Levine: Mike Olt To Get Full Shot At Hot Corner For White Sox

By Bruce Levine--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The last real third baseman of consequence for your Chicago White Sox was Joe Crede. An important part of the 2005 World Series championship team, the affable Crede faded quickly from the scene due to a serious back problem that surgery failed to cure.

Since the Crede departure, numerous would-be replacements have answered the call with little in the way of sustained success. Now, enter Mike Olt, who was claimed off of waivers by the White Sox from the Cubs on Saturday.

Mmanager Robin Ventura wasted little in reacting to the move as he inserted the 27-year-old Olt in his lineup Sunday in Kansas City.

Olt had been with the Cubs organization for three seasons. In his White Sox debut, he had two hits and two strikeouts.

"I felt I had put myself in a good place after making some adjustments to get some interest from a few teams," Olt said Monday. "I was lucky enough to get picked up by the White Sox."

Olt was in the Cubs' Opening Day lineup at third base but then sustained a broken wrist six games into the season and missed six weeks.

"This is a game of failure, and last season I certainly saw a lot of that," Olt said before Monday's White Sox-Indians tilt. "I made a couple of adjustments that continued through the offseason. I have definitely seen some improvement in the box. Hopefully it will carry over here."

Olt had a tough big league resume to offer as credentials. He came with a .156 batting average in 122 big league games. Olt has struck out at a rate of about 38 percent. Despite those numbers, the hope is that in working with Sox hitting coach Todd Steverson, Olt can finally make consistent contact to claim the hot corner position.

"This is going to be a big month for me," he said. "We definitely have some guys here that are working for jobs. This is something I will have to work hard for and continue to push."

White Sox officials need to determine what direction to go in order to find the proper position player mix going forward. Although a September tryout isn't ideal in trying to determine if a player is ready for the rigors of a 162-game schedule, it's incumbent upon the organization to give some real tryouts with four weeks left in the disappointing season.

"I want to see him and play," Ventura said. "I want him to get in there and get his feet wet. We want to see him play. He will get a chance to play. Mike is going to get enough of a shot for us to get a good look at him."

The White Sox let go of Conor Gillaspie in midseason. He had won the job but hit only .237 with little run production during his time at the position. Prospect Matt Davidson, acquired from the Diamondbacks before the 2014 campaign for closer Addison Reed, has been a bust at Triple-A. Although Davidson hit 24 home runs while driving in 74 runs, he hit .202 this season, that after batting .199 in 2014.

Olt getting a complete 28-game look at the end of this dismal season makes all the sense in the world going forward to 2016.

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.