While the White Sox cleared much of the roster brush at the end of August, Dayan Viciedo remained. The fact that he's still getting regular playing time could be construed as one more chance. The fact that Robin Ventura is rotating new players in left field suggests Viciedo is being phased out.
It's nice to see new faces in left, not just because they represent a defensive upgrade, but also because they provide tangible examples of missing day-to-day value.
Let's take a look at the Oakland series. On Tuesday, Viciedo hit his 20th homer of the season, which is no small feat these days. But ... it was his only hit in 11 plate appearances (one HBP, no walks, three strikeouts), and that solo shot merely brought him back to the break-even line for his personal run differential, as he gave the A's an extra out (leading to a go-ahead run) on this play the day before.
It was just one of those plays that Robin Ventura couldn't defend with a "It's just one of those...":
"I don't know," flustered manager Robin Ventura said. "You expect him to make that play."
Viciedo's output contrasted starkly with what the other left fielders accomplished (or didn't) over the series. Michael Taylor and Jordan Danks went 2-for-7 with two walks and two strikeouts over the following three games, but while neither contributed an extra-base hit, both defused rallies on the other end with tremendous diving catches.
Taylor's took extra bases away from Coco Crisp with one out in the 10th on Monday:
And Danks' grab gave Zach Putnam a first out and kept a runner out of scoring position in a one-run game on Wednesday:
These are plays Viciedo wouldn't have made, and comparing them to Viciedo's best and worst contributions show just how amorphous baseball value can be, and just how strictly the Tank confines his production.
At 25 years old, three-plus full seasons and three hitting coaches into his MLB career, Viciedo can only express himself through the home run column. His kind of power can't be taken for granted, but his inability to pull fastballs puts a governor on his ability to maximize it, and he's stagnated or degenerated in every other aspect, whether hitting for average, strike-zone judgment, or defensive capabilities.
He's taken it to extreme levels as the year winds down. Sure, he's figured out his home run stroke, with eight of them since Aug. 1. He also hasn't done much of anything else, hitting .222/.253/.500. That triple-slash line is such a caricature of his game it may as well be riding in a dune buggy.
It's difficult to have above-average power and still end up below replacement level (-0.8 by Baseball-Reference.com, -0.5 by FanGraphs), but it's visible from here. And when you see somebody like Danks make plays with his glove and add a single here and there, you can begin to understand why a traditional AAAA, replacement-level embodiment like Danks can do more for a team, even if he can't meet any of the important league averages at the plate.
Rick Hahn, ever a diplomat, isn't giving up on Viciedo to the media:
With Adam Dunn gone and Paul Konerko retiring, the role of first baseman/part-time designated hitter will be available to Viciedo. Viciedo would like to stay with the White Sox, and it could even be as an outfielder or an amalgamation of positions.
"He's going to have to continue his defense to help fill in some of the holes in that regard," Hahn said. "It's funny. That's one of the positions where if a guy produces enough offensively, you're willing to put up with a little more defensively. But he certainly is athletic enough and a hard enough worker that he can get to that point."
But when the front office says Viciedo needs to improve defensively to prop up his declining value offensively, that seems like a pretty clear sign that his career has run its course in Chicago, because Viciedo hasn't given the Sox a reason to believe he can improve in any aspect, much less an area that has never been even a purported strength.