Since I still remember watching Josh Fields and Mark Teahen break the wrong way in their first attempts at playing the outfield in a White Sox uniform, I find the descriptions of Dayan Viciedo's stellar outfield play hard to fathom.
According to legend - as well as the game thread and game accounts - Viciedo made a pair of nice plays in right field. The first was a running catch down the line, and he also showcased the Dayan Cannon by throwing out a runner at third.
Although it's encouraging to know that he's learning from one of the great center fielders in baseball history (Devon White), it's a little bit of a leap to make a judgment of his outfield play on one game. But lest I play the role of Buzz Killington, here's some other good news that I'll underscore:
"One thing about Viciedo, he has matured a little bit," Guillen said. "He came into camp in shape ready to play. Before, the last two Spring Trainings, we had to fight with him. It's not easy to go to Spring Training and have to lose weight. It's not.
"All of a sudden you get tired during Spring Training and your body's not acting the same way. And to be around JP [Juan Pierre] that helps. This guy is a workaholic."
Viciedo took after Juan Uribe and Bobby Jenks by being the rare bird who showed up to spring training in anything but the best shape of his life, two years in a row. His second spring was in many ways worse than his first, and considering he started last season by lollygagging into his bosses' doghouse, these positive evaluations are a welcome change.
This dedication makes any future defensive misadventures a lot easier to stomach. And should we truly discover that Viciedo can get a read on flyballs faster than the other converted infielders, this could be quite the spring for the future of the Sox outfield.
Christian Marrero Reading Room: "Steady as She Goes" edition*Jake Peavy survived a bullpen session, throwing 40 pitches under the scrutiny of Don Cooper and Peavy's self-reflexive profanity. "Good thing he's not miked for sound," tweeted Mark Gonzales.
He's still a ways off, as he grew fatigued in the second half of the session. But he was throwing all his pitches with no ill effects, and he's on schedule to go until Friday.
*40 pitches is nothing to Mark Buehrle, who was throwing that many during his offseason regimen in Arizona. He threw two swift and perfect innings against Milwaukee, ending his day's work with a pretty changeup to pull the string on Brandon Boggs (one of two plate appearances I saw on my lunch break).
*Herm Schneider earns Will Carroll's praise once again, as Sports Illustrated released their team-by-team health reports. The White Sox have three red flags - Peavy, Carlos Quentin, and Chris Sale, which Carroll thinks is speculative.
There's just one problem: He says Cooper taught Edwin Jackson a cutter.
*Lastings Milledge just wants another shot at redemption.
*James looks at the positonal battles and J.J. talks about Pierre's ill-advised steal from Monday.
*The Sun-Times talks to Kenny Williams about 2010, and Chris De Luca highlights some rough points of his first year. If the latter article leaves you wanting more, you're in luck - Williams' first year is the centerpiece of White Sox Outsider 2011. The proof copy is supposed to arrive later today.