A decision on Crede is coming...

Or at least it should be. With the season less than three weeks away, Joe Crede is unexpectedly still in a Sox uniform.  Continue Reading

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Or at least it should be. With the season less than three weeks away, Joe Crede is unexpectedly still in a Sox uniform. While this isn’t a bad thing- it’s impossible to find a Sox fan who doesn’t list Crede among their favorite players on the team- it means Josh Fields is likely off to AAA. Fields established himself as one of the best young power hitters in baseball last season, but it’s hard to see his value to the big league club if the Sox are committed to Crede. They might as well let Fields continue to work on his game in the minors.

The question, however, becomes at what position will Fields play for the Charlotte Knights? If the Sox are unable to move Crede, and then he proves he’s fully healed from back problems and is as productive as he was in 2006, signing him to an extension might not be out of the question. If that happens, expect Fields to get work in left field. Crede is a far better defensive third baseman than Fields is anyways, but even if Fields is terrible in left field, at least the lineup now has two guys that could potentially hit 30 homers. Fields’ defense would also be less damaging in left then at third.

For the record, I like Carlos Quentin a lot as well, and when he gets healthy, adding Quentin to the mix gives the Sox another young power hitter. Fields and Quentin could potentially be the corner outfielders in 2009, or Fields could take over for Paul Konerko at first base when Konerko slides over to DH after Jim Thome retires.

Even though the Sox farm system was recently ranked dead last in the majors, they still have a lot of young talent. Fields is a monster, Jon Danks is still very young and should develop into a top of the rotation starter, add Quentin and Danny Richar to the mix and the Sox actually have a nice young nucleus.

I keep telling myself these things because I’m not as optimistic as I was earlier in the offseason. I’m planning on doing a White Sox preview podcast with Matt Olsen of Top Ten Chicago Sports soon, so I’ll save my final thoughts for then.

Note 1: Head over to Lefty Malo to read his thoughts on the Giants potentially acquiring Crede.

Note 2: My list is up at Top Ten: best Chicago sports blogs.

Rickhouse covers the White Sox, Bulls, Bears, Blackhawks and future stars of professional sports on his blog Tremendous Upside Potential. He also writes for the Chicago Sun Times' Full Court Press blog, and Top Ten Chicago Sports.

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