On Sunday afternoon, the White Sox recalled center fielder and leadoff man Alejandro De Aza from the 15-day disabled list after he completed his rehab assignment at AAA Charlotte. With the Sox going through a skid that has seen them lose 5 of their last 6 games, De Aza could be the spark plug the south siders need going forward.
All year, Alejandro De Aza has been a consistent force atop the Sox order, setting the table for the likes of Kevin Youkilis, Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko, and so on. While veteran acquisition Dewayne Wise did well filling in for De Aza, he cooled off substantially of late as De Aza’s absence has begun to be felt.
De Aza’s numbers, a line consisting of a .281 batting average, 6 home runs, 44 RBI’s, 73 runs, and 21 SB are indeed pretty impressive. Especially considering those are through 111 games played in 2012, that puts him on pace for a year up there with some of the league’s best leadoff men in the game. So with him back & healthy for the last 30+ games, the question renders of whether or not he will be the boost his team needs.
The Sox have not been able to drive in runners so far in this Detroit series. Hopefully De Aza can help ease the load on their shoulders. Credit: AP
So far throughout the regular season, nobody has been more valuable to the surprising Sox than De Aza. Trust me, I know how important the likes of Alex Rios and A.J. Pierzynski have been, so don’t get me wrong: they have been as valuable as anyone as well. So while I’m not saying De Aza has been more vital than them, I do think he has been just as important.
If Alejandro can come back strong and get on, get over, and get in like he had been all year, then it will make the Sox offense more difficult to beat on a consistent basis; that’s the obvious. But for someone that has helped the run producers see good pitches and play a Gold Glove-caliber center field all year long, it has to be made clear: you can’t underestimate the importance of De Aza rejoining Robin Ventura’s ball club.
Sure, this last week has been rather tough to watch, but we all know how resilient they’ve been on a consistent basis … and with their team getting healthier by the day, we may see some more of that resilience in the near future. Let’s just hope it’s tonight as Cy Young candidates Chris Sale and Justin Verlander square off in Mo-Town.
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Posted by GSB! Founder & Managing Editor, Zach Gropper. Go, go White Sox!