Category / Baseball

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#164 – Dave Stieb

Dave Stieb (1993 White Sox)

Name: Dave Stieb

Rank: 164

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 1993

After 13 seasons with the Blue Jays, Dave Stieb signed with the White Sox as a free agent on December 8, 1992.  He battled for the fifth starter spot during spring training of 1993, but struggled and found himself on the disabled list to start the season.  After 4 rehab starts for Triple A Nashville, Stieb was recalled and he made his season debut on April 29 against the Brewers.

Less than a month later, and after only 4 major league starts, Stieb was released after walking 14 batters in only 22 innings.  “I figured they’d at least look at me for nine starts, then make a decision,” Stieb said. “The next salary bump is at 10 starts.”

Stieb’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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Active Batting Leaders – Through 2014

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersLast month, we looked at the overall leaders on both sides of the ball from all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2014.  With Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn hanging up their spikes after last season, we should see some new names on this list.  Now that Opening Day is right around the corner, let’s take another look at those numbers, limiting it to players that are still active heading in to the 2015 season.

Home Runs

Name Total
Aramis Ramirez 41
Alexei Ramierz 28
Carlos Quentin 28
Alex Rios 23
AJ Pierzynski 20

Hits

Name Total
Alexei Ramirez 261
AJ Pierzynski 237
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2015 Tickets – Northside Edition

After 3 straight years of tremendous season ticket packages, the Cubs were due for a bit of a letdown.  That’s not to say this year’s collection of goodies is not impressive, but it is a bit scaled back from year’s past.  First, the box itself, which reverts back to cardboard after last year’s tin extravaganza.

2015cubbox

Inside the box, aside from the tickets themselves, were a few goodies.  Once again, the Cubs tried to save themselves a few bucks by encouraging people to not pay with credit cards through the offer of an autographed Javy Baez baseball.  In addition to that, there was a commemorative season holder pin, lanyard, and knit scarf.
2015cubgoodies

 

Finally, the tickets themselves.  For the first time in years, the team has reverted back to action photos of the current crop of players.  Again, not bad, but a bit of a letdown after the past few years of baseball cards and historical programs.

2015cubtix

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#165 – Ryan Sweeney

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim v Chicago White SoxName: Ryan Sweeney

Rank: 165

Position: OF

Years With White Sox: 2006-2007

Ryan Sweeney joined the White Sox organization as their 2nd round pick in the 2003 draft.  He worked his way through the system before making his major league debut on September 1, 2006, appearing as a late inning defensive replacement.  Sweeney appeared in 18 games for the defending champions, hitting .229 in 35 at bats.

Sweeney returned to Charlotte for the 2007 season, as the number one prospect in the White Sox organization according to Baseball America.  He earned himself another September call-up, appearing in 15 games and batting only .200.

On January 3, 2008, Sweeney was packaged along with pitchers Fautino de los Santos and Gio Gonzalez, in the ill-fated deal with the A’s that brought Nick Swisher to the south side.

Sweeney’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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by jim

Legacy Brick

legacybrickTo celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2005 World Series, the White Sox, through their charity arm, once again started selling bricks to be placed in Championship Plaza near the corner of 35th and Shields.  I received one for Christmas and, after much hemming and hawing, finally decided on what to put on it.  The home version arrived yesterday, complete with a nice souvenir case to hold it.

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#166 – Addison Reed

areed

Name: Addison Reed

Rank: 166

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2011-2013

Addison Reed was the 3rd round draft pick of the White Sox in 2010.  He made his major league debut the following September, giving up 4 hits and 1 earned run in an inning and two thirds as the White Sox were blown out by the Tigers 18-4.  Reed appeared in 5 other games down the stretch as the White Sox finished up a disappointing season.

Reed made the White Sox bullpen out of spring training in 2012.  He picked up his first career save on May 5 and was officially named the closer by manager Robin Ventura on May 23.  He finished the season with 29 saves, despite an ERA near 5, as the White Sox faded out of contention over the season’s last month.

2013 saw Reed again holding down the closer role for the White Sox.  On August 22, he saved his sixth consecutive game, becoming the first White Sox reliever to accomplish the feat and the first overall since Eric Gagne in 2003.  When the season came to an end, he wound up with 40 saves in 48 opportunities, and he had lowered his ERA by nearly a run from the year before.

That December, Reed was traded to the Diamondbacks for minor league third baseman Matt Davidson, drawing his White Sox career to a close.

Reed’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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#167 – Jayson Nix

Jayson NixName: Jayson Nix

Rank: 167

Position: 2B/3B

Years With White Sox: 2009-2010

Jayson Nix signed with the White Sox as a free agent following the 2008 season.  He spent the 2009 season in a utility role with the White Sox, appearing in 94 games and hitting 12 home runs, despite a .224 batting average.

He was competing for the starting second baseman job in spring training 2010, but a pulled quadriceps put him out of commission.  After he finally recovered, his performance tanked.  He wound up batting .163 in 24 games before being designated for assignment on June 18 to make room on the roster for Dayan Viciedo.  A week later, he was claimed by the Indians, bringing his White Sox career to an end.

Nix’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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by jim

Time For Plan B?

wrigley-constructionA little more than a month and a half after the Cubs announced that the 2015 season will start without the bleacher construction being completed, news broke this week that the rehab project at Wrigley Field was even further behind schedule.  To remedy the situation, the Cubs floated the possibility of working 24 hours a day 7 days a week before officially requesting permission to extend their hours to 6 AM – 10 PM Monday through Saturday.  Yesterday, city hall responded with a resounding “NO”.

The right field bleachers, which had been slated to open in late May, are now not expected to open until mid to late June, meaning the Cubs will be without their full seating capacity for nearly half the season.  In addition, bathroom renovations in the main seating bowl are also behind schedule, and will not be complete until late May or early June.

Crane Kenney, the Cubs president of business operations, blamed last month’s cold temperatures for the delays.  It seems as though the team was unaware that winter in Chicago can be cold when formulating their plans to complete renovations over the off-season while still using the stadium during the year.

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RIP Minnie Minoso

minosoA little more than a month after Cub icon Ernie Banks passed away, word broke early this morning that long time White Sox great Minnie Minoso died overnight.  The 90 (or 93, depending on who you believe) year old broke the color barrier in Chicago when he debuted with the White Sox in 1951.

Minoso, born in Cuba, came to the United States in 1945 to play in the Negro Leagues.  He joined the Indians organization in September of 1948, after his contract was purchased by Bill Veeck.  He made his major league debut the following year, appearing in 9 September games for the Tribe.  After returning to the minor leagues in 1950, Minoso returned to the Indians for 8 games in 1951 before being traded to the White Sox.

He became Chicago’s first black player on May 1, 1951, getting 2 hits and driving in 2 runs in his White Sox debut.  Minoso spent the next 7 years with the White Sox, earning 4 All Star nods, 1 Gold Glove, and 3 top 10 MVP finishes.  Following the 1957 season, Minoso was traded back to the Indians, bringing Al Smith and Early Wynn, key players for the 1959 pennant winners, to the south side.

After the 1959 season, new owner Bill Veeck brought Minoso back to the White Sox.  While the Sox failed to repeat as AL champions, it was through no fault of Minoso’s, as the left fielder again made the All Star team and finished 4th in MVP voting.  After a sub-standard (for him) season in 1961, Minoso was traded to the Cardinals.

After struggling in 1962 and 1963, Minoso returned to the White Sox for the third time in 1964.  He appeared in only 30 games, batting .226, and was released in mid-July.  At 38 years old, this appeared to be the end of the line for Minoso.

In 1975, Bill Veeck bought the White Sox for the second time.  The next year, he brought back Minnie Minoso, now 50 years old, to allow him to become a four decade player.  Minoso appeared in 3 games, and managed to get a hit in 8 at bats.  The stunt was repeated 4 years later, with Minoso going 0-2 in 2 games and becoming the first person to appear in games during 5 decades.

His number 9 was retired by the White Sox in 1983.  In his later years, he became an official team ambassador for the White Sox.  As a season ticket holder, I had the opportunity to meet him on a few occasions, and, despite his age, he seemed energized to be interacting with fans.  The coming season is expected to be a good one for the White Sox.  It will seem emptier without his presence.

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#168 – Mark Johnson

mjohnson

Name: Mark Johnson

Rank: 168

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 1998-2002

Mark Johnson joined the White Sox organization as their first round pick in the 1994 draft.  4 years later, he made his major league debut on September 14, 1998, going 0-1 as a late inning replacement in the White Sox 17-16 victory over the Tigers.  He managed to get into 6 additional games in September, struggling with an .087 average in 23 at bats.

1999 saw Johnson making the team as the backup catcher.  His average “jumped” to .227, but he had a respectable OBP of .344.  Johnson split time behind the plate in 2000, along with Brook Fordyce.  He was behind the plate on April 23, when a brawl broke out between the White Sox and the Tigers, and managed to avoid suspension.  He was relegated back to backup duty in late July, when Charles Johnson was acquired from the Orioles for the stretch run.

When Sandy Alomar signed on as a free agent for the 2001 season, Johnson saw himself shuttling between Triple A and the major leagues.  He still managed to put together his best season as a pro, setting career highs with a .249 average and 5 home runs.  He also managed to finish 4th in the American League with 10 sacrifice hits.

He was given another opportunity to start in 2002, as he set career highs in games played and in at bats.  Unfortunately, his production fell off again, with his average dropping back down to .209 and his OBP dropping below .300 for the first time in his career.  Following the season, he was packaged, along with Keith Foulke and Joe Valentine, in a deal with the A’s that brought Billy Koch and Neal Cotts to the White Sox.

Johnson’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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