That’s the million dollar question in Chicago as Crede had a career season.  He hit .283 with 76 runs scored, 30 homers, 94 RBIs and a .828 OPS.  He had not shown the ability to put numbers up like that in his first three full seasons for the White Sox.  So, was it a fluke or is he for real?  I just have a feeling that he will have a hard time repeating last season.  His back is still giving him problems and he really didn’t do anything to correct the situation so it could go at anytime.  He does have excellent range and he only made 10 errors last season which is great for a third baseman. 

Alex Cintron will be the most likely back up at third base but he had problems there on defense as he made 3 errors in only 63 innings.  Pablo Ozuna played 65 innings there and didn’t make an error, but he didn’t show much range at all.  Rob Mackowiak also can play third in a pinch.

24 year old Josh Fields could be the future at third base for the White Sox as he had a solid season in AAA.  He hit .305 with 85 runs scored, 19 homers, 70 RBIs, 28 steals and a .894 OPS.  He came up an played 11 games in September for the Sox and hit .150 in 20 at bats with his first major league homer.

The White Sox will still be in good shape as shortstop whether they start Juan Uribe or Alex Cintron.  Uribe is questionable because of serious legal problems in his own country.  The White Sox would rather keep shortstop the way it is with Uribe the starter and Cintron the back up.  Uribe only hit .235 with 21 homers, 71 RBIs and a .698 OPS.  The White Sox would be happy with an average Uribe year for them.  He has played three years for the White Sox and has averaged .257, 20 homers, 72 RBIs and a .750 OPS.  Uribe is a very good defensive player as he has above average range and only made 14 errors last season.

Switch hitting 28 year old Alex Cintron is the back up at shortstop for the Sox.  He hit a very solid .285 with 5 homers, 41 RBIs and a .703 OPS last season.  Cintron exhibited poor range at shortstop for the White Sox and he made 4 errors in 41 games there.  Cintron’s problems on defense were probably because he was playing all over the field.  If he has to start because of Uribe’s legal issues, he’ll be at least a league average defender.  His solid bat and versatility will make him very valuable for the White Sox this season.

32 year old Tadahito Iguchi had even a better season last year than he did as a rookie in 2005.  Iguchi hit a solid .281, scored 97 runs, had 18 homers, 67 RBIs and a .774 OPS.  Look for him to have another year just like the last one with the bat.  In the field he only made 8 errors in 136 games, but he needs to improve his range which is a tad below average.  Overall, Iguchi is a very solid player for the White Sox.

Alex Cintron will be Iguchi’s back up again this season unless he has to start at shortstop.  He’s a good hitter and a solid fielder as he only made 1 error in 26 games at second base. 

Eduardo Perez has been signed to give Paul Konerko and Jim Thome a day off when they need one.  He still has good power as he’s thumped 20 homers and driven in 61 runs in his last 347 at bats (covering two seasons).  Perez hit .275 with 9 homers, 28 RBIs and a .834 OPS against left handed pitching so that’s likely when he’ll get to play.  He also played 5 games in RF last season.

36 year old lefty swinging Jim Thome rebounded big time last season.  He missed most of the 2005 season with back and elbow problems.  A return to the American League and his health contributed to him winning the A.L. comeback player of the year.  He hit a solid .288 with an OPS of 1.014, 108 runs scored, 42 homers, 109 RBIs and 107 walks.  Look for Thome to continue slugging away as his home ballpark is a launching pad.  Also the lineup is solid both in front of Thome and behind him, so he should get plenty of good pitches to hit.