Could Lillibridge unseat Beckham at 2B?
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Shortly after being hired, new White sox manager Robin Ventura said salary and contract length are not going to matter when deciding who is on the field and who is on the bench this season.
After Saturday's third workout of spring training for pitchers and catchers, Ventura said every player has a “clean slate.”
The messages are mixed, but the April 6 season opener is still well over a month away and Ventura has plenty of time to determine his regular lineup.
He might have an interesting decision to make at second base.
Does Ventura stick with Gordon Beckham, who played like a budding star during his rookie season but has been fading fast the past two years?
Or, does Ventura hand the job to versatile Brent Lillibridge, who last season showed he could play high-level defense all over the field while breaking out with the bat?
At this early stage, Beckham is still entrenched as the Sox' starter at second. Should he continue to slip, Lillibridge is waiting for his shot.
More and more White Sox fans have been clamoring for a change since Beckham batted .230 with 10 home runs and 44 RBI in 150 games last season while Lillibridge countered with a .258 average, 13 home runs and 29 RBI in 97 games before missing the final three weeks with a fractured right hand.
Lillibridge is a good soldier, and his versatility brings high value. Last year, he was the White Sox' best defensive outfielder and also played second and first base.
An early arrival in training camp, Lillibridge has already been taking groundballs at shortstop and third base.
While he is not trying to send Beckham to the bench, Lillibridge is on a mission this spring.
“I'm here to get ready for the season and make it hard for Robin and the coaching staff to not put me in every day,” Lillibridge said. “I think that's what they want from each player instead of saying, ‘This is my role; this is how it is.' I have huge goals that I adjust frequently and coming into the season, I have very high goals to play.
“I want to be a starter. As far as me and Gordon competing, we respect each other, we love each other, we're close to each other. I want him to have a good year. I'm going to play one way or another if I have a good year, so it's not really a competitive thing.”
Beckham is not shying away from any competition, be it from Lillibridge or Ozzie Martinez and Eduardo Escobar, who are battling for a possible utility infield spot.
Following another disappointing season, Beckham went back home to Atlanta and tried getting it right.
His plan started with getting up and eating breakfast instead of sleeping late. After trimming his weight from 205 pounds to 198, Beckham went to work on his swing.
“The main thing I did this off-season was try to get loaded up,” Beckham said. “Just try to make sure I'm back to getting aggressive in terms of when I'm ready to hit, I'm absolutely ready to let it loose. In '09 I was good at getting loaded early and slow and early. That's something I sort of lost the last two years.
“It had to be more perfect. I've worked on getting back a little sooner, make sure I'm loaded and having lag in my bat. Having that makes you hit off-speed, bad pitches all that stuff. You can get fooled and still hit it hard.”
sgregor@dailyherald.com