If the White Sox decide to let Paul Konerko leave as a free agent--and with the privilege to match any offer the decision may truly be up to them--they may turn to rookie Dayan Viciedo as the starter at first base, according to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune.
With a 167/34 K/BB ratio in the minors and 25/2 mark in his first taste of the majors I’m not convinced that Viciedo is ready to thrive in the big leagues yet, but if he’s going to get a chance next season at age 22 it makes sense that it would be at first base or designated hitter.
He was signed out of Cuba as a third baseman and played mostly third base in the minors, but the consensus seems to be that at 5-foot-11 and 240 pounds Viciedo is unlikely to stick there as even an adequate defender long term. Ultimate Zone Rating pegged him as 2.3 runs below average in just 162 innings at third base with the White Sox in his debut and Viciedo committed four errors in 19 starts there. Beyond that, Chicago also has Mark Teahen and Brent Morel as third base options for 2011.
