In the fourth MSF QuickCast, Jerod Morris discusses his beloved Chicago White Sox and how they can still improve their hand internally as we enter the final two months of this “all in” season that has, thus far, been terribly disappointing.
MSF Quickcast #4: “All In” Chicago White Sox Can (and Should) Improve Their Hand
July 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Minor League Player Tracker – Level AAA (Hitters) for All Leagues
May 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Be on the look out for these players to be called up June 1st or just after the arbitration clock gives teams 1 extra year.
Brett Wallace should step into the Toronto 1b position as Lyle Overbay is hitting under .200.
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White Sox ST Update: Third Base Concerns, Offense Pops Against A’s
March 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Errors, errors, errors.
That has been the common theme that I have been witnessing first hand at White Sox Spring Training. It would not be so bad if they were spread out amongst the team but it all seems to be Josh Fields, whose fielding percentage thus far in Spring Traning is .885. I was in a much better position during the game against the A’s to really look at what he is seeing and how he is reacting.
He appears to be reading the ball just fine. What he does not seem to be able to do is to make a commitment on how and when is going to field it. With complete understanding of what a hot corner third base is, it should be understood that it will take him time to get into his comfort zone. Right now I think the only thing that is saving him is his hitting. I just want to know how long it is going to be until Ozzie has seen enough of Fields’ defense.
The 12-10 victory over the A’s began with a hitting barrage by the visiting White Sox. It was a relief after the effort that was seen against the Cubs. It was nice to see Wilson Betemit playing first base well and hitting the ball with such power. I think he will make a great second tier guy not only at first base but at other infield positions.
Jermaine Dye, however, did not look as good as I thought he would have. His choices of pitches to swing at was questionable and he always appeared to be swinging for the high home run. Of course Jim Thome hit a towering home run that bounced quite ironically of a Hooters restaurant sign.
All in all the team put together a nice offensive game.
Prior to the game I spent the morning over at Camelback Ranch getting to watch the minor league team workout. I was impressed with Dayan Viciedo and how relaxed he looks. Could he be a sizable Cuban presence in the White Sox organization in the future? If so, he appears to be making great strides in his transition to the major and minor league baseball in the States.
The stories are true. He is a big kid. Shedding some weight will definitely improve his quickness in the field, which really is not all that bad already. His hitting was in great form. He was being worked out at third base and from what I have been told that is where he is going to be playing while he is in the system. I think that it is only a matter of time and he will be up in the big leagues. My feeling is that he will be starting at third base before this year’s All-Star break.
Josh Fields photo credit: AP Photo/M. Spencer Green
White Sox: Dayan Viciedo and Josh Fields Battle For the Hot Corner
February 28, 2009 By 3 Comments
Coming into spring training this year there has been the major question of who would be replacing the departed Joe Crede at the hot corner.
Initially, it appeared to be Josh Fields due to his performance in ’07 while Crede was out with back trouble. In ’08 Fields spent most of his time with AAA Charlotte hitting .246. His hitting is good enough to make the line-up but his fielding needs some work.
Then during the offseason the White Sox went and signed 19-year old Cuban superstar Dayan Viciedo to a four-year deal. Viciedo has shown that his hitting is solid. Like Fields, he also shown room for improvement in his fielding. So, it makes for an interesting story to follow.
Who will be the opening day starter at third base? The unknown Cuban phenom or the guy who has already proven that he can produce if put in the lineup?
So far, the early-early Spring returns have been positive for both. Dayan Viciedo has impressed many people already this spring including manager Ozzie Guillen. In his first six spring ABs Viciedo has 3 hits, including a home run that probably looked a little something like this:
And if you can speak/understand Spanish, here is a little more Dayan Viciedo video for you:
For his part, Fields has done well in his limited Spring action so far. He is 1-2 with a run.
Obviously even full Spring Training stats don’t paint a complete picture or completely predict how players will do in the regular season, but for these two guys their Spring performance will go a long way towards deciding who is in the starting lineup at 3rd base once the season opens in April.
So, it begs the question what part of their game will be the deciding factor for Ozzie? Will the one not chosen spend time down in AAA Charlotte only to improve their game and come back up to claim third base?
I am excited at the chance to watch the battle within the game that will be occurring at third base. We’ll be tracking the 3B duel all Spring here at Midwest Sports Fans.
Other White Sox links for you on a cold Saturday in Texas, but a beautiful one in Arizona:
White Sox power way past D-Backs — (Chisox.com)
White Sox youngesters have Major League attitude, skills — (South Side Sox)
Aaron Poreda retires six in a row — (Tribune)
Viciedo hits ground hitting — (Sox Machine)
First impressions: Rookie Viciedo will be worth it — (Sun-Times)
Photo credit: Morry Gash, AP
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Bill K is a big White Sox and Colts fan living in Fort Worth, Texas who also maintains his own personal blog: Average Guy Sports.
LOTD: Baseball America List of Top 100 Prospects in Baseball Released
February 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Today’s Link of the Day comes to us from the good folks over at Baseball America who, for as long as I have been following baseball, have been churning out annual lists of the best prospects in the game. Earlier today, Baseball America posted their Top 100 Prospects, and much to my excitement the Chicago White Sox made the Top 20.
As you can see in the list broken down below, White Sox 2009 1st Round draft pick Gordon Beckham, a shortstop, came in at #20. Baseball America lists Beckham’s ETA as 2009, which makes sense considering that he is a 22-year old former college player. However, with Alexei Ramirez sliding over to the shortstop for the White Sox this year I wonder where they are expecting Beckham to play.
With 2B still up in the air between Chris Getz and Brett Lillibridge, two solid prospects but who are not on Beckham’s level, I wonder if we could see Alexei slide right back over to 2B to make room for Gordon Beckham this season. I guess we can wait and see how Beckham does the Spring, and how Getz and Lillibridge do, before we promote him to the big league club.
For you other White Sox junkies like me, here are the other White Sox prospects to make the Top 100:
- #61 – Dayan Viciedo, 3B/OF, Age 20, ETA 2009
- #63 – Aaron Poreda, LHP, Age 22, ETA 2009
- #99 – Tyler Flowers, C, Age 23, ETA 2010
For those of you wanting to know the Twins players who made the cut, I’m sure Tyler will break it down for you in a future post (hint, hint Tyler).
And here is the complete list of Baseball America’s Top 20 Prospects in baseball:
Baseball America Top 20 Prospects - 2009
| # | Player | Position | Organization | Age* | ETA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Wieters | C | Orioles | 22 | 2009 |
| 2 | David Price | LHP | Rays | 23 | 2009 |
| 3 | Colby Rasmus | OF | Cardinals | 22 | 2009 |
| 4 | Tommy Hanson | RHP | Braves | 22 | 2009 |
| 5 | Jason Heyward | OF | Braves | 19 | 2010 |
| 6 | Travis Snider | OF | Blue Jays | 21 | 2009 |
| 7 | Brett Anderson | LHP | Athletics | 21 | 2009 |
| 8 | Cameron Maybin | OF | Marlins | 22 | 2009 |
| 9 | Madison Bumgarner | LHP | Giants | 19 | 2010 |
| 10 | Neftali Feliz | RHP | Rangers | 20 | 2009 |
| 11 | Trevor Cahill | RHP | Athletics | 21 | 2009 |
| 12 | Pedro Alvarez | 3B | Pirates | 22 | 2009 |
| 13 | Mike Moustakas | 3B | Royals | 20 | 2010 |
| 14 | Buster Posey | C | Giants | 22 | 2010 |
| 15 | Dexter Fowler | OF | Rockies | 23 | 2009 |
| 16 | Mike Stanton | OF | Marlins | 19 | 2010 |
| 17 | Lars Anderson | 1B | Red Sox | 22 | 2009 |
| 18 | Logan Morrison | 1B | Marlins | 21 | 2010 |
| 19 | Alcides Escober | SS | Brewers | 22 | 2009 |
| 20 | Gordon Beckham | SS | White Sox | 22 | 2009 |
*-Age is how old they will be on Opening Day, 2009
Here are the links to the rest of the Baseball America List:
———-
And now some other links for you on this bright, fine Tuesday afternoon:
Nate Robinson has a man crush on Will Ferrell — (Total Pro Sports)
Boom Goes the Dynamite makes it all the way to the Oscars — (Awful Announcing)
Joba Chamberlain is a pimp — (Busted Coverage)
The Week that was in College Basketball — (Sparty and Friends)
Devin Harris incredible buzzer-beater — (Black Sports Online)
Tennessee Fans should pay attention to change in presidents — (Mr. SEC)
“The Cuban Pimp” Dayan Viciedo Shows up to White Sox Spring Training in Shape and in Style
February 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Dayan Viciedo has yet to have an official at bat in a White Sox uniform, not in a regular season game nor a Spring Training game. Yet, the 19-year old phenom from the Cuba, who is part of the White Sox Cuban Trifectors that will help dictate how far the team goes this season, is already causing quite a stir throughout White Sox camp in Glendale, Arizona.
And luckily for the White Sox and their fans, the stir has so far been all positive.
Viciedo, who was playing professionally in Cuba by the age of 15, is renowned for his prodigious power with the bat. He is also renowned for his prodigious ability to pack on the pounds, ballooning up to 260 pounds according to reports after defecting from Cuba and settling for a short time in Miami.
The White Sox signed Viciedo to a 4-year, $10 million in the offseason convinced that the potential of his bat outweight that the potential of gut.
So far so good.
According to Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times:
Viciedo, 19, was off to a good start Wednesday, showing up a day early and — more important — in shape.
”It’s our policy that you don’t show up to spring training to get in shape,” Guillen said. ”Show up ready to go. He’s in great shape. A lot of people are going to be impressed with the way he’s going to swing the bat. I’m glad he showed up in good condition.”
It sounds like a lot of the White Sox players stayed pretty motivated during the offseason and reported to Glendale in good shape. A few days ago, Ozzie Guillen answered questions regarding the weight of projected #4 starter Bartolo Colon. While the delivering the hilarious line “He’s not a jockey,” Guillen explained that Colon will always be heavy but that even Big Bartolo was in good shape. And the shape of Jose Contreras has been one of the stories of Spring Training so far. Contreras showed up 30 pounds lighter as he rehabs from a ruptured achilles.
Back to Dayan Viciedo.
According to Ozzie, the White Sox still aren’t sure exactly what they have in the newcomer. Everyone is hoping that he can have the same kind of impact as Alexei Ramirez last year, but Ramirez is seven years older.
Viciedo will be afforded an opportunity to compete with projected starter Josh Fields at 3B. How he hits and fields during the Spring will dictate whether he breaks camp with the big league club.
One thing is for sure though: While we cannot be certain yet about the substance of his game, Dayan Viciedo is already playing the part of a seasoned vet, at least in style.
According to the same Sun-Times article by Cowley:
Maybe by the end of spring training, Viciedo also will get a different nickname from his manager, but for now — thanks in part to a tricked-out ”$150,000 car that looks like something [Jermaine Dye] would drive” — Guillen is calling Viciedo ”The Cuban Pimp.”
Let’s see…last season began with Ozzie Guillen giving a rookie Cuban defector a nickname that involved the word “Cuban” when he dubbed Alexei Ramirez the “Cuban Missile”. Ramirez finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting and the White Sox won the AL Central.
This season, Ozzie Guillen has begun by giving a rookie Cuban defector a nickname that involves the word “Cuban” by dubbing Dayan Viciedo “The Cuban Pimp”. Perhaps Viciedo can follow Ramirez’s lead and make a push for Rookie of the Year while the White Sox win the AL Central.
Ahh, the beauty of Spring Training. When everyone is in shape, in a good mood, and hope springs eternal. Now let’s hope that Dayan Viciedo can get off to a hot start with the bat. The Cuban Pimp versus the Hot Corner Cowboy could be the most exciting battle of the Spring.
Other White Sox links:
Masset Theory in Practice – 2009 Edition — (South Side Sox)
FIELDS CAN SEE FOR MILES, BUT HOW ABOUT 60 FEET, 6 INCHES? — (Sox Machine)
No clear 1st for 2nd — (Sun-Times)
Introducing Dayan Viciedo and the Cuban Trifectors – Three Keys for White Sox Success in 2009
February 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment
One of the most intriguing names reporting to the White Sox Spring Training facility at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona is Dayan Viciedo. If you are just a general baseball fan, you may never have heard of Dayan Viciedo before. Even some White Sox fans might not be very familiar with the name yet.
But from what I am reading, we should all probably get very familiar with the name Dayan Viciedo; and if he is as good as advertised, the entire baseball world may be familiar with him soon.
The 19-year old Dayan Viciedo, a third baseman, is the latest Cuban defector to join the Chicago White Sox after signing a 4-year, $10 million deal this offseason. Jose Contreras, who came over earlier this decade from the New York Yankees, helped the White Sox win the 2005 World Series and has become a fixture in the White Sox rotation. Alexei Ramirez, dubbed “The Cuban Missile” by Ozzie Guillen during Spring Training last year, finished as the runner-up for the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2008.
Together, they form the trio of White Sox that I am now going to refer to as the Cuban Trifectors, and their play in 2009 will go a long way towards deciding whether or not the White Sox can repeat as AL Central champions.
So who is this Dayan Viciedo that, according to the Chicago Tribune, led one AL scout to say that “he has more hitting ability than Alexei”?
Dayan Viciedo, as mentioned, is a native Cuban who entered the National Series of Cuba at the ripe old age of 15. He only hit .243 that first season, but found his footing as a 16-year old and hit .337 with 14 home runs. And anyone who says, “well he was only playing in Cuba” obviously does not know much about international baseball.
Cuba always fielded a very competitive baseball team in the Olympics, and finished as the runner-up to Japan in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Cuba is very serious about their baseball, and that same Chicago Tribune article cited earlier quotes an AL scout as saying “You don’t see a 16-year-old play on a national team [as he did].” Dayan Viciedo actually made the provisional 60-man roster for the World Baseball Classic but did not make the final cut.
Viciedo’s greatest strength appears to be significant raw power. I have read in more than one place that Viciedo projects to be a 35-40 home run guy. His .337 average as a 16-year old also shows that he is not a McGwire-esque one trick pony either. He will obviously have to prove, however, that he can make adjustments at the Major League level and provide consistent production against higher quality pitching.
The primary weakness that has been cited is Viciedo’s weight. He apparently ballooned up to 260 pounds at one point after reaching the U.S. following his defection. The White Sox instructed him to report to camp at 230 pounds, and he had already trimmed his weight to 246 pounds by the time of his tryout in November, according to the Chicago Tribune.
And Ozzie Guillen certainly seems encouraged, as this report at SunTimes.com from January 30, 2009 shows:
Guillen has gotten promising reports from bench coach Joey Cora regarding power-hitting third baseman Dayan Viciedo, 19, who defected from Cuba last year. There had been concerns that Viciedo’s weight would hurt his chances in the majors.
”I got great news about the former fat guy,” Guillen said with a laugh. ”Now he’s a big man. He’s a strong, big kid. When I saw him the first time, he was overweight, there’s no doubt.
”I talked to Joey Cora, and this kid is going to come to spring training having the big-league club on his mind, and that’s good. He says he wants to be on the big-league club. He is going to have all of the opportunities to make the ballclub.”
Viciedo will be competing with Josh Fields at 3B this spring. Joe Crede, the longtime fixture at the hot 
corner for the White Sox, will probably be in San Francisco or Minnesota. Juan Uribe will not be with team either. And while there is understandable excitement about Dayan Viciedo’s potential, it is important to point out that while Josh Fields struggled last year, this is still a guy who hit 23 home runs in only 373 ABs in 2007. He only had 20 ABs at the Major League level last year, but at 27 should be ready to hit his stride.
What will be interesting to see is whether the White Sox keep Viciedo at the big league level if he does not unseat Josh Fields as the starter, but shows enough pop in his bat to be a DH fill-in for Jim Thome and power bat off the bench. I would think that the White Sox want Viciedo playing every day, so if he is not starting on the big league club they will probably have him in AAA.
One thing is for sure: whether or not Viciedo breaks camp on the South Side, he could still play an integral role in the White Sox quest to defend their AL Central title. Alexei Ramirez played sparingly through the first few months of 2008, but came on strong during the final few months to become one of the offensive leaders for the White Sox. We will see how quickly Viciedo can adjust during Spring Training; but regardless, his name will be on all Sox fans minds all season, especially if Fields struggles or if the White Sox offense as a whole sputters like it did at the start of last season.
Either way, Dayan Viciedo is another solid building block for the future that Ken Williams has assembled. With respect to the immediate future, the other two members of the Cuban Trifectors are two of the most important keys for the White Sox success in 2009.
Jose Contreras is still recovering from the ruptured Achilles that ended his 2008 season. Most projections have him returning to the rotations around the All-Star break, and the early reports from Glendale are glowing:
Guillen presented rave reviews for Camelback Ranch, comments echoed by White Sox pitchers and catchers. He called Jose Contreras “the biggest surprise of camp,” even with just one day elapsed, as the right-hander showed up 30 pounds lighter than the end of the 2008 season and well on his way to coming back early from a ruptured left Achilles tendon suffered last August.
With the 4th and 5th slots in the rotation still up in the air, the healthy and effective return of Contreras could be a tremendous mid-season lift for the White Sox. Everyone hopes that Bartolo Colon and either Aaron Poreda or Clayton Richard can solidify the back end of the rotation, but there is no replacement for the big game experience that Jose Contreras possesses. He was up and down at times last season, but I firmly believe that the White Sox are a better team with him taking the bump every fifth day.
The other Cuban Trifector, Alexei Ramirez, is being counted upon heavily to not only deal with adjustments that AL pitchers will most likely throw his way during his second year in the big leagues, but also with playing a new position. Alexei is sliding over to SS from 2B to make way for Chris Getz (or perhaps Brett Lillibridge). Moving over to SS should not be too much of an adjustment for Alexei, as he played mostly shortstop and center field in Cuba. The move could certainly boost the White Sox offense, assuming that whoever is playing 2B can replace the modest production of Juan Uribe.
With inexperienced players like Jerry Owens, Getz, and Fields projected to be starters in 2009, and aging veterans like AJ Pierzynski, Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, and Jermaine Dye trying to prove that they can still produce at above-average levels, a lot of pressure will be on Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin to provide consistent offensive production. Alexei, who will be 27 on opening day, was very consistent as a player in Cuba and is at the age where most players enter their prime years. For the White Sox to succeed in 2009, Alexei needs to build upon his solid rookie year and be the player throughout 2009 that he was during the final few months in 2008.
I am a huge proponent of Ken Williams’ willingness to bring in Cuban players, and the White Sox are in a unique situation to help Cuban players succeed. When Alexei joined the team last year, he had the veteran Contreras to lean on and fellow Latino Ozzie Guillen as his manager. Alexei was also 26, so he had seven years of maturity on the young Dayan Viciedo. But Viciedo will have both Contreras and Ramirez to help guide him, and a manager in Ozzie Guillen who has proven his willingness to give young players a chance.
Jose Contreras and Alexei Ramirez are both proven commodities who have experienced great success already at the Major League level. Dayan Viciedo is a raw 19-year old who possesses immense talent but still needs to prove that he has the skills and mental makeup to compete and produce consistently at the Major League level. Together, the Cuban Trifectors form a huge piece of the 2009 puzzle that the White Sox and their fans are hoping can result in another AL Central title and a return trip to the playoffs.
