Tag / Draft

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150 Years Of Cubs Baseball – Outfielders Part 1

Originally founded in 1869, the Chicago Cubs became a charter member of the National League in 1876.  Over the next 150 seasons, the Cubs have played more than 22,000 games, scored over 103,000 runs and recorded more than 200,000 hits, more than any other team in baseball history.  Nearly 2,300 players have worn a Cubs uniform, earning eight division titles, 17 NL pennants, and three World Series championships.

Fans have witnessed generations of unforgettable players, from historical heroes like Joe Tinker, Gabby Hartnett, Ernie Banks, and Billy Williams to more recent stars like Ryne Sandberg, Derrek Lee, Kerry Wood, and Anthony Rizzo.  The team has called Wrigley Field home for 110 of those 150 seasons.

To celebrate this milestone, the Cubs are holding a fan vote to select the franchise’s anniversary team.  Each week, we will go through the provided options for each position and declare who should, and, if different, who will, win the fan vote.  We continue today with the first eight selections for outfielder.

George Altman spent seven seasons with the Cubs across two stints.  Debuting with the club in 1959, he quickly emerged as one of the team’s most productive hitters, earning All-Star selections in both 1961 and 1962.  He accumulated 7.9 WAR across those two seasons while establishing himself as a dangerous power hitter.  He returned to the Cubs in 1965 but was unable to reclaim his former status and struggled to produce.  He finished his major league career in 1967, hitting just .111 in 15 games.

José Cardenal joined the Cubs for the 1972 season and stayed through 1977.  He was one of the most popular and productive players during his tenure, bridging the gap between the superstars of the 60s and the success coming in the 1980s.  He was named Cubs player of the year by local media in 1973.  His best season came in 1975, earning 3.1 WAR while hitting .317.  He was inducted into the Cubs Hall of Fame in 2022.

Kiki Cuyler joined the Cubs following the 1927 season and spent parts of eight years with the team.  During his tenure, Cuyler was one of the most dynamic offensive players in the league, helping the Cubs win two NL pennants.  He was named to his lone All-Star team in 1934 in its second year of existence.  He led the NL in three times, from 1928 through 1930.  In 1968, he was enshrined in Cooperstown as a member of the Hall of Fame.

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150 Years Of Cubs Baseball – Shortstops

Originally founded in 1869, the Chicago Cubs became a charter member of the National League in 1876.  Over the next 150 seasons, the Cubs have played more than 22,000 games, scored over 103,000 runs and recorded more than 200,000 hits, more than any other team in baseball history.  Nearly 2,300 players have worn a Cubs uniform, earning eight division titles, 17 NL pennants, and three World Series championships.

Fans have witnessed generations of unforgettable players, from historical heroes like Joe Tinker, Gabby Hartnett, Ernie Banks, and Billy Williams to more recent stars like Ryne Sandberg, Derrek Lee, Kerry Wood, and Anthony Rizzo.  The team has called Wrigley Field home for 110 of those 150 seasons.

To celebrate this milestone, the Cubs are holding a fan vote to select the franchise’s anniversary team.  Each week, we will go through the provided options for each position and declare who should, and, if different, who will, win the fan vote.  We continue today with the eight selections for shortstop.

Javier Baez was drafted by the Cubs in the first round in 2011 and debuted with the big-league club in 2014.  He became a starter in 2016, helping the Cubs end their 108-year championship drought by winning the World Series.  His best season came in 2018, when he led the league in RBI and finished second in MVP voting.  His tenure with the Cubs ended in 2021, traded to the Mets for a young prospect named Pete Crow-Armstrong.  During his time on the north side, he was a two-time All-Star, the 2016 NLCS MVP, and won both a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger.

Ernie Banks played his entire 19-year career with the Cubs, earning back-to-back MVP honors in 1958 and 1959.  At the time of his retirement following the 1971 season, he ranked ninth all-time in career home runs with 512.  He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1977 and became a team ambassador, never seen without a smile on his face.  Known as Mr. Cub, his #14 was retired by the team in 1982, making him the first Cub to receive that honor.

Bill Dahlen spent eight seasons with the Colts and Orphans through most of the 1890s.  Playing in a dead ball era, he had a good amount of power, finishing among the NL’s top ten players in home runs four times and in slugging percentage three times.  He set a new record with a 42-game hitting streak in 1894.  He was traded away following the 1898 season.  He is considered to have the most career WAR of any eligible player, except those tainted by scandal, to not be in the Hall of Fame.

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150 Years Of Cubs Baseball – Third Basemen

Originally founded in 1869, the Chicago Cubs became a charter member of the National League in 1876.  Over the next 150 seasons, the Cubs have played more than 22,000 games, scored over 103,000 runs and recorded more than 200,000 hits, more than any other team in baseball history.  Nearly 2,300 players have worn a Cubs uniform, earning eight division titles, 17 NL pennants, and three World Series championships.

Fans have witnessed generations of unforgettable players, from historical heroes like Joe Tinker, Gabby Hartnett, Ernie Banks, and Billy Williams to more recent stars like Ryne Sandberg, Derrek Lee, Kerry Wood, and Anthony Rizzo.  The team has called Wrigley Field home for 110 of those 150 seasons.

To celebrate this milestone, the Cubs are holding a fan vote to select the franchise’s anniversary team.  Each week, we will go through the provided options for each position and declare who should, and, if different, who will, win the fan vote.  We continue today with the eight selections for third baseman.

Kris Bryant was selected by the Cubs as the second-overall pick in the 2013 draft.  An injury to Mike Olt early in the 2015 season got Bryant called up to the big leagues and he did not waste time making his presence felt.  Hitting .275 with 26 HRs and 99 RBIs, Bryant won the Rookie of the Year award while leading the surprising Cubs to the NL Wild Card and an appearance in the NLCS.  Things were even better the following year, as Bryant won the NL MVP and the Cubs ended their 108-year title drought by defeating Cleveland in the World Series.  Unfortunately, neither Bryant nor the Cubs could replicate the highs of that year.  He was traded to the Giants at the trade deadline in 2021, finishing his time on the north side as a four-time All-Star and winner of the 2016 NL Hank Aaron Award.

Stan Hack spent his entire 16-year career with the Cubs, becoming the full-time third baseman in 1934.  He appeared in four World Series for the Cubs, losing efforts in 1932, 1935, 1938, and 1945.  When he retired following the 1947 season, he ranked second in team history behind Cap Anson in games played, at bats, and hits.  He twice led the National League in stolen bases and was a five-time All-Star selection.  He is a member of the Cubs Hall of Fame.

Randy Jackson spent parts of seven seasons across his two stints with the Cubs.  He debuted in 1950 and earned All-Star nods in 1954 and 1955.  Traded to the Dodgers following that 1955 season, he returned in 1959 for a final season after a knee injury derailed the trajectory of his career.

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Express Train From West Lafayette To Canton

Former Purdue quarterback Drew Brees, who led the school to their last Rose Bowl appearance in 2001, got the call to Canton last month as a member of the NFL’s Hall of Fame class of 2026.  Brees joins the hall alongside Roger Craig, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, and Adam Vinatieri and will be inducted August 8 in Canton, Ohio.

Receiving scholarship offers from only two schools, Brees arrived in West Lafayette as an unheralded freshman in 1997.  He became the starter the following year and, alongside head coach Joe Tiller, helped lead a resurrection of a moribund football program.  He left Purdue following the 2000 season with two NCAA records, thirteen Big Ten Conference records, and 19 program records.

His NFL career began in 2001 after being selected by the Chargers in the second round of the draft.  After backing up Doug Flutie in his rookie season, Brees became the starting quarterback for the Chargers for the majority of the following four seasons.  Following the 2005 season, Brees became a free agent and headed to New Orleans, where he became a legend.  In 2009, he led the Saints to their first Super Bowl appearance and championship in franchise history.  He retired in 2021 as a thirteen-time Pro Bowler, two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, the 2006 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, and holding eight league records and fourteen Saints franchise records.

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Wiping The Slate Clean

Removing the last link back to the Rick Hahn/Kenny Williams era, the White Sox shipped Luis Robert Jr., and the $22 million remaining on his contract, to the Mets on Tuesday in exchange for Luisangel Acuña, a 23-year-old infielder, and right-hander Truman Pauley, the 373rd overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft.

Robert, still only 28 years old, has spent six injury-filled seasons with the White Sox, debuting during the shortened 2020 season.  He was an All-Star in 2023, when he set career highs in games played, WAR, home runs, RBI, and doubles.  He has failed to build on his success that season, as injuries have continued to keep him out of the lineup.

Acuña, the younger brother of Braves star Ronald, is a former top-100 prospect who made his debut in 2024, to limited success.  He is an infielder by trade but is expected to compete for the now-vacant centerfielder.  His greatest value, however, is through his defense and speed and playing him out of position could eat away at that.  However, he did recently become the first player to hit four home runs in a Venezuelan Winter League game.

Pauley, drafted from Harvard last July, ironically spent much of his childhood receiving personal lessons from now-former White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz.  His fastball and slider show potential, but he has a poor history of throwing either for strikes.

Most importantly, the deal removes $22 million from the White Sox payroll, which now sits at just $67 million, the lowest in MLB.  “We’ve got some financial flexibility now to continue to bring in talent,” GM Chris Getz said, although I think we all know that they won’t.

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

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Everything’s Coming Up Jerry

For the first time since 1977, the White Sox will have the top overall pick in next July’s MLB draft.  Despite having the second worst record in baseball in 2025, the White Sox entered last night’s draft lottery with the best chance at the #1 pick, as the Rockies were ineligible for a top-nine pick due to consecutive years picking in the lottery.  Ironically, that same rule is what stuck the White Sox with the 10th pick in this year’s draft, despite finishing last year with the most losses in the history of the league.

This will be the third time the White Sox have had the overall #1 pick in the draft.  In 1971, they selected Danny Goodwin, a catcher out of Peoria High School.  In typical White Sox fashion, they lowballed him and he chose to go to college instead, becoming the first top pick to not sign.  Things went a little better in 1977, when they selected Harold Baines with the top pick.  He would, of course, eventually have his number retired by the team and be elected to the Hall of Fame.  Not to put any pressure on whoever the team ends up selecting come July.

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The Annual Selloff Begins

With the trade deadline approaching, the White Sox made their first deal, sending outfielder Austin Slater to the Yankees for right-handed pitcher Gage Ziehl.  Slater, 32, was signed as a free agent last November and has five home runs in 123 at bats this season.  Ziehl, 22, was the Yankees’ fourth round pick in the 2024 draft and has split time between three levels in the Yankee system and is their 18th ranked prospect.

We have less than 29 hours to go until the deadline, so I expect there to be more moves, both by the White Sox and the Cubs, coming soon.

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Crossing Sides Of Town

So far in 2025, Brad Keller, Mike Tauchman, Nicky Lopez, and Reese McGuire pushed the total of players I’ve seen take the field in person for both the Cubs and the White Sox to 47.  With the final round of crosstown kicking off tonight at Rate Field, here’s a look at those players, in alphabetical order.

David Aardsma

After posting a decent season with the Cubs in 2006, Aardsma was traded to the White Sox for Neal Cotts.  Aardsma lasted one season with the Sox, where he was unable to duplicate his success from the year before.

Jason Bere

Drafted by the White Sox in the 36th round in 1990, Bere debuted with the big-league club in 1993, finishing 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting.  After an All Star selection in 1994, injuries marred the remainder of his tenure on the South Side, which ended in 1998.  He resurfaced with the Cubs in 2001 and had a decent season, but he went 1-10 in 2002 before being let go.

Emilio Bonifacio

Bonifacio spent back-to-back partial seasons in Chicago, first for the Cubs in 2014 after signing as a free agent, where he played decently enough to be flipped at the trade deadline, along with James Russell, to the Braves for a young catching prospect by the name of Victor Caratini.  He returned to Chicago in 2015, signing with the White Sox, where he he did not do well at all, hitting .167 in 47 games before being released in August.

Welington Castillo

Debuting with the Cubs in 2010, Castillo spent time behind the plate for the Cubs until May of 2015, when, having been replaced in the starting lineup by Miguel Montero, he was flipped to the Mariners.  He returned to Chicago in 2018 after signing with the White Sox as a free agent.  On May 24th of that season, he was suspended 80 games for a violation of the PED policy.  The White Sox then cut bait following the 2019 season, shipping him off to the Rangers.

Neal Cotts

Acquired by the White Sox in the Billy Koch trade, he debuted with the team in 2003.  He was a key contributor in the bullpen during the 2005 championship season and was the only relief pitcher to appear in all 3 rounds of the playoffs that season.  Following the 2006 season, he was traded to the Cubs for David Aardsma, and he spent the next 3 injury filled seasons on the North Side.

Scott Eyre

Joining the White Sox organization in a 1994 trade with the Rangers, he debuted with the big-league team in 1997.  He split the next 4 seasons between the rotation and the bullpen, not to mention between Chicago and Charlotte, before being moved to the Blue Jays following the 2000 ALDS loss to the Mariners.  He joined the Cubs as a free agent for the 2006 season and enjoyed 2 seasons of relative success, before falling apart in 2008, when he was traded to the Phillies.

Clint Frazier

After missing the second half of 2021 with an injury, Frazier was DFA’d by the Yankees.  He signed a deal with the Cubs that offseason, though he notched just 45 plate appearances before being DFA’s once again.  He chose to finish the year in the Cubs system before becoming a free agent following the season.  After failing to catch on with the Rangers, he signed a minor league deal with the White Sox, eventually hitting .197 in 33 games with the big-league club.

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iTunes Top 200: #6

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library, featuring he songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which older songs still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2025.

We continue this week with the two tracks tied for sixth on this countdown with 152 plays apiece, both of which have ties to the local ballclub and neither of which would classify as a traditional song.

#7: sox05_montage
iTunes stats: 152 plays, most recently on 8/28/2024
Previous ranking: #6

In 2005, the White Sox won their first division title since 2000, their first ALDS and ALCS ever, and, finally, their first World Series championship since 1917.  This track contains radio highlights from John Rooney and Ed Farmer, courtesy of the team’s flagship ESPN 1000, of the entire 2005 season, starting with a 1-0 victory over Cleveland at US Cellular Field and culminating in a 1-0 victory against the Astros in Houston to give the White Sox their first championship in 88 years.  It featured on my White Sox victory playlists for the next decade, finally dropping off in 2015.

#6: Gordon Beckham Intro
iTunes stats: 152 plays, most recently on 6/27/2024
Previous ranking: #6

Drafted by the White Sox as the eighth overall pick in 2008, Gordon Beckham made a splash when he first broke into the Major Leagues in 2009.  He used The Outfield’s hit Your Love as his walkup song, which was not part of my collection at the time.  This recording, featuring Gene Honda introducing the former White Sox infielder as he came up to the plate, was a part of my White Sox victory playlist until I was able to track down a copy of the real thing.

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Cutting Bait

Never quite reaching the promise of when he was drafted, Andrew Vaughn’s tenure on the Southside ended Friday when he was traded to the Brewers for pitcher Aaron Civale.  Vaughn, the third overall pick of the 2019 draft by the White Sox, spent just 55 games in the minor leagues before making his debut with the big-league club in 2021.  Expected to be the next in a long line of mashers a first base, following Frank Thomas, Paul Konerko, and Jose Abreu, Vaughn never quite lived up to that reputation.  His best season came in 2023 and, even then, he was worth only 1.1 WAR.  His struggles this year, which saw him sent back to Charlotte on May 23, wiped out all of the positive gains of his career, leaving him with a negative WAR.  He was looking at a non-tender at the end of this season, so getting something useful back for him is surprising.

Civale has a 40-37 in seven seasons with the Guardians, Rays, and Brewers.  He should fill the hole left by Martin Perez’s injury, giving the young pitching staff a veteran presence.

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

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