Tag / A’s

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Fitbit Week 8

Week8_FBWhile last week got off to a slow start, things picked up, especially as I headed out west to Arizona.  After another poor weekend performance, things picked up on Monday and continued strong for the rest of the week.  Wednesday morning I headed out west for the Reach for the Stars event, which involved plenty of airport time.  Thursday included the Gala event, along with a rafting trip down the Low Salt River.  Friday’s activities included a trip out to Sloan Park in Mesa for some crosstown spring training action, followed by the farewell dinner.  Saturday was spent at Camelback Ranch, watching the White Sox lose to the A’s.

Total steps: 48,952

Daily average: 6993.1

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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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#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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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.

On the north side of town, Continue reading →

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#202 – Lucas Harrell

HarrellLucas

Name: Lucas Harrell

Rank: 202

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2010-2011

Lucas Harrell was drafted by the White Sox in the 4th round of the 2004 draft.  He made his major league debut on July 30, 2010 thanks to travel issues that kept newly acquired pitcher Edwin Jackson from getting to Chicago.  Harrell went six innings against the A’s in picking up his first major league victory.

Harrell found his way back to Chicago at the end of August when Matt Thornton and J.J. Putz both went on the disabled list.  Things did not go as smoothly on his second go around, as the White Sox fell out of contention during September while Harrell battled control issues, walking more batters than he struck out.

Harrell came to spring training in 2011 in line to compete for the 5th starter spot, but struggled and found himself back in Triple A.  When Tony Pena went to the DL in late May, Harrell got another shot in the major leagues, which lasted 1 game.  He returned a little more than a week later when Jake Peavy went down with a groin injury.  He pitched twice before being sent down again when Peavy returned.  By early July, Harrell was placed on waivers and was claimed by the Astros.

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

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2014 Predictions Revisited

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersBack in March, just as the baseball season was about to get underway, I made my annual predictions on who was going to win what.  Now that the regular season has come to an end, it is time to take a look back and see what, if anything, I got right.

American League

East: Rays

Well, not a great selection here, as the Rays finished 4th in the East.  Instead, the Orioles won the division for the first time since 1997.

Central: Tigers

It came down to the last day of the season, but the Tigers were able to hold off the upstart Royals and win the division for the fourth consecutive season.

West: Angels

Well, what do you know?  Year after year, I pick the Angels to win the division and year after year, they disappoint.  This year looked to be no different, but they caught fire just as the A’s started to fade, leading to their first divisional title since 2009.

Wild Cards: Red Sox, Rangers

Oof.  The Rangers, thank to injury after injury, finished the year with the worst record in the American League.  The Red Sox, fresh off a World Series title, were not too far behind.  Instead, the small market A’s and Royals took the wild card spots.

AL Champion: Tigers

Cy Young: David Price

MVP: Mike Trout

Only 1 of these still seem like viable choices.  The Tigers managed to get swept in the ALDS by the Orioles and David Price has little to no chance of bringing home another Cy Young Award. Mike Trout, meanwhile, is certainly still in the MVP conversation.

National League

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by jim

Our Long Nightmare Is Finally Over

dunnx-wide-communityWhat started with such promise back on December 2, 2010 finally came to an end today as Adam Dunn’s White Sox career came to an end when he was traded to the A’s.  Dunn was supposed to add some left handed power to a White Sox team that was predominately right handed, but wound up disappointing every one associated with the franchise for the last four years.

The White Sox first showed interest in Adam Dunn during the 2009 season, while he was playing for the Washington Nationals.  The speculation of a deal increased when Kenny Williams pulled the trigger on a deal that sent young pitcher Daniel Hudson to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Edwin Jackson, whom the Nationals were reportedly interested in as part of a package for Dunn.  However, Dunn balked at having to play designated hitter and, as the trade deadline passed, no deal was made.

Following the season, Dunn apparently came to terms with playing designated hitter, signing a four year deal worth $56 million with the White Sox.  As the 2011 season got under way, things looked to be off to a great start.  Dunn was hitting .286 with 1 home run, an opening day blast against the Indians, and 5 RBIs when he came down with appendicitis on April 6, a mere four games in to the season.  When he returned, things completely fell apart.

dunn095As the 2011 season went on, things started crumbling for the White Sox.  The relationship between Kenny Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen had worsened to the point of no return, and Dunn, their big free agent signing, had completely gone off the rails.  Despite missing time due to his appendicitis, Dunn managed to rack up 100 strikeouts before the end of June.  Continue reading →

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#218 – Phil Bradley

philbradley

Name: Phil Bradley

Rank: 218

Position: OF

Year With White Sox: 1990

With a surprising White Sox squad only 3 games behind the reigning champion A’s for the AL West crown in 1990, they swung a deadline deal that sent Ron Kittle to the Orioles in exchange for Phil Bradley.  “I have always liked the way Phil Bradley plays,” general manager Larry Himes said.  “He has good fundamentals, is very aggressive and a fine addition to our club.”

While Bradley was hitting .270 for the Orioles at the time of the trade, his average plummeted to .226 while with the White Sox as the A’s ran away with the division title.  He went 0-3 in his final appearance of the season, the last night game at Comiskey Park.

Following the season, Bradley left the White Sox to play in Japan and never again played in the major leagues.

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

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The Future Is Now?

darwin-barneyThe Cubs finally reached down to their highly-touted farm system back on July 9th when they called up Arismendy Alcantara, a 22 year old who had signed with the Cubs following the 2008 season, to take Darwin Barney’s spot on the roster while he went off to have a baby.  Thanks to the subsequent trade with Oakland and the All-Star break, the Cubs managed to keep Alcantara with the big league club.  Today, with Emilio Bonifacio due to be activated off the disabled list, they could have sent him back down and continued to work towards possibly contending at some point down the line.  Instead, the Cubs decided to stick with Alcantara, for the time being at least, and designated new papa Darwin Barney for assignment.  For the first time in the Theo Epstein/Jed Hoyer era, the Cubs went with a legitimate prospect at the big league level over the established, if less talented, veteran.

What does this mean for Barney?  Well, the Cubs have 10 days to either trade him, release him, or convince him to accept a minor league assignment.  Since he became a regular in 2011, Barney has steadied the right side of the Cubs infield, even winning the Gold Glove in 2012.  Each year, though, his offense has declined, to the point where he was not going to get regular playing time even if he stuck with the Cubs.  There are contenders out there, namely the Blue Jays or the Giants, who are looking for help at second base, but might need more offense than Barney can provide.  Chances are he will end up being released, free to sign a minor league deal with the team of his choosing.

Barney’s time with the Cubs coincided with my not going to very many Cub games, so I’ve only seen him play in person 4 times in his 5 seasons with the club.  Ironically, he did hit in those games, going 5 for 15.  His time with the Cubs was numbered, as eventually the “Core Four” and other prospects, like Alcantara, will be given the chance to take over.  Unfortunately for him, the Cubs decided that, at least for Alcantara, the future would start now.

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Blockbuster

SamardzijaAs we head towards the trade deadline at the end of the month, everyone expected the Cubs to move both Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel.  I don’t think anyone expected them to go as part of the same deal.  Which is exactly what happened Friday night, when word leaked that the Cubs would send both pitchers to the A’s in exchange for Addison Russell, Billy McKinney, Dan Straily, and a player to be named later.

Russell, a shortstop, was the A’s first round draft pick in 2012 and the top prospect in their system.  The 20 year old, who has been compared to Barry Larkin with power by one scout, joins the collection of middle infield prospects the Cubs have assembled, including Javier Baez, 21, and current starter Starlin Castro, who is still only 24.  Assuming everything pans out, the Cubs will have flexibility to use their surplus at shortstop to fill other holes, most likely in the rotation.

McKinney, the A’s first round pick in last year’s draft, is an outfielder who was the 2nd rated prospect in the A’s system.  Straily garnered some support for AL rookie of the year last season, but struggled with Oakland this year and was back pitching in Triple A at the time of the trade.

Samardzija had been with the Cubs since being drafted out of Notre Dame in 2006.  He made his major league debut in 2008, working out of the bullpen for the division champions.  He moved in to the starting rotation in 2012 and has been the ace of the Cub’s staff ever since.  Hammel was signed as a free agent this past winter with the intention of flipping him to a contender, should he have a good first half.  He certainly held up his end of the bargain.

Samardzija’s numbers in a Cubs uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
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