Positional Previews: Second Base pt. 1

On June 16, 2007, Kenny Williams sent minor league outfielder Aaron Cunningham to the Diamondbacks for Danny Richar. Richar was in the midst of a pretty good season in AAA for Diamondback affiliate Tucson. Cunningham was emerging as one of the top talents in the White Sox organization. His scouting report in January of 2007 was as follows:

6. Cunningham, lf
DOB: 4/24/86
Height/Weight: 5-11/195
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted: 6th round, 2005, Everett (Washington) JUCO
What he did in 2006: .305/.386/.496 at Low A (402 PA)
The Good: The rare decent bat in the system, Cunningham came on strong in the second half after dealing with a nagging ankle injury early in the year. Quick wrists and a compact swing allow him to make hard contact to all fields. Above-average runner.
The Bad: Below-average outfield skills limit Cunningham to left field, so he'll need to turn some of his many doubles into home runs in order to project as a starter. Better pitch recognition would help in that task.
The Irrelevant: Cunningham was penciled in at every slot but cleanup in the Kannapolis lineup last year for at least one game.
In a Perfect World, He Becomes: An average corner outfielder.
Gap Between What He Is Now, And What He Can Be: High. In a system all but void of bats, Cunningham is one of the few bright spots. He'll spend 2007 in the Carolina League.

Christina Kahrl later compared him to Jeff Abbott after the trade - citing his need to add more power, lest he want turn into another forgotten minor league hitting machine.

Richar was blocked by Mark Reynolds, Alberto Callaspo, and Orlando Hudson. There was no room for him, and the Diamondbacks squeezed some value out of him. Cunningham impressed many with the Diamondbacks in 2007, but was shipped to Oakland in the Danny Haren trade.

Joe Sheehan recently said Cunningham may be the best OF in the A's system.

So after giving up the now highly touted Aaron Cunningham to acquire Danny Richar, how can the White Sox not play him in 2008? I have a bad feeling that Ozzie Guillen will find a way. As he showed with Brian Anderson, Ozzie has no problem benching young players in need of MLB AB for below average players (Exhibit A) or out of position bench players (Exhibit B).

I'm horribly disturbed by the idea that the White Sox may give Juan Uribe another opportunity to prove that 2004 was a humongous fluke. Against all sanity, Uribe is said to be in an open competition with Richar and Alexei Ramirez at second base.

Ramirez needs some seasoning before making his big league debut, and should start in either Birmingham or Charlotte. He could debut in June if he tears up the minors, but I'd rather try to maximize his value at SS or CF.

This organization is in no condition to trade one of their most talented young outfielders for an infielder (with a much lower ceiling), only to let the infielder go to waste behind Uribe.

Tomorrow - Positional Previews: Second Base pt. 2 - unraveling the debate at second base. Who is projected to be better offensively? Defensively? Why is Uribe still an option?