TUCSON, Ariz. -- Dayan Viciedo, the latest edition to the White Sox from the Cuban pipeline, opened the Cactus League portion of his Major League career to rave reviews during Thursday's 4-1 victory over the Rockies at Hi Corbett Field.

Then again, according to a sardonic and jovial Ozzie Guillen, the media shouldn't have expected any sort of negative commentary after Viciedo's first game. Not after the offseason monetary commitment made to him by the organization.

"We have to say he's good after spending $10 million on him," the White Sox manager said with a hearty laugh.

Anyone who knows Guillen and his staff members understands that while they are exceedingly positive, they also tell it like it is. It was Guillen who apologized to the White Sox fan base last year for putting a relief pitcher into a game against Boston who had been regularly getting hammered and got crushed once again by the Red Sox on that night. That particular pitcher no longer is with the team.

Even with just one Spring Training game under his belt, if Viciedo didn't show the most basic signs of being a player, Guillen certainly wouldn't have built up the expectations from the outset. And while Viciedo wasn't perfect, he certainly made a solid showing for a 19-year-old playing in a new league in a new country.

Viciedo opened with a clean, first-inning single to left off an 0-1 pitch from Colorado starter Jason Hirsh. He grounded into a double play in the third and lined out to right fielder Daniel Ortmeier in the fifth before being replaced at third base by Javier Castillo in the sixth inning.

"I felt relaxed, no pressure at all," said Viciedo, through translator and White Sox bench coach Joey Cora. "I felt happy and very good to finally play a game in the big leagues."

"The kid can swing the bat. He really, really can swing the bat," Guillen said of Viciedo. "And he's not scared."

As for Viciedo's defense, he handled two grounders flawlessly and showed a strong throwing arm across the diamond. Viciedo should have had his first Spring Training error with one out in the third, but Scott Podsednik's grounder that ricocheted off of Viciedo's body was ruled a single.

Omar Quintanilla also lined a single between the foul line and Viciedo's diving attempt with one out in the fifth. Guillen pointed out that it was tough to judge Viciedo's defense on a hard Tucson infield, but a confident Viciedo added that he has no problem targeting that specific part of his game for improvement.

"There's no problem with that," Viciedo said of his defense. "I understand that's what it will take for me to be here, so I have no problem working on that part as hard as I can."

"He's not there yet, but still we all know, Joey knows, he's going to get better," Guillen said of Viciedo's defense. "It comes with time, but I'm optimistic this kid will be good."

Thursday's opening effort for Viciedo wasn't quite as off-the-charts as fellow Cuban Alexei Ramirez's four-hit performance in his first Cactus League game on Feb. 28, 2008, against the Rockies, also at Hi Corbett. But this much rings true concerning Viciedo, from just a brief, one-game glance.

Taking into consideration his four-year, $10 million deal agreed upon on Dec. 12, the former standout for Villa Clara in Cuba looks as if he will be well worth the money.