posted on Monday, March 24, 2008 2:37 AM
by
Jim
Logan previewed, position battles winding down
Considering the weather isn't warming up, there may be no better sign that the White Sox are nearing Opening Day than seeing the season preview for the team LOOGY. With
the completion of Boone Logan's 2008 preview, we're officially 80 percent there.
Octavio Dotel and Juan Uribe will be up next, though perhaps not in that order. The remaining battles:
Joe Crede vs. Josh Fields. With 85 percent of precincts reporting, we're declaring Crede the winner.
Mark Gonzalez seems more certain about Fields' fate...
The most emotional decision will involve third base, where Crede will
get the nod over Fields unless the Sox can pull off a last-minute trade
after nearly a month of inactivity.
...than Joe Cowley, but not by much:
What Fields does have control of is what his reaction will be like if it isn't good news.
In other words, the likelihood of the former two-sport standout
going all ''Ben Davis'' on members of the Sox' front office -- as Davis
did in the spring of 2005 when he was cut -- is small.
I like what Fields had to say -- he showed his disappointment without disrespect, and I'd rather see emotion than a bland "whatever's best for the team" quote that will leave people guessing, anyway.
He's right to be a little down, because going back to Triple-A puts him in a no-win situation. It's kind of like a major college basketball program playing a decent mid-major on the road during the regular season. If he succeeds, that's what he's supposed to do and it doesn't really add much to his case. If he trips up, it's embarrassing and the doubts start to pile up for merely being human.
Major props to Cowley for the Ben Davis reference, by the way. I like when writers go a little bit over the heads of casual readers once in a while.
Nick Masset vs. Ehren Wassermann: Wassermann took a major step forward in today's game,
pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of a struggling John Danks. But Masset pitched a scoreless inning as well, although he hit a batter.
Gonzalez continues to stump for Wassermann, and I hope he's right:
The Sox probably won't make their final cuts until
Tuesday. Barring a trade, it would be stunning to not see reliever
Ehren Wassermann and backup outfielder Brian Anderson on the opening
day roster.
Wassermann bailed Danks out of a fifth-inning jam by inducing Billy
Butler to hit into an inning-ending double play, and he pitched a
scoreless sixth. The Sox could ask their other relievers, such as Matt
Thornton, to pitch more than one inning on occasion if they don't carry
a true long reliever.
Carlos Quentin vs. Brian Anderson: Anderson has done everything in his power to earn the fourth outfielder spot -- a homer today boosted his line to .362/.464/.690, and he threw out his fourth runner of the spring as well. Ozzie Guillen has heaped an unprecedented amount of praise on Anderson, saying this is the B.A. he'd been expecting all along.
So why is Ozzie hesitating to call Anderson a lock?
"He's
got to continue to play, and we got to continue to see him play,"
Guillen said. "We have tough few decisiosn to make. They're going to be
tough ones. (Anderson is) playing well. It's about time. We expect that
from him for a long time, a long time.
"We've been waiting for
that kind of Brian Anderson for the past three years. He's got a great
chance to make the ballclub, of course. The way he plays, he's earned
the spot, (but) the decision we make in spring training is not how good
you played in spring training. It's what we're going to need."
Considering Anderson is a terrific defender at all three outfield positions and bats righty, he pretty much fits the description of what the Sox need right now -- even though I'm a Quentin fan and hope to see him contribute with the Sox sooner rather than later.
On the other hand, Anderson's stellar performance might mean he actually has trade value for the first time in a couple years, and falling flat on his face in April with irregular at-bats might destroy what he's building. Of course, that Anderson still didn't make the 25-man roster after playing his tail off might be a warning flag to potential suitors, but it's just a thought.
Three other attempts to get into Ozzie's head:
No. 1: Anderson might be playing his best because he's desperate, and Ozzie doesn't want to take away any motivation in the final week of spring.
No. 2: Anderson will be facing the highest level of pitching in the last few games, and Ozzie wants to make sure he doesn't turn into a pumpkin.
No. 3: It's a tip of the hat to Quentin for recovering in impressive fashion from offseason shoulder surgery and a slow start to his spring.