Viciedo Moved to Triple A Ball

20 year old Cuban sensation Dayan Viciedo has been optioned to Triple A Charlotte to play. Even though he had a promising few weeks in Cactus League play he is not ready for the big leagues yet. Playing in Charlotte will help him adjust faster to American style of baseball. In Minor League ball he will be able to play everyday and even start. He didn't get this opportunity with the sox only being able to play every other day. This move will end up being very smart for the sox. Viciedo is going to be a great player in this league soon. Playing in the minors will make him even better in the long run. Look to see Viciedo back playing for the sox in the future. He might even see some real playing time in this season if all goes well.

Anderson Maturing into a Veteran

Manager Ozzie Guillen has been saying since Sox Fest that outfielder Brian Anderson is becoming an everyday player. A sign of this was seen by Anderson's play Saturday against the Rangers. Anderson hit two homeruns including a walkoff grand slam winning the game. He has hit 3 homeruns in the last 2 games. For more information about Anderson's recent success visit here.

Anderson has underachieved since coming up to the team trough the minors a few seasons ago. In my opionion he has been one of the worst players in the past seasons. He has always had a great glove in center but his bat has been incediably unconsistant. His batting average in the past has been worse than bad. He is clearly not one of the few of my favorite sox players. However, this can all change if Anderson plays the way he has been lately. The sox could use his power and glove in center. He wont need to play everyday with Dewayne Wise likly to start but every team needs a solid backup. Anderson could be this solution for the Sox the way he is playing now.

Wise frontrunner for leadoff role

After playing a great game as the leadoff man Thursday against the Royals, Dewayne Wise is looking to be the Sox's answer for the leadoff spot. Leading off in the first inning Wise singled, stole second, and scored a run. He later bunted for an infield single in the fifth inning. Manager Ozzie Guillen is impressed with the way Wise has been playing lately. Wise is competing for the leadoff spot with outfielder Jerry Owens.

Wise would be a great fit at the leadoff spot for the Sox. He is a proven veteran that has a great bat. He would be more reliable then Jerry Owens. Owens hasn't proven himself with the Sox in the past few seasons. Wise proved he can play everyday in the second half of last season. He even performed well in the playoffs hitting a homerun. If Ozzie makes the decision to start Wise number 1 in the batting order, he will see it pay off in the thought the season. For more information about Wise visit here.

Contreras and Colon ready to face hitters

Jose Contreras and Bartolo Colon both threw a 55 pitch bullpen session Saturday Morning. They looked really strong and are ready for more. Next for the two will be throwing live batting practice on Monday. Contreras is ahead of schedule for a comeback from a torn left Achilles' tendon he damaged last summer. Colon had chips removed from his right elbow.

This bullpen session looks very promising for the Sox. Both pitchers are rehabbing very quickly and hope to be 100 percent by opening day. If these two veterans can get healthy they will fill the 4th and 5th spots in the starting rotation. This would give the Sox an incredibly solid starting rotation from top to bottom. It will also give the Sox depth as well. They still have Clayton Richard and Jeff Marquez who are playing great in spring training. They could move one of these two to the bullpen. The other will likely end up starting in Triple-A ball at the beginning of the season. But will surely be called up to the team during the season. Having Contreras and Colon healthy for Opening Day would make this team better a lot better. For more info visit here.

What Happens In Vegas Hopefully Stays In Vegas

The Cubs and Sox ended their two game series in Las Vegas Thursday afternoon. Playing in Vegas for promotional reasons the teams, the two teams even shared a commercial plane flying to Vegas. The Cubs and Sox played thier 2nd and 3rd games of five this spring training. Both were disapointing due to Cubs losses. Wednesday night the two teams played in front of a sold out crowd. The teams played many of their starters in a game that was great to watch. Jeff Samardzija and John Danks started against each other on the mound. Danks had the upper hand pitching three scoreless innings. The sox rattled off 4 homers in a 7-6 victory winning off a Ben Broussard walk of single.

Thursday's day game was less dramatic due to the sox playing split squad games today. However, the game was still great. The cubs rallied back from a 4 run difference scoring 3 runs. They had a runner on first with the winning run at the plat but fell short. The sox would have never won if it weren't for left fielder Josh Kroeger. Kroeger hit in all 4 of the White sox runs. Go here for a recap of the game. The sox are now 2-1 against the sox in cactus league play. With two close wins over the cubs. The cubs arn't going to win every game, although they did play well. The sox pitching was just a little better the last 2 days. The sox have bragging rights for now but will see who's talking when the games count in the regular season.

Sox routed by Cubs

The Cubs and Sox played against each other for the first time this year. But only one team showed up. The Cubs hammered the Sox for 13 runs led by a Brad Snyder grand slam. They dominated the whole game even throwing a shut out. The Sox couldn't hit anything off the strong Cubs pitching. The Cubs are the only National league team to begin spring training unbeaten. The only bright spot for the Sox was pitcher Jeff Marquez. Marquez started the game with two scoreless innings. This is a good sign for him. He is competing for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. A recap of the game is available here.

The Cubs and Sox will play 4 more games this spring training and six times in the regular season. I hope yesterdays outcome foreshadows more domination to come over the Sox. The Cubs look poised to make a world series run this year. They have all the pieces in place for it to finally be year. There is even news that future Hall of Famer Curt Shilling might come to the Cubs. The Cubs will surely be the better team in Chicago this years. The Sox roster just cant compete with that of the Cubs. Look to see many more victories over the Sox this year. We'll be sweeping the Sox twice this year. GO Cubs!

FIrst Spring Training Games

Yesterday the Sox kicked of their season with their first spring training game in Cactus League play. This means baseball is finally here! Ive now begun my countdown to opening day. Were only 38 days away! Now Sox will play several spring training games and the win and loss record is not that important. However, the sox have looked pretty good in their first two games. Yesterday Clayton Richard started against the Angels with two scoreless innings and only one walk. This is a good sign because Richard is in a heated position battle for that fifth spot in the rotation. If Richard keeps pitching like this hell get the spot. However, there relief was tagged for 12 runs; The score ended up to be 12-3 Angles. Check here for more details about this game.

Their second game ended in their first win of Cactus League play, with a 4-1 victory of the Rockies. Their starting pitching was solid again, with Gavin Floyd giving up only one run in two innings. But the surprise of the day was Cuban star Dayan Viciedo. Viciedo got his first hit at the plate today getting a first-inning single. Viciedo also showed good defensive skills at third fielding two ground balls with a very strong arm. Viciedo looked like a solid Major League player today. If he can keep it up hell be a key addition to the Sox. Now I'm not fond of many Sox players on this team, but Viciedo is one of the FEW i like. I think he has the skills to be a very good player a few years from now. He might even have the ability to be all-star caliber; but only time will tell.