January 23, 2007
Erstad Goes with the Winner
Earlier today I wrote about Darin Erstad:
If he really wants to win, he'll go with the White Sox. If he wants to play everyday, he'll take the Marlins. Miami is warmer, too, which might be nice for someone who played his career in southern California.
He's gone with the winner, opting for a contract with the Chicago White Sox.
Erstad, who underwent surgery in October to repair an injured right ankle that limited him to 40 games last season, is expected to challenge youngster Brian Anderson for the center-field job in Chicago.
But with news that White Sox left fielder Scot Podsednik underwent groin surgery today and will be sidelined for the next six weeks, Erstad could also play some left field. Erstad, 32, and Anderson could also platoon in center.
So he'll get some playing time. The Chicago centerfielders hit poorly last season, so if Erstad can just get back to his career averages he'll improve the offense at the position.
If Darin Erstad hits his career averages, he'll out-perform his 90th percentile PECOTA projections. That's not very likely.