Category / Baseball

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#307 – Lorenzo Barcelo

265796Name: Lorenzo Barcelo

Rank: 307

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2000-2002

On July 31, 1997, the White Sox, only 3 1/2 games behind the Indians for the AL Central lead, blew up their season with a move that became known as the White Flag trade, sending Wilson Alvarez, Danny Darwin, and Roberto Hernandez to the Giants in exchange for a group of prospects that included Mike Caruso, Keith Foulke, Bob Howry, Ken Vining, and Lorenzo Barcelo.

After joining the White Sox organization, Barcelo started over in Rookie ball and started working his way back up the ladder, eventually reaching the major leagues in July of 2000 when Cal Eldred’s elbow finally gave out.  Barcelo appeared in 22 games for the White Sox that season and threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings during the White Sox Division Series loss to the Mariners.

Things went south for Barcelo following that season.  He missed most of the 2001 season after tearing his rotator cuff.  Another arm injury cut short his 2002 season, and effectively ended his White Sox and major league career.  Following the 2002 season, he was let go.

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

Continue reading →

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#308 – Mike Huff

e571Name: Mike Huff

Rank: 308

Position: OF

Years With White Sox: 1991-1993

Mike Huff joined the White Sox in July of 1991 when he was selected off waivers from the Indians.  He performed well for the Sox in the second half of the 1991 season, hitting .268 in 51 games.  Unfortunately, that would be his high water mark as a member of the South Siders.

In 1992, Huff appeared in 60 games, but saw his average drop to .209.  Things were even worse the next year, as the White Sox headed to their 2nd and final AL West championship.  Huff only appeared in 43 games for the big league club, and finished with an anemic .182 average.

Spring training of 1994 brought an unexpected addition to the White Sox clubhouse: Michael Jordan.  Being on the bubble, Huff was vocal about the uneasiness of having a roster spot potentially taken by an unworthy player for marketing purposes.  He shouldn’t have worried, since neither he nor Michael Jordan would be spending the summer in Chicago.  As spring training was winding down and it became obvious that Huff was not going to make the team, GM Ron Schueler traded him to the Blue Jays in exchange for Domingo Martinez, commenting that the move “gives him a chance to stay in the big leagues.”

Huff has rejoined the White Sox organization in recent years, acting as a vice president for the Bulls/Sox training academy and filling in on the television broadcasts when Steve Stone is away.

Huff’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

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#309 – Heath Phillips

R8XeYSVkName: Heath Phillips

Rank: 309

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2007

Heath Phillips was drafted by the White Sox in the 10th round of the 2000 draft, and he finally signed the following May.  It was a long, slow crawl through the organization until Phillips made his big league debut in September of the lost 2007 season, picking up the loss in relief against the Tigers.  Phillips appeared in 5 more games that September, which was the extent of his White Sox and major league career.  He was granted free agency that winter and allegedly ate himself back to the minor leagues.

Phillips’ numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:  Continue reading →

by jim

The Gavin Floyd Era Has (Probably) Come To An End

MLB: APR 05 White Sox v TigersAfter 7 years of up and down service, Gavin Floyd has likely thrown his last pitch as a member of the White Sox, thanks to a tear in his flexor muscle near his right elbow, which has caused an unstable ulnar collateral ligament.  Floyd is expected to get a third opinion early next week, and may have to undergo Tommy John surgery, which is likely not how he planned on spending his walk year before hitting the free agent market.  While I would never wish an injury upon any player, I can’t say that I am disappointed that Floyd will no longer take the bump for the Sox.

The White Sox acquired Gavin Floyd following the 2006 season in a trade with the Phillies for Freddy Garcia.  After an inauspicious debut with the White Sox during the ill-fated 2007 campaign, Floyd busted out of the gate in 2008, finishing with a 17-8 record and helping to lead the White Sox to the Central Division title.  Ever since, though, Floyd has become increasingly worse, never finishing above .500 again until last season’s 12-11 mark.  This season had been his worst to date, as he had lost 4 of his 5 starts and the White Sox had dropped all 5.  The maddening thing about Floyd over the past 4+ seasons is that he always had the stuff to succeed, but always seemed unable to string together a run of quality appearances.  Every time you thought he had turned the corner, he imploded again and went into another funk.

The best case scenario for this season would have had Floyd putting things together approaching free agency and the White Sox moving him to a contender for pieces that would help them compete going forward.  Unfortunately, it now seems that he will spend the rest of his White Sox career rehabbing, and they will get nothing for him when he becomes a free agent this fall.  Another classic disappointment from Gavin Floyd.

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30 For 30 – See A Game At A Classic Ballpark

Cubs_L_flag_070602The fine folks at away.com have come up with a list of 30 Things Every Traveler Must Do Before They’re 30.  Of those 30, I’ve managed to accomplish 12 of them, or roughly 40% of them, some of which was even before I turned 30.  Today we look at #20 on their list, see a game at a classic ballpark.  Thankfully, I’ve never had to travel far to do this.

From my birth in 1974 until the end of the 1990 season, I was lucky enough to have two classic ballparks right here in my own backyard.  Comiskey Park was at one time considered to be the “Baseball Palace of the World”, although it had fallen on hard times by the time I was old enough to enjoy it.  Struggling White Sox ownership groups over the years had put off necessary repairs and preventative maintenance so that, by the time the group led by Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn purchased the club from Bill Veeck, the stadium needed a lot of work.  After deciding that it would be prohibitavely expensive to repair the park, the new owners worked at getting funding for a new stadium and, on September 30, 1990, the White Sox defeated the Mariners in the last game ever in what is now known as Old Comiskey Park.

The almost exact opposite was happening on the other side of town.  The Cubs were also under new ownership in the early 80s, but instead of telling everyone who would listen how run down their stadium was, they sold the history of the ballpark and the experience of it to great success.  The lore of the Friendly Confines was born, and, thanks to the superstation status of WGN television, people came from all over the country to be at Wrigley Field.  For some of them, the game itself was unimportant.  Wrigley Field in general, and the bleachers specifically, became Chicago’s biggest (and most expensive) beer garden.  Time, however, doesn’t care how much fun people are having or how much Old Style is flowing, and Wrigley Field has shown its age in recent years.  As we sit here one month into the 99th year of baseball at the corner of Clark and Addison, the Cubs are working hard on a plan to renovate the stadium so that it can be used well into its second century.  Maybe the Cubs will even win a World Series there.

I’ve been able to identify 12 games that I attended at the Old Comiskey Park before they tore her down, including the final night game on September 29, 1990.  My Wrigley Field attendance is currently at 312 games and counting.

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#310 – Aaron Poreda

aaronporedaName: Aaron Poreda

Rank: 310

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2009

Aaron Poreda was the 25th overall pick by the White Sox in the 2007 draft.  2 years and 2 days later, he was called up to the big league club when Bartolo Colon was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of swelling in his left knee.  He made his major league debut 2 days later mopping up in a loss to the Brewers.

Poreda almost never made it to Chicago, as he was included in a proposed trade to the Padres on May 21st that would have brought Jake Peavy to the White Sox.  The trade was called off when Peavy invoked his no trade clause.

After putting up a 1–0 record with a 2.45 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 10 relief appearances out of the bullpen, Poreda was sent back to Triple A Charlotte on July 21st to make room for Carlos Torres, who replaced John Danks in the rotation due to a blister.  Ultimately, this ended Poreda’s career in a White Sox uniform.  10 days later, at the trading deadline, Poreda was packaged once again with Clayton Richard, Adam Russell, and Dexter Carter and sent to the Padres for Jake Peavy, who, this time, waived his no trade clause.

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

Continue reading →

by jim

An Adam Dunn Problem

dunnx-wide-communityThe White Sox have played 19 games so far this season and Adam Dunn has appeared in 18 of them.  That ordinarily would not be a problem, but Dunn has managed to surpass even his own meager expectations by putting up a .101 average and an on-base percentage of .151.  Yet he continues to bat in the middle of the order, sucking the life out of a team that is having a difficult time scoring runs.

When Adam Dunn signed with the White Sox prior to the 2011 season, the expectations were that he was the missing piece that would put the White Sox offense over the top.  What has followed have been, quite possibly, the worst 2 plus years of baseball by anyone in the history of the game.  In his 10 year career prior to joining the White Sox, Dunn put up a .250 average with an OPS of .902.  In his time with the White Sox, those numbers have fallen to .179 and .681, with an amazing 426 strikeouts.  For this “production”, Dunn has pocketed $26 million dollars over the last two years, with another $30 million owed to him for the next two.

Even though the season is less than a month old, there is little reason to believe that Dunn will make any significant improvement.  In his “bounce back” season last year, he rode a decent two months and then watched as his average fell and the strikeouts piled up as the season wore on, finishing with a .204 average that only looked good next to his .159 average the year before.  If you are the White Sox, you have little chance to compete with so much money tied up in a player who isn’t producing at all.  The only question is how long they will continue to trot him out there before moving on to other options.

by admin

#311 – Julio Ramirez

jramirez

Name: Julio Ramirez

Rank: 311

Position: CF

Years With White Sox: 2001

Julio Ramirez joined the White Sox in December of 2000, coming over in from the Marlins in exchange for Jeff Abbott.  His former manager with the Marlins, John Boles, was sad to see him go, saying, “He’s a scary guy to trade because of his upside potential.  I always thought Julio Ramirez would be a starting center-fielder in the major leagues for 10 years.”  I guess there’s a reason Boles finished his managerial career with a .460 winning percentage.

The 23-year-old Ramirez won a spot on the opening day roster, despite major plate discipline issues, due to his speed and potential.  When the games started to count, Ramirez went 3-37 with two walks and 15 strikeouts, and he was sent back to the minors in May for more seasoning.

He returned to the White Sox for spring training in 2002, but there was no sign of improvement and, on March 13th, he was released.

Ramirez’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

by jim

Scoreboard Envy

scoreboards

Ever since the installation of the first exploding scoreboard at the old Comiskey Park in 1960, the White Sox and scoreboard technology have been synonymous.  However, it has been quite some time since the scoreboard at US Cellular Field has been updated, and, thanks to the news about the expected new board across town at Wrigley Field, we can see just how far the White Sox have fallen.

Ignoring the fact that it’s been about 15 years or so since the scoreboard at US Cellular Field actually showed a score, the graphic above shows that the White Sox board currently is larger than the lowly Oakland A’s, who are desperately looking for a new stadium.  Entering its 11th season, the current video board must be nearing its end of life, and one can only hope that a new board is in the cards for the near future, one which might actually let someone know what is going on in the game.

by jim

A Wrigley Deal

CTH Proposed renovations to Wrigley FieldAfter months (years?) of waiting, the Cubs have reached a deal with the city of Chicago for the renovation of Wrigley Field.  in addition to the better player facilities and fan amenities announced in January, the Cubs also got approval for:

  • A 6,000 square foot video screen in left field
  • A 1,000 foot sign similar to the current Toyota sign in left field
  • Pushed out outfield walls, taking over the current sidewalks on Waveland and Sheffield
  • Restoration of the current scoreboard, with a new LED board beneath it
  • New LED ribbon boards along the upper deck
  • Up to 10 additional night games
  • A potential 3:05 start time for Friday games
  • The ability to host up to 4 concerts a year without them counting against the night game count
  • Street fairs on Sheffield for weekend games between Memorial Day and Labor Day
  • A new hotel on the current McDonald’s site
  • The long-awaited triangle building at the corner of Clark and Waveland

The Cubs hope to get things started as soon as this season ends, but may still face a lawsuit from the rooftop owners over the new jumbotron blocking their view.  The pushed out outfield walls are a hedge against that, as the large video screen can be pushed further back in order to lessen the effect on the rooftops.

Time will tell if the Wrigley Field renovations ever get off the ground, but the initial hurdle, after months of legal wrangling, have been passed.