The Good And Bad News About Dayan Viciedo Possibly Moving To First Base

Considering the Chicago White Sox are on this “win once a week” strategy that is so efficient, any type of move the team makes catches my eye.

Before tonight’s game against the first-place Detroit Tigers, White Sox left fielder Dayan Viciedo was taking ground balls at first base for the first time since being a member of the Pale Hose. When I heard the news, I couldn’t help but think that this potential decision would be a disaster waiting to happen, until I thought it about it more thoroughly.

As always, let’s start with the bad news first.

The bad news about this decision is … well, Viciedo is a pretty bad hitter. I wouldn’t go as far as saying I hate watching him play, but I’m pretty sure I could find a word from a Thesaurus to describe how I feel about him. The lack of plate discipline is just killing any potential that the talented Cuban outfielder could possibly have.

Essentially, Viciedo is a worse version of Delmon Young: he’s a bad fielder with a big arm, refuses to walk, swings at bad pitches and has the occasional big home run and RBI that makes you forget about how bad he really is for a small moment of time.

Okay, now that I am done ranting about him, let me tell you why I do like this news.

If Viciedo is learning to play first base, it means that Paul Konerko is likely done playing with the White Sox. I cannot thank Konerko enough for everything he has done with the White Sox, but it’s pretty obvious that his playing days are over. Whether it’s the constant, nagging injuries or the prolonged slumps, the White Sox are much better off moving on from Konerko as an everyday player.

I feel like that is a move that will put the White Sox on the right path. Without Konerko, it will finally feel that the White Sox can go move in a different direction, which is something the team has desperately needed for the past few years.

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