Levine: White Sox Come Together Quickly

By Bruce Levine --

CHICAGO (CBS) -- With the way the White Sox have been playing and winning, the question of teams coming together as winners quickly has been of interest.

Riding the wave of success and the best record in the American League, manager Robin Ventura has a whole lot of new people getting the job done so far this season.

"This is just part of the game," Ventura said about his restructured position player mix. "You don't look at people any differently. You get new people, you get to know them. We have guys that have come in, fit in and done well."

The total overhaul of the lineup has changed the dynamic of a team that played poorly on defense and in the fundamental aspects of the game the prior three seasons. This group has challenged the theory that a team must grow together over a long period of time to be successful.

"It doesn't take as long as you think," said catcher Dioner Navarro, who has played on seven teams. "Baseball is the same wherever you go. If you play the game the right way, it does not really matter how long you have been together. Look, we get to know each other as teammates and players for six weeks in spring training. Unless you have all young guys, that should be good enough."

Navarro's take blows away the theory that you must grow with a group for a number of years to build the old "team chemistry" element.

"It's all about being a professional player," Navarro said. "Things are not always going to go your way. Things will not always work in your favor, but you must be professional and keep grinding it out. We have guys in here that do that, they get it."

Only a handful of the White Sox players have come through the organization. Six have organizational roots, and only two are position players (Tyler Saladino and Carlos Sanchez). The longest-tenured player on the roster is ace Chris Sale, who made his MLB debut in late 2010. After that, it's Nate Jones and Jose Quintana who came in 2012 and Avisail Garcia arriving in late 2013 as those spending the longest time in Chicago.

Ventura saw it coming together quickly in Arizona in February.

"This one started out early," Ventura said. "We saw this right away in spring training, that this was for real. It's easier to do when the players do it themselves. It always works that way, that guys find a way to communicate and feel comfortable with each other. All that happened early."

There were seven new position players brought in this season, five of them everyday starters. Nobody personifies the new vibrant White Sox like energizer bunny Brett Lawrie, the club's second baseman who's a ball of excitement on the bench and in the field.

"He is sincere about his game," Ventura said. "He has passion about playing. He loves being here and the people he is playing with. I think that stuff comes pouring out of him. It creates something good with the team. Guys just seem to respond in a positive way. You just let him go with that."

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.