Name: Bob James
Rank: 157
Position: P
Years With White Sox: 1985-1987
Bob James was acquired by the White Sox on Decmber 7, 1984 from the Expos in exchange for Vance Law. James was installed as the team’s closer for 1985 and helped to return the White Sox to a contending club. Manager Tony La Russa said, “We’ve had a decent bullpen since I’ve been here, but, with Bob, our bullpen can compare with anybody’s in the league.” Broadcaster, and Hall of Fame pitcher, Don Drysdale agreed. “They have a guy down in the bullpen now who they haven’t had for quite a few years. . .a stopper,” Drysdale said. “Without James, I don’t know where they would be.”
The White Sox finished the season in 3rd place, with an 85-77 record, but James finished with an 8-7 record, a 2.13 ERA, and 32 saves, behind only Royals reliever Dan Quisenberry. Things appeared to be looking up for the White Sox heading in to the 1986 season.
Sadly, things went a bit crazy in 1986, both for James and the White Sox. While new GM Hawk Harrelson turned the organization on its head, James lost any semblance of effectiveness that he had showed the previous year. In early August, James went down with triceps issues and was lost for the season. His final numbers were nightmarish: a 5-4 record but an ERA of 5.25 and only 14 saves in 49 appearances.
James continued to struggle in 1987, and in May, he lost his position as the team’s closer. “I told him he`s not throwing as well as he could be,” manager Jim Fregosi said. “I’m going to use him as a long man so he can get back to where he`s throwing well.” Shoulder problems put him out of commission in July, and he finished the season with a 4-6 record and a 4.67 ERA.
The White Sox released James in December, but looked to resign him to an incentive-laden deal the following spring. “We’ve had several talks with him,” general manager Larry Himes said. “He’s looking at other places. The Sox are interested, but he knows the conditions. We’re willing to pay for performance. Bob James has not performed up to our expectations the last couple years.” James ended up not signing with the White Sox, or anyone else, and his major league career came to an end.
James’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
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With 6 of their 8 nominees debuting in the major leagues prior to 1950, the Indians representation is focused on their early successes, with the remaining 2 covering their renaissance in the 1990s. The obvious choices are Nap Lajoie, for whom they owe their nickname, Tris Speaker, and Bob Feller. For the final slot, I will go with the criminally overlooked Larry Doby, who gets none of the credit that Jackie Robinson gets despite facing the same challenges.
The Tigers nominees are more spread out across their long history, although their four selections are all fairly obvious. With little thought, my picks here are Miguel Cabrera, Hank Greenberg, Ty Cobb, and Al Kaline.