Guillen has options, but which are best?
Ozzie Guillen wanted more choices.
Well, it appears as though he has more than he expected, and now he's got some managing to do.
Truth is, Andruw Jones and Mark Kotsay have probably been the White Sox' two best players in camp, and while spring training is merely spring training, those two veterans have jumped all over the chance to prove they have something left and that they're worthy of jobs.
And if starting Opening Day was based on performance in Arizona, they'd both be somewhere in the outfield Monday.
But since the Sox are paying Juan Pierre $8 million over the next two years and Alex Rios is getting $60 million the next five years, it's hard to imagine them sitting behind Kotsay ($1.5 million) or Jones ($500,000).
Still, and without overstating the value of a great March, the 32-year-old Jones and 34-year-old Kotsay have outperformed the squad, playing great in the field, stealing bases, hitting for power and average, and doing everything asked of them.
They are sound, all-around baseball players, and they've earned a chance to play.
Most likely, Kotsay will start the year as the primary designated hitter, but once Guillen gets a good look at Pierre in left, you wonder how much patience he'll have before he starts playing Jones or Kotsay and uses Pierre as the DH.
The Sox need Carlos Quentin's power potential, but if he struggles defensively, the Sox could move him back to left or DH, and they have other options for right, like Rios, Jones and Kotsay.
Jones is the team's best center fielder at the moment, and Pierre, well, you've seen him play the outfield in Chicago before - and that was four years ago.
The good news is there's no bad news here. Unless some of these guys fail miserably once the real games begin, Guillen has options. He has several DH candidates and at least three outfielders who have positions they can play well.
The best defensive outfield probably is a combination of Jones, Rios and Kotsay, but either Quentin or Pierre has to play the field and the other has to DH.
Kotsay also can play first, which would allow Paul Konerko to rest and DH.
So Guillen will have plenty of decisions to make, and if he really meant what he said about wanting a better defensive club, he will have an opportunity to field a good defensive outfield.
But with his team lacking power, he's also going to need all the offense he can find.
This is the club he wanted. These are the options he desired.
Let the mind games begin.
The lineEven the wisest of guys have the toughest of times forecasting MLB wins totals, but fearless they are, and so here are the over-unders for 2010:In the AL Central, the White Sox lead with 84, a half-game better than the Twins, and safely ahead of the Tigers (81), Indians (74) and Royals (72).In the NL Central, the Cubs also are at 84, but they trail the Cards (871/2) and are a step above the Brewers (81), Reds (80), Astros (74) and Pirates (69).The restIn the National League, the Phillies are tops at 92, and followed in the East by the Braves (86), Marlins (81), Mets (80) and Nats (72).In the West, it's the Rocks (85), Dodgers (84), Snakes (82), Giants (82) and Padres (71).In the AL West, there's not a lot of confidence in the Angels at 84, just ahead of the Bradleys (83), Rangers (82) and Athletics (79).As usual, the top two numbers in the game belong to the Yanks (96) and the Red Sox (95) in the AL East, where the Rays (89) also are expected to put up a strong fight and the Orioles (74) and Jays (71) should concede by Easter (yes, that's this Sunday).NFL OTE-mailer Glenn Pawl: "It seems that there was a much simpler way to fix OT. Since the kickoff yard line was the problem, why not have the team that wins the toss start on its own 20 or 25, with no kickoff?"If an offense can get into field-goal position after starting that deep, they've earned it, and if the defense can't stop them from that starting position, they have no right to complain that they never got the ball.''Best quoteBrewers pitcher Jeff Suppan, who posted a 7.71 ERA this spring in 16 innings with 6 walks and 21 hits before going on the disabled list Tuesday: "Every time I'm out there, no matter what time of year it is, I am concentrating on getting out the hitter.''The nightmareDo you realize that if Tyler Colvin had come to the Cubs a year earlier, the entire Milton Bradley debacle might have never occurred?Best forecastSportspickle.com: "The key to the Tigers' season is avoiding a catastrophic earthquake that dramatically shifts the Earth's crust and forces the Tigers to play in the far superior AL East or AL West.''And finally -Miami Herald's Greg Cote: "Gators football coach Urban Meyer ranted against an Orlando reporter, calling him 'a bad guy.' Urban should know. Almost 30 of his players have been arrested over the years, so apparently he knows a bad guy when he sees one.''brozner@dailyherald.com