The White Sox are 11-10 after a win over the Seattle Mariners today, to take another series at home.
Just to clear the air, I am a die-hard White Sox fan and have been for life—not one of those 2005 bandwagon fans—as many accuse me of being.
The team's question marks going into the season revolved around center field and second base. Some argued that losing Joe Crede made third a problem as well, so Josh Fields was under the microscope, too.
The recovery of Jose Contreras and the effective return of Bartolo "Big Man" Colon were also question marks.
Dewayne Wise was set to start the season at center field, after Jerry Owens failed to impress the Sox and Brian Anderson was stellar in spring training.
Wise, while playing, was a great defensive center fielder, but he did not produce at the plate. After injuring his shoulder making a Web-Gem catch, Wise has been out for a few weeks, which gives Anderson a time to shine.
I have been waiting for Anderson to get a second chance after his horrible rookie season and he has started to turn his come around, batting .300 in 17 games this year.
Injuries are playing a factor at second as well. Chris Getz won the job, and has done very well, both defensively and at the plate, batting .340 over 12 games.
Getz, who currently has a .394 on-base percentage, has been what the Sox were lacking in the lineup: He will play a big role once he comes off the disabled list.
Brett Lillibridge adds a different dynamic to second base. He is less developed than Getz, but fits very well as an athletic utility infielder.
Fields, who inserted at third quite nicely, has showed off his smarts at the plate, advancing runners and not being afraid to lay down a bunt once in a while. He's batting .264, and his OBP of .358 is very impressive.
He's only made three errors at third base—not bad considering even Crede averaged 12 error per season in his prime. Fields will be fine.
On to the pitchers: Colon has surprised me—even coming in seemingly overweight, he has impressed me. I had bets on Colon being off the White Sox roster by the end of May. There is a month left, and I do not see Colon going anywhere but up in the rotation.
Contreras, on the other hand, has not been up to par. I was skeptical of him coming back early from his surgery, but he is "back in black." Contreras had an impressive outing his last time out, so I am hoping he keeps that up and lowers his 6.75 ERA.
Gavin Floyd has been inconsistent, and I do not like it. He has a 5.79 ERA, and has been all over the place. I hope this doesn't continue for last year's 17-game winner.
Mike McDougal's departure is good, but the Sox need an answer to fill his spot. Jack Egbert did not impress me one bit, and Lance Broadway should be kept in the minors to develop as a starter.
The Sox need one more arm in the bullpen—Octavio Dotel and D.J. Carrasco cannot be the only effective right-handers in the 'pen
For the purpose of ending on a good note: Carlos Quentin is back, and has produced a tidy eight home runs, 16 RBI and nine walks.
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