Joseph "Joe" Crede (born April 26, 1978 in Jefferson
City, Missouri) is an American Major League Baseball
player who is currently the starting third baseman
for the Chicago White Sox.
Crede attended high school at Fatima High School in
Westphalia, Missouri where he led them to 3 district
championships ('93, '95, '96) 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. Joe
Crede recently signed a one-year contract with the
Sox for $5.15 million, successfully avoiding
arbitration.
Crede was a member of the White Sox when they won
the World Series in 2005, their first championship
in 88 years. The highlight of his postseason came in
game two of the American League Championship Series
when he hit a game-winning RBI double in the bottom
of the ninth inning.
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 McMahon. Crede missed the rest
of the 2007 season due to season ending lower back
surgery.
Crede has established himself as one of the best
fielding third basemen in Major League Baseball.
Though he has not won a Gold Glove award, he is
generally considered an excellent fielder, and he
has a .964 fielding percentage, high for a third
baseman.
Offensively, Crede has been less consistent. Though
his home run totals have increased every year since
he joined the majors, his career batting average is
only .262. He completed the 2006 season batting .283
and had career highs with 30 HR and 94 RBI. He also
won the 2006 Silver Slugger Award for third base.
