Joe Crede
Crede with the Twins in 2009
Free Agent — No. --
Third baseman
Born: April 26, 1978 (1978-04-26) (age 31) Jefferson City, Missouri
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 12, 2000 for the Chicago White Sox
Career statistics (through 2009)
Batting average	.254
Home runs	140
Runs batted in	470
Teams
Chicago White Sox (2000-2008) Minnesota Twins (2009)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star selection (2008) World Series champion (2005) Silver Slugger Award winner (2006)

Crede with the Chicago White Sox on April 17, 2008.

Joseph Taylor Crede (CREE-dee, born April 26, 1978, in Jefferson City, Missouri) is an American Major League Baseball third baseman who is currently a free agent.

Crede attended high school at Fatima High School in Westphalia, Missouri^[1] where he led them to 3 district championships (1993, 1995, 1996) and two final four berths ('95, '96) as a pitcher. Crede was drafted by the White Sox in the 5th round of the 1996 amateur draft and made his debut with the team in 2000.

Crede was a member of the White Sox when they won the World Series in 2005, their first championship in eighty-eight years. The highlight of his postseason came in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series when he hit a game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning. Crede missed the rest of the 2007 season due to season-ending lower back surgery.

[edit] Baseball career

Offensively, Crede has been less than consistent. Though his home run totals have increased every year since he joined the majors, his career batting average is only .258.

He completed the 2006 season batting .283 and had career highs with 30 HRs and 94 RBIs, winning the 2006 Silver Slugger Award for third base. While he was hitting home runs, he wasn't taking many walks. He is one of only six players who have concluded a 30-homer season with more homers than walks (30 HRs, 28 BB), the others being Alfonso Soriano (39-23 in 2002), Garret Anderson (35-24 in 2000), Pudge Rodriguez (35-24 in 1999), Ryan Braun (34-29 in 2007), and Jose Guillen (31-24 in 2003).[3] He is also known as an excellent fielder, recording a career UZR/150 of +7.8 runs above average. In 2008, however, he committed an unusually high number of errors, marking the first time his fielding percentage was below .960 since the 2002 season.

On July 7, 2008, Crede became an all-star for the first time in his career, selected as a reserve to the 2008 MLB All-Star Game.^[2] On October 30, Crede became a free agent for the first time in his career by filing for free agency.^[3]

On February 21, 2009, Crede signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins.^[4] The deal was reportedly worth $2.5 million and could elevate into $7 million based on Crede's performance.^[5]

In his first game back in Chicago, on April 10, 2009, Crede received a standing ovation from the White Sox fans before his first at bat. In the background, the song All Out of Love by Air Supply was played as Crede stepped to the plate. In that at-bat, he hit a home run to left field. As Crede rounded the bases, the White Sox fans booed him.^[6]

[edit] Personal life

On October 22, 2005, the due date of his second daughter, Lucy, Joe Crede hit his first World Series home run. On November 6, 2005, Crede was honored by his hometown of Westphalia, Missouri, with "Joe Crede Day," where he was presented the key to the city.^[1] In February 2006, Crede's high school, Fatima High School in Westphalia, Missouri, retired his jersey.^[1] Joe's older brother Brad won a high school baseball state championship with Fatima High School in '92, and an NCAA Division II National Championship with CMSU in '94.^{[citation needed]} He was drafted by the Orioles after high school but chose to play in college first.^{[citation needed]} He was drafted again after college by the Phillies on the same day Joe was drafted.^{[citation needed]}

On the 3/6/07 show of ECW, Crede was seen along with other members of the White Sox in the audience. He was asked who he wanted to see get their head shaved, Donald Trump or Vince McMahon, and he enthusiastically said Vince McMahon.^{[citation needed]}

Crede and his wife Lisa have two daughters, Anna and Lucy and one son, Jace. He lives in mid-Missouri during the off-season, and is a season-ticket holder for Missouri Tigers basketball.

[edit] See also

• List of top 500 Major League Baseball home run hitters

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• [4] - salary information
• [5] - high school bio