SSH2005 Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb...t=.jsp&c_id=cws Crede unfazed by lineup shifts By Scott Merkin / MLB.com TUCSON, Ariz. -- Joe Crede has found himself in a strange position on more than a few occasions during Spring Training. No, the White Sox haven't moved Crede away from third base, where he has provided Gold Glove-caliber defense on a daily basis for the past four seasons. It's his spot in the batting order that has been rotating throughout Cactus League action. Crede hit sixth in Tuesday's contest against San Diego at Tucson Electric Park after batting as high as fourth on a couple of previous occasions. Part of the movement comes from everyday players getting particular days off from Ozzie Guillen and the manager adjusting accordingly. But Crede making the jump upward in the order at some point during the 2006 campaign certainly is not out of the question. "With the way he swings the bat, we will take a look at it later and see how he's doing," said Guillen of Crede, who hit .252 with a career-high 22 home runs and 62 RBIs last season. "I don't want to put Crede in a spot to put extra pressure on himself." "We will see how he does as the season goes on," added hitting coach Greg Walker. "But Ozzie is good at being flexible about those sorts of things." During the course of a very memorable 2005 campaign, Crede never hit higher than fifth in the lineup as a starter. He had 11 at-bats from the sixth slot in the order and 58 at-bats while hitting seventh. The predominant amount of at-bats for Crede, though, came from the bottom of the order. He hit .241 with 11 home runs and 32 RBIs in 253 at-bats as the eighth hitter, and batted .333 with nine home runs and 22 RBIs over 102 at-bats hitting ninth. Part of the reason for Crede staying down in the order came from the accomplished players on offense above him, such as Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, Frank Thomas and Carl Everett. Crede also didn't help his own cause through an inconsistent showing with the bat, producing such numbers as a .155 average in May and a paltry .103 mark in 58 at-bats in August, with one home run and one RBI. A funny thing happened to Crede, though, in the playoffs. Actually, it began in September, when he hit .379 after fine-tuning his batting stance and hand placement on the swing during a couple of weeks off caused by a fractured middle finger on his right hand. He delivered one momentous shot after another, starting with a walk-off home run against Cleveland on Sept. 20, preventing Chicago's lead in the American League Central from dropping to 1 1/2 games. Crede always had a propensity for coming up with game-deciding drives, but a game-winning double off Kelvim Escobar in the American League Championship Series and a home run off Wandy Rodriguez in Game 1 of the World Series, to name a few, were played out on a national stage. Even with those most recent developments putting his confidence at the plate at an all-time high, he still has no concern as to where Guillen ultimately places him in the order for the upcoming season. "It's not up to me, it's up to Ozzie," said Crede, without the hint of concern or push for a change. "I don't have any problem hitting down there. "I did it all during the last three years in the big leagues. It's nothing new to me, and I don't mind it. It's like I've always said, as long as I have a spot in the lineup, I'm fine with it." There definitely will be a spot for Crede in Guillen's lineup, and he'll probably start the year hitting eighth, ahead of rookie Brian Anderson. The middle of the order seems fairly secure, with Jim Thome, Konerko and Dye hitting third, fourth and fifth, respectively. Tadahito Iguchi and A.J. Pierzynski are penciled in at sixth and seventh, but Crede could jump into that sixth slot if Iguchi continues his spring struggles. With Tuesday's 0-for-2 effort, Iguchi now has five hits in 39 at-bats in Arizona. The current results don't seem to faze Iguchi, a mind-set that Guillen has stressed to the second baseman on a couple of occasions through his translator. Nonetheless, Iguchi has lofty goals in mind after being given a chance to fill a more productive offensive role. "I'm doing a lot better," said Iguchi of his offense. "I want to get my batting back to the way it was by the time Opening Day comes along." Guillen said over the weekend that he plans to keep his current lineup change in place, with Juan Uribe hitting second. Even if Uribe struggles out of the gate, Walker doesn't believe Crede would be a good fit in the two-hole. "But I never say never," said Walker. "Joe handles the bat pretty well, at times. We have even talked about moving him up in the order and getting him more involved, which is the same thought we had with Uribe." It's easier to make such a possible change gradually, with Crede very much at home hitting eighth or ninth. He knows that batting fourth or fifth in the lineup means greater chances for RBIs, but he also knows that hitting at the bottom means greater balance for the White Sox. But Crede, the new clubhouse comedian, wanted to make one point perfectly clear. This spring was not his first time hitting cleanup. "I hit cleanup last year -- in Spring Training," he said with a laugh. "I thought it was fun. The three- or four-hole is the spot every hitter wants to be in. "I'm not the manager, and I'm going to play where they tell me to play. I'm fine with it. All the guys above me deserve to be there, and it will be fun to see what happens this year." So it looks like the opening day lineup will be: Podsednik Uribe Thome Konerko Dye Iguchi Pierzynski Crede Anderson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RME JICO Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 22, 2006 -> 05:25 AM) http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb...t=.jsp&c_id=cws So it looks like the opening day lineup will be: Podsednik Uribe Thome Konerko Dye Iguchi Pierzynski Crede Anderson I thought they previously said that Crede would bat 9th to give Anderson some protection. I guess they feel that Anderson is swinging the bat well enough not to need it. Either way the lineup looks good, hopefully Gooch will break out of his funk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSH2005 Posted March 22, 2006 Author Share Posted March 22, 2006 I thought they previously said that Crede would bat 9th to give Anderson some protection. I guess they feel that Anderson is swinging the bat well enough not to need it. Either way the lineup looks good, hopefully Gooch will break out of his funk. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> One thing I can think of is that having a faster baserunner like Anderson batting ahead of Podsednik sounds better than Crede there. I know "base-clogging" is a stupid term but having a slow baserunner in front of Podsednik isn't really ideal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RME JICO Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 22, 2006 -> 06:28 AM) One thing I can think of is that having a faster baserunner like Anderson batting ahead of Podsednik sounds better than Crede there. I know "base-clogging" is a stupid term but having a slow baserunner in front of Podsednik isn't really ideal. Crede did have 1 SB last year, so he has some speed. I see your point though, Pods would lap Crede after 2nd base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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