The Chicago White Sox have several players struggling with the bat right now. Meanwhile, prospect Dayan Viciedo is an offensive juggernaut at Tripe-A Charlotte and appears to have a future as a big-league outfielder.
It would appear that this would add up to a call-up with the White Sox. However, manager Ozzie Guillen and GM Kenny Williams are using different calculators.
The 2011 season has seen DH Adam Dunn struggle to keep his average above the .170 mark and Juan Pierre well under his career average. It would seem that the White Sox have little to lose by giving the hard-hitting Cuban an extended shot with the club.
Viciedo is currently leading the International League with 55 RBI in 75 games. In that stretch, he has hit 12 home runs on the way to a .330 batting average. By all accounts, the guy is also playing well in left and seems to have finally found a position after stints at third and first base.
The White Sox started him in Charlotte this spring to turn him into an outfielder. It looks as if he is well on his way to becoming one.
So why the resistance to having him patrol the outfield at U.S. Cellular Field?
I've been pretty vocal against Viciedo coming up to fill a gap at third or DH or be a twice-a-week reserve. My stance on Viciedo is that his future is in the outfield and should be getting regular work out there. However, if his bat can help the club and he is adjusting well in left, there is no reason that his development can't continue with steady time in Chicago.
Pierre is not part of the future on the South Side. He's a speed guy who hasn't been able to get on base consistently. He also hasn't been effective when he's been on the base paths.
Viciedo would have Alex Rios, a very good defender, next to him in center field. He could DH on occasion. He may not crush major-league pitching like he has in the minors, but he did hit .308 with 5 dingers in 106 plate appearances last fall with the White Sox.
If Viciedo can be a .280 hitter with some power in his bat, giving fans a preview of next season should be in order. Unfortunately, the manager and GM do not seem to be on the same page.
Williams tossed Guillen under the bus Monday in an interview with Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune. Even as he defended the decision not to bring the 22-year-old slugger in place of Pierre, who Guillen defends in both words and actions, Williams suggested that Viciedo is "playing his (butt) off offensively and defensively".
He then told van Dyck that the club has faith in the current roster, even the train wreck that has been Dunn's pathetic first half.
If Viciedo is going to sit on the bench while Guillen goes with his veterans, it doesn't make sense for him to be called up. At the same time, Guillen has to know that with just five games separating Chicago from the first place Tigers in the AL Central, it's time to get on a run.
Could the addition of Viciedo's bat spark such a run for the White Sox?
Nothing is guaranteed, but it may be time to find out.
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