John Danks is a favorite to win the final spot in the Chicago White Sox starting rotation. But back home in Texas, he likely isn't the best athlete in his own family.
Danks, a 21-year-old left-hander, and his younger brother, Jordan, and younger sister, Emily, frequently played sports in their backyard in Round Rock, Texas. They would lower the basketball hoop so they could dunk on each other. Football also was a popular family game.
"No matter what we did, it was always a competition," Danks said. "My dad always taught us growing up that if you're going to play, you might as well play to win."
Jordan is a 6-foot-5-inch sophomore outfielder for the University of Texas. Emily is a 6-2 middle blocker/outside hitter for the volleyball team at Round Rock High School.
"My brother is just a cat, quick on his toes, big kid, strong," Danks said. "My sister is just a great athlete, tall for her age. Her and I get in the backyard hitting a volleyball around and I can't even catch up because she hits it so hard."
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Danks laments that he, at 6-1, is also the shortest of the bunch. His dad, John, is 6-5 and played basketball at the University of Texas.
"I'm the runt of my family," Danks said. "I've got my mom beat, that's about it. She's probably 5-9."
Danks said his family jokingly calls him David Wells, referring to the stout left-handed pitcher, because Danks eats ice cream as a late-night snack. He enjoys any flavor, but mostly an orange sherbet-vanilla combination that he buys at the gas station.
"They tell me I'm going to stop growing (tall); I'm going to grow wide now," Danks said.
But Danks is poised to have one advantage over his siblings — he will be the first to play professional sports. The Sox drafted his brother in the 19th round in 2005, but he opted to stay in college ball.
The Rangers drafted John Danks out of high school as the ninth overall pick in 2003. Baseball America named him as Texas' No. 1 prospect for 2007. The club traded him to the Sox in December with reliever Nick Masset for starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy.
Now Danks is battling right-hander Gavin Floyd, an off-season acquisition from the Philadelphia Phillies, and knuckleballer Charlie Haeger for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.
Danks has produced the best numbers of the three. He has a 2.00 ERA, compared to Floyd's 8.38 and Haeger's 4.50.
Danks appeared to separate himself from the pack on Tuesday, when both he and Floyd pitched against the Rangers. Danks gave up two runs, struck out three and walked one in three innings. Floyd gave up six runs, struck out three and walked two in 3 1/2 innings.
Asked if Danks is the favorite to win the job, pitching coach Don Cooper said: "Well, he's done the most as of this minute. Gavin had a tough outing the last time, but if he bounces back with a good one, the race is still on. Charlie Haeger is also still in the mix."
Danks, who throws a curveball, a changeup and a fastball up to 94 mph, has allowed two earned runs with six strikeouts and a walk in nine innings. He will start today against the San Diego Padres in Peoria.
"He's really had a nice spring and the reason he's had a nice spring is he's coming at people," Cooper said. "He's very aggressive. He's throwing strikes with all his pitches, fielding his position. Everything's been very good. I don't know if he can outdo what he's been doing."
Manager Ozzie Guillen didn't want to call Danks the favorite, but said he has been impressed.
"I like this kind of guy — grab the ball, throw it and he's not afraid to throw the ball over the plate," Guillen said.
Danks insists he remains oblivious to the competition. He has yet to pitch in the majors.
"I feel like if I start worrying about how they're doing, I'll lose focus on what I'm trying to do," he said. "I just go out there and get outs and hopefully impress them enough."
Today in Tucson
• Athletics (ss) vs. D-backs, 1:05 p.m., Tucson Electric Park
