#304 – Chad Bradford

chad bradfordName: Chad Bradford

Rank: 304

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1998-2000

Chad Bradford was first drafted by the White Sox in the 34th round of the 1994 draft, but he didn’t sign.  They tried again 2 years later, taking him again in the 13th round, and this time he signed 2 days later.  He worked his way through the minor leagues and eventually made his major league debut in 1998, getting called up to take Matt Karchner’s place after he was traded to the Cubs for minor league pitcher Jon Garland.

For the next 3 years, Bradford bounced back and forth between Chicago and Charlotte, putting up tremendous numbers in Triple A and pretty good numbers in the big leagues.  While the White Sox seemed unsure about Bradford’s prospects as a full time major league pitcher, he caught the eye of Billy Beane, and following the 2000 season, the A’s traded for him, sending minor league catcher Miguel Olivo as a player to be named later to seal the deal.

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

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#326 – Billy Koch

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Name: Billy Koch

Rank: 326

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2003-2004

Billy Koch rode a blazing fastball to major league success, saving 144 games in his first 4 seasons in the major leagues.  After racking up 44 saves and finishing 18th in the MVP voting for the 2002 A’s, Koch was looking at a pretty decent payday at arbitration, so Billy Beane looked to move his star closer.  Enter Kenny Williams, who sent Keith Foulke, Mark Johnson, Joe Valentine, and cash out west in exchange for Koch, Neal Cotts, and Daylon Holt.

Unfortunately for all involved, when Koch arrived in Chicago, his 98 MPH fastball did not.  And while a closer can get by with only a fastball with no movement when it is 98 MPH, he most certainly cannot when the fastball tops out in the low 90s or upper 80s.  Koch struggled during the 2003 season, finishing with only 11 saves and a 5.77 ERA.  The following year, Koch was put back in the closer role and again struggled, putting up a 5.44 ERA in 24 appearances through early June, when his White Sox career came to an end.  He was traded to the Marlins on June 17 in exchange for Wilson Valdez and cash.  Koch finished the season strong for the Marlins, but never pitched again in the major leagues following the 2004 season.

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

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2011 Predictions Revisited

6 months ago, I looked into my crystal ball and tried to predict the outcomes of the upcoming baseball season.  Now that the season has (mercifully) come to an end, and my predicted divison winners finished an average of just over 13 games back, let’s take a look back at how wrong I was.

American League

East: Red Sox

National League

East: Braves

Wow.  Neither team won their division, though both had commanding Wild Card leads heading into September.  Both ultimately blew those leads, missing out on the playoffs on the final day of the regular season.  The Red Sox actually were one of, in not the best team in baseball for 4 months this summer, but they were horrible in the other two, April and September.  The Braves can at least point to injuries to their starting rotation as the cause for their collapse.

 

Central: White Sox

Central: Brewers

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