Viciedo not worried about replacing Quentin

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Over his four seasons with the White Sox, Carlos Quentin averaged 27 home runs and 80 RBIs a season with an .857 OPS. That's a good level of production, but it's one Dayan Viciedo isn't concerned about replacing.

"As far as pressure to try to do what Carlos has done, I don't feel any pressure because for the most part I'm just going to go out there and just do what I've been training to do," Viciedo said through translator Jackson Miranda. "So I feel very comfortable and I think this is going to be great year for me."

If Viciedo is true to his word and doesn't try to match Quentin's level of production, that's a good thing. A pair of projections have Viciedo hitting 21 home runs with 67-75 RBIs and an OPS between .759 and .779, numbers Quentin eclipsed in every season but his injury-riddled 2009.

But that's one area that Viciedo perhaps can eclipse Quentin: playing time. Quentin never played more than 131 games in a season while in Chicago and only averaged 495 plate appearances per season. Over the last three seasons, Viciedo has averaged 542 plate appearances per season between Birmingham, Charlotte and Chicago.

A healthy Viciedo will have every opportunity to improve on his power numbers, too. For all his power potential, he's averaged just 19 home runs over the last three years. But that's something Viciedo isn't concerned about, either.

"I'm going to focus on making contact, getting some RBIs and getting people in. That's the most important thing to me," Viciedo said. "I have the strength to hit home runs, so I'm confident the home runs will come."

Viciedo also said he's not bitter about not being called up earlier in 2011 when the White Sox offense was scuffling and he was clobbering Triple-A pitching.

"I feel that, wherever they put me, that's where I'm supposed to be, I'm just going to do the best that I can at those positions," Viciedo said. "I feel that at that previous year, it just wasn't my time, but this is my year and I'm just going to do the best and take advantage of it."

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