Tag / Draft

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#288 – Shawn Abner

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Name: Shawn Abner

Rank: 288

Position: RF

Year With White Sox: 1992

Shawn Abner, the overall number one pick in the 1984 draft, joined the White Sox as a free agent on April 3, 1992.  He enjoyed his finest season as a major leaguer with the White Sox, batting .279 in a career high 97 games.  After the season, he was released by the Sox and, thanks to knee injury suffered the following year in the minor leagues, he never played in the major leagues again.

Abner’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#291 – Carlos Castillo

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Name: Carlos Castillo

Rank: 291

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1997-1999

Carlos Castillo joined the White Sox organization after being drafted in the 3rd round of the 1994 draft.  Castillo worked mostly as a starter in the minor leagues, but joined the bullpen when he made the jump to the major leagues after impressing everyone during spring training in 1997.  Castillo spent the majority of the year in the majors, putting up a 2-1 record with a 4.48 ERA in 37 games.

Castillo again spent the most of 1998 in the White Sox bullpen, appearing in 54 games, but saw his ERA jump up to 5.11.  In 1999, Castillo’s troubles continued as his ERA continued to rise, up to 5.71, and he split the season between Chicago and Triple A Charlotte.  Things boiled over after a double-header loss August 30 at Comiskey Park, when Castillo lashed out at the fans, blaming them for booing Frank Thomas and Greg Norton.

The next spring, Castillo competed for a spot in the rotation, but his struggles continued and, on March 29, 2000, he was released and his time with the White Sox came to an end.

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

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#296 – Andy Gonzalez

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Name: Andy Gonzalez

Rank: 296

Position: 3B/OF

Year With White Sox: 2007

Andy Gonzalez joined the White Sox organization as their 5th round draft choice in 2001.  He worked his way up through the system and eventually made his major league debut on April 25, 2007 against the Tigers.  Gonzalez found his way into 67 games over the course of the lost 2007 season, hitting a meager .185.  Following the season, the White Sox declined to tender a contract for 2008 to Gonzalez, making him a free agent.

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

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#323 – Aaron Myette

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Name: Aaron Myette

Rank: 323

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1999-2000

Aaron Myette was the White Sox first round pick in the 1997 draft.  He moved quickly through the White Sox system and made his major league debut in September of 1999, appearing in 4 games with the big league club.  He spent most of the 2000 season in Charlotte, making only 2 appearances with the White Sox.

Following the 2000 season, he was packaged with Brian Schmack in a trade with the Rangers for the immortal Royce Clayton.

Myette’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#329 – Brian Simmons

brian_simmons_autographName: Brian Simmons

Rank: 329

Position: LF

Years With White Sox: 1998-1999

Brian Simmons joined the White Sox organization as their second round pick in the 1995 draft.  He worked his way through the system, making his major league debut on September 21, 1998 as a defensive replacement against the Twins.  5 days later, against the Royals, Simmons set a major league record, needing the fewest career at bats to homer from both sides of the plate.

Simmons won the 1999 starting center field job in spring training, but a cut hand, thanks to Alex Rodriguez’s spike, late in spring training forced him to start the year in Triple A Charlotte instead of Chicago.  In 2000, Simmons again had won a spot on the opening day roster, but he ruptured his Achilles’ tendon on the day the White Sox broke camp.

Following the White Sox disappointing loss to the Mariners in the 2000 ALDS, Simmons was packaged with Mike Sirotka, Kevin Beirne, and minor leaguer Mike Williams to the Blue Jays in exchange for David Wells and Matt DeWitt.

Simmons rejoined the White Sox following the 2001 season, but was released during spring training after still showing the effects of his 2000 injury.

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

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#347 – Joel McKeon

Name: Joel McKeon

Rank: 347

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1986-1987

Joel McKeon was the White Sox first round pick in the 1982 draft and made his debut in 1986, where he appeared in 30 games out of the bullpen and had a rather successful 2.45 ERA.  His 1987 season, however, was much less successful, with his ERA jumping to 9.43.  The following February, McKeon was shipped off to the Padres to complete an earlier trade for Ed Wojna, but he had already made his last major league appearance.

While McKeon did little to make himself memorable on a real baseball diamond, his 1986 appearance with Buffalo, the then Triple A affiliate of the White Sox, made him a superstar of our Micro League Baseball league, where he was a stalwart of the team belonging to my friend Dave.

McKeon’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#355 – Lance Broadway

Name: Lance Broadway

Rank: 355

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2007-2009

Lance Broadway was the White Sox first round pick in the 2005 draft and worked his way to the big leagues 2 years later.  A starter by trade, Broadway worked mostly out of the bullpen for the Sox, making only 2 starts in his time on the south side.  When the opportunity presented itself early in the 2009 season to make an upgrade at backup catcher, Broadway was (fittingly) traded to the New York Mets for Ramon Castro.

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