Category / Baseball

by admin

#188 – Salome Barojas

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Name: Salome Barojas

Rank: 188

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1982-1984

As spring training wound down in 1982, the White Sox purchased the contract of Salome Barojas from the Mexico City Reds of the Mexican League.  Barojas quickly became the team’s closer, finishing the season with 21 saves.

In 1983, as the White Sox ran away with the AL West title, their first divisional championship, Barojas split the closing duties with Dennis Lamp, picking up 12 saves in 52 games and finishing the year with a career best 2.47 ERA.  Unfortunately, Barojas struggled during the ALCS, appearing in 2 games against the Orioles and giving up 4 hits and 2 runs in 1 inning pitched.

Like the rest of the White Sox, Barojas struggled to duplicate the success of the previous season in 1984.  His ERA had jumped over 2 runs in 24 games before he was traded to the Mariners on June 27 in exchange for pitchers Gene Nelson and Jerry Don Gleaton.

Barojas’ numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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by admin

#189 – Josh Fogg

JOSHFOGG.1

Name: Josh Fogg

Rank: 189

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2001

Josh Fogg was selected by the White Sox in the 3rd round of the 1998 draft.  After quickly rising through the minor league system, Fogg earned a September call-up in 2001, appearing in 11 games.  His 2.03 ERA boded well for his earning a spot in the rotation the following year.

His future with the White Sox was cut short, though, as he was included in the ultimately disappointing deal that sent Fogg, along with fellow pitchers Kip Wells and Sean Lowe, to the Pirates in exchange for Todd Ritchie.

Fogg’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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by admin

#190 – Michael Jackson

Name: Michael Jackson

Rank: 190

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2004

After sitting out the 2003 season, Michael Jackson signed a minor league deal with the White Sox along with a non-roster invite to spring training in 2004.  The wily 39-year old veteran earned a spot in the bullpen and went north with the parent club.  Sadly, Jackson was at the end of his line and things did not go well for him.

Jackson appeared in 45 games for the White Sox through August 29, when he gave up 3 runs and 3 hits without recording an out in a loss to the Indians, raising his ERA to 5.01, the worst of his career.  The next day, he was released, ending his White Sox and major league careers.

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

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by admin

2015 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Newcomers

mlb_hofThe BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2014 on Monday.  The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 8th, with induction taking place next July.  After Frank Thomas, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 17 holdovers along with 17 newcomers, which may start to cause a bit of a problem.  The current BBWAA rules limit the number of votes on one ballot to 10, and there may be more than 10 deserving candidates.  As they start to pile up, and even more deserving candidates become eligible, the BBWAA and the Hall may find themselves with a mess on their hands.

Tuesday, we looked at the returning candidates.  Now, on this day of giving thanks, it’s time to look at the newcomers and who will be thankful come January.

Rich Aurilia

He managed to put up a 15 year career, which got him on this list, but it will be a quick one and done for him.

Aaron Boone

While many Yankee fans would like to see him inducted for a certain post-season home run against the Red Sox in 2003, that won’t be enough to get him a second look.

Tony Clark

Again, a perfectly acceptable career, but will be lucky to get a sympathy vote from a hometown writer.

Carlos Delgado

Delgado finished his career a mere 27 home runs away from 500, which will likely get him some support, but, based on Fred McGriff’s experiences, not enough.

capt.hta15110270331.world_series__hta151Jermaine Dye

The MVP of the 2005 World Series is unlikely to get much in the way of support despite a solid career.

Darin Erstad

The longtime Angel is unlikely to get much support.

Cliff Floyd

Another player with a fine career, but no real question as to his worthiness for the hall.

Nomar Garciaparra

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by admin

All Season Pitching Leaders – Through 2014

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersLast week, we took our first look at the offensive leaders per season since 2011.  Today, we do the same with the pitchers for all of the games I’ve attended from 1984 through the 2014 season.  As with the hitters, there is little change from our first look after the 2011 season, but the time was right for another perusal of the stats.  We start with that most maligned pitching stat:

Wins

Year Name Total
2008 Mark Buehrle 8
2003 Matt Clement 6
2006 Freddy Garcia 6
2003 Mark Prior 6
2004 Greg Maddux 6
2005 Mark Buehrle 6
2008 Gavin Floyd 6

Losses

Year Name Total
2003 Kerry Wood 6
2008 Javier Vazquez 6
2003 Matt Clement 5
2004 Greg Maddux 5
2011 Gavin Floyd 5
2005 Greg Maddux 5

ERA (> 8 IP)

Year Name Total
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by admin

2015 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Holdovers

mlb_hofThe BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2015 yesterday.  The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 7th, with induction taking place next July.  After Frank Thomas, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 17 holdovers along with 17 newcomers, which may start to cause a bit of a problem.  The current BBWAA rules continue to limit the number of votes on one ballot to 10, and there may be more than 10 deserving candidates.  To complicate things, the number of years of eligibility has been dropped from 15 to 10, with those who were between 10 and 15 grandfathered in.  So, there will be too many qualified candidates fighting for limited spots in a shorter amount of time.  Once again, the BBWAA and the Hall may find themselves with a mess on their hands.

Let’s take a look at the returning candidates today before moving on to the newcomers.

Jeff Bagwell
Years on ballot: 4
2014 Percentage: 54.3

Things have started to trend in the wrong direction for Bagwell, which may be due to the 10 vote limit.  Given the qualified list of newcomers and the continued PED rumors, I expect he will continue to be waiting for that elusive call.

Craig Biggio
Years on ballot: 2
2014 Percentage: 74.8

Narrowly missing election in last year’s vote, Biggio seems destined to make it on his third try, giving Astros fans something to look forward to next summer.

Barry Bonds
Years on ballot: 2
2014 Percentage: 34.7

The all time home run champion saw his vote percentage drop in his second year on the ballot.  While the Giants may be softening on having Bonds involved with them, having him throw out a first pitch during this year’s NLCS, the writers voting for the Hall are unlikely to have done the same.

Roger Clemens
Years on ballot: 2
2014 Percentage: 35.4

Roger Clemens, he of the 354 career victories and 7 Cy Young awards, also found himself falling after his second run through the voting process.  For some odd reason, perhaps by having played for more teams, Clemens continues to get marginally more support than his fellow PED poster child Barry Bonds.

Jeff Kent
Years on ballot: 1
2014 Percentage: 15.2

The 2000 NL MVP did not find much support in his first year of eligibility.  With the number of candidates coming down the pike, the future does not look good for him.

Edgar Martinez
Years on ballot: 5
2014 Percentage: 25.2

The longtime DH for the Mariners has had plenty of support from the Internet but not as much from the BBWAA, as his percentage dropped by over 10 percentage points.  His long career as a DH in the Pacific Northwest may be holding him back.

Don Mattingly
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by admin

#191 – David Aardsma

DavidAardsma2Name: David Aardsma

Rank: 191

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2007

Following a decent 2006 season with the crosstown Cubs, David Aardsma was acquired by the White Sox in exchange for Neal Cotts.  2007 got off to a good start for Aardsma, as he struck out 23 batters in 15 2/3 innings pitched while putting up a 1.74 ERA in April.  Unfortunately, like the rest of the the White Sox, things took a dramatic turn for the worse.

Aardsma gave up a run per inning in May and, on June 3rd, he was sent back to Triple A Charlotte to try and get right.  He was recalled 2 weeks later after Dewon Day went down with an injury.  Aardsma, and the White Sox, played out the string, but did not improve any.  He finished the season with a 6.40 ERA, appearing in only 25 games.  Following the season, he was designated for assignment, opening up a roster spot for the signing of Octavio Dotel.  In January, he was traded to the Red Sox for 2 minor league pitchers.

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

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by admin

#192 – Jesse Crain

Name: Jesse Crain

Rank: 192

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2011-2013

Looking to bolster their bullpen, the White Sox signed Jesse Crain to a 3 year deal on December 20, 2010.  Crain paid immediate dividends, appearing in 67 games in 2011 and going 8-3 with a 2.62 ERA.

2012 was more of the same from Crain, despite appearing in his fewest number of games and innings pitched since 2007 thanks to an oblique injury.  His ERA dropped to 2.44 as the White Sox battled for the division title before faltering in September.

While the White Sox fell apart in 2013, Crain picked up his game, appearing in 38 games and putting up a 0.74 ERA en route to his first All Star selection.  A week before the game, and with the trade deadline approaching, Crain was placed on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain.  With July coming to a close, and the White Sox well out of contention, Crain was traded to the Rays, for a conditional return based on his performance post-injury.  Unfortunately for all involved, Crain has, to date, not pitched in a major league game since the injury.

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

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by jim

Transaction Tree

WhiteSox-rosterA few weeks back, when Corey Kluber won the Cy Young award, a New York time reporter tweeted how the Indians had, through multiple trades, turned Eddie Taubensee’s 1991 roster spot in to Kluber.  The fine folks at Grantland took it a step farther, and looked at the longest such chain for all 30 teams.

The White Sox fall smack dab in the middle of the league, having the 15th longest chain, dating back to the February 8, 1994 signing of amateur free agent Carlos Lee.  Lee made his major league debut on May 7, 1999, and quickly became a mainstay of the White Sox lineup, holding down left field through the 2004 season.  New manager Ozzie Guillen had tired of the station to station team he inherited, and was looking to implement some small ball, so Lee was shipped to the Brewers for a package that included Scott Podsednik and Luis Vizcaino.

Vizcaino spent just the one season with the White Sox, earning a World Series championship ring for his troubles.  With general manager Kenny Williams looking to repeat, he packaged Vizcaino with Orlando Hernandez and outfielder Chris Young in a trade to the Diamondbacks for starting pitcher Javier Vazquez.

Vazquez lasted 3 seasons with the White Sox, up to and including their 2008 AL Central title-winning year.  As the White Sox battled the Twins for the title, Vazquez turned out to be the one weak link in the rotation.  With the season stretching to a 163rd game, Guillen was forced to turn to Vazquez to start the first game of the division series against the Rays.  Vazquez responded to the challenge by giving up 6 runs in 4 1/3 innings, putting his team in an early hole in the best of 5 series.

Feeling that he couldn’t open the 2009 season with Vazquez still on the roster, Kenny Williams moved him, along with Boone Logan, to the Braves for, among others, Brent Lillibridge and Tyler Flowers.  Flowers made his debut in 2009 and became the full time starting catcher in 2013.  His production has been lacking over the course of his major league career, and, should an opportunity to upgrade arise, this chain may come to an end.

by admin

#193 – Damaso Marte

Name: Damaso Marte

Rank: 193

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2002-2005

Damaso Marte was acquired by the White Sox from the Pirates towards the end of spring training in 2002 in exchange for Matt Guerrier.  The trade quickly paid dividends, as Marte became on of the most reliable arms in the White Sox bullpen during the 2002 season.  He compiled a 2.83 ERA in 68 games, converting 10 saves in the process.

In 2003, Marte was even more successful.  He lowered his ERA by over a run and saved 11 games in 71 appearances.  2004 started a slight decline for Marte, as his ERA jumped nearly 2 full runs.  He appeared in 74 games, but his innings pitched dropped from the year before.

Marte’s fortunes fell a little more in 2005, as he took on a new role in the bullpen.  While the White Sox held on to first place in the AL Central, Marte’s ERA rose again, while he put up his lowest totals in a White Sox uniform in games, saves, and innings pitched.

His most famous moment in a White Sox uniform, and perhaps his lowest, was his appearance in game 3 of the 2005 ALDS against the Red Sox.  After Freddy Garcia gave up a leadoff home run to Manny Ramirez in the bottom of the 6th to cut the White Sox lead to 1 run, Marte came in to replace him.  He gave up a single to Trot Nixon and then walked the next two batters before being replaced by Orlando Hernandez, leaving him the bases loaded and nobody out.

That likely would have been his final appearance with the White Sox, had game 3 of the World Series not gone 14 innings.  Marte entered the game in the bottom of the 13th, becoming the 8th pitcher of the evening for the White Sox.  He got through the 13th relatively unscathed, but ran in to some issues in the 14th, thanks to a walk and an error.  He was replaced by Mark Buehrle, who got the final out, giving Marte the win.

With the cleanup of the ticker tape parade barely completed, the White Sox shipped Damaso Marte out of town, sending him back to the Pirates in exchange for Rob Mackowiak.

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

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