When Viciedo first joined the White Sox, there was plenty of hype.  He was a highly touted, young slugging third baseman who was being primed to take over the hot corner on the South Side for years to come.  Experts said he needed some minor league work first, but his 2009 spring performance hinted the other way.  People talked about him getting an immediate call-up, but fortunately, the experts won out.  And righfully so.

     While Viciedo’s bat showed some much needed minor league work, his glove was even worse.  His range at third was barely adequate, his arm was about average, and his technique said nothing to the effect of “Hey!  I’m ready for the major leagues.”  Viciedo rightfully languished in th eminors last season and showed very little promise of making the big club as a third baseman.  It was so bad at times, that the club moved him over to first and then made the trade for Mark Teahen in the offseason.  With Paul Konerko’s contract up at the end of the 2010 season, it afforded Vicido a golden opportunity.

     So now here we are in Spring Training and Viciedo looks ok.  Nothing spectacular, but ok.  He dug out a few errant throws at first and made a couple of nice scoops during the first couple of spring games and looked like, with some more minor league work, he could be a viable option at some point.  But then came Monday’s B game against the Dodgers, and things went from bad to worse for the kid.

     Failing to run out a routine grounder, Viciedo became the focal point of Kenny Williams’ ire.  The Sox GM left his perch at Camelback Ranch and immediately went to Ozzie Guillen with his complaints.  Williams was visibly upset, as was Guillen who later said, “I was more upset than Kenny was. We don’t put up with that stuff here, and we don’t like players playing like that.” 

     I couldn’t agree more.  How do you half-ass it when you’ve got a job at stake?  If your skills aren’t the best in the world, well, you better make sure your attitude is.  I’ve seen players with less talent on big league clubs just because they go out there, give 100% day in/day out, and have an attitude that screams “whatever it takes to help the club.”  I’m not really sure what Viciedo’s thought process was, or even if there was one, but the youngster is in for a rude awakening.  Sox fans will remember (and actually they had this up on SoxMachine.com as well) that the last time Williams got his undies in a bunch over something like this, that player, Nick Swisher, was verbally ripped apart and dealt away shortly thereafter. 

     I would have to think, though, that Viciedo probably won’t get exiled from Camelback or the Sox club.  He’s still plenty young.  I’m sure the maturity level needs a lot of work (remember what you were like at 20) and it’s not like he was going to break camp with the big club anyway.  However, this is certainly something that I’m sure Williams will monitor throughout the season.  Some people seem to be blowing this off as “no big deal”, but at the professional level, this most certainly is a big deal.  If you’re not going all out trying to make the club during Spring Training, then what the hell are you doing here?  We’ll keep an eye on junior as the spring progresses and hopefully this will light a fire under his ass.  If not, well, then maybe we can ship him back for a box of cigars or something.

1.  Paul Konerko’s HR — One of the biggest keys to our success this season is going to be Konerko.  Not only do we need him to stay healthy, but we need him to go back to mashing so Carlos Quentin sees some better pitches this year.  Konerko’s back has long been an issue, and while he hit 28 HR last year and played well all season, he has missed time before and it’s always in the forefront of people’s minds.  It’s a contract year for him and the Adrian Gonzalez rumors likely won’t go away so exoect to see some serious motivation from him.  Let’s just hope he doesn’t push to hard and hurt himself.  I don’t know if I can handle too much Mark Kotsay.

2.  Alex Rios’ HR — With the injured shoulder already, we were starting to hear the “here we go again” grumblings regarding the enigmatic outfielder.  Rios has always been long on potential and short on results, so when he was forced out due to a shoulder problem, I think everyone was getting ready to prepare for the worst.  But not only did Rios play today, he played centerfield and still went 2 for 2 with a home run.  I don’t care who it was on the mound for the Mariners, a home run for Rios right now is a big deal.  If he can put together a strong spring and carry that momentum into the regular season, Sox fans could be in for a real treat.

3.  Jared Mitchell’s Hot Spring Continues — He won’t break with the big club at the end of the month, but the positives we are seeing from Mitchell are huge.  I know spring numbers are never anything to get excited about, but the guy is raking right now and atleast giving the club options.  He’s now 5 for 11 with 5 RBI, 2 doubles and a triple.  The roster looks pretty full with outfielders right now, so there’s a good chance he could be dealt away if the Sox are in a position to make a run at the Series (notice I didn’t say the playoffs, since that should be a given).  Maybe the Gonzalez rumors can continue with Mitchell rather than Gordon Beckham.

4.  Gavin Floyd’s First Outing — 2 scoreless innings with 3 strikeouts ain’t such a bad debut;  even with 2 hits allowed and a pair of walks issued.  Floyd looked to be in good form and should work out any command issues over the coming weeks.  As I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again.  I think Floyd will take the steps this year that John Danks took in 2009.  His WHIP has been gradually decreasing each year and he shoudl put it all together for a strong 2010.  Today was obviously a good start.

     Throw in A.J. Pierzynski’s arm looking solid as he threw out Chone Figgins trying to steal second, and we’re looking at some quality ball being played here.  Again, it is only the beginning of the spring games, and I’m not engraving any trophies yet, but the positives are certainly making us all feel good about the team.  What about the negatives?  Sure they’re there, but we’ve got plenty of time to make fun of Daniel Cabrera and Scott Linebrink this whol eseason.  For now, let’s just enjoy what we’ve got.

The 5th Starter

     In all actuality, this is really the only “position battle” the White Sox have in camp.  Sure, there are guys competing for roster spots (and we’ll get to them eventually), but the last spot in the rotation is probably the most important battle we’ll have this spring.  I’m really pulling for Daniel Hudson to win it outright, but with veterans like Freddy Garcia and even Daniel Cabrera in the mix, nothing is certain.

     Garcia has the track record and the veteran presence, but a major shoulder surgery has derailed his career and there are questions about his durability for the season.  Cabrera bounced from the Orioles to the Nationals and fell into the White Sox lap as an afterthought for the season.  His problem has always been a serious lack of control.  And then there’s Hudson — young, eager, full of potential, great numbers in the minors, but he’s a rookie and sometimes the leap from the minors to the majors for a full year can be a rough one.  He looked good in his call-up last September, but in his 2 starts he did give up 9 walks in 11 innings.

     Yesterday’s split squad games didn’t really do too much to help Hudson’s case either.  He threw two pretty sharp innings, but fell apart in the third as he gave up 3 runs on 4 hits in total with no strikeouts and one wild pitch.  Meanwhile, over at Camelback, Garcia threw a pair of innings allowing two hits, one run and a walk.  Now I can’t say that one was much better than the other, but the longer it stays in a dead heat, the advantage certainly goes Garcia’s way.  But it is still plenty early and it’s the games later on in the spring that give us a better gauge as to what to expect in the regualr season.  As for Cabrera, I don’t see him realistically vying for the job.

Speed on the Basepaths

Leading the charge

     In this era of balanced lineups and a deviation from relying on the home run too much, it’s great to see this early aggressiveness on the bases.  5 stolen bases between the two split squad games yesterday, one the day before that and then 4 during the first game.  Not too bad, especially with just one caught stealing in the three games.  I’m not saying that we’re going to be a team full of burners, but Guillen’s aggressive style should help to keep opposing pitchers and catchers off balance during the games.  Between Juan Pierre, Alexei Ramirez, Alex Rios and even Gordon Beckham, we could put up over 100 steals from just these guys.  Throw in some bonus numbers from guys like Mark Teahen and Andruw Jones, and we could be hittign speed number s the Sox haven’t seen in years.

Power in the Lineup

     The biggest debate during the offseason was whether or not to sign “power” guys like Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye.  People were even talking about it with respect to Johnny Damon, despite the fact that 17 of his 24 home runs last year went just over the fence in that short porch that Yankee Stadium has in right field.  But the Sox have shown that just because they are a team built for balance, doesn’t mean that they can’t hit the long ball.  A.J. Pierzynski mashed one during the first spring game, Carlos Quentin blasted two yesterday, and it’s just a matter of time before guys like Beckham, Teahen, Jones and Paul Konerko start up.  It’s certainly not Murderer’s Row, but if you look at our lineup, you got a few players there definitely capable of popping 20+ HR each.

Help From the Farm

Jared Mitchell is one of the promising youngster on the farm

     While Baseball America and a variety of experts have labeled the White Sox farm system as one of the worst in baseball, it is certainly not without its merits.  Tyler Flowers, Brent Morel, Jared Mitchell, Jordan Danks, and Daniel Hudson are all quality ballplayers that should fit very nicely into the Sox future plans.  Throw in a few guys like Dayan Vidiedo and Cole Armstrong, and we may not be loaded with prospects like teams such as the Blue Jays or A’s, but we didn’t have to trade away our best major leaguers to acquire them.  I’m most excited to see how these rookies fare once the veterans are done with their tutorials.  Pierre has been mentoring Mitchell, Flowers is hanging on Pierzynski’s every word, and Danks and Morel are picking as many brains as they can find.  It’s working best because none of these guys will be supplanting the veterans thsi spring.  They just won’t.  They know it and the veterans know it which is why the teacher/student relatiuonship will be so strong.

Rotation Looks Sound

     Again, I know that it’s early, but it’s better to start with something positive than something negative, right?  Mark Buehrle looked sharp yesterday, John Danks looked solid the day before, and both Garcia and Hudson were doing some good things yesterday.  Jake Peavy got rained out today and we’re still waiting to see Gavin Floyd in action, but this rotation is looking real good in comparison to a lot of other MLB clubs.  The main thing that I’d like to see this spring is for all of our starters to remain healthy.  No tightness in the elbow or the shoulder, no comebackers hitting them while they’re on the mound, nothing like that.  I just want to see them get their work in, stay sharp, keep their mechanics solid and continue their preparation for the regular season.  the 162 games are grueling enough;  there’s no need to exacerbate it with a heavy spring workload.

Jenks is Ready for Opening Day

He'll be ready to go come Opening Day

     There’s been plenty of offseason talk about Jenks’ declining skills and the desire for Matt Thronton to take over ninth inning responsibilities.  But Jenks’ appearance at SoxFest 2010 silenced critics a bit and when he spoke of his lifestyle changes, people seemed to calm down.  However, with all the focus on his conditioning, Jenks was somewhat behind on his throwing program.  Again the critics chimed in.  Well, Jenks took the hill yesterday, and while he didn’t fare all that well (1 IP with 2 hits, 2 walks and 2 runs), it’s plenty early and we should just be happy that he’s on the hill making his regular appearances.  With regular work this spring, the arm will strengthen up and his command will improve dramatically.  I see no reason to be concerned with our bullpen this year.  I really like the way it is shaping up.

Position Players Do Battle

     Besides the 5th starter’s position, the battle for the last utulity infiedler spot continues.  Both Brent Lillibridge and Jayson Nix continue to do battle for that final roster spot.  They both have looked great this spring and both had great games yesterday, but I’m still giving the edge to Nix.  Lillibridge, however, is not far behind. 

Quote of the Day

”It’s pretty cool, even though it’s spring training. It feels like a rivalry. It still feels like a three-game series at Wrigley Field.” — Daniel Hudson, on facing the Cubs

     We’ll start off with the pitching as 2009 breakout star John Danks was on the hill to start things off and he was smooth as silk.  Danks threw a pretty effortless 2 innings as he mixed up fastballs and changeups for his outing.  There was one curveball in there (yes it did fall in for a strike), but this was more about finding his rhythm rather than testing out all of his pitches.  He gave up just two hits — one of them could have been ruled an error by Juan Pierre, but wasn’t — and walked one batter.  All in all, Danks has looked very solid this Spring, and while it might be tough to repeat his 2009 numbers, I expect him to atleast come close.

     As for the rest of the pitchers we saw, there was good and bad.  While righty Sergio Santos turned a few heads by striking out the side in the sixth, both Lucas Harrell and Brian Omogrosso struggled a bit.  Harrell had replaced Danks in the third and struggled through a pair of innings as he walked two batters, gave up a pair of hits (one was a solo HR by Mike Napoli) and gave up 2 runs in total.  Omogrosso didn’t fare much better as he struggled with his command throughout the 8th inning.  Not only did he give up the two run lead that the Sox had built, but he did it on 1 hit, 2 walsk and a pair of wild pitches.  I know it’s just the first game, but debuts like this in the spring do not put you in managements good graces.  Not that either Harrell or Omogrosso were going to make the team out fo camp anyway.

     On the offensive front, there were some good things to see.  A.J. Pierzynski,  no doubt feeling the breath of Tyler Flowers on the back of his neck, was the big producer as he went 1-3 with a two run shot off Angels reliever Anthony Ortega in a 3 run 5th inning.  But there were plenty of contributions all around, and a lot to be excited about for the coming season.  Juan Pierre, Mark Teahen, Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo (who played first base) all had hits in the game with Viciedo knocking in that third run in the 5th with a nice RBI single into left field.  MLB’s site for the White Sox is showing the video if you want to check it out. 

     The team also drew 6 walks off of the Angels pitchers, including a pair by Danks’ little brother Jordan, which is encouraging.  But what I really liked seeing was the aggressiveness on the basepaths for which this new, balanced lineup was built.  Four stolen bases in all — Pierre, 4th or 5th outfielder Alejandro De Aza, and DHs Mark Kotsay and Andruw Jones each had a swipe on the day.  If the team is really going to excel this season and work on manufacturing runs at every opportunity, then success on the bases is crucial.  It’s very nice to see them get off on the right foot.

     On the defensive front, they looked pretty sound.  The only error came from Pierzynski, but we’re not concerning ourselves with that.  What we’re looking at is how comfortable Gordon Beckham looked over at second and the strong efforts by Viciedo at first.  Beckham didn’t get too much action, but what did come his was was handled near perfectly.  He started a real nice double play with Viciedo to end the first inning and easily handled a routine grounder late in the game.  After seeing enough film on this kid to last me a lifetime, I have no concerns of him playing a new position.  None whatsoever.  Viciedo also had a strong game for himself as he made numerous scoops over at first that, had you ever seen him play third, would have turned your head.  His defense has been a huge liability, so it’s nice to see him get off to a good start this spring.  If the Cuban slugger can finish the month strong, there’s a chance we could see him  backing up  Paul Konerko and entering the DH mix at some point.  After all, I still don’t have much faith in Kotsay staying healthy all year.

     So all in all, it was a good first game, I thought.  Definitely a lot of positives to keep at and a few negatives to work on as the spring continues.  What did Ozzie Guillen think?  “The highlight of the day for me — no one missed a sign,” said Guillen. 

Other Notes from Glendale

     While plenty of us were focusing on Omar Vizquel mentoring Ramirez at shortstop, there’s a new teacher in town.  Pierre, reminiscing of his rookie days in Colorado, seems to have taken rookie outfielder Jared Mitchell under his wing.  Mitchell was the Sox first round choice in last year’s draft, played in low Class-A Kannapolis last season and has been tabbed as the future leadoff man for the team.  Pierre already speaks very highly of him, and feels that while he can share plenty of his experience and wisdom, there’s only so much he can teach the potential star.  “He’s a speed and power guy,” Pierre said. “He’s a five-tool kind of guy. I think I can help him with two, two and a half. I tell him just to relax and just have fun, that’s the most important thing.”

     Yesteday’s game marked a nice on-field reunion for John and Jordan Danks who played together in a game for the first time since high school in 2003.  They’ll have plenty of fun this spring together, but Jordan doesn’t figure to make the team out of camp this year.  With enough reserve outfielders in Jones, Kotsay and De Aza, the younger Danks should head back to the minors to continue his progress.  Again though, good to see him draw a pair of walks yesterday.  Plate discipline is huge in a player’s development.

     Ozzie Guillen said that Brent Lillibridge and Jayson Nix will battle all spring for the final reserve spot.  He gave no indication as to which way he was leaning, but if I’m making the call right now, I’m going with Nix.  They’re pretty even defensively, but I think Nix has a bit more pop in his bat. 

      The Sox take on the Dodgers this afternoon with veteran Mark Buehrle making his spring debut.  We should see about the same 2 innings as Danks, but we should also get a look at relievers J.J. Putz and Scott Linebrink, both hoping to rebound from shakey 2009 seasons.

1.  Can Juan Pierre return to being one of the league’s premier leadoff hitters?

     If you look at Pierre’s stats over the last two seasons, you’ll see that even as a part-timer, he excelled on the bases and even boosted his average and OBP in 2009.  Problem with being in L.A. was the emergence of young studs like Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier and the acquisition of Manny Ramirez.  That’s a tough lineup to crack even with 400+ SBs on the resume.  Now in Chicago, he has the opportunity to again be an everyday player and despite the fact that he still doesn’t draw enough walks, I think he can maintain a .290/.330 line.  If that happens, then look out for a nice 50+ SB year with plenty of runs scored. 

2.  Will the defense hold on the left side of the infield?

     I won’t lie.  Alexei Ramirez made some serious bonehead mistakes in the field last year that left Sox fans desperately wondering why Gordon Beckham was the one to be shifted over to second this year.  Couple that with the knowledge that Mark Teahen had 34 errors in his first 2 seasons as the Royals third basemen and you’ve got some seriously frayed nerves.  But Teahen is a natural third baseman and he definitely showed marked improvement from his first to second year.  The only reason he was bumped over there was because Royals management had delusions that Alex Gordon was the next George Brett.  Teahen might not be the best defensive third baseman out there, but he’s definitely going to be fine this year.  He won’t be perfect, but who is.  He’s still an upgrade over Josh Fields and Joe Crede’s back.  Now couple that with Omar Vizquel mentoring Ramirez and I think we not only have a rock solid left side, but we shoudl have an amazing double-play combo with ramirez and Beckham. 

3.  Will the rotating DH plan work?

     Definitely a “yet to be seen” here, and something for which we won’t have a legitimate answer until the first couple of months of the season are complete.  We’ve been around and around this debate a few times on this site (just one example here), so I’m not going to beat a dead horse.  I think, if Andruw Jones can rebound even just a little — say 20-25 HR with a .260 average — and the other guys get enough rest throughout the season to stay healthy, then you can’t argue with Guillen’s logic.  We’ll just have to wait and see how this one goes. 

4.  Can Bobby Jenks hold onto the closer’s job?

     There was a great article written by Ray Flowers on Fanball’s Owner’s Edge that poses the same question as here and Ray does a solid job of breaking down the numbers.  But this is one of those case where I tend to put the numbers aside for a bit.  Yes, I can talk about how Jenks improved his K-rate last year, but for me, his impending 2010 rebound will all stem from his personal choices.  Jenks wised up and realized that he was on a very self-destructive path, so he took a major step in re-inventing himself by quitting drinking.  If things were really getting as bad as he said, then his decline over the last few seasons is something that should be expected.  Now 20+ pounds lighter and in much better shape I see Jenks returning to form.  His conditioning work left him little time to throw and apparently and he had trouble finding someone to catch him in the offseason, so he’s a tad behind where the rest of the Sox pitchers are at in camp.  Regardless of that, I think he’ll be right on track for Opening Day and people will embrace his return.  I know Matt Thornton is a better pitcher overall, but I think the team is better served keeping the lefty in a set-up role.  He and Jenks are going to make a powerful tandem this year.

5.  Will Alex Rios play to his real potential?

     Just like the rotating DH, this is something that we’ll just have to play the wait and see game.  Rios is saying all the right things in camp and he seems to have Ozzie’s blessing, but it’s pretty difficult to forget that .199 average he hit for when we picked him up off waivers last year.  This will probably go one of two ways.  First, and the one we’re all hoping for, is that Rios takes advantage of the clean slate/fresh start and returns to the 20-20 player we have always expected.  It would be nice for him to stick it to the Blue Jays for just casting him aside like that and it would be a huge boost within our lineup.  Or the second, which is that he really is a head case, starts off slow and quits on himself out of frustration.  He has been known to half-ass it both on the field and in practice, but I don’t think Guillen will put up with that for too long.  I think we’ll have our answer to this by the end of April/mid May.

6.  How will Jake Peavy fare this year?

     It’s always tough to evaluate a pitcher after a major elbow injury followed up by a serious ankle problem, but if Peavy can perform the way he did in his last three starts for us in September of ‘09, then I think we’ve got a nice high quality ace.  The move to the AL will definitely have some affect on him, as will the move from pitcher-friendly Petco Park to hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field.  Yes, I know that over the last 3 years his road ERA is almost a full point higher than his home ERA, but I think it all comes down to his ground ball rate.  In the past, Peavy has done very well for himself with a decent (not phenomenal) ground ball rate and high strikeouts.  If he can increase his ground ball rate even just a little, he’ll find success on the South Side.  I don’t think health is a concern right now as he’s been throwing on schedule all winter and already looks good in camp. 

7.  How about the rest of the rotation?

     From top to bottom, I really like the way our rotation looks.  Mark Buehrle is the stalwart of the staff and while he doesn’t dazzle you with eye-popping stats, he’s been the Sox most consistent hurler for the last several years.  I expect him to be right on par with his career averages this season.  John Danks took a tremendous step forward last year, and whil eI think it will be tough for him to repeat, I think he will atleast come close.  He’s got a great arm, tremendous stuff and is now becoming a bit more of a seasoned veteran.  I expect Gavin Floyd to do in 2010 what Danks did in 2009.  His strikeouts have steadily increased while his WHIP has been consistently getting lower.  I think this is the year he puts it all together and soars.  The 5th spot in the rotation is between veteran arm Freddy Garcia and rookie Daniel Hudson.  Garcia has the experience, Hudson has the upside.  While the job won’t be decided upon until closer to the end of the Spring, I think the job will start off as Garcia’s but eventually end up in Hudson’s lap.  The kid has great poise on the mound and has fantastic strikeout totals in the minors.  His little Septemeber audition was a successful one last year, so I expect him to take over no later than the All Star Break.

8.  Will Carlos Quentin stay healthy this season?

     Predicting injuries is like randomly picking th ewinning lottery numbers.  We can all hope that Quentin stays healthy this year, but obviously there are no guarantees.  If you want a guarantee you can stick your head up the bull’s ass, but I’ll take the butcher’s word for it (thank you Tommy Boy).  But seriously, Quentin’s wrist injury was a fluke as he nicked it up hitting the bat in frustration, so I don’t see a repeat of that.  The foot issues have been dealt with by a specialized shoe he now wears, so hopefully that is behind him as well.  I don’t mind if he misses a game or two because he’s playing all out and has normal wear and tear, but anything beyond that and he may get the old “injury prone” tag tied to his toe while lying on the trainer’s table.  Personally, I think he’s healthy enough this year to knock out 30odd HR and hopefully 100+ RBI. 

9.  Will Tyler Flowers arrive in 2010?

     When will we see the kid?  If it’s 2010, it’s either Septemeber or it’s due to an injury.  A.J. Pierzynski still runs the show from behind the dish and the Sox have a very reliable back-up in Ramon Castro.  Barring one of them getting hurt, it only makes sense to let Flowers play every day in the minors while he learns more of the nuances of the professional game and how to properly handle a pitching staff…especially a staff loaded up with veterans.  There might be an outside chance that we see Flowers end up in the DH mix at some point, but only if Plan A fails and Plan B can’t be achieved.

10.  Can the White Sox win the AL Central and advance in the playoffs?

     Yes.  Yes they can.  As I’ve said before, the main competition resides in Minnesota and Detroit, but I think we’ve got the horses to take us through.  I think our lineup is solid and rounds out better towards the bottom than the other teams do, and I think our rotation matches up fantastically with their’s as well.  It won’t be a runaway, as I think all three will still be in close contention come Septemeber, but I think we are more than capable of winning the Central.  As far as going further in the playoffs, let’s just cross that bridge when we come to it.

     Tomorrow is the White Sox first official Spring Training game of the season, taking on the Angels.  We’re looking at a 3:05 PM (Arizona time) start, so get ready!  The season will be here before you know it!

Consensus Picks

I like where they were going with this, so here are my thoughts…

Division Finish — I agree with the consensus that the White Sox will finish first in the AL Central.  Obviously, the Twins and the Tigers are the biggest competition, but based on off-season moves, lineup balance and overall rotation, I think the Sox have the advantage.  I’ll take a match up of Jake Peavy and Mark Buehrle vs either team’s top 2 starters (yes, even you Justin Verlander) and our 3 and 4 hitters can do the same as well.  Then as you look through the rest of the lineups, it’s easy to see that the Sox have a much more solid collection of hitters from top to bottom.  There’s a balance there that the other teams in the division seem to lack, especially down near the bottom of the order.  It’ll be close, but the Sox should win the division by 3 or 4 games this year.

Mixed League Sleeper (non-rookie) — I’d actually like to hear what some of the Owner’s Edge guys have to say about this pick now that Bobby Jenks has gone through some life-changing offseason adjustments.  When this poll was done back in January, I would have agreed with them about Thornton, but for now, my sleeper pick for mixed leagues is Gavin Floyd.  He took a step backwards last season in wins and ERA, but I’m expecting big things from him again this year.  Bigger than his 2008 totals where he won 17 games and had an ERA of 3.84?  Maybe.  While he only posted 11 wins last season, he improved on his K/BB rate by almost full point and has steadily improved his WHIP every year since 2006.  I think, for his third full season in the rotation and at 27 years old, Floyd should put it together nicely for mixed league fantasy owners that grab him in the middle to late rounds this year.

AL only Sleeper — As much as I’d like to think Andruw Jones can be the pick here, I have to agree with the experts’ pick of Mark Teahen.  I think his first year on the South Side, locked in as the starting third baseman (with outfield and first base eligibility), should be very successful for him and could prove to be a top 10 third sacker in AL only leagues.  For more of my thoughts on Teahen, you can check out his South Side Swingers Player Profile.

Bust — Again, had it not been for the way he came into camp this year, I would have agreed with the experts’ pick of Jenks.  Instead, I’m going with Jason Collette’s pick of Paul Konerko.  Now don’t get me wrong, I have a great fondness for Konerko who has helped me win numerous fantasy baseball championships over the years, but I think we’re looking at the beginning of the end.  While he still managed to improve on his HR total in 2009, his near-disappearance in the second half, to me, is worrisome.  After going .302-16-60 in the first half, the Sox’ first baseman hit only .243-12-28 for the entire second half.  That, coming off the heels of a seriously disappointing 2008 where the back problems re-surfaced, coupled with the talk of having Jones and Mark Kotsay spelling him more in the field could prove to be another down year for the slugger.  I’m sure the rumors of Peavy lobbying for the addition of Adrian Gonzalez isn’t going to help eiether.  Dishonorable mention goes to J.J. Putz in the bullpen.

Top Rookie — More of a default selection here as Dan Hudson will likely be the only rookie to have any real impact on the team in 2010.  But even so, he’s definitely going to be earning his spot.  He dominated through the minor league system last year, posting 166 Ks in 147 1/3 innings and looked pretty sharp in his September call-up.  He’ll battle Freddy Garcia for the 5th spot in the rotation, but I see him coming out on top in that one.  I like him for AL only leagues, but mixed leaguers may have to wait and see what he does to start the year.

Rotation ERA Leader — Siding with the experts again here as Jake Peavy should lead the rotation in ERA.  His AL debut last year, while minimal (only 3 starts), was incredibly successful with a sub-1.00 WHIP and a 1.35 ERA with 18 Ks in 20 innings.  Fully healthy this season and no WBC workload to start before the spring, Peavy should find plenty of success pitching on the South Side.  I’d consider him more of a groundball type pitcher which should help him in hitter-friendly U.S. Cellular Field and if the defense remains solid, he could have an outstanding season.

No. 5 starter (Garcia or Hudson) — If he can continue his success throughout Spring Training, I don’t see how the Sox don’t give Hudson the opportunity to go out and pitch every 5 days.  If he throws too many innings, they might spell him every now and again in the second half, but I think he’s got the inside track on the job.

Rios goes 20-20 (yes or no) — Thi sone is a really tough call for me.  My heart says yes, but with everything that Alex Rios has done…or should I say hasn’t done…I’m leaning towards the “no” side of this argument.  He’s saying all the right things in camp right now and Ozzie Guillen’s style definitely suits him more, but the guy has had a reputation for half-assing it during the season and he’s only cleared 20 HR once in his 6 year career.  I think he’ll easily clear the 20 SB mark, but Greg Walker is going to have to get him to do some major work if he wants the power to match the speed.

Pierre SBs (over/under 50) — In Ozzie’s small ball, manufacture the runs style, I think this one is almost a no-brainer.  Prior to his part-time duty under Joe Torre, Pierre swiped 50+ bags 4 out of the 5 seasons before, despite OBPs under .340.  Hell, he swiped 30 and 40 bags as a part-timer these last 2 years.  50 this season should be no problem.  Pierre will be playing every day and batting leadoff, so as long as he gets on base, Guillen should have no problem giving him the green light.  It should make him a force in AL-only leagues and a great option in mixed roto leagues as well.

Quentin HRs (over/under 30) — With the experts all knotted up at 5 votes apiece, I’ll break the tie with my call for the over.  With a full season of health (the wrist is healed and he’s got that new, custom-made shoe for the plantar fasciitis issue), I think Quentin will get back to his 2008 form and continue to mash.  I think Konerko still concerns hitters enough to act as quality lineup protection and Quentin will have much better table-setters on base distracting the pitchers.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  I love the way this guy swings the bat.  He’s fierce up there and I like him for about 33 knocks this season, putting him near the top in AL only leagues and a more than solid choice for mixed leagues as well.  People could be down on him for his injuries, so you should try to take advantage of that.

     That should be enough to get your fantasy juices flowing.  I think the White Sox will prove to be a great source for fantasy success in 2010 for speed, power and pitching.  Draft with confidence.  I know I will.

     From the moment he was signed, Andruw Jones, the new White Sox designated hitter, has been doing and saying all the right things.  Obviously understanding the criticism he has endured over the last three or four seasons, Jones has come into camp in phenomenal shape.  He amped up his offseason workouts, cut out all fast food and other fried foods and is looking pretty svelt after dropping 25 pounds over the winter.  Danny Knobler, a writer for CBS Sportsline was in camp with the Sox the other day and brought up Jones’ recent past and asked about the changes.  “I’m in much better shape than I was the last four years,” said Jones, now 32. “It was motivation, sitting on the bench for a year and watching. It was a mistake I made that I didn’t take care of my body before now.”  Sounds like someone not only got bit by the fitness bug, but by the maturity bug as well.  I’m sure upon learning of these comments, Kenny Williams feels a little better about buying into Guillen’s rotating DH scheme.

     But Jones isn’t the only one making noise about a new lease on life in camp.  Plucked off the waivers  from the Blue Jays last season, Alex Rios, turned in one of the worst baseball performances of 2009 when he went on to hit .199 in the Sox final 41 games of the season.  I mean…there weren’t even remote flashes of brilliance last year.  Even his 3 HR were snoozers.  I can totally understand the fans concern for this season as Rios is slated to be our starting centerfielder, but his attitude in camp thus far has been a dream.  He’s been very complimentary towards Guillen’s style of management and has been getting a ton of extra work in with hitting coach, Greg Walker, who has helped him regain his batting stance and form that helped produce a .297-24-85 season just two years ago.  “I just want to keep it simple this year and keep doing what I was doing a few years ago, and I think Walker saw it. So he’s going to give me reminders and hints on what we’re going to do.”  Now, obviously I can’t vouch for Rios’ attitude as the season progresses, but atleast he’s starting off on the right path.

     Juan Pierre is no stranger to player movement as he now joins his 5th different team here in his 11th major league season, and he is in camp and ready to be turned loose.  He’s been chatting it up lately about how Guillen’s small-ball style is perfect for his skills on the basepaths, but more importantly, Pierre is just happy to be starting again.  “In baseball, when you don’t play, they forget about you,” he said. “I think the whole Manny thing opened a lot of people’s eyes that I can still play.”  He didn’t blame anyone, showed no animosity towards any of his former organizations or managers, and has been a delight in camp.  His experience and efficiency on the basepaths should also show in some of the younger guys.  Word is out that he’s been getting chatty with Alexei Ramirez during drills, so hopefully some of Pierre’s wisdom will rub off.

     Beyond that you’ve got a hard-working Mark Teahen working on his defense at the hot corner and potential ace Jake Peavy offering up some welcomed humility.  While Teahen has been relatively quiet (which, in my opinion is always a good thing — let your performance do the talking), Peavy had a chance to take center stage and promptly deferred it to club leader Mark Buehrle.  When Guillen was deciding on his Opening Day starter, Peavy immediately bowed out and said that this was Buehrle’s team.  Now I don’t know about any of you, but for me, that is a tremendous way to get started with a new team, especially when you have a pedigree like Peavy’s.  I’m sure the injury and recovery process has been a humbling experience for the righty, but to defer as he did, showed class beyond what we fans normally see in this game.

     Of course, the ultimate guage as to the impact of these acquisitions will be seen on the field, but Sox management and fans have got to be happy with what they’re seeing so far.  Yes, we want results.  Yes, we want a playoff berth.  Yes, we want the World Series again.  We’d be morons for not wanting those things.  But for now, as we close out the month of February, we should be grateful for where we’re at today.  Believe it or not, Sox fans, we’re actually closer to attaining our goals now than we were towards the end of last season.  Pretty soon, the “wants” will become “haves”, and it all starts with the right attitude.

Tyler Flowers, C  –  Probably the biggest name out there in our farm system right now.  Last year, Flowers ranked third among Sox minor leaguers with a .297 batting average, first in walks (67), ninth in home runs (15), and is the heir-apparent to A.J. Pierzynski behind the plate.  But his impact probably won’t be seen this year.  He’s probably capable right now of staying with the club as a back-up to A.J., but he’s better served getting regular at bats in the minors.  A veteran like Ramon Castro can handle the bench duties.  Flowers’ minor league stats dictate good mid-level power (somewhere in the 12 to 15 HR range), a solid average and a great OBP.  He had a great K/BB ratio up until a little slip up in Triple-A last year, but with another year of seasoning in the minors, he’ll work on that plate discipline and hopefully make an impact in 2011.  There was a little rumor going around that he could grab some DH at bats if the Jones/Kotsay tandem doesn’t work out, but that, to me, seems unlikely.

Dan Hudson, SP — The 2008 5th round pick out of Old Dominion University started off in Class A - Kannapolis last year, but quickly moved up the ranks in the minors.  After stints at Single, Double and then Triple-A last season, Hudson was called-up to the bigs in early September.  A 14-5 record with a 2.32 ERA and 166 Ks in just over 147 inning swill do that to you.  He started in the pen, but also made 2 starts and finished hi sfirst session in the bigs with a 1-1 record and a 3.38 ERA.  He’s got a pretty good arm and tremendous poise for a kid his age, and while he might struggle to win a rtotation spot this year, he could break camp with the big club as a long reliever.  With success there, he could be called on for spot-start duty which could eventually land him in the 5th starter’s spot.  Keep an eye on him this spring.

Brent Morel, 3B  –  Morel’s development last year left some folk’s scratching their heads over the contract given to Mark Teahen, but I think he’s still atleast a year or two away.  He flashed some real nice leather down at Single-A Winston-Salem, and while he managed 16 HR, there are still questions about his power potential in the bigs.  Look for him to get some time this spring to aid in his progress, but don’t expect him to get any higher than maybe Triple-A this year.

Jared Mitchell, OF — Another youngster who spent all of last year with Class-A Kannapolis, but certainly could move up the ranks in the minors this year if he continues to show improvement.  He’s got great range to play centerfield and could develop a little bit of a power/speed combo.  Nothing amazing right now, but perhaps sooner rather than later.  He’ll probably spend most of the season in Double-A, but track his progress.  I wouldn’t mind seeing a late season call-up and an audition in center if Alex Rios doesn’t live up to his potential.

Dayan Viciedo, 3B –  I know I say third base as that’s where he used to play, but Viciedo’s defense has him better slated for either first base or DH.  Thi skid needs a lot of work to find his way up to the big club, but hopefully another year in the minors, coupled with his experience in Cuba, can help bring out all that power potential.  For now, though, he’s got a long way to go.

     OK, so as you can see, the farm is definitely depleted.  Between trades and the early graduation of guys like Gordon Beckham, the system has taken some hits.  But there’s certainly some talent to be had down there.  I’m not saying now, but 2011 coul dsee the emergence of quite a few names.  I think Flowers and Hudson shoul dbe a part of the starting group then, and we may see a call-up or two from the others by the end of that year.  For now, just enjoy watching these youngsters go all out against the vetwerans this spring.