Category / Baseball

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Bad Jersey Choices

Last fall, while waiting outside Wrigley Field to get in for the World Series, I saw a young gentleman wearing an Arismendy Alcantara jersey and thought, wow, what a colossal mistake this man has made.  I thought about starting a Tumblr/Twitter account to track poor jersey choices, but never really got around to it.  As this season has gotten underway, I’ve kept an eye out for instances of people who really should have put more thought in to their apparel purchases.

On the north side of town, it has been a total strikeout.  Seeing how everyone has renewed their jersey purchases with the World Series championship, there is just a sea of Rizzos, Bryants, and, of course, Rosses.  On the south side of town, I finally hit paydirt on Sunday, when I came across someone who was so enthralled by last year’s signing of broken down catcher Alex Avila, that he went out and bought the jersey.  A long lasting tribute to a one-season player who spent much of his time here on the disabled list.

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#31 – Tadahito Iguchi

Name: Tadahito Iguchi

Rank: 31

Position: 2B

Years With White Sox: 2005-2007

After an impressive career in the Japanese league, Tadahito Iguchi signed with the White Sox prior to the 2005 season.  As a 30 year old rookie, the second baseman locked down the #2 spot in the batting order, hitting .278 with 15 home runs.  The personal highlight of his season came in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Red Sox, hitting a 3 run homer off of David Wells to give the White Sox the lead.  Later that month, when the White Sox won their first title in 88 years, he became the first Japanese-born position player to win a World Series.  His numbers earned him fourth place in the Rookie of the Year voting.

2006 was an even more impressive year for Iguchi.  He made his mark on defense, going horizontal to make a tremendous play against the Blue Jays on April 15.  Offensively, he shined on June 25, hitting a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 8th to cut the Astros lead to 4 and then smacking a grand slam in the 9th to send the game to extra innings.  He finished the year with a .281 average, 18 home runs, and 67 RBIs.

2007 was a rough year for both Iguchi and the White Sox.  After signing a contract extension, he struggled as the White Sox fell to 4th in the AL Central, losing 90 games for the first time since 1989.  Iguchi’s average dropped to .251 with only 6 home runs.  With the White Sox not going anywhere, they traded Iguchi to the Philles on July 27 for a busted prospect.

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

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#32 – Julio Cruz

Name: Julio Cruz

Rank: 32

Position: 2B

Years With White Sox: 1983-1986

Acquired by the White Sox on June 15, 1983 from the Mariners for counterpart Tony Bernazard, Julio Cruz gave the White Sox the spark they were looking for, helping the team go on a 72-31 run to finish the season and go from 6 1/2 games back to 20 games ahead.  Cruz scored the winning run on a Harold Baines sacrifice fly against, of all teams, the Mariners on September 17, clinching the first division title in White Sox history.  Cruz hit .333 during the ALCS against the Orioles, swiping 2 bases in the 4 game series.

In January of 1984, after nearly leaving to join the Angels, Cruz re-signed with the White Sox on a 6 year deal, thought to be worth between $3.6 to $4.8 million.  Unfortunately, time, and injuries, were starting to take their toll.  1984 was the best year of the deal, and Cruz saw his average drop to .222 and he stole only 14 bases, a career low to date.

1985 saw the bottom fall out for Cruz.  Dealing with a toe injury, he was limited to 91 games and he finished the year with a .197 average with only 8 stolen bases.  1986 was more of the same, as he managed to only get in to 81 games, swiping a mere 7 bases while hitting .215.

With Donnie Hill, Jerry Royster, and Fred Manrique in camp in 1987, things did not look good for Cruz.  General Manager Larry Himes hoped that a deal could be made to find Cruz a new home, but nothing materialized and, on March 23, Cruz was told he was being released.  He never played in the major leagues again.

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

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Something’s Different At The Old Ballpark

The Cubs opened the home portion of the 2017 schedule Monday night and there were quite a few changes in and around Wrigley Field. First, outside the ballpark, construction finished on the long-awaited Triangle building and an open plaza area named the Park at Wrigley.
The plaza contains seating areas, beverages, and view of a large video screen.  On game days, admission is limited to ticket holders for that day’s contest, so crowd size should be manageable.  The triangle building itself, which is outside the plaza, contains a new team store and a Starbucks, in addition to team offices.  I must admit, I wasn’t really too excited about this, but, after stopping in prior to Monday’s game, it was a nice place to stop and relax if you’re meeting someone prior to the game or arrive before the gates open.  An additional bonus is a new gate providing entry (and exit) from the ballpark.

This new gate should make it much easier for me to get out after games, as it is right off the ramp I come down from the upper deck.  Entry should also be a breeze, especially if coming in from the plaza.

Once inside the ballpark, you notice the other big change to the surrounding rooftops:
All of the counters have been set back to zero.  I guess the World Series victory really happened.

There were plenty of changes inside the ballpark as well.  Chief among them are the new bullpens.
The new bullpens are under the bleachers, with opaque doors blocking the view inside.  The old bullpens down the lines have been converted into additional seating.  The other big change is the addition of 4 new flag poles in center field, 2 on either side of the old scoreboard.

From left to right, the new banners on the poles represent the 1907 World Series championship, the 1908 World Series championship, the 2016 NL pennant, and the 2016 World Series championship.  No word on what happens to the 2016 pennant after this season, as there are no special banners for the teams previous 16 pennants, dating back to 1876.

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#33 – Ron Kittle

Name: Ron Kittle

Rank: 33

Position: LF/DH

Years With White Sox: 1982-1986, 1989-1990, 1991

Ron Kittle joined the White Sox organization in Septmber of 1978.  He worked his way through the minor leagues before making his major league debut on September 2, 1982, pinch hitting for Aurelio Rodriguez and striking out in the White Sox 6-5 victory over the Rangers at Comiskey Park.  Kittle got sporadic playing time over the final month of the season, earning just 29 at bats in 20 games.  He hit .241 with a single home run.

Kittle, and the White Sox, broke out in a big way in 1983.  While the team charged towards their first division title, Kittle earned an All Star nod and finished the year with a team rookie record of 35 home runs while hitting .254 and driving in 100.  Kittle was knocked out of the ALCS against the Orioles after getting hit by a pitch in Game 3, finishing the series with just 2 hits in 7 at bats.  His season earned him Rookie of the Year honors.

1984 was a bit of a letdown for both Kittle and the White Sox.  While the team failed to perform up to the expectations set the previous year, Kittle did the same, falling to a .215 average.  His power numbers remained, as he clubbed 32 home runs, but his OPS was down by 70 points.  There was a slight improvement in 1985, with his average improving to .230, but he hit only 26 home runs and drove in just 58 runs in 116 games.

In 1986, Kittle was hitting .213 with 17 home runs at the trade deadline when he, along with Joel Skinner and Wayne Tolleson, were sent to the Yankees for Ron Hassey, Carlos Martinez, and a player to be named later.  He rejoined the White Sox a year and a half later, signing as a free agent after the 1988 season.

Injuries limited Kittle to just 51 games in 1989.  In 169 at bats, he hit .302 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI.  He returned in 1990, seeing his average drop to .245 with 16 home runs in 83 games when, again at the trade deadline, he was sent to the Orioles in exchange for Phil Bradley.

Kittle returned for one final hurrah with the White Sox in 1991, signing as a free agent on June 19 before being released on August 15.  In between, he appeared in 17 games and hit only .191 with 2 home runs.

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

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#34 – John Danks

Name: John Danks

Rank: 34

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2007-2016

John Danks was acquired by the White Sox, along with Nick Masset, from the Rangers for Brandon McCarthy following the 2006 season.  He broke camp with the Sox in 2007 and made his major league debut on April 8, picking up the loss against the Twins at US Cellular Field.  Danks, along with the rest of the White Sox, struggled through 2007, finishing the year with a 6-13 record and a 5.50 ERA.

2008 was a different story for both the White Sox and Danks.  Posting a career-best 3.32 ERA, Danks finished the year at 12-9 and had quite possibly the best outing of his career in game 163, throwing 8 scoreless innings of 2 hit ball against the Twins to secure the Central Division title.  Less than a week later, he picked up the lone White Sox victory in the ALDS against the Rays.

Danks had continued success in both 2009 and 2010, combining for a 28-22 record over the two years, with an ERA in the 3.70s both years.  2011 went south for both the White Sox and John Danks, as his ERA jumped to 4.33 while manager Ozzie Guillen lost control of the team before leaving in the final week to head to the Marlins.  Following the season, the White Sox signaled their faith in Danks, signing him to a 5 year extension worth $65 million.

Danks struggled through 9 starts in 2012 before hitting the disabled list with a mysterious shoulder injury.  When he finally underwent surgery, doctors found a torn shoulder capsule.  Very few pitchers have undergone this surgery, and even fewer have successfully returned to the same level they were before the injury.

Sadly, Danks’ recovery did not happen as anyone would have wanted, though not for a lack of effort.  He returned in 2013, making 22 starts and going 4-14 with a 4.75 ERA.  2014 was more of the same, as his ERA was 4.74, though his record improved to 11-11.  And 2015, again, saw Danks put up an ERA of 4.71 in 30 starts.

In 2016, Danks, in the final season of his contract and due $14.25 million, went 0-4 with a 7.25 ERA in April.  With the surprising White Sox in first place after 1 month and with Danks accounting for half of the team’s losses, being an innings eater was no longer good enough.  He was designated for assignment on May 3, ending his White Sox career.

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

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All Time Team Records

baseballs3Yet another exciting baseball season is upon us, and it is time once again to look at the all-time team records for games that I have attended dating back to 1984.  The Cubs begin the season as defending champions for the first time since 1909 while the White Sox finally start their long-overdue rebuilding effort, so both sides of town are pointing in different directions.  Either way, the 2017 season should be an exciting one.

All-Time Team Records
Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
California Angels 1 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 13 2 0.867
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652
Philadelphia Phillies 10 6 0.625
Toronto Blue Jays 13 9 0.591
New York Yankees 12 9 0.571
Los Angeles Angels 16 13 0.552
Boston Red Sox 14 12 0.538
Colorado Rockies 7 6 0.538
Chicago Cubs 203 179 0.531
Chicago White Sox 267 237 0.530
Cleveland Indians 23 21 0.523
Kansas City Royals Continue reading →
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2017 Predictions

The 2017 baseball season is scheduled to kick off tonight, with 3 games scheduled culminating with the Cubs starting their first title defense since 1909 against their arch rivals in St. Louis.  For the seventh consecutive year, I’ve looked into the crystal ball to make my picks for the upcoming season.

American League

East: Red Sox

Central: Indians

West: Mariners

Wild Cards: Blue Jays, Tigers

AL Champion: Red Sox

Cy Young: Chris Sale

MVP: Francisco Lindor

National League

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Active Pitching Leaders – Through 2016

baseballs3Last week, we looked at the active leaders in games I’ve attended through 2016 on the offensive side of the ball.  With spring training winding down and opening day less than a week away, let’s take a look at the defensive side of the ball and the active pitching leaders, which will be losing a certain lefthander who, while yet to officially retire, has made no effort to continue his career in over a year.

Wins

Name Total
Gavin Floyd 24
Chris Sale 20
John Danks 19
Jake Peavy 11
Jose Quintana 7

Losses

Name Total
John Danks 16
Gavin Floyd 15
Chris Sale 12
Jose Quintana 10
Jake Peavy 9

ERA (> 35 IP)

Name Total
Nate Jones 2.08
Zach Duke 2.38
Johnny Cueto 2.43
Hector Santiago 2.43
Jon Lester 2.61

ERA (> 70 IP)

Name Total
Jon Lester 2.61
Chris Sale Continue reading →
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New South Side Food Stuffs

The name on the front of the building isn’t the only new thing that will be waiting for the White Sox and their fans when the 2017 season opens on Monday.  Earlier today, they announced the new food offerings that will be available at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Things to look forward to are smoked brisket and BBQ pulled pork, which will be available on all levels of the ballpark.  The Beggars Pizza pub in left field will offer a deep dish option.  Mini donuts, topped with either cinnamon or powdered sugar, along with a caramel praline ice cream bar highlight the new dessert choices.

With the change in beer sponsorships, the former Bullpen Sports Bar will now be known as the Craft Kave, featuring 75 different beer choices.  A new bar area on the left field concourse will be named Casa Modelo, as part of a new marketing agreement with Modelo Especial.