White Sox player review: Joe Crede

October 17, 4:30 PMChicago White Sox ExaminerJJ Stankevitz

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Joe Crede played well for the first two and a half months of 2008.

The player:

Joe Crede

Position: Third base

Vital statistics
Batting average: .248
OBP: .314
SLG: .460
OPS: .773
Home runs: 17
RBI: 55
Runs: 41
BB/K: 30/45

All offseason, rumors swirled about where Joe Crede was going to be traded. It wasn't a matter of "if," it was a matter of "when."

However, when the White Sox reported to spring training, Crede was still with the team. Okay, no problem—he would just get dealt during the month of March.

As spring training dragged on, Crede did not give any reason for anybody to believe that he was going to have a worthwhile season. The Giants were rumored to be the most interested in Crede, but after seeing Crede go just 18/56 in March, the Giants determined that it wasn't worth it for them to trade for Crede. So, the White Sox were stuck with the 30-year-old third baseman with a back problem. This forced Josh Fields to the minor leagues, where he struggled with injuries and fastballs, falling off the radar of the White Sox in the first half of the year.

However, once the season began, Crede actually played well. He drilled seven home runs—including two grand slams—in April, and then followed that up by hitting .286 in the month of May. On June 17, Crede was hitting .282 with 15 home runs and an OPS of .892—stats that certainly were worthy of an All-Star appearance.

After June 17, Crede's season went downhill. All of his peripherals regressed at a rapid rate—in July, Crede's OPS was .551. He hit just one home run after June 17, and ultimately became a liability in the White Sox' lineup.

On top of that, Crede continued to be a liability defensively. Yes, Crede made a number of his trademark diving plays and tough picks, but he also made quite a few easy plays look difficult. Overall, Crede committed a whopping 22 errors in 97 games to the tune of a .930 fielding percentage.

It was hard to believe that this was the same Crede that many thought deserved a Gold Glove and won a Silver Slugger in 2006.

The first two and a half months of the season were a surprise for the White Sox—and the White Sox may not have made the playoffs without the contributions Crede gave the team in those early-season months. However, when Crede finally went on the disabled list in late July, it actually helped the team by not having him in the lineup and on the field. His WPA on the season was the lowest of any hitter on the team, coming in at -1.27.

He attempted to make a comeback in late August, but he went just 4/23 before landing back on the disabled list with the same back problems that plauged him in July.

It's tough to look at Crede's season stats because he was successful early and then awful late. His line drive rate of .143 was alarmingly low, but his BABIP of .242 indicates that he was actually unlucky. However, even if his LD/BABIP matched up to the normal .120 difference, it wouldn't have made enough of a difference in Crede's final stats because his LD rate was so low.

There's not a whole lot else to be said about Crede's performance in 2008. It really is as simple as he was an offensive asset for the first two and a half months, then a liability for the rest of the season. There really is not much of a chance Crede signs back with the White Sox for 2009, as his back is too much of an issue and agent Scott Boras will likely demand upwards of a three-year contract for Crede.

In all honesty, Crede may never play a full season again in his career. Nagging back issues just don't magically go away, so Crede likely will have to deal with them for the rest of his career.

It's a shame, too. Crede had a great career with the White Sox and, if healthy, likely could have continued to be a very good player. Those days appear to be over, though—just like Crede's career with the White Sox.