For about the last six months, I (and certainly a large number of other White Sox fans) have considered the third base job on the South Side to be all but given to Josh Fields.
While I didn't expect Joe Crede (who started at third base from 2003 to early 2007) to have been traded by now, I certainly didn't expect GM Kenny Williams to come out and flatly state that Crede would start over Fields if he can't find a trade by the end of the spring.
As Hawk Harrelson would say, "dadgummit!"
I understand Williams not wanting to give up Crede for a bag of baseballs, but starting him over your obvious third baseman of the future who's one of the few good young talents in the organization?
You're off your rocker on this one, Kenny. Don't go out and trade for Todd Ritchie next.
Fields appeared in 100 games last year and over his 373 at-bats smacked 23 home runs. That was his rookie season.
I'm a firm believer that Fields, the White Sox first-round pick out of Oklahoma State in 2003, has the potential to hit 35 home runs and be another force in a lineup that already has guys like Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, and Nick Swisher.
He's only 25, but I feel he's already proven himself as a power hitter at the big league level. Yes, his batting average was .244, but along with those 23 home runs he had 67 RBI.
Fields needs to work on his hitting against righties. But against lefties he was a monster last year, hitting .321 with 11 home runs over 106 at-bats.
When you have lefties like Fransisco Liriano, C.C. Sabathia, Dontrelle Willis, Kenny Rogers, and Nate Robertson in the division, he's a very valuable commodity to have.
And, let me repeat, he's only 25. He's the future.
Crede's the past.
Nobody's denying the contribution Crede has made to the White Sox organization. Down the stretch in 2005, Crede came up with the plays and hits that kept the White Sox from suffering what would have been the biggest collapse in MLB history.
While Konerko and Dye won the ALCS and World Series MVP awards, ask any White Sox fan and they'll tell you that Crede was the playoff MVP.
From his walk-off double in Game 2 of the ALCS to his game-winning single in Game 5. From his home run off Wandy Rodriguez in Game 1 of the World Series, to his spectacular defense evoking memories of Brooks Robinson in the same game, to his blast off Roy Oswalt in Game 3—Crede was amazing in October.
He followed that up in 2006 by putting up the best offensive season of his career, hitting .283 with 30 home runs and 94 RBI.
He furthered his status as the most clutch player in White Sox history by hitting two game-tying grand slams. He won the silver slugger that year as a third baseman, in a league in which Alex Rodriguez plays third base, too.
The big concern for Sox fans after 2006 was whether or not Crede was going to sign a long-term extension. He didn't.
Then 2007 came, and so did the back problems.
Crede had opted against back surgery in the offseason, and that decision came back to cost him most of 2007 and possibly his career with the White Sox.
Crede played in just 47 games before going on the disabled list for good in early June. When he went on the DL, he was hitting .216 with just four homers and 22 RBI—numbers that would make the 2004 Crede cringe.
Fields came in for Crede, played well, and the writing looked to be on the wall—Crede, of course, would be traded.
Of course, his trade value was nil in the offseason, despite the glowing reports coming from agent Scott Boras.
He hasn't experienced any injury problems this spring, but he's hit poorly, diminishing his trade value even further.
Granted, Fields hasn't hit much better. But he's not the one on the market.
Unless you're in Crede's situation, you take spring training with a grain of salt. After all, Jolbert Cabrera leads all hitters with 10 RBI. Abraham Nunez led all hitters in home runs a few years back.
If Crede doesn't hit well and his trade value remains at zero, then why not keep him as a late-inning defensive replacement? It's a known fact that Crede's defense is superior to that of Fields (and most third basemen in the league, too).
Plus, there's almost no chance Crede is back with the Sox in 2009. Williams has a record of not dealing with Boras' clients.
So even if Crede does do well, Fields will be at the hot corner in 2009. Sending Fields to AAA could seriously stunt his growth.
It's not that I want Crede gone.
I just want Fields to start.
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7 months ago
JJ. Great article.
This is a awkward situation going on on the South Side that can be remedied in one of three ways.
One: trade crede. Kenny Williams usually works his magic on the trades. If nothing has tickled his fancy yet, I doubt that anything will change at the trade deadline, where teams will not be interested in giving up anyone of value to their major league team. That said, I don't see this
Two: trade Paul Konerko. Blasphemy, I know. I love Paulie as much as the next Oak Lawn plumber, but Paul's 10-5 no trade clause kicks in at the end of the year, which will make him incredibly hard to move. Many teams have expressed interest in Paul and his entire contract, and the money could go to better use. A player like Jered Weaver and Chone Figgins would do wonders for the South Siders. Frankly, I think that the White Sox are reverting into the pre ozzie ball stages. Konerko is the easiest slugger to unload, though I would be more than happy to get rid of Thome. With Konerko gone, Fields moves to first, where his glove would actually be above par.
Three: Who's starting in left field? Brian Anderson? Ramierez? Ozzie himself? I know that Fields was a complete boot out there last year, but starting Josh in Left Field would be a good fit, not defensively, by any means, but Fields is too talented with the bat to be sitting on the bench, or be playing in Charlotte.
There is no reason to get rid of Crede for the mere sake of making room for Fields. Josh is the future, but there is still this bizarre idea that the future can be put aside for now. I don't know much about the White Sox prospects this year, but I do agree that Crede at third makes us a better team this year. To trade him for anything less than his worth would be foolish when the other options are on the table.
7 months ago
Dieter-
I agree COMPLETELY with your second point. Trading Konerko now, before, as you said, his 10-5 rights kick in, would give this team amazing flexibility. If Crede was also traded, Fields could stay at third, Swisher could move to first, and then you could have any two of Anderson/Owens/Quentin/Ramirez as the CF/LF. It'd also free up some salary and likely would replenish a barren farm system.
As for your other comments, I agree with them completely. It's always good to know there's another smart Sox fan down here in Columbia.
M-I-Z...
7 months ago
What's the latest on the rumors of Crede to the Giants?
All offseason its been talked about as essentially a done deal, but clearly its been derailed now with Lowry's injury and the Giants unwillingness to part with any more pitching with the hole in their rotation.
But is there are anything else that San Francisco can offer to entice Kenny Williams into offloading Crede?
7 months ago
A lot of people in Chicago think the White Sox like Eugenio Velez a lot. Velez is basically a Pablo Ozuna clone who we really don't need, but he's got that "Chicago Tough/Grinder" persona about him. If squeezed, Kenny Williams might take Velez for Crede, but that would honestly be a horrendous trade.
Now, if San Fransisco would just offer up Jonathan Sanchez, this would be a done deal in a heartbeat.
7 months ago
There was word early on that San Francisco had taken many hallucinogenic drugs and were considering Matt Cain for Joe Crede and a prospect, which would have been a fantastic trade for the White Sox. In my opinion, you can never have too much young starting pitching, especially when you have the oldest players in the majors, Jose Contreras, in your starting 5.
Obviously the drugs wore off, the Giants wised up, and the White Sox are still stuck in a ditch of uncertainty, a feeling that will likely last until the end of the season.
7 months ago
You know, Dieter, word is Barry Zito has an excellent stash. Maybe somebody could convince him to start supplying Brian Sabean with only the finest meth and/or crack so Matt Cain could end up on the South Side.
from 7 months ago
What a steal that would be. Also, I hear you need to talk to Chris Duncan to take care of whatever crack fix you have.
from 7 months ago
*gasp* how dare you say anything negative about the Cardinals here in Missouri! I think there's an army of Cardinal apologists (Ankiel didn't use HGH to help him play, only to recover! His ridiculous change from a pitcher to power hitting outfielder had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with that!!!) waiting at your doorstep right now...
Or maybe they all fell asleep at a stoplight while drunk. Guess you're safe.
7 months ago
Good article. I read the title immediately disagreeing with you. But after I read your points I realized that Josh Fields probably would be a better fit for our third baseman. Good job!
7 months ago
In general I don't believe in losing your job while injured, but in this case Fields should be starting. He has major upside and going back to AAA again can't be good. What else can he do there? Fields is the better player.
In the bigs, he hit 23 HR in 100 games in his rookie year. He has some room to grow defensively and with his plate discipline, but as you said, with Konerko, Thome, Dye and Swisher the Sox have some great power potential.
What Fields did at the plate as a rookie rivals Crede's career year in 2006 when he hit 30 HR with 94 RBI in 150 games.
Crede's trade value has to be holding up any trades. After last season's mess, teams aren't sure what to expect from him. I was reading on mlbtraderumors yesterday that an NL executive lists Crede as a below average option at third. Which when I looked at his career stats, his career OPS+ is 92 where 100 is league average, it looks very true. Although that stat doesn't measure defense. Add in his solid defense and he looks to have been an average player during his tenure in Chicago, save for a few plus offensive seasons.
6 months ago
I absolutely disagree, crede is a much better all round player the fields; the sox need to keep him and trade fields or move him to first and trade konerko or thome
from 6 months ago
While Crede definitely has better defensive skills than Fields, Josh is a guy who easily can hit 30+ home runs with plus power to center and the opposite field. I think he'll improve his batting average past where Crede's will end up.
Trading Fields might be one of the worst moves the White Sox can do. There's about a 5% chance that Crede stays with the team after this year considering he's already turned down a long-term deal and Scott Boras is his agent, a guy who Kenny Williams hates to deal with. Fields is still very young and no doubt is the future at third base for this franchise. While I agree that trading Konerko may be a good thing, trading Fields is just a horrible, horrible idea.
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