Sox' Ramirez a natural at short

There was Luke Appling, Chico Carrasquel and Luis Aparicio. Bucky Dent also manned the position, and so did Ozzie Guillen and Juan Uribe.

The White Sox always seem to come up with a defensive whiz at shortstop, and now it's time to make room for a new one - Alexei Ramirez.

"You're going to say, 'Wow,' '' said Guillen, a mainstay at short for 13 seasons before taking over as Sox manager in 2004. "This kid is a natural shortstop. He never played second base in his life at the big-league level until we put him there (last season), and that's not easy.

"He made the adjustment and did it. I think he's excited now because he knows he's going to be the shortstop."

With another skilled defender, Orlando Cabrera, in place last year, Ramirez actually made his major-league debut as a center fielder. But when Uribe (who was playing second base) was injured in May, Ramirez moved back to the infield and was a tick or two short of spectacular.

Cabrera is gone, so Ramirez is really expecting to excel now that he's back at shortstop.

"I'm just really happy I'm getting the opportunity," Ramirez said through an translator late last month. "I'm really happy Ozzie has the confidence in me to give me the opportunity, and I'm glad I get to play the position I feel the strongest at."

Whether he was making no-look flips to first and second base, chasing down short flyballs in the outfield or ranging far to his right and left, Ramirez was a regular on ESPN's "Web Gems" while drumming up Gold Glove attention as a rookie second baseman last season.

Now, the 27-year-old native of Pinar del Rio, Cuba, is looking to take his game to an even higher level.

"Whether it's the fans or the media, you've both seen what I can do, what I did last year at second base, how I can handle a position," Ramirez said. "I feel very confident about this opportunity and I feel I'll be able to mix into it really well."

Guillen feels much the same, but he's expecting some rough patches.

"I'm pretty sure you're going to see some stupid things, stupid mistakes, like, 'What are you doing?' '' Guillen said. "But then it'll be bases loaded and he's making a play and it's like, 'Wow.' You might see more errors than you saw with Uribe and Cabrera, but you will see a lot of plays, balls hit to the sides and he will get there, better than what we had in the past."

Ramirez took a lot of ribbing for his slender build, but he has added a few pounds to his 6-foot-2 frame. That doesn't mean he will be asked to testify in front of Congress anytime soon.

"I put on a little bit of weight," Ramirez said. "I was on a weight program, but I don't want to overdo it when it comes to weights. The key to my game is agility and the key to playing the infield positions is agility."

Ramirez was just as good offensively last season. In addition to batting .290 with 21 home runs and 77 RBI, he set a major-league rookie record with 4 grand slams.

Now that he has a full season under his belt, can Ramirez equal or better his 2008 performance?

"Last year was a great experience," he said. "I feel like, going through the things I did last year, learning the things I learned on and off the field, the pitchers know me now, but I know the pitchers well, too.

This year, I feel like I have some space to get even better."