TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -Joe Crede couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t pick up his two young daughters. And he couldn’t stand for more than a few minutes at a time if he was talking to someone.
His back was a mess.
He’s feeling better now after season-ending surgery last June, but the third baseman’s future is up in the air. Crede has one year left on his contract, and the Chicago White Sox have a promising replacement in Josh Fields.
“I’d obviously want to stay here,” Crede said. “This is the organization that gave me the opportunity to realize my childhood dreams. This is a great organization, with great coaches, great players. I love the fans of Chicago. It’s a great city, and it’s hard to beat a place like this.”
It’s no secret that the White Sox would like to trade him and clear the way for Fields, who moved up from the minors while Crede was sidelined and finished with 23 homers and 67 RBIs last year. So far, they haven’t found an acceptable offer.
Crede is an excellent fielder who could hit 30 homers – as he did two years ago – if he’s healthy. And he insists he is, that his timing is getting back to where it needs to be, and he has no regrets about the decisions he made after his back flared up toward the end of the 2006 season.
He hit .283 with 30 homers and 94 RBIs that year, but his back stiffened. He took cortisone shots and struggled in the closing weeks. Offseason surgery was recommended, but another specialist said it wasn’t necessary because he played in 150 games. Instead, Crede underwent an extensive rehabilitation program, and he said he was in little pain when he showed up for spring training last year, even though it was clear he wasn’t himself when the season started.
The condition worsened and Crede’s production plummeted.
He batted .216 in 47 games before undergoing season-ending surgery on June 12 to repair a disc – a procedure known as a microdiscectomy. And although he heard criticism, Crede has no regrets about putting off the operation.
should have done it in the offseason doesn’t know what they’re talking about because I’m going to take the best doctor in the world’s word over anybody else’s.”
Crede agreed to a one-year, $5.1 million deal in January, and the White Sox will be in an awkward situation if they don’t trade him before the opener.
They don’t want to carry two third basemen, and Fields isn’t going back to left field, where he played 21 games last year in a failed experiment. Instead, he could wind up starting the season in the minors if Crede is still around.
“It would be tough, coming up at the end of last season and feeling like I proved I can play in the major leagues,” Fields said.
Meanwhile, Crede feels more like his old self, even though he had just three hits in 33 spring training at-bats entering Tuesday’s game against San Diego.
“To get back on track right away is not easy,” Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said. “I don’t worry about Crede getting hits. I worry about him being on the field.”
Batting coach Greg Walker said there were signs of trouble from the start last season – signs that he missed.
“Joe takes a lot of two-handed swings where he doesn’t release (his top hand),” Walker said. “And last year, he didn’t take any. Looking back, I should have noticed that more, put two and two together. It puts a lot of torque on his back.”
Now, he sees “no signs of a back problem at all.”
And Crede is starting to feel more comfortable.
“There are times you don’t have such a good at-bat and you realize you haven’t had an at-bat since June 1,” he said. “You haven’t been in a competitive (situation), with someone throwing to you where it means something in a while. You’ve got to take a step back and take the good from the bad and move on.”
Question is: Will Crede be moving on soon?
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