White Sox manager Jerry Manuel has to hope he’s wrong on this one.
Asked recently whether his team’s sterling play this spring bodes well for the regular season, Manuel replied, “No, there’s really no parallel.”
Perhaps Manuel remembers how the 2002 Sox stunk up the Cactus League, going 11-21-1 with a eye-popping 7.82 ERA, only to start the season 15-7 and hold opponents to 4.4 runs a game. That, of course, didn’t last.
So what to make of these Sox, who have lost just six times in their last 20 games?
This much is clear:
– Their defense looks much better than it did last spring, when the Sox committed 43 errors in 33 games. This year they have booted 15 balls in 22 games.
– Their pitching has been superb by Cactus League standards–and Sox standards. Their 4.76 ERA ranks third lowest among the 12 teams that train in Arizona.
– Heading into their final week, the Sox have only one difficult roster selection: Will they keep Miguel Olivo or Josh Paul as their backup catcher? Olivo has shown far more ability but he has played only six games above Double A.
“We still have to make some decisions,” Manuel said.
So there actually is a reason for playing all these games.
Now, to review this spring:
First base: Paul Konerko, the unofficial king of spring, is at it again. After batting .481 in Arizona last year, he’s hitting a pedestrian .421 with six doubles and three homers in 38 at-bats.
Brian Daubach, a backup who longs to play every day, went 3-for-4 Wednesday to boost his average to .348. His two spring home runs could have been measured in yards, not feet.
Second base: D’Angelo Jimenez has played 10 consecutive error-free games after booting three balls in his first three appearances. He’s batting .243 but has more walks (six) than strikeouts (five).
Although Aaron Miles leads the team with 18 hits (he’s batting .360), the David Eckstein clone is slated to start the season at Triple-A Charlotte.
Backup Willie Harris committed two errors Tuesday and is batting just .205. He has two of the team’s seven stolen bases.
Shortstop: Jose Valentin, who’s thrilled to be back home at shortstop, is batting .310. He was rested the first week so his 33-year-old legs could recover from a full slate of winter-ball games.
Tony Graffanino (.250 average) has made a fluid recovery from September knee surgery.
Third base: Joe Crede was 2-for-16 entering the March 8 game against the Cubs, when he orbited a ball off Carlos Zambrano. He homered again the next day. Crede is batting .261 and has only one error in 14 games.
Left field: Think Carlos Lee is ready? He has nine hits and eight RBIs in his last 13 at-bats.
“He’s putting good swings on pitches in the strike zone,” Manuel said.
Sounds easy, doesn’t it?
Backup Armando Rios (.314) has been solid at the plate and with the glove.
Center field: Aaron Rowand fought off early competition from Joe Borchard to emerge as the sure-fire Opening Day starter. Rowand is batting .292 and had played flawlessly–but not recklessly–in the field.
Right field: Magglio Ordonez has hit .389 with two homers and 12 RBIs. Manuel said he’s playing the best defense of his career.
Catcher: Sandy Alomar earned the Opening Day nod by hitting .500 (8-for-16) and throwing out 2-of-5 base-stealers. Most importantly, he has quickly re-established a great rapport with Mark Buehrle and former teammate Bartolo Colon.
Olivo has a lightning arm–he has gunned down all three attempted base-stealers–and fresh legs. But he’s batting just .154 and needs time to learn the opposing hitters.
Paul hasn’t thrown well (1-for-4 on stolen bases) but still commands respect as a receiver and game-caller. He’s batting .238 with four extra-base hits.
Designated hitter: Frank Thomas ripped his manager, general manager and Konerko on his first day but has been an absolute delight since.
“He’s a different guy,” Valentin said. “He’s happy. He’s not complaining about anything.”
He’s also hitting .375 with three monster home runs.
Starters: Buehrle is 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA despite a pair of mediocre outings. Colon is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA. Jon Garland (4.50) has nine strikeouts and one walk. Esteban Loaiza (2.61) has been the surprise of spring. Dan Wright is a solid bet to take the fifth spot after rebounding from right elbow inflammation.
Bullpen: Billy Koch, Damaso Marte and Kelly Wunsch have combined for 21 scoreless innings. Tom Gordon has been better than his 5.63 ERA, but Gary Glover (7.71) and Rick White (11.00) have been erratic.
