Tag / Draft

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#226 – Scott Ruffcorn

Scott-Ruffcorn

Name: Scott Ruffcorn

Rank: 226

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1993-1996

Scott Ruffcorn was the White Sox first round draft pick out of Baylor University in 1991.  The previous 4 White Sox first round picks, Jack McDowell, Robin Ventura, Frank Thomas, and Alex Fernandez, were leading the White Sox to their first division title in a decade when Ruffcorn made his major league debut on June 19, 1993 against the Angels, taking the place of an injured Kirk McCaskill.  When Ron Karkovice separated his shoulder during the game, Ruffcorn was sent back to the minors to make room for another catcher on the roster.  He returned to the majors in September and made two additional appearances.

When Scott Sanderson had a tremendous spring in 1994 to force his way in to the starting rotation, it forced Ruffcorn to start the year in Triple A.  As July rolled around, Sanderson had started to struggle and Ruffcorn was called up to take his slot in the rotation.  Sadly, he didn’t last long, giving up seven runs and nine hits over 4 innings.  Manager Gene Lamont said that Ruffcorn “needed to get over his nervousness,” but his next start also did not go well.  Facing the Royals, he gave up 4 runs before being pulled in the third inning.  He was demoted back to Triple A before the strike in August wiped out the remainder of the season.

After an abbreviated spring training in 1995, Ruffcorn broke camp with the White Sox, earning a spot in the bullpen.  He walked six in 1 2/3 innings against the Red Sox in his second appearance of the year, and by mid-May, he was back in Triple A, with reporter Dave Van Dyck writing that Ruffcorn was “ruined forever because the Sox rushed him to judgment.”

Ruffcorn finished his White Sox career in 1996, appearing in 3 final games but getting the same results.  He ended up with 0 wins and a career ERA of 9.68 and the “record” for most consecutive seasons with an ERA over 7.00.  In January of 1997, he was purchased by the Phillies.

Ruffcorn’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#228 – Jeff Abbott

jeffabbott

Name: Jeff Abbott

Rank: 228

Position: OF

Years With White Sox: 1997-2000

Jeff Abbott was drafted by the White Sox in the 32nd round of the 1993 draft, but didn’t sign.  The White Sox took another chance on him the following year, selecting him in the 4th round, and this time he signed on.  Abbott rose quickly through the minor league system, making his major league debut nearly 3 years to the day he first signed with the White Sox, grounding out against Andy Pettite of the Yankees.  He would return to the big league club for the rest of the season in September, appearing in 19 games and batting .263.

1998 saw Abbott as the White Sox 4th outfielder, where he performed adequately offensively, but was a butcher in the field, finishing the year with a .971 fielding percentage.  Abbott got off to a slow start in 1999, hitting only .158 over the season’s first month, which resulted in his return to the minor leagues, where he would remain for the rest of the year.

In 2000, Abbott returned to the big leagues and regained his hitting stroke, but lost the power he had shown earlier.  He saw his first post-season action in game 2 of the Division Series against the Mariners, which the White Sox lost in 3 games.  Following the season, Abbott was sent to the Marlins in exchange for Julio Ramirez, and his White Sox career came to an end.

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

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#232 – Charlie Haeger

Haegerpg-verticalName: Charlie Haeger

Rank: 232

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2006-2007

Charlie Haeger was selected by the White Sox in the 25th round of the 2001 draft.  He retired after the 2002 season to pursue a career in golf, but returned to baseball and the White Sox organization in 2004.  He finally made his way to the major leagues in 2006, making his debut against the Angels in a 12-5 loss after Jose Contreras went down with a back issue.  After the start, he was quickly returned to Charlotte, but he eventually returned, appearing in 6 other games, all in relief, for the White Sox that year, finishing with a 3.44 ERA.

Haeger competed for the fifth starters spot during spring training in 2007, but was sent back to Charlotte again when the newly arrived John Danks won the competition.  As the 2007 season went south, Haeger was recalled in mid-July, and, like the rest of the team that year, did poorly.  He appeared in 8 games, giving up 9 earned runs in 11 1/3 innings.

Haeger spent most of 2008 at Triple A Charlotte, until he was designated for assignment and claimed by the Padres in September, ending his time in the White Sox organization.

Haeger’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

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#236 – Joe Borchard

WhiteSox-joeborchardName: Joe Borchard

Rank: 236

Position: RF

Years With White Sox: 2002-2005

Joe Borchard was the 12th overall draft pick in the 2000, receiving a then-record bonus to dissuade him from focusing on football.  Borchard made his major league debut on September 2, 2002 against the Blue Jays, blasting a home run in his second at bat as the White Sox most touted prospect since Frank Thomas.

Borchard returned to Triple A in 2003, at least until Willie Harris went down in late May with a sprained shoulder.  He did not stay long, appearing in 16 games, and batted only .184.

2004 gave Borchard his first extended opportunity in the big leagues, thanks to injuries to Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez.  Unfortunately, he still had trouble producing, as he hit only .174 in 63 games, although he did set the US Cellular Field record for the longest home run with a 504 foot blast against Brett Myers of the Phillies.

Borchard returned to the minor leagues in 2005, appearing in just 7 games for the eventual World Series champions.  The next spring, with a little more than a week to go before the start of the season, Borchard was traded to the Mariners in exchange for relief pitcher Matt Thornton, which, ultimately, may have been his biggest contribution to the organization.

Borchard’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

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#242 – Rocky Biddle

rbiddleName: Rocky Biddle

Rank: 242

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2000-2002

Rocky Biddle was drafted by the White Sox in the first round of the 1997 draft.  In August of 2000, with the White Sox heading towards a Central division title despite a pitching staff falling by the day, Biddle was called up and made his major league debut on August 10.  Pitching on only three days rest against the White Sox eventual ALDS foe Seattle, Biddle gave up 6 runs in 5 1/3 innings.  He ended up starting 4 games that season as the White Sox limped to the playoffs and a three game sweep against the Mariners.

Biddle spent parts of the next two seasons as one piece of the black hole that was the fifth starter for the White Sox.  Biddle started 28 of his 74 games over those two seasons, although his ERA did improve each season.

His time with the White Sox came to an end on January 15, 2003 when he was included in a 3 team trade that sent Biddle, Jeff Liefer, and Orlando Hernandez to the Expos, Antonio Osuna and minor-league pitcher Delvis Lantigua to the Yankees, and brought Bartolo Colon and minor-league infielder Jorge Nunez to the White Sox.

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

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#243 – Donny Lucy

dlucyName: Donny Lucy

Rank: 243

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 2007, 2010-2011

Donny Lucy joined the White Sox organization after being selected in the second round of the 2004 draft.  He made his major league debut for the White Sox on September 5, 2007 against the Tigers, getting his first major league hit against Kenny Rogers.  Lucy made his way into 8 games as the White Sox played out the string in what was a lost and disappointing season.

Lucy returned to the minor leagues until 2010, when he broke camp with the White Sox due to backup catcher Ramón Castro heading to the DL with a bruised heel.  Lucy hit his first big league home run and notched his first RBI against the Blue Jays on April 15.  When Castro was ready to return on May 3, Lucy was returned to Triple A.

Lucy returned to the White Sox in August of 2011 when AJ Pierzynski went down with a broken wrist.  He managed to appear in 6 games this time, with his final appearance coming in the Sox 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays on September 28.

On December 16, Lucy announced his retirement from baseball.

Lucy’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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And The Enshrinees Are

greg-maddux 52174766

The BBWAA ballots have been counted and Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, and Tom Glavine have been elected as to the Hall of Fame. Maddux lead the pack with 97.2% of the vote, followed by his former Braves teammate Glavine with 91.9%. Thomas finished third with 83.7% of the vote. Narrowly missing induction, with 74.8% of the vote (the Hall of Fame does not round up) was Craig Biggio.

Maddux, of course, got his start with the Cubs, whom he helped lead to the 1989 NL East title.  He won the first of his 4 consecutive NL Cy Young awards with the North Siders in 1992 before being allowed to leave as a free agent by GM Larry Himes.  Maddux signed with the Braves, where he continued to dominate and helped lead Atlanta to the 1995 World Series championship.  After 11 seasons, he returned to the Cubs in 2004.  He defeated the Giants in August of that year to win his 300th game and, in July of 2005, he struck out his 3000th batter.  In 2006, with the Cubs far out of contention, he was traded to the Dodgers for their stretch run.  For 2007, Maddux signed with the Padres, where he spent the next year and a half before being traded back to the Dodgers for another stretch run.  After the Dodgers were bounced from the playoffs, Maddux announced his retirement.

Frank Thomas was the first round draft pick of the White Sox in the 1989 draft, and made his debut for the White Sox the following year.  Thomas won the AL MVP award in 1993 while leading the White Sox to their final AL West title.  Thomas repeated as MVP in 1994, putting up a .353 average with 38 homers and 101 RBIs in the strike-shortened season.  In 1997, Thomas won the AL batting title and finished third in the MVP race.  After two substandard seasons, at least for him, Thomas rebounded in 2000, leading the White Sox to the AL Central title and narrowly losing the MVP award to a juiced-up Jason Giambi.  Thomas struggled with injuries after that, appearing in only 20 games in 2001, 74 games in 2004, and 34 games in 2005.  He spent the entire post-season on the disabled list as the White Sox won their first World Series in 88 years.  Following that year, the White Sox cut ties with Thomas and he headed out west to play for the A’s.  In his first game back in Chicago as a visiting player, Thomas homered twice.  Thomas spent 2007 and the start of 2008 with the Blue Jays, before finishing the season, and his career, back with the A’s.

I have been witness to milestones for all 3 enshrined players.  I was at Wrigley Field when Greg Maddux made his first attempt at winning his 300th game against the Phillies, the start before he won it on the road against the GIants.  I was there the next season for the rain delayed night game where he would strike out his 3000th batter, again against the Giants.  I was in Shea Stadium for Tom Glavine’s first appearance as a New York Met, which did not turn out well for him.  4 years later, I was at Wrigley Field for a Sunday night matchup where things worked out better for him as he defeated the Cubs for his 300th victory.

Thomas is now the Hall of Famer I have seen in action more than any other.  I was at his first return appearance as a member of the A’s, where, before the first of his 2 home runs, he was treated to a standing ovation.  An ovation which panned the crowd and found me amongst the masses, which I happened to notice that night on Baseball Tonight and now lives on as part of the White Sox Memories DVD.  I first saw Thomas play in his rookie year of 1990 and caught 66 of his games over the years.  I was there when he threw out the first pitch before the 2005 ALDS Game 1 against the Red Sox and in 2010 when his number 35 was retired.

Maddux, Thomas, and Glavine’s numbers in games I attended were:

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#263 – Chris Snopek

snopek

Name: Chris Snopek

Rank: 263

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 1995-1998

Chris Snopek joined the White Sox organization in 1992 when he was drafted in the 6th round.  He worked his way up through the system and made his major league debut on July 31, 1995, going 2 for 3 in the White Sox 6-4 win over the Royals.  Snopek bounced up and down over the next 2 seasons and had already made the club as a backup infielder in spring training in 1997, when something horrible happened.

On March 21, 1997, in an exhibition contest against the Red Sox, third baseman Robin Ventura broke and dislocated his right ankle in an awkward slide into home.  Suddenly, Chis Snopek found himself as the starting third baseman, at least until Ventura returned sometime after the All Star break.  “We have to find out if Snopek can play,” GM Ron Schueler said at the time. “Our people really like him. This is the time to find out if they’re right.”  However, it took less than three weeks for manager Terry Bevington to begin playing Tony Phillips at third against right-handed pitchers, leaving Snopek to rot on the bench.

Snopek got back in the lineup when Phillips was traded and kept it until Ventura returned in late July, having hit .223 with five home runs and 35 runs batted in and committing 15 errors.  He was sent back to Triple A on August 8th.  “Every day he got a question about replacing Robin, and that was tough on him,” said Schueler. “He was trying to hit home runs like they expected Robin to hit and that frustration carried over to his defense.”

After the season, Snopek went to Venezuela to play winter ball and, hopefully, rediscover his stroke.  After hitting .380, he returned to the White Sox in spring training of 1998 hoping to get another crack at replacing a White Sox legend, this time shortstop Ozzie Guillen.  While he lost out to rookie Mike Caruso for the starting role, Snopek did make the team as a reserve and, despite struggling at the plate once again, he stayed with the big league club until August 31, when he was traded to the Red Sox for a minor leaguer.  “It was a total shock,” Snopek said. “But it’s an opportunity for me to go to Boston and show them what I can do.”

Snopek’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

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#269 – Matt Ginter

1628-156FrName: Matt Ginter

Rank: 269

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2000-2003

Matt Ginter was selected by the White Sox in the first round of the 1999 draft and made his major league debut the following September, throwing a scoreless inning and picking up the victory in the White Sox 9-8 win against the Angels.  The rest of his September call-up did not go as well, as he finished with a 13.50 ERA in 7 games.

Ginter split the next 3 seasons between Triple A Charlotte and Chicago, always performing much better in the minor leagues than in the majors.  In 2003, he put up a “nice” bookend to his White Sox career, matching the 13.50 ERA he put up in his rookie season of 2000.

As spring training of 2004 was winding down, Ginter was shipped to the Mets in exchange for Timo Perez.

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

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#276 – Jon Rauch

jon_rauch_autograph

Name: Jon Rauch

Rank: 276

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2002. 2004

Jon Rauch was selected in the 3rd round of the 1999 draft by the White Sox.  Rauch worked his way through the minor league system and made his major league debut on April 2, 2002, closing out the White Sox loss against the Mariners.  Rauch, who remains the tallest player in major leage history, struggled against major league hitters and was quickly demoted back to Triple A.

Rauch returned to the major leagues in 2004, but again had difficulty getting batters out.  On July 18, he was sent to the Expos along with Gary Majewski in exchange for Carl Everett.

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

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