Joe Crede had a wake up call in the major leagues originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
When NBC Sports Chicago's Chuck Garfien asked Joe Crede about his unresponsiveness during interviews at the beginning of his career, he answered candidly.
"Not many people want to talk when they're hitting .220 and .230." Crede said.
Crede's career didn't begin the way he wanted, he admitted on NBC Sports Chicago's White Sox pregame show.
He went from being "the guy" in the White Sox' farm system to one of the team's liabilities at the plate. Crede consistently had his batting average in the high 200s or low 300s in the minors. But, when he got to the big leagues, he was no longer "the guy."
"You feel like in the minor leagues you're 'the guy," Crede said. "But, when you come to the big leagues, you have seven other guys who are 'the guy' on the team."
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Crede played five seasons in the minors (1996-2000) before getting his feet wet in the majors in 2000. Throughout his stints in Single-A and Double-A, Crede showed off his bat and ability at the plate.
In his final season in Double-A, he hit 21 home runs and 94 RBIs in 138 games on his way to slashing .306/.384/.490. When Crede got up to the big leagues, everything got turned upside down on him.
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"Early in my career, it did not go the way my minor league career went," Crede said. "I was hitting .320 and 30 home runs a year and driving in 90 [RBIs], hitting third in the lineup. All of a sudden, I'm hitting eight or nine, hitting to .215 to .220."
It took some time for Crede to find his role. He played seven games in 2000 up in the majors. In 2001, in 17 games, he hit .220/.273/.280 and saw the plate near the bottom of the lineup.
Crede's career eventually straightened out.
He was a mainstay in the Sox lineup, defending third base to perfection while hitting bombs from the plate. After helping the team win the World Series in 2005, he was named an AL All-Star in 2008. He hit 17 home runs and drove in 55 runs while slashing .248/.314/.460 from the plate.
But, it wasn't always sunny early in Crede's career.
"It was hard to find myself in that role," Crede said.
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