PREVIEW:Third Base

The White Sox look to come into the 2009 season with Josh Fields as their third baseman. Fields had a breakthrough 2007 campain, but then spent a painful year in the minor leagues when Kenny Williams could not find a trade for Joe Crede. Now the job seems to be Fields, as Crede fled for free agency and signed with the rival Minnesota Twins. Fields poses a great power bat, but needs work on making contact and fielding. Fields did work in the offseason with bench coach Joey Cora and Manager Ozzie Guillen. If Josh goes down or does not perform, Wilson Betemit or Dayan Viciedo seem to be the quick fix.

Third Base depth

1. Josh Fields
2. Wilson Betemit
3. Dayan Viciedo

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

MLB.com Fantasy

Hey, go check out the fantasy predictions. I love looking at that stuff. it has a lot of interesting predictions. The ones I'm most intrigued by is the Clayton Richard, Wilson Betemit, and Paul Konerko. All of them are predicted to have pretty good seasons.

PREVIEW: 1st Base

In 2008, Paul Konerko had one of the most disappointing seasons in his career. You can blame it on injury, yes, but is it just Paul aging? According to John Dewan, who is on weekly with Mike Murphy, a radio host for the White Sox flagship station 670 the Score, Paul Konerko's average on line drives is .551. The league average is .701 and Paul Konerko's average for his career is .702. Here is his Metrics:

I would say that Paul's struggles had mostly to do with a combination of injury, age, and just plain and simple bad luck. Konerko's defense was also not as good as it was in years past. He really struggled in getting an angle to throw it over to 2nd base and has lost some range. Off-season acquisition Wilson Betimet could see some time over at 1st to spell Paul Konerko.

Overall I see Paulie hitting .255-.260 with 25-30 HR and 80 RBI. He won't be a 40 HR guy any more but can still be a contribute on offense.