Dayan Viciedo Stats & Scouting Report

AB	1675
AVG	.254
OBP	.298
SLG	.424
HR	66

Full name Dayan Viciedo
Born 03/10/1989 in Remedios, Cuba
Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 240 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Debut 06/20/2010

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

An organizational favorite who has never let a $10 million big league contract affect his work ethic and interaction with teammates, Viciedo shook off a lackluster 2009 pro debut to hit 25 homers last season. That included five longballs in the majors during a midseason trial while Mark Teahen was on the disabled list. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen nicknamed him "The Tank." Viciedo's strength, bat speed and hand-eye coordination give him game-changing power. But he rarely sees a pitch he doesn't like--he didn't draw a big league walk until his 83rd plate appearance--and pitchers can exploit his lack of patience. He has a strong arm and has worked hard on his defense at third base, but he's a well below-average athlete and runner who lacks quickness. He's not nearly as good a defender as Brent Morel and projects more as a first baseman or DH. He has done a good job with his conditioning since arriving overweight when he signed, but he could balloon if he loses focus. Given Viciedo's production as a rookie, not to mention Chicago's financial commitment, he could get a chance to earn a regular spot in the big league lineup in 2011, either at DH or on an infield corner. His lack of plate discipline could hold him back, however, and he could use some Triple-A time to work more on his defense.
A Cuban defector who signed a four-year, $10 million major league contract in December 2008, Viciedo looked overmatched at times in his pro debut. The White Sox were generally pleased with his performance in Double-A, but some club officials felt he would have been better off at Winston-Salem. Elbow inflammation forced him to leave the Arizona Fall League after four games. Viciedo can drive the ball to all fields and possesses tremendous opposite-field power. He can put on a show in batting practice and punish fat pitches. He has soft hands and an average arm at third base. He took a serious approach to his conditioning, a major issue when he signed. He did a nice job of making adjustments on and off the field in his first season in the United States. Viciedo sits on fastballs to the point where he often looks helpless against offspeed pitches, doesn't consistently center hittable pitches and chases out of the strike zone too often. He doesn't look natural at third base, where he lacks range and has trouble on balls to his right and rollers in front of him. He's easily a below-average runner. He'll have to stay on top of his weight. Kendry Morales needed part of four seasons in the Angels system to make the climb from Cuba to the major leagues, and Viciedo is younger than Morales was. The White Sox hope he can stick at third, but he could be a candidate to replace first baseman Paul Konerko, whose contract expires after 2010.
After the success of Alexei Ramirez, the White Sox in November gave Viciedo a four-year major league contract with a $4 million bonus and a $10 million total guarantee. He was the top player on Cuba's junior national team in 2005 and 2006. He played three seasons for Villa Clara in Cuba's Serie Nacional, hitting .337 with 14 homers as a rookie in 2005-06, and nearly made the inaugural World Baseball Classic that spring--at age 16. He defected by taking a boat to Mexico in May 2008, and he established residency in the Dominican Republic so he could become a free agent. Viciedo has the power to hit 40-plus homers in a season, thanks to a quick swing that's triggered by strong wrists. He has power to all fields and hits moonshots to left field when pitchers make mistakes inside. He also pitched for Cuba's junior national team and has enough arm to play anywhere on the field. His soft hands are an asset at third base. Conditioning and motivation were major question marks for Viciedo in recent years, however. He reportedly weighed more than 260 pounds when teams first scouted him in the Dominican but was working to get in shape. The White Sox asked him to drop at least 10 pounds before spring training. His size limits his mobility, which could be a problem at third base or in the outfield. He doesn't run well. He's an aggressive hitter who will chase bad pitches. Viciedo will compete against Josh Fields for Chicago's third-base job in spring training, but that's not his only possible route to the majors. He also has been told to get in shape to possibly play the outfield. He would benefit from time in the minors, but the White Sox will want him to be around fellow Cubans Ramirez and Jose Contreras, easing his transition. Viciedo has a high ceiling but brings a bigger risk than the more experienced and athletic Ramirez.

Minor League Top Prospects

A Cuban defector signed to a $10 million big league contract three years ago, Viciedo batted .308 with five homers in a 38-game trial with the White Sox in 2010, but they sent him back to Charlotte this year to work on his plate discipline and defense. He did develop more patience and impressed managers enough that they tabbed him as the IL's best batting prospect and most exciting player. While still aggressive, Viciedo now demonstrates a better understanding of how pitchers are trying to work him and is more willing to wait for a pitch he can punish. He'll always be a bad-ball hitter, but as long as he does even a passable job of controlling the strike zone, his tremendous power to all fields will earn him a place in the lineup. Viciedo's value comes entirely from his bat because he offers little in the way of athleticism, speed or quickness. He has enough arm strength to play right field, but he's a substandard defender in the outfield or first base.