GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Chicago White Sox outfielder Alex Rios was a mystery to the fan base and management during a disastrous 2011 in which he batted .227 and his defense faded dramatically.

He enters the 2012 season trying to have a short memory of his past struggles and insists his passion for baseball is just as strong.

Bruce Levine: What type of approach are you taking to avoid a repeat of your 2011 performance?
Rios: First of all I’ve forgotten about last season. There is nothing good I can take out of what happened so I needed to get that out of my head. This year I’m focusing on consistency throughout the year. That’s what I'm working on.

Do you keep too much of what's going on in your head to yourself?
I keep a lot of things to myself but playing through little injuries is something every player does. If I couldn’t perform well enough to help the team I would pull myself out. The one thing people question is how consistent I will be from year to year, and that bothers me as well. That's one of the key points in baseball, and I’m working to get better and more consistent.

How do you think the change in managers and coaches will impact you?
Some managers are easier to play for, but I don’t think that affects your performance. Relationships should not really matter as long as you prepare and do your job.

How do you put other people's negative thought to the side and not let them distract you?
You just learn to block those things out. You do hear things when you are going bad, but you have to try and ignore the negative stuff. If you are a young player and you are going bad it can affect you.

What kind of season do you expect for yourself? Do you put down any numbers that you try to attain?
I don’t do that. All I want to do is be consistent and have a good year. If you are consistent and work hard the numbers are going to be there. My only goals are to help the White Sox win and be a good teammate.

Sometimes it appears like you are not really into what is going on. Do you still enjoy playing baseball?
Hey, it is what I have done my whole life. It's hard not to love it. Sometimes like any other job when things are not going well you are not going to hate it, but it is tougher going to work. I get paid a lot of money to play this great game, so you will not find me complaining.

Manager Robin Ventura wants you to bat third. Your thoughts?
That's great. I really like that challenge. You really have a good chance to drive in runs and impact a game early. This is a good situation for me.