Coming into the spring it seemed as though the White Sox were going to give Jerry Owens every chance he needed to earn the starting job in centerfield and be the team's lead off hitter. Owens earned the job last spring before groin injuries forced the team to start the season with Nick Swisher in Owens' role. Swisher didn't last too long in the job, and the Sox mixed things up, but then halfway through the season a new face emerged.
Dewayne Wise came to the White Sox last season as an unknown, one of those AAAA players who are too good for Triple-A ball, but not quite good enough for the Major Leagues. Since 2000 he'd spent parts of five seasons with the Blue Jays, Reds, and Braves before catching on in Chicago. Now it looks as though he's on the verge of finally becoming an everyday player, as Wise is a couple of lengths ahead of both Brian Anderson and Owens in the race for the centerfield job.
''I think right now, he looks better than the other guys," said Wise's manager Ozzie Guillen. "If the thing continues like that, we have to make a decision. Right now, we still have a few games, but I think he looks better than the rest.''
Actually, Wise looks a lot better than the rest. While both Owens and Anderson are struggling with a .200 batting average this spring, Wise is hitting .391 with a home run, and 6 RBI. He's also played well defensively, though you do have to wonder if the job is Wise's to keep if he does in fact get it.
Even though he's playing well this spring, Dewayne is still a career .214 hitter with an OBP of .254. Even last season when Wise played well for the Sox, he only had an OBP of .293 which is way below what you want from a lead off man. So odds are that even if Wise wins the job out of spring, much like Nick Swisher before him, he'll only be keeping the spot warm until somebody else emerges.
Along with writing for NBCCHICAGO.com, Tom Fornelli can also be found contributing at FanHouse, SPORTSbyBROOKS, and his own Chicago sports blog Foul Balls.
Dewayne Wise Trying To Steal A Starting Job
Backup outfielder emerges in White Sox race for a centerfielder
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