Tag / Draft

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#39 – James Baldwin

Name: James Baldwin

Rank: 39

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1995-2001

James Baldwin was selected by the White Sox in the 4th round of the 1990 draft.  He made his major league debut on April 30, 1995, getting the start and lasting only 3 2/3 innings in the White Sox 17-11 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.  Sadly, the rest of his year went about as well.  He appeared in only 6 games for the White Sox, starting 4, and finished with an 0-1 record and a 12.89 ERA.  His time in Triple A didn’t go much better, as he posted a 5.85 ERA in 18 starts.

1996 was a drastic improvement for Baldwin, as he took his place in the White Sox rotation.  He started 28 games, going 11-6 with a 4.42 ERA.  He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, behind Derek Jeter.

Baldwin struggled in 1997, starting 32 games and leading the American League in losses and wild pitches.  Despite the struggles, he set career highs with 200 innings pitched and 140 strike outs.  He ended the year with a 12-15 record and a 5.27 ERA.

1998 was arguably worse for Baldwin.  Despite finishing the year with a winning record, at 13-6, his ERA went up to 5.32 and he threw 41 fewer innings.  Because of the ongoing struggles, he lost his spot in the rotation and made 13 appearances out of the bullpen.

Baldwin was slightly better in 1999.  He lowered his ERA slightly to 5.10 and increased his innings pitched by 40 1/3.  He finished the year with a 12-13 record.

Baldwin seemed to turn a corner in 2000.  He earned his first All Star nod thanks to a 10-1 record with a 3.11 ERA while leading the White Sox to the top of the AL Central.  He struggled in the second half, finishing the year with a career high 14 wins, against only 7 losses, while he lowered his ERA to 4.65.  He started game 3 of the ALDS against the Mariners, giving up only 1 run in 6 innings before giving way to the bullpen as the White Sox were swept out of the playoffs.

In 2001, Baldwin continued at the same pace.  He was sitting at 7-5 with a 4.61 ERA as the trade deadline approached, when, on July 26, he was shipped off to the Dodgers for Jeff Barry, Gary Majewski, and Onan Masaoka.

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

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#45 – Britt Burns

Name: Britt Burns

Rank: 45

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1978-1985

Britt Burns was selected by the White Sox in the third round of the 1978 draft.  Less than 2 months later, Burns made his major league debut, going 5 innings in a losing start against the Tigers in Detroit.  He made one other start, another loss, before returning to the minor leagues.  He finished the year 0-2 with a 12.91 ERA.

Burns spent most of 1979 starting in Double A, before getting promoted to Triple A and then, briefly, back to Chicago.  He made 6 relief appearances, giving up 10 hits in only 5 innings and finishing with a 5.40 ERA.

Burns found himself in the major leagues to stay in 1980 as he moved in to the rotation for the White Sox.  He found his first bit of success at the big league level, going 15-13 with a 2.84 ERA in 34 appearances, 32 of them starts.  He finished 5th in Rookie of the Year voting, earning 4 first place votes.

1981 saw Burns putting up a repeat performance, despite the strike that split the season.  He earned his first, and only, All Star nod and tied for 7th in Cy Young Award voting.  He finished the year 10-6 with a 2.64 ERA.

Burns regressed a bit in 1982.  His record held steady at 13-5, but his ERA rose to 4.04 in only 28 starts.

In 1983, Burns went 10-11 with a 3.58 ERA as the White Sox ran away with the AL West, earning their first division title.  Burns took the mound in game 4 of the ALCS, with the Orioles looking to clinch the series, and threw the game of his life.  Burns threw 9 scoreless innings, but Oriole pitchers Storm Davis and Tippy Martinez stymied the White Sox offense.  With one out in the 10th, Burns gave up a solo home run to Tito Landrum.  He was replaced and the Orioles tacked on 2 additional runs, ending the White Sox season.

Injuries and ineffectiveness led Burns to split time between the rotation and bullpen in 1984.  He went 4-12 with a 5.00 ERA in 34 appearances, 16 of them starts.  He also earned the only 3 saves of his career.

After an offseason conditioning program improved his physical state, Burns bounced back in 1985.  He 18-11 with a 3.96 ERA in 36 appearances, 34 of them starts, both career highs.  He finished tied for 7th in Cy Young Award voting.  Following the year, he was traded to the Yankees, along with 2 minor leaguers, for Joe Cowley and Ron Hassey.

Burns returned to the White Sox organization in 2013 as pitching coach for Double A Birmingham, a position he held through 2015.

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

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#52 – Ken Williams

Name: Ken Williams

Rank: 52

Position: CF/3B

Years With White Sox: 1986-1988

Ken Williams was selected by the White Sox in the 3rd round of the 1982 draft.  He made his major league debut on September 2, 1986, going 1-4 in the White Sox 3-0 victory over the Royals in Kansas City.  He appeared in 15 games down the stretch, hitting an anemic .129.

Williams got extended playing time in 1987 and turned in his best season as a major leaguer.  He hit .281 with 11 home runs and 50 RBIs, playing primarily in center field.

Looking to keep his promising bat in the lineup, the White Sox tried to move Williams to third base for the 1988 season.  To say it did not go well would be an understatement.  Williams struggled both at the plate and in the field, hitting .159 in 220 at bats and posting a .860 fielding percentage.

The following spring, Williams was traded to the Tigers for pitcher Eric King.  Following his retirement, he rejoined the White Sox organization as a scout in November of 1992.  He served as a special assistant to Jerry Reinsdorf in 1994, director of minor league operations from 1995-1996, and vice president of player development from 1997-2000.  Following the promotion of Ron Schueler following the 2000 season, Williams was named general manager, just the third African American in baseball history to hold the position.

From 2001 through 2003, Williams and manager Jerry Manuel formed the first African American tandem to hold those positions in baseball history.  In 2005, Williams helped lead the White Sox to their first World Series title in 88 years.  Following the 2012 season, he was promoted to Executive Vice President of baseball operations, the role he still holds today.

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

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Fire Sale

csaleChris Sale’s tenure on the South Side came to an end yesterday when he was traded to the Red Sox for Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Luis Alexander Basabe, and Victor Diaz, officially starting the rebuilding phase for the White Sox for the first time since the late 1980s.

Sale was the 13th overall selection by the White Sox in the 2010 draft.  After 11 total games in the minor leagues, Sale made his major league debut on August 6, less than 2 months after being drafted, giving up a hit and a walk before getting pulled.  Sale worked out of the bullpen for the remainder of the year, earning 4 saves in 21 appearances.  Sale returned to the bullpen in 2011, picking up another 8 saves while posting a 2.79 ERA.

In 2012, Sale moved in to the starting rotation full time, where he racked up 5 straight All Star nods and finished between 3rd and 6th in Cy Young award voting each season.  In 2015, Sale set the White Sox franchise record with 274 strike outs.  Last year, he tied his career high with 17 victories and threw a career high 226 2/3 innings pitched in between spats with the front office over Drake LaRoche and 1970s throwback jerseys.

Moncada, ranked as the #1 prospect in all of baseball, is the centerpiece of the deal.  A 21 year old switch hitter, he’s expected to start next season in the minor leagues but should take over second base by 2018.  Kopech, a 20 year old power pitcher, has some baggage, including punching a teammate and a PED suspension, should find a spot in the White Sox rotation should he continue to progress as he has.  Basabe and Diaz are further away, but do help bolster a White Sox system that is on the rise.

With the White Sox now officially moving towards a full-on rebuild, Sale may not be the last name out the door.  Rumors have already started swirling around Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, Jose Abreu, Adam Eaton, and David Robertson.  Will Sale be the first domino of many to fall this offseason?  Only time will tell.

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

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#56 – Daryl Boston

bostonName: Daryl Boston

Rank: 56

Position: CF

Years With White Sox: 1984-1990

Daryl Boston was selected by the White Sox as the 7th pick in the 1st round of the 1981 draft.  He made his major league debut on May 13, 1984 in the White Sox 8-1 victory against the Rangers, going 3-5 with 2 RBIs and a stolen base while leading off and playing center field.  He ended up appearing in 35 games for a White Sox team that failed to follow up on their success of the previous year, hitting an anemic .169.

Boston split the 1985 season between Triple A Buffalo and Chicago, appearing in 95 games for the White Sox.  He managed to improve his average to .228 with the increased playing time.

1986 again saw Boston splitting time between Triple A and the big leagues.  On October 4th, he hit the 50th and final home run given up by Bert Blyleven during the season, setting the major league record.  He finished the year with 56 appearances, hitting .266 with 5 home runs.

Boston spent the majority of the 1987 season in Chicago, hitting .258 with 10 home runs in 337 at bats.  1988 was his first full season in the major leagues, but he struggled, hitting only .217 but setting a career high with 15 home runs.

Boston rebounded in 1989, raising his average to .252, but hitting only 5 home runs in 101 appearances.  1990 saw his White Sox career come to an end, appearing in 5 games and getting only one at bat before being placed on waivers towards the end of April and being selected by the Mets.

Boston rejoined the White Sox organization in 2001 as a roving minor league instructor.  In 2013, he became the first base coach for new manager Robin Ventura, a role he remains in to this day.

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

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#61 – Jerry Hairston

jerry-hairston

Name: Jerry Hairston

Rank: 61

Position: OF

Years With White Sox: 1973-1977,1981-1989

Jerry Hairston was selected by the White Sox in the 3rd round of the 1970 draft.  He made his major league debut on July 26, 1973 in the second game of a double header, going 1-4 in a 1-0 loss to the Royals in Kansas City.  Hairston appeared in 60 games for 1973 squad, hitting .271 with 23 RBI.

Hairston split the 1974 season between Triple A and Chicago, appearing in 45 games for the White Sox and hitting a disappointing .229.  1975 again saw Hairston splitting time between the minors and the big league team, appearing in 69 games and improving his average to .283.  1976 was another down year for Hairston, as his average dropped back to .227 in only 44 games for the White Sox.

Hairston played in only 13 games for the White Sox in 1977 before being purchased by the Pirates on June 13.  After 4 seasons in the Mexican League, Hairston rejoined the White Sox in September of 1981.  He appeared in 9 games and hit .280, including his first home run in a White Sox uniform.

Hairston spent the entire 1982 season on the south side for the first time, appearing in 85 games and hitting a disappointing .233 while setting a career high with 5 home runs.  1983 was a bounce back year for Hairston, who raised his average to .294 with another 5 home runs.  He appeared in 2 games during the ALCS loss to the Orioles, going hitless in 3 at bats.

1984 was a disappointing year for the White Sox as they failed to repeat as Western Division champs, but Hairston saw the most playing time of his career.  He set career highs in games played and at bats, hitting .260.  Hairston struggled in 1985, as he saw his average drop to .243 in 95 games.  1986 was another bounce back year, as Hairston improved his average to .271 and tied his career high in home runs for the 4th time.

Hairston had another down year in 1987, appearing in just 66 games and hitting .230, his worst numbers since returning from Mexico.  As spring training was winding down in 1988, Hairston was released, but he was resigned at the end of August and appeared in 2 games over the final month of the season, going hitless in 2 at bats.  He was released again following the season and, once again, resigned with the White Sox in September of 1989, appearing in 3 games and getting 1 hit in 3 at bats.  He was released again following the season and his career came to an end.

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

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#62 – Jason Bere

jasonbere

Name: Jason Bere

Rank: 62

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1993-1998

Jason Bere was selected by the White Sox in the 36th round of the 1990 draft.  By 1993, he was ranked as the 8th best prospect in all of baseball.  On May 27, 1993, he made his major league debut, giving up 3 first inning runs and picking up the loss against the Royals at Comiskey Park.  The rest of the season went much better for Bere, as he won his final 7 starts to finish 12-5 and helped the White Sox to capture the AL West title.  Bere started Game 4 of the ALCS against the Blue Jays, lasting only 2 1/3 innings in a game the White Sox eventually came back to win.  After the season, he finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Tim Salmon of the Angels.

Bere continued his regular season success in 1994, earning his first All Star nod and possessing a 12-2 record when the season ended prematurely due to the strike.  After a little more than a season and a half in the big leagues, Bere had a career mark of 24-7 and looked to be heading towards a promising career.  Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way.

When baseball resumed in 1995, Bere started to feel tendonitis in his throwing elbow.  His fortunes reversed completely, as he finished the year with a 7.19 ERA and led the American League with 15 losses.  Bere made only 5 starts in 1996, giving up 19 earned runs in only 16 2/3 innings pitched, before being shut down.  In September, he underwent Tommy John surgery.

Bere returned to the White Sox rotation in August of 1997, following the White Flag trade.  He made 6 starts down the stretch, going 4-2 with a 4.71 ERA, his best results since 1994.

1998 saw more struggles for Bere.  He appeared in 18 games, making 15 starts, and went 3-7 with a 6.45 ERA.  On July 16, he was released, ending his White Sox career.

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

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#63 – Mike Sirotka

sirotka

Name: Mike Sirotka

Rank: 63

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1995-2000

Mike Sirotka joined the White Sox organization after being selected in the 15th round of the 1993 draft.  He made his major league debut 2 years later on July 19, 1995, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up 11 hits while picking up the loss against the Red Sox at Comiskey Park.  He made 5 additional starts in the big leagues, finishing the year 1-2 with a respectable 4.19 ERA.

1996 saw Sirotka splitting time between Chicago and Triple A Nashville.  His time in the big leagues did not go well, as he worked mostly out of the bullpen and finished the year with 7.18 ERA in 15 appearances.

Sirotka again split time between Triple A and Chicago in 1997, but saw markedly better results.  In 7 games with the White Sox, he went 3-0 with a sparkling 2.25 ERA.

Sirotka earned a spot in the White Sox rotation coming out of spring training in 1998.  He started 33 games, going 14-15 with an elevated 5.06 ERA.

1999 saw improvement in Sirotka’s numbers, as he lowered his ERA by over a run to 4.00 while finishing the year with an 11-13 record.

Sirotka got off to an inauspicious start in 2000, giving up a hit to country singer Garth Brooks, who was playing with the Padres, in spring training.  Once the games counted for real, though, Sirotka put up the best season of his young career, going 15-10 with a 3.79 ERA as the White Sox won their first AL Central crown.  Sirotka started, and lost, game 2 of the ALDS against the Mariners at Comiskey Park.

The following January, Sirotka, along with Mike Williams, Kevin Beirne, and Brian Simmons, was traded to the Blue Jays for David Wells and Matt DeWitt.  When Sirotka was found to have a shoulder injury, Blue Jays GM Gord Ash accused Kenny Williams of withholding information and labeling Sirotka as “damaged goods”.  Ash appealed to Commissioner Bud Selig, who refused to overturn the trade.  Sirotka never pitched in the major leagues again.

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

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#65 – Gordon Beckham

IMG_2096Name: Gordon Beckham

Rank: 65

Position: 2B

Years With White Sox: 2009-2014, 2015

Gordon Beckham was selected by the White Sox as the 8th pick of the 2008 draft and was rushed through the system, making his major league debut less than a year later on June 3, 2009.  He struggled from the get go, going 2 for 28 in his first eight games, but rebounded to put up a .270 average with 14 home runs and 28 doubles while playing third base.

The future looked bright for Beckham entering the 2010 season as he moved over to second base.  Unfortunately, he was unable to duplicate the success he had enjoyed the year before.  Early struggles relegated him to the bottom of the lineup, but he was able to rebound somewhat, getting his average back up to .252.  However, his OPS was down over 100 points from the year before.

2011 and 2012 saw Beckham’s offensive struggles continue.  His average dropped to the .230s during both seasons and his OPS continued to fall.  It seemed that he was finally putting things together in 2013, until he broke the hamate bone in his left wrist, which led to a career low in home runs and RBIs.

2014 was more of the same.  His average was a then career low .221 when he was traded to the Angels in late August, for a player to be names later.  But, his White Sox career was not done yet.  After being non-tendered by the Angels, Beckham resigned with the White Sox for 2015.  Sadly, this second go-around did not go any better for Beckham.  Appearing in a career low 100 games, he set new career lows with a .209 batting average and a .607 OPS.  After the season, he left as a free agent.

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

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#72 – Ron Karkovice

karkoName: Ron Karkovice

Rank: 72

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 1986-1997

Ron Karkovice joined the White Sox organization as their first round selection in the 1982 draft.  He made his major league debut on August 17, 1986, going 1-4 in the White Sox 7-4 victory over the Brewers at Comiskey Park while catching future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton.  He appeared in 36 additional games, hitting .247, as the White Sox rolled to their worst record since 1980.

Karkovice broke camp with the White Sox in 1987, but was completely overmatched on offense.  He appeared in 39 games, getting only 85 at bats and hitting an anemic .071.  He didn’t do much better in Triple A, putting up a .183 average for Hawaii.

He returned to Triple A for 1988, but got some extended playing time in the big leagues when Carlton Fisk went down with a broken hand.  In 46 games, Karkovice hit .174 and drove in 9 runs.

Karkovice stuck in the big leagues for good starting in 1989.  Getting more regular playing time, he improved his average to a career high .264 while splitting time behind the plate with Fisk.  1990 was more of the same for Karkovice, as he appeared in 68 games and hit .246.

As the White Sox moved across the street to the new Comiskey Park in 1991, Karkovice had a near repeat of his 1990 season, finishing with the same average and nearly the same power numbers.  In 1992, Karkovice finally supplanted Fisk and became the primary backstop.  Appearing in 123 games, he hit .237 but saw his home runs increase to 13.

Karkovice appeared in a career high 128 games for the 1993 White Sox, as the team captured their first division title in a decade.  He went hitless during the ALCS as the White Sox fell to the Blue Jays in 6 games.  1994 saw his offensive numbers continue to fall, as his average dropped to .213, partially due to a sore knee, before the season came to an untimely end due to the strike.

When baseball returned in 1995, Karkovice was back behind the plate for the White Sox.  He appeared in 113 games and saw his average bounce back slightly to .217.  1996 was more of the same for Karkovice, as he appeared in 111 games and hit .220 with 10 home runs, before undergoing knee surgery in September.

Things went south for Karkovice and the White Sox in 1997.  By the middle of May, he had been replaced as the starting catcher by Chad Kreuter.  By the middle of July, he had fallen to third on the depth chart, behind the newly acquired Jorge Fabergas and veteran Tony Pena.  He had requested to be released at the end of May, but was refused by general manager Ron Schueler.  He finished the year with only 51 appearances and an average that had dropped to .181.  He became a free agent at the end of the year, but never played in the major leagues again.

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

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