What I've noticed so far...

Below is some observations I have conquered over the first 12 games this season about the Sox.

• Our pitching is not as scary bad at 4 and 5 that other people(myself included) had thought. Colon is learning how to use his off-speed pitches because he doesn't have his 95+ fastball anymore. Contreras has been decent, but will be better once he gets his control back


• Carlos Quentin is a monster


• Brian Anderson is figuring out how to hit major league pitching and judging it. He has 6 walks through his first 40 at-bats. Last year he had 10 walks through 181 at-bats. If he can keep his OBP over .320 and his average over .240, hit 15-20 HR with 60+ RBI's we should be in good shape.


• Brent Lillibridge looks 12 and sucks at everything but running


• Alexei Ramirez looks lost at the plate. He looked lost at the beginning of last year. Some blame it on the cold weather but that is a bullshit excuse because he would have been hitting at the Trop over the weekend. We just need to be patient and relax


• Paulie looks real good at the plate. His thumb injury has seemed to pass and has his timing back.


• Mike MacDougal needs to go away

Final Word: If the pitching holds up, they should easily win the division.

RECAP: White Sox Win 1st Spring Game 4-1

The White Sox came out victors Thursday afternoon, beating the Colorado Rockies in the Sox 2nd Spring Training game. Gavin Floyd and the staff pitched strong giving up only 1 run. Game notes: (can only go off box score, game was not on radio or TV)

• Look for Gavin Floyd to continue to have a good spring. Hopefully he can continue this throughout the season
• Corkey Miller to have an inside track on the backup catcher job, he can defiantly play defense and he showed today he has the potential to hit
• The Sox were aggressive on he base paths today, look for that to continue into the season
• Look for Brent Lillibridge and Chris Getz get shots at leading-off if Jerry Owens proves to be ineffective. Lillibridge stole a base today

You can view the box score by clicking on the link : http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2009_02_26_chamlb_colmlb_1

The Sox will play the D-Backs tomorrow, as Johnny Danks will go for the Sox.

PREVIEW: Shortstop

I this preview, we will be discussing the White Sox Shortstop situation. Alexei Ramirez will head into Spring Training as the projected starter, with no real competition to take his spot. Ramirez, who played 2nd last year, will be taking over for the Gold Glove Orlando Cabrera. Ramirez played Shortstop as his main position in Cuba so he should have no problem making the transition, as he possess a strong arm and excellent range. On the offensive side, Ramirez finished 2nd to Rays 3rd Baseman Evan Longoria in the AL Rookie of the Year Award. The missile hit .290 with 21 HR and 77 RBI. He needs to improve on stealing bases. He has good speed, maybe the best on the team next to Jerry Owens, but does not know how to steal a base in America. Just because you have speed doesn't mean that you will steal a ton of bases. Bobby Abreu, who the Sox are linked to, doesn't posses a lot of speed, but what he does have is excellent timing. On another note, another adjustment Ramirez has to make is having better on-base skills. He had a .317 OBP last year, and the reason why it is so low is because he is a free swinger and is not patient. This probably won't change, but after his rookie year, he should know pitchers better, so that should improve his overall stats. The Sox look solid at short, and should be good for the season.

SS Depth Chart

1. Alexei Ramirez

2. Brent Lillibridge

3. Wilson Betemit

4. Gordon Beckham

PREVIEW: 2nd Base

In this preview, we will be discussing the second base battle between Chris Getz, Brent Lillibridge, and Jayson Nix. Getz seems to have the upper hand, but an excellent Spring Training out of Lillibridge or ix would most likely win one of them a job. Getz, last year at AAA Charlotte, hit .302 with 11 HR and 52 RBI while carrying a .366 OBP. Getz gets on base, can steal, can make good contact, and play excellent defense. Lillibridge, who came over from Atlanta in the Vazquez deal, hit only .220 in AAA Richmond, but did provide excellent speed. If Lillibridge were to win the job, he could be a candidate to lead off. Nix, from the Rockies organization whom the Sox signed as a Minor League Free Agent, hit .303 with 17 HR and 51 RBI. I don't understand why people would write him off. He had the best stats in AAA among the other candidates and was a top prospect once for the Rockies. I could see him as a dark horse in Spring Training.

2nd Base Depth Chart

1. Chris Getz

2. Brent Lillibridge

3. Jayson Nix

4. Gordon Beckham