The most persistent problem for the 2012 White Sox to this point has been the offense, and more specifically the “automatic outs” within that offense. But as the offense looks to have turned the corner in the past week-or-so, it’s time to take a look at the remaining problems, since they are more scarce, and try to figure out how to nip ’em in the bud.
Photo via Wikimedia
Going in to this week, I talked a lot about how the problem areas were at second base, third base, and left field with Gordon Beckham, Brent Morel, and Dayan Viciedo respectively. And I’ll be honest, I gave the most flack to Viciedo, saying that I don’t think he deserves much more time in the lineup if he didn’t pick up the slack. Since then, Tank has went on a tear, and it looks like his offense will be a huge asset for the White Sox going forward. His stat line is now at a .248 BA, 7 HR, and 15 RBI.
Gordon Beckham has struggled with consistency, but is hitting the ball hard much more often. His confidence and plate presence look like they’re improving, so I expect that to propel his average to about .250-.260 which as I’ve said in previous posts, would be plenty for the team. That leaves the final question mark at third base with Brent Morel, who has missed the last couple of games with a back injury.
It seems like a trip to the disabled list may be inevitable for Morel, which would be an all-around positive for the Sox. Why? First of all, it lets Brent heal, because he’ll never be able to turn it around if there’s a nagging injury holding him back. But also because it gives others an opportunity. So this is where it gets interesting. Who are we going to see? How will they do? Who should our everyday third baseman be? Well, stop asking questions and I’ll tell you…
White Sox Third Basemen Going Forward
There’s really just a couple of people in contention to take Morel’s job, because the White Sox simply do not have any replacements ready in their farm system. Those two candidates are utility infielder Eduardo Escobar and veteran 2B Orlando Hudson, who the team acquired on Saturday and will have for the first time on Tuesday.
They’re both naturally middle infielders, (Escobar SS, Hudson 2B), but have had at least some experience at third base (Hudson’s coming in the minor leagues). But the defense from this duo is not what I’m concerned about, it’s the offense that needs to be discussed. So let’s get right down to it…
Rookie Eduardo Escobar has struggled so far in limited time, and really has not been able to make solid contact against big league pitching. So far, to me at least, he looks more like an Alex Cora or Alex Cintron type of major leaguer, a guy who can be a solid utility infielder and pinch hitter, but not much more. I’ve heard from people that attended spring training that Escobar had a lot of pop and looked like he could indeed be a big league starter throughout March. While that’s nice to hear, we just need to see it in the regular season before it becomes more believable.
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So yes, you guessed it, I want Orlando Hudson to be the guy at third. He’s experienced, reliable, and will give you good at bats. Even at his best throughout his career his stats do not blow you away, with a .276 lifetime average, but you can trust veterans to get on base much more than you can youngsters in a pennant race that has lots of important games, and it looks like the White Sox may be in a good race.
Photo courtesy “UCinternational” via Wikimedia
Not to mention, Escobar fits well in a utility role, since he can play short stop, second, and third. And heck, say Hudson doesn’t do too well, maybe we could give Morel more time again once he is fully healthy, and who knows, maybe that will turn out to be all that he needed.
Nonetheless, it’s looking like the third baseman will be the number 9 guy in the lineup from here on out, so there is not a ton of pressure there. So right now, I think the best move is to give a veteran the chance to shine, and who knows, maybe Hudson can put the pedal to the medal and put together some successful months.
Barring a big mid-season trade by Kenny Williams, we probably will not see much production from our third basemen this year. But that’s okay, because if we can go from looking at a .180 average to a .240 average, the improvement will serve as enough of an acquisition in itself.