The Contrary Report-Darin Erstad

As I voiced in my White Sox season preview, the acquisition of Darin Erstad and subsequent placement into the everyday line-up did not make sense. Ten games in, albeit a small sample, and he has still not proven why he's playing ahead of Brian Anderson. To quote Baseball Prospectus again:

Erstad's the boyfriend you really shouldn't keep: he might be popular and talented, but he's bad news. He spends all your money and never quite delivers on his promises. If you only think of him in terms of how good you feel around him, you might miss out on the more basic things. You know, like runs.

Erstad's BP projected line.242/.297/.324

Brian Anderson's BP projected line: .263/.323/.442

Now, given the fact Anderson is a much better defensive outfielder, I will continually be puzzled as to why Erstad still plays the vast majority of the time. Also, while I'll admit to being very optimistic, I really think Anderson has the tools to be a .280/.340-.350/.500 type of hitter, with 20-25 home runs and 30-35 doubles power. I know Anderson can greatly outperform Erstad now both at the plate and in the field.

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