Outfield News

The Chicago White Sox have signed Darin Erstad to a one-year deal with a club
option for 2008, and they have announced that Scott Podsednik will be sidelined
for six weeks with a groin injury. The assumption here is that Erstad has been
signed as a replacement for Podsenik.

At one time, Darin Erstad was a great player. He finished in the top 15 in
MVP voting in both 1998 (14th place) and 2000 (8th). In 2000 he had a .409 OBP
with 28 stolen bases. These would be great numbers if he could put them up
today. However, he has not been the same player recently. In fact, he only
appeared in 40 games last season while compiling a horrible .279 OBP. Erstad
will likely be a part-time player once Podsenik returns, so there is no reason
for him to pace himself. The White Sox are going to need him to refind his mojo.

Darrin Erstad's Career Statistics
Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SB
1996	.284	.333	.375	4	20	3
1997	.299	.360	.466	16	77	23
1998	.296	.353	.486	19	82	20
1999	.253	.308	.374	13	53	13
2000	.355	.409	.541	25	100	28
2001	.255	.331	.360	9	63	24
2002	.283	.313	.389	10	73	23
2003	.252	.309	.333	4	17	9
2004	.295	.346	.400	7	69	16
2005	.273	.325	.371	7	66	10
2006	.221	.279	.326	0	5	1
Career	.286	.341	.416	114	625	170