Tag / Guaranteed Rate Field

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Keeping The Core Together

The White Sox announced today that they had signed Yoan Moncada to a 5 year, $70 million extension, with a team option that could keep him on the south side through 2025.  “I wanted to be with this team,” Moncada said through an interpreter.  “With all this happening, I can say I’m going to play alongside (left fielder) Eloy (Jimenez) and (center fielder) Luis Robert for a very long time, and that’s going to be a key for the success of this team.”

Moncada will receive a $4 million signing bonus, $1 million in 2020, $6 million in 2021, $13 million in 2022, $17 million in 2023 and $24 million in 2024. The Sox hold an option for $25 million in 2025, with a $5 million buyout.  If the option gets executed, it will make this the largest contract in White Sox history.

With Moncada locked up, the White Sox have most of the core of their rebuild under team control through the early part of this decade.  Newly acquired right fielder Nomar Mazara and oft-injured pitcher Carlos Rodon are under control through the 2021 season.  First baseman Jose Abreu is signed through 2022.  Yasmani Grandal and pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez should be here through 2023.  Tim Anderson and Michael Kopech are locked up through 2024.  Moncada and Dylan Cease are under team control through 2025.  Eloy Jimenez and Aaron Bummer are signed through 2026, and Luis Robert is on board through 2027.  This doesn’t even include Nick Madrigal and Andrew Vaughn, the team’s last two top draft picks, who have yet to make their debut and start their clocks.

After quite a few years of bad baseball, the future looks very bright on the south side of Chicago.  Rick Hahn has put the pieces in place to turn the team into contenders.  It’s time to see if the plan comes together and winning baseball can return to Guaranteed Rate Field.

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Fortifying The Staff

After missing out on Zack Wheeler earlier in the offseason, the White Sox looked idly by as the remaining big names vanished off the free agent board: Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Madison Bumgarner.  Last week, however, the struck on their plan B, signing Gio Gonzalez to a one year deal on Friday and coming to terms with Dallas Keuchel on a reported 3 year deal on Saturday.

Keuchel, a 31 year old left hander, sat out the first half of last season, signing after the draft (and the expiration of the draft pick compensation attached to him) and helping the Braves to the NL East title.  He won the AL Cy Young Award in 2015, and should help stabilize the White Sox rotation, both on the mound and as a mentor on the bench.

Gonzalez, 34, enters his third stint in the White Sox organization.  Originally signed as the team’s first round draft pick in 2004, he was part of the deal that brought Jim Thome from the Phillies following the 2005 season.  He was reacquired from the Phillies a year later, along with Gavin Floyd for Freddy Garcia.  He was traded again in 2008 as part of the ill-fated Nick Swisher deal with the A’s.  He will now bolster the back end of the White Sox rotation.

These moves give the White Sox plenty of pitching depth as they go into spring training, allowing Michael Kopech and Carlos Rodon to return from injury on their own timetable and keeping the likes of Dylan Covey and Ross Detwiler far from the pitching mound at Guaranteed Rate Field.

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Games Per Stadium By Year

With the 2019 season in the rear view mirror, let’s take a look at the number of games I’ve attended per year at one of the 25 different stadiums I’ve visited over the years.

 

Year Stadium Name Total Games
2008 US Cellular Field 46
2003 Wrigley Field 46
Surprise playoff runs for the White Sox in 2008 and the Cubs in 2003 led to my highest single season totals ever, boosted by post-season play.
2007 Wrigley Field 43
2004 Wrigley Field 41
My highest non-playoff total saw me attending over half of the home games for the Cubs in 2004.
2011 US Cellular Field 40
2009 US Cellular Field 40
2010 US Cellular Field 36
2005 Wrigley Field 34
2008 Wrigley Field 34
2017 Guaranteed Rate Field 33
2006 US Cellular Field 32
Post World Series championship started an attendance jump.
2016 US Cellular Field 32
2012 US Cellular Field 31
2015 US Cellular Field 31
2007 US Cellular Field 29
2014 US Cellular Field 28
Continue reading →
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Crosstown Pitching Leaders Revisited

cws-chiLast month, the 2019 Crosstown Cup series kicked off at Wrigley Field with the teams splitting the two games.  With round two scheduled to get under way tonight at across town at Guaranteed Rate Field, we look at the pitching leaders from the 71 contests I’ve attended in the annual match-up between the White Sox and the Cubs, starting with:

Wins

Name Total
Carlos Zambrano 4
Mark Buehrle 3
Jon Lieber 3
13 tied with 2

Losses

Name Total
Carlos Zambrano 3
Mark Buehrle 3
Jon Garland 3
Jose Contreras 3
10 tied with 2

ERA (> 9 IP)

Name Total
Matt Thornton 0.00
Glendon Rusch 0.00
Chris Sale 0.56
Kip Wells 1.13
Freddy Garcia 1.20

Strikeouts

Name Total
Carlos Zambrano 46
Continue reading →
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Changes To The Old Ballparks

The 2019 baseball season is underway and there have been some changes the old ballparks.  Both Guaranteed Rate Field and Wrigley Field debuted some new amenities for their fans as the White Sox and the Cubs got underway over the last few weeks.First, on the south side, comes the new Goose Island section.  On the concourse behind the section is a faux CTA train, where many different variants of Goose Island beer can be purchased.  Right behind the bar is a gathering space, with a large goose head drawing people there.

Over on the north side, the biggest change, affecting the entire ballpark, are the renumbered sections and seats.

As we learned last November, the seating bowl at Wrigley Field has been completely renumbered.  In what the Cubs described as a “more intuitive seat numbering system”, the upper deck has new designations, as the previous 400-level seats are now the 300-level and the 500-level is now the 400-level.  In addition, an L or R will be added to the (now) section number to designate whether you are in left field or right field.  My seats, which previously were in row 1 of aisle 509, are now, as you can see, in 408L.

Finally, in the final phase of the big remodel, new food stations were opened behind the seats in the upper deck.  The previous food station, underneath the press box behind home plate, has been converted into a private club.  The food options, sadly, have not been improved.

 

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FB4: Week 32

A decent week, with 6 days above goal but no single outstanding day.  Labor Day weekend had Sunday and Monday coming in at nearly identical totals, coming in just 12 steps apart at just over 7100 steps each.  Tuesday was Day 1 of PI Planning, so walks to North enabled me to come in over 7500 steps.  Wednesday’s day 2 of PI Planning had me over 8600 steps.  Thursday combined work and some initial packing to come in at nearly 7400 steps.  A post-work trip to Guaranteed Rate Field for my final regular season game of the year helped Friday to finish over 8300 steps.  A good portion of Saturday was spent on a plane, so the pre-flight walking through O’Hare attributed for the 5100 steps I finished with.

Total steps: 51,202

Daily average: 7314.6

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FB4: Week 31

A disappointing week, with only 3 days coming in over my daily goal of 7000 steps.  The week got off to a disappointing start, with less than 2900 steps on Sunday.  Monday was a bit of an improvement, coming in just over 7500 steps.  Tuesday was the high point of the week, with over 8700 steps.  Wednesday fell well short of goal, coming in at just over 5700 steps.  Thursday fell a mere 9 steps shy of 6200 steps.  Friday was back up over my daily goal, coming in at more than 7100 steps.  Despite a trip to Guaranteed Rate Field to see the White Sox battle the Red Sox, Saturday finished under 4900 steps.

Total steps: 43,059

Daily average: 6151.3

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FB4: Week 30

A good week, despite a poor start and finish.  Things started poorly with just shy of 3500 steps on Sunday.  Monday was a nice bounce back, coming in right below 12,500 steps as we moved back to our fancy new digs in South Plaza.  Tuesday improved on Monday’s total by 43 steps, thanks to a post-work excursion down to Guaranteed Rate Field to take in the rain-shortened debut of Michael Kopech.  Wednesday was my third straight day over 10,000 steps, before falling off to just shy of 5800 on Thursday.  Friday was a nice bounce back day, coming in over 9100 steps.  Saturday was a complete failure, with just over 3100 steps.

Total steps: 57,451

Daily average: 8207.3

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FB4: Week 29

A good week, despite a slow start on Sunday with a disappointing 3400 steps. Things bounced back on Monday, as I fell just shy of 8500 steps.  Tuesday managed to surpass my daily goal by a mere 71 steps.  Wednesday was better, with over 9700 steps.  Thursday came in at over 11,100 steps, as I bounced back and forth between Willow and South, preparing for the move back.  Friday was 2 steps shy of 10,100 steps, thanks to a post-work trip to Guaranteed Rate Field to watch the White Sox battle the Royals.  Saturday was the big day of the week, coming in just short of 11,900 steps thanks to an aborted attempt to get a Tim Anderson bobblehead before the Pearl Jam concert at Wrigley Field.

Total steps: 61,782

Daily average: 8826