francisco Giants) will be replacing Doug Sission. Sission spent three years with the White Sox before leaving after the 2015 season.
"“This is a great opportunity for me to give back to the organization which gave me my professional start,” Rowand said in a statement per Chicago Sun-Times. “As everyone knows, I have a deep passion and loyalty to the White Sox, so I’m excited to help the organization any way 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.”"
Rowand was traded along with Gio Gonzalez to the Philadelphia Phillies after the 2005 championship season for first baseman Jim Thome. A native of California, Rowand was drafted by the White Sox in the first round of the 1998 draft (35th overall) and made his major league debut on June 16, 2001.
Rowand amassed a lifetime batting average of .273 in 11 seasons with 136 home runs and 536 RBI’s. He was an all-star with the Phillies in 2007 and had career-high in home runs (27) and RBI’s (89) during that season.