Viciedo believes health main key to success

CHICAGO -- The final numbers posted by White Sox outfielder Dayan Viciedo won't end up close to his preseason goals for the 2013 season. But instead of dwelling on what went wrong, Viciedo chooses to look at the positives.

Those positives include the free-swinger hitting .400 in his last six games and .386 in his last 16 entering Wednesday, including five doubles, two homers and 12 RBIs. When Viciedo gets on a roll, he literally can carry the team offensively.

His problem is that a left oblique strain in April and a jammed left thumb in August prevented the left fielder from ever getting into a rhythm.

"Early on, I don't know if it was because of the injuries, but I couldn't get the consistency of work on the things I was working on," said Viciedo through translator and White Sox coach Lino Diaz. "Maybe that had a little bit to do with it, but I really don't know. I'm just assuming that it happened."

"Any time you're injured, you change things and you adapt to what feels good," manager Robin Ventura said. "Sometimes that's not what the actual mechanics of it are going to allow you to do. He's had a lot of those this year where he's had a lot of nagging things. That's part of going through 162 games. It's difficult."

The White Sox tried a leg kick for Viciedo as a timing mechanism to keep him a bit more disciplined in his swing. That didn't feel right, so Viciedo went back to his old form.

When asked on Wednesday if he could still be a powerful force in the middle of the White Sox lineup, Viciedo answered with one word-absolutely. Whether that work with the bat will be done in left field, at first base or maybe even third base in '14 is a decision that figures to be made in the offseason.

"I feel left field is my position," Viciedo said. "But I'll play wherever the team needs me to play."