Tag / Draft

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#73 – Mike Cameron

cameron2

Name: Mike Cameron

Rank: 73

Position: CF

Years With White Sox: 1995-1998

Mike Cameron joined the White Sox organization as their 18th round draft choice in the 1991 draft.  He made his major league debut on August 27, 1995, going 0-3 in the White Sox 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays at Skydome.  He mostly appeared as a defensive replacement during the last month of the season, appearing in 28 games but getting only 38 at bats, hitting an anemic .184.

1996 saw Cameron spend most of the season in Double A Birmingham, getting a small cup of coffee with the White Sox, appearing in 11 games and getting 11 at bats with a grand total of 1 hit.

Cameron got his first extended major league experience in 1997, appearing in 116 games.  He hit .259 with 14 home runs, with 23 stolen bases thrown in for good measure.  He finished 6th in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.

In 1998, Cameron regressed, as his average dropped nearly 50 points to .210, his home runs were cut nearly in half to 8, and his OPS dropped by nearly 170 points.  Following the season, he made his largest contribution to the future success of the White Sox by being traded to the Reds for Paul Konerko.

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

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#75 – Donn Pall

thepopeName: Donn Pall

Rank: 75

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1988-1993

Chicago native Donn Pall joined the White Sox organization via the 23rd round of the draft in 1985.  He made his major league debut 3 years later, throwing a mop-up inning of relief at the end of the Sox 10-2 loss to the A’s on August 1 at Comiskey Park.  Pall appeared in 16 additional games down the stretch for a miserable White Sox squad, finishing the year with a respectable 3.45 ERA.

Pall returned to the White Sox bullpen in 1989, earning his first career win on April 27 in a 16 inning victory over the Red Sox.  He finished the year 4-5 with a 3.31 ERA and 6 saves in 53 appearances for the last place White Sox.

The surprising White Sox found themselves in a pennant race in 1990 as they said goodbye to Comiskey Park.  Pall continued to be a mainstay in the bullpen, going 3-5 with a 3.32 ERA in 56 appearances, including one appearance during the final weekend at the park he grew up attending.

Pall and the White Sox moved across the street for the 1991 season, where Pall put up the best numbers of his career.  He finished the year 7-2 with a sparkling 2.41 ERA in 51 appearances, including a scoreless inning of relief in the first game at new Comiskey Park.  Pall struggled in 1992, seeing his ERA jump to 4.93 and his appearances drop to 39 despite a 5-2 record.

In 1993, as the White Sox headed towards their first division title since 1983, Pall bounced back to put up 3.22 ERA in 39 appearances heading into September.  However, he found himself in a roster crunch and, to make room for the re-acquired Ivan Calderon, he was traded to the Phillies on August 31 for a player to be named later.  Pall, along with Carlton Fisk, who had been released earlier in the year, came to Comiskey Park before game 1 of the ALCS to wish their former teammates well.  Sadly, they were both turned away, souring Fisk’s relationship with the organization for years.

Pall returned to the White Sox organization in 1995, spending the entire year in Triple A before leaving at the end of the year as a free agent.

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

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#77 – Mike Squires

squiresName: Mike Squires

Rank: 77

Position: 1B

Years With White Sox: 1975, 1977-1985

Mike Squires joined the White Sox organization as their 18th round draft pick in 1973.  He made his major league debut on September 1, 1975, going 2-3 in the White Sox loss to the Royals at Comiskey Park.  He appeared in 19 additional games down the stretch, hitting .231 in 74 plate appearances.

After spending all of 1976 back in Triple A, Squires returned to the South Side for 3 games in 1977, going hitless in 3 at bats.  He was up in the big leagues to stay in 1978, appearing in 46 games and hitting .280 in 150 at bats.

1979 saw Squires getting his most extensive playing time to date, appearing in 122 games and hitting a modest .264, including his first major league home run.  1980 was more of the same for Squires, hitting a career-high .283 in 131 games.  He also became the first left-handed catcher in the major leagues since 1961 when he replaced Bruce Kimm in the 9th inning of an 11-1 loss to the Brewers on May 4.

During the strike-shortened season of 1981, Squires hit .265 in 92 games, failing to homer for the first time since 1978 and earning the Gold Glove award for first basemen.  1982 was more of the same for Squires, as he put up a .267 average in only 195 at bats, his lowest total since 1978.  As the White Sox ran away with the division title in 1983, Squires set a career high in games played with 143, but garnered only 153 at bats, hitting a meek .222.  He became the first left handed third baseman in at least 50 years when he replaced Vance Law in the 8th inning of a 10-2 loss to the Royals.  He went 0-4 in the ALCS against the Orioles, appearing in all 4 games.

1984 was the beginning of the end for Squires, as his average slipped to a career low .183 in only 82 at bats.  He was released during spring training in 1985, before being re-signed in September, appearing in 2 games without a plate appearance.  Following the season, his career came to an end.

Squires’ numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#82 – John Cangelosi

cangelosiName: John Cangelosi

Rank: 82

Position: OF

Year With White Sox: 1985-1986

John Cangelosi was selected by the White Sox in the 4th round of the 1982 January draft.  He made his major league debut on June 30, 1985, going 0-2 in the White Sox 4-3 loss to the Twins at Comiskey Park.  He appeared in 4 more games during the 1985 seasons, earning 1 additional plate appearance.

In 1986, Cangelosi surprised everyone by earning the center fielder job in spring training, beating out Rudy Law and Daryl Boston.  He finished the year with a .235 batting average, but set an American League rookie record with 50 stolen bases.

The following spring, Cangelosi did not repeat his impressive performance and, on March 27, he was traded to the Pirates for Jim Winn.  He returned to the organization on a minor league deal in 1991, but was traded to the Brewers for Esteban Beltre less than 2 months later.

Cangelosi’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#99 – Brian Anderson

Name: Brian Anderson

Rank: 99

Position: CF

Years With White Sox: 2005-2009

Brian Anderson joined the White Sox organization as the 15th overall pick in the 2003 draft.  He made his major league debut on August 16, 2005, going 2-7 in a 9-4 loss to the Twins at US Cellular Field.  He appeared in only 13 games for the big league club in 2005, as the White Sox battle for the division crown went down to the final weekend.  Anderson was left off the playoff roster, but still spent the time with the team, joining Aaron Rowand in doubting the walk-off home run Scott Podsednik hit in Game 2 of the World Series.

When Rowand was traded to the Phillies prior to the 2006 season, Anderson became the new starting center fielder.  Unfortunately, he was unable to reproduce his minor league success at the major league level, eventually losing playing time to Rob Mackowiak.  He finished the year with a .225 average, striking out 90 times in only 365 at bats.

2007 turned in to a lost season for Anderson, as he lost his starting job to Darin Erstad and appeared in only 13 games, with an anemic .118 average, before being sent back to Triple A Charlotte.  He managed to boost his average back up in the minors, but an injury ended his season early.

Anderson returned to the big leagues in 2008 with a renewed focus, but it did not translate to better results in the field.  He spent most of the year as a backup and as a late inning defensive replacement for Ken Griffey Jr.  The highlight of his season was the diving catch he made to end the tiebreaker game 163 that sent the White Sox to the playoffs.  This time, Anderson made the playoff roster, but he went hitless in 5 at bats across 3 games in the White Sox loss to the Rays in the ALDS.

Anderson found himself in the same position in 2009, until the trade deadline approached, when he was traded to the Red Sox for Mark Kotsay.

Anderson returned to the White Sox organization on January 15, 2015, signing a minor league deal, but he was released on April 2nd, ending his professional career.

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

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#111 – Josh Paul

jpaul

Name: Josh Paul

Rank: 111

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 1999-2003

Evanston native Josh Paul was the second round draft pick of the White Sox in 1996.  He earned a September call-up in 1999, making his major league debut on September 7 in the White Sox 14-1 loss to the Angels.

Paul broke camp in 2000 with the White Sox, starting the season as their back-up catcher.  When Paul struggled to hit in May, he was sent back down to the minor leagues.  He returned to the White Sox in September and did well enough to earn a spot on the post-season roster.  He appeared in one game in the White Sox loss to the Mariners in the ALDS.

In 2001, Paul again started the year as the backup catcher.  He again ended up splitting the year between Chicago and Charlotte, finishing the year with a .266 average and a career high 3 home runs and 18 RBIs.  Paul began 2002 back in Charlotte, but eventually found his way back to Chicago, hitting .240 in 33 games.

Paul saw some success in 2003, though in very limited playing time, but got caught up in a numbers game behind veteran Sandy Alomar Jr. and rookie Miguel Olivo.  On June 25, he was released, ending his White Sox career.

Paul’s greatest contribution to the White Sox came in 2005, when he was a member of the Angels.  He was behind the plate in the 9th inning of game 2 of the ALCS when A.J. Pierzynski struck out and “stole” first base after Paul rolled the ball back to the mound.  Home plate umpire Doug Eddings ruled that the pitch hit the ground and, since he wasn’t tagged out, Pierzynski was entitled to first base.  A pinch runner, a stolen base, and a double later, the White Sox tied up the series at one game a piece and went on to win their next 7, leading to their first World Series title since 1917.

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

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#113 – Brent Morel

morelName: Brent Morel

Rank: 113

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 2010-2013

Brent Morel joined the White Sox organization as their third round selection of the 2008 draft.  He made his major league debut a little over 2 years later on September 7, 2010, appearing as a pinch hitter against the Tigers in a 9-1 White Sox loss.  A few days later, he hit a home run for his first major league hit against Bruce Chen and the Royals.  He finished the year with a .231 average in 21 games.

Morel spent the entire 2011 season with the White Sox, earning the starting third baseman job.  He boosted his average to .245 and appeared in a career high 126 games.  Unfortunately, this was the high point of his career.

2012 saw Morel battling injuries which affected him at the plate, as his average plummeted to .177 in only 35 games.  In 2013, Morel was back in Triple A for most of the year, getting into only 12 games for the White Sox.  Following the season, Morel was selected off waivers by the Blue Jays, ending his White Sox career.

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

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#116 – Kip Wells

kipwellsName: Kip Wells

Rank: 116

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1999-2001

Kip Wells joined the White Sox organization as the 16th overall pick of the 1998 draft.  After splitting most of the 1999 season between A and AA, he was called up to the White Sox to make his major league debut August 2nd against the Tigers in Detroit.  In a game I just so happened to attend, he earned his first major league win, going 5 1/3 innings in the Sox 6-2 victory.  He started 6 more games for the White Sox, winning 3 of them and finishing with a respectable, if unspectacular, 4.04.

2000 again saw Wells splitting time between the minor leagues and the big leagues.  As the White Sox ran away and hid with the AL Central crown, Wells started 20 games, struggling through most of them.  He finished with less than 100 innings pitched, which averages out to less than 5 innings per start, and an ERA over 6.  While the White Sox battled the Mariners in the ALDS, he did not see any post-season action.

Wells again spent most of 2001 in Chicago, though he split time between the bullpen and the rotation.  He again started 20 games, but also appeared in another 20 in relief.  He did manage to win 10 games for the first time in his career, but finished with a losing record for the second straight year, despite lowering his ERA by 1 and a quarter runs.  That December, he was packaged with fellow pitchers Josh Fogg and Sean Lowe in a trade to the Pirates for Todd Ritchie.

Wells rejoined the White Sox organization on a minor league deal in April of 2012, but he was released 10 days later.

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

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#118 – Jim Parque

parque

Name: Jim Parque

Rank: 118

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1998-2002

Jim Parque was selected by the White Sox in the first round of the 1997 draft, signing less than a week later.  He spent less than a year in the minor leagues, making his big league debut on May 26, 1998 against the Yankees.  Parque spent the rest of the season in the White Sox rotation, finishing with a winning record but with an inflated 5.10 ERA.

Parque spent the entire 1999 season in the big leagues, starting 30 games, but finding little success.  He finished with a 9-15 record and saw his ERA rise to 5.13.

2000 was Parque’s best year in the big leagues.  His most infamous moment in a White Sox uniform came in early April, when the White Sox and Tigers were involved in 2 brawls during the Sox’s 14-6 victory.  Parque hit Dean Palmer with the first pitch of the 7th inning, igniting the first brawl of the day and earning himself a 3 game suspension.  Many claim that the brawl united the young White Sox team, spurring them on to winning the AL Central title.  Parque finished the year with a 13-6 record and lowered his ERA to 4.28.  He started game one of the ALDS against the Mariners, giving up 3 runs in 6 innings and getting a no decision in the White Sox loss.

Parque’s career began to fall apart in 2001, as a torn labrum limited him to 13 games for the White Sox over the 2001 and 2002 seasons, with ERAs of 8.04 and 9.95 respectively.  With his recovery in doubt, he was non-tendered in December of 2002, making him a free agent.

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

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#121 – Chris Getz

getz

Name: Chris Getz

Rank: 121

Position: 2B

Years With White Sox: 2008-2009

Chris Getz was selected by the White Sox in the 6th round of the 2002 draft, but instead elected to attend Wake Forest.  3 years later, following a transfer to Michigan, Getz was again drafted by the White Sox, this time in the 4th round.  By 2008, Getz appeared in the Futures Game before making his major league debut on August 12 against the Royals.  He appeared in 10 games, but managed only 7 at bats for the year as the White Sox won the AL Central.

With Alexei Ramirez moving to shortstop in 2009, second base was left open for Getz and manager Ozzie Guillen awarded him the every day job coming out of spring training.  Getz led the league with a 92.6 stolen base percentage and tied for first among AL rookies with 28 multi-hit games.

Following the season, Getz, along with Josh Fields, was traded to the Royals for Mark Teahen.

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

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