krushcuts
04-12-2005, 10:17 AM
Third baseman endures near-successes during slump
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/images/2005/03/08/pztO4Svp.jpg
Joe Crede, who batted .239 in 2004, is mired in an early-season slump. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)
MINNEAPOLIS -- The law of averages eventually has to work in favor of Joe Crede.
During the first two games of the Minnesota series, the White Sox third baseman hit the ball hard during five separate at-bats. Yet, he entered Sunday's series finale against Johan Santana with one hit in eight trips to the plate at the Metrodome.
Despite Crede carrying a .111 average, with no RBIs and one run scored through five games, he is encouraged by the near success.
"Yeah, I feel good where I'm at right now," Crede said. "Me and Walk (hitting coach Greg Walker) have been working in the cage and getting my swing down. It's a matter of going up there and having quality at-bats.
"For me, it's not just stats and stuff. It's about feeling good up there and is my swing there?" Crede added.
After hitting just .239 in 2004, albeit with 21 home runs and 69 RBIs form either the eighth or ninth spot in the batting order, Crede was a focal point for the White Sox offense coming into 2005. With Josh Fields, the team's first-round pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, making a strong charge during Spring Training, and Crede being arbitration-eligible in 2006, the pressure was on the soon-to-be 27-year-old to produce.
But manager Ozzie Guillen likes what he sees from Crede offensively, despite the lack of results. He also knows that every hitter goes through a slump during the course of a season, but both Guillen and Crede are confident the balls being caught in Minnesota will eventually fall in.
"Joe is hitting the ball outstanding here," Guillen said. "He's not having any luck, but that's part of the game. I told him to keep it up, keep swinging and they're going to fall." "Right now, my swing feels like it's there," Crede added. "It's always something daily you work on to get to that point. I've had about three or four quality at-bats in this series. I haven't had the hits to show for it, unfortunately. But I feel good."
Funniest article title. I read it wrong the first time and thought, "So that's what his problem is!"
By Scott Merkin / MLB.com
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/images/2005/03/08/pztO4Svp.jpg
Joe Crede, who batted .239 in 2004, is mired in an early-season slump. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)
MINNEAPOLIS -- The law of averages eventually has to work in favor of Joe Crede.
During the first two games of the Minnesota series, the White Sox third baseman hit the ball hard during five separate at-bats. Yet, he entered Sunday's series finale against Johan Santana with one hit in eight trips to the plate at the Metrodome.
Despite Crede carrying a .111 average, with no RBIs and one run scored through five games, he is encouraged by the near success.
"Yeah, I feel good where I'm at right now," Crede said. "Me and Walk (hitting coach Greg Walker) have been working in the cage and getting my swing down. It's a matter of going up there and having quality at-bats.
"For me, it's not just stats and stuff. It's about feeling good up there and is my swing there?" Crede added.
After hitting just .239 in 2004, albeit with 21 home runs and 69 RBIs form either the eighth or ninth spot in the batting order, Crede was a focal point for the White Sox offense coming into 2005. With Josh Fields, the team's first-round pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, making a strong charge during Spring Training, and Crede being arbitration-eligible in 2006, the pressure was on the soon-to-be 27-year-old to produce.
But manager Ozzie Guillen likes what he sees from Crede offensively, despite the lack of results. He also knows that every hitter goes through a slump during the course of a season, but both Guillen and Crede are confident the balls being caught in Minnesota will eventually fall in.
"Joe is hitting the ball outstanding here," Guillen said. "He's not having any luck, but that's part of the game. I told him to keep it up, keep swinging and they're going to fall." "Right now, my swing feels like it's there," Crede added. "It's always something daily you work on to get to that point. I've had about three or four quality at-bats in this series. I haven't had the hits to show for it, unfortunately. But I feel good."
Funniest article title. I read it wrong the first time and thought, "So that's what his problem is!"