Category / Baseball

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#180 – D.J. Carrasco

White Sox-RoyalsName: D.J. Carrasco

Rank: 180

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2008-2009

D.J. Carrasco signed a minor league contract with the White Sox on January 11, 2008 and was given a non-roster invite to spring training.  He did not make the team out of spring training, but was called up on July 9th when Bobby Jenks went down with an injury.  Carrasco appeared in 31 games the rest of the way, putting up a 1-0 record with a 3.96 ERA as the White Sox won the Central Division title.

Carrasco returned to the White Sox in 2009, appearing in a league high 93.1 innings over 43 games.  He finished the year with a 5-1 record and lowered his ERA to 3.76.  Following the season, he was eligible for arbitration for the first time and the White Sox decided against tendering him a contract for the 2010 season, making him a free agent.

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

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#181 – Dave Gallagher

140-532FrName: Dave Gallagher

Rank: 181

Position: CF

Years With White Sox: 1988-1990

Dave Gallagher was ready to walk away from baseball when he joined the White Sox as a minor league free agent on December 7, 1987.  Gallagher was given a non-roster invite to spring training in 1988, where he sought out manager Jim Fregosi and laid it all out on the line.  “I told him, ‘You don’t know me from anybody, but I’d really appreciate it if you could take me to every possible game,” Gallagher said.  “I’m towards the end of my run and if I don’t make it, I’m done.’”

Gallagher had a strong spring, and the final roster spot came down to him or Gary Redus.  When the White Sox were unable to trade Redus, he made the team and Gallagher was sent to Triple A Vancouver.  He hit .336 over the first month of the Triple A season while Lance Johnson hit only .190 with the White Sox, so Gallagher was recalled on May 15.  He went 2 for 3 in his first game and hit a game winning home run in the 11th inning the following day.  He finished the season with a .303 average in 101 games, committed no errors in the outfield, and finished 5th in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.

Things got contentious between Gallagher and the White Sox in 1989.  While Gallagher appeared in every game for the south siders, he battled against team management over his contract.  At the end of June, Gallagher announced that he would file a grievance against the White Sox for refusing to negotiate a contract with him.  “We did have a meeting, and when I left I had the feeling that something was going to happen,” said Gallagher.  “Here we are, late June, almost July, and nothing`s been done.”  Gallagher was hitting over .300 at the time, but had a miserable second half, including a clubhouse argument with GM Larry Himes, and ended up with a .266 average for the year.

Given all of that, Gallagher was not expecting to return to the White Sox in 1990, but return he did, albeit to greatly reduced playing time.  The White Sox tried to move him prior to the trade deadline, but were unable to strike a deal.  2 days later, he was claimed on waivers by the Orioles, drawing his White Sox career to an end.

Gallagher’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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by admin

#182 – Mark Kotsay

kotsay

Name: Mark Kotsay

Rank: 182

Position: 1B/DH

Years With White Sox: 2009-2010

Mark Kotsay came to the White Sox in a deadline deal on July 28, 2009 which sent Brian Anderson back to the Red Sox.  He finished strong for a disappointing White Sox team that finished in 3rd place and 4 games under .500, hitting .292 in 40 games for the south siders.

Kotsay returned to the White Sox in 2010, in an ill-fated attempt to split the DH duties with Andruw Jones.  Appearing in over 100 games, Kotsay’s production fell off, as he hit only .239 with 8 home runs.  Following the season, he became a free agent, ending his association with the White Sox.

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

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#183 – Bartolo Colon

colon-sox

Name: Bartolo Colon

Rank: 183

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2003, 2009

After trying, and failing, to solidify the pitching staff each of the following 2 off-seasons, GM Kenny Williams went for broke again on January 15, 2003, agreeing to a 3 team deal that sent Rocky Biddle, Jeff Liefer, and Orlando Hernandez to the Expos, Antonio Osuna and minor-league pitcher Delvis Lantigua to the Yankees, and brought Bartolo Colon and minor-league infielder Jorge Nunez to the White Sox.  Colon was expected to do what David Wells and Todd Ritchie could not: lead the White Sox back to the post-season.

Colon did his part, setting career highs in innings pitched and complete games, en route to a 15-13 record with a 3.87 ERA.  Unfortunately, that was not enough, as the White Sox finished in second place, four games behind the Twins.  Following the season, Colon filed for free agency and left the White Sox.

6 years later, nearly to the day he was first acquired, Colon rejoined the White Sox as a free agent, joining the rotation as a reclamation project after injuries had limited him to just 36 appearances over the previous 3 seasons.  To say things did not go as expected would be an understatement.  First, Colon went on the disabled list with a knee injury and, when he was scheduled to make a rehab start in Triple A Charlotte, he went AWOL.  “Efforts to contact his agent have been successful,” Williams said at the time.  “Their efforts to contact their client have not been so successful.

After he was found, Colon went down with another injury, this time swelling in his right elbow.  Again, the right-hander disappeared and, eventually, the White Sox had enough.  They requested waivers on September 16 for the purpose of giving Colon his unconditional release.  His second tour of duty on the south side ended with a 3-6 record and a 4.19 ERA in only 12 starts.

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

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by admin

#184 – Ross Gload

rossgloadName: Ross Gload

Rank: 184

Position: 1B/RF

Years With White Sox: 2004-2006

As spring training wound down in 2003, the White Sox acquired Ross Gload from the Rockies in exchange for minor league pitcher Wade Parrish.  Gload spent the entire 2003 season in Triple A Charlotte, but made the White Sox roster out of spring training in 2004, backing up Paul Konerko and, prior to his season ending injury, Magglio Ordonez.  Gload made it into 110 games and finished the year with a .321 batting average.  Despite the limited playing time, he finished 7th in voting for AL Rookie of the Year.

In 2005, Gload missed time due to shoulder inflammation, which kept him either on the disabled list on in Triple A Charlotte between April 25 and July 22.  When Frank Thomas went down with a foot injury, Gload was recalled to take his roster spot.  A little more than a week later, Gload was sent back down when Geoff Blum was acquired from the Padres.  He rejoined the team when rosters expanded on September 1.  Gload was left off the playoff roster for all three rounds.

With his shoulder fully healed, Gload returned to the White Sox full time in 2006.  While his playing time was again limited, he did manage to put up .327 average.  Following the season, Gload was traded to the Royals in exchange for relief pitcher Andy Sisco.

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

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#185 – Dick Tidrow

008-dick-tidrowName: Mark Teahen

Rank: 185

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 1983

On January 25, 1983, Dick Tidrow, along with Scott Fletcher, Randy Martz, and Pat Tabler, were traded across town from the Cubs to the White Sox in exchange for Warren Brusstar and Steve Trout.  Tidrow slid in to the bullpen for the eventual AL West champions, appearing in 50 games and picking up 7 saves.

Tidrow made one appearance in the ALCS, giving up a run in 3 innings pitched in the game 3 blowout loss against the Orioles.  Following the series, the White Sox released Tidrow.

Tidrow’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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by jim

Moving Down The Dial

ABC_7_Chicago_2013_logoIn a shocking development, the Cubs reached an agreement today with the local ABC station to air 25 games per season through the 2019 season.  The deal should net the Cubs nearly $19 million per season.  The Cubs are still looking for a broadcast partner for 45 games that had previously aired on WGN.

The move comes out of left field, as most teams games are moving away from over-the-air channels in general, let along network owned and operated stations like WLS.  The deal will likely cause pre-emptions of popular syndicated programs like Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune or network programming.

To be honest, this move doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.  The plusses of being associated with a hopefully improved Cubs team would seem to be outweighed by complaints from viewers of Dancing With The Stars or Scandal when their shows are delayed.  I guess time will tell if the deal works out for all involved.

by jim

Winter Dealings

Samardzija5 months ago, the Cubs shipped pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the A’s.  As of yesterday, both were back in Chicago, as Hammel signed a free agent deal to rejoin the Cubs and Samardzija was traded to the White Sox.  The south siders also bolstered their bullpen, signing free agent closer David Robertson, late of the Yankees, while the Cubs looked to improve behind the plate by acquiring catcher Miguel Montero from the Diamondbacks.

Jeff Samardzija comes to the White Sox, along with minor league pitcher Michael Ynoa, in exchange for Marcus Semien, Chris Bassitt, Josh Phegley and minor league first baseman Rangel Ravelo.  Samardzija will slide in to the White Sox rotation between ace Chris Sale and Jose Quintana, giving the Sox a rotation that should match up with any other in the American League.

At the other end of the game, David Robertson, who has agreed to a 4-year, $46 million deal pending a physical, should bolster a bullpen that was one of the worst in the game this past season.  By having a lock down closer in place, along with the earlier signing of Zach Duke, the returning younger members of the bullpen should find themselves in less stressful and better defined positions, which should enable them to be more successful.

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by admin

#186 – Mark Teahen

Seattle Mariners v Chicago White SoxName: Mark Teahen

Rank: 186

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 2010-2011

Following the old adage that if you can’t beat them, join them, the White Sox sent Josh Fields and Chris Getz to the Royals in exchange for Mark Teahen, who had terrorized White Sox pitching.  Teahen got off to a slow start in 2010, but was starting to come around, putting up a .368 average in the 12 games prior to breaking his right middle finger on May 30.

He returned in mid August and finished the year with a .258 average in a career low 78 games.

Teahen returned in 2011, but again fell victim to the injury bug, suffering an oblique injury in early May.  He returned in early June, but struggled with reduced playing time.  As the trading deadline approached, he was packaged with Edwin Jackson in a deal with the Blue Jays, bringing back pitchers Jason Frasor and Zach Stewart.

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

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by admin

#187 – Tanyon Sturtze

TS_7.24Name: Tanyon Sturtze

Rank: 187

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1999-2000

Tanyon Sturtze, fresh off of rotator cuff surgery, joined the White Sox organization on November 23, 1998 after signing as a free agent.  He spent the 1999 season at Triple A Charlotte, trying to work his way back to the major leagues.  He started the last game of the season for the White Sox, going six scoreless innings against the Twins.

Sturtze found himself in the bullpen as the White Sox broke camp in 2000, but things did not go well for him at all.  Appearing in 10 games, he gave up 25 hits and 23 runs, 21 earned, in only 15 2/3 innings pitched.  On May 23, with an ERA over 12, he was designated for assignment.  A week later, he was traded to the Devil Rays in exchange for Tony Graffanino.

Sturtze’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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