2022 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Newcomers

The BBWAA recently released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2022, with the results of the vote due to be revealed on January 25th with induction returning to its usual July weekend, July 24th to be precise.  With nobody elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 17 holdovers along with 13 newcomers.

Last week, we looked at the returning candidates.  Today, it’s time to look at the newcomers and who may be thankful come January.

Carl Crawford

He was never able to come close to the success he enjoyed as a Ray during the second part of his career.  I would doubt he makes it to a second election.

Prince Fielder

A neck injury ended his career prematurely, which didn’t give him enough of a chance to pile up the numbers that he would have needed for induction.

Ryan Howard

A late start to his career, winning the Rookie of the Year award in his age 25 season, will likely leave the longtime Phillie on the outside looking in.

Tim Lincecum

Lincecum had a 4 year peak that would stack up against anyone, but his career only lasted 10 years and those 6 non-peak years were middling at best and ugly at worst.

Justin Morneau

I mean, he had a nice career and all, with 1600 hits and 247 home runs, but no.

Joe Nathan

He is 8th on the all time saves list, but I don’t think that, or the World Series ring he got for 3 appearances with the 2016 Cubs at the end of his career, will put him over the top.

David Ortiz

OK, now things start to get interesting.  His 541 home runs would normally be a surefire ticket to entry, but there is a slight taint of PED use, right or wrong, to his career.  Will the writers, who have kept Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa, amongst others, out put Ortiz in?  My guess is yes.

Jonathan Papelbon

Yeah, that’s going to be a no.

Jake Peavy

Peavy ended up having a pretty nice career, but nice career’s do not get you to Cooperstown.

A.J. Pierzynski

At first glance, the easy answer is to say no.  But, his 19 year career behind the plate, where his most similar comparison is to Yadier Molina, who most people assume will get in easily once he is eligible, makes you wonder if he will get more support than you would initially think.

Alex Rodriguez

Yet another 10 year referendum on PEDs that we have to look forward to.  If I had to guess, and that is what I am doing here, I’m going to say he never gets in.

Jimmy Rollins

Rollins had a great career, but not enough to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

Mark Teixeira

He’s kind of borderline, but I don’t think he makes it.

Two Sides Of The Same Town

cws-chiFollowing last week’s trade deadline deals, Ryan Tepera and Craig Kimbrel became the 36th and 37th people I’ve seen play in person for both the Cubs and the White Sox.  With the first round of crosstown kicking off this afternoon at Wrigley, here’s a look at those players, in alphabetical order.

David Aardsma

After posting a decent season with the Cubs in 2006, Aardsma was traded to the White Sox for Neal Cotts.  Aardsma lasted one season with the Sox, where he was unable to duplicate his success from the year before.

Jason Bere

Drafted by the White Sox in the 36th round in 1990, Bere debuted with the big league club in 1993, finishing 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting.  After an All Star selection in 1994, injuries marred the remainder of his tenure on the South Side, which ended in 1998.  He resurfaced with the Cubs in 2001 and had a decent season, but he went 1-10 in 2002 before being let go.

Emilio Bonifacio

Bonifacio spent back-to-back partial seasons in Chicago, first for the Cubs in 2014 after signing as a free agent, where he played decently enough to be flipped at the trade deadline, along with James Russell, to the Braves for a young catching prospect by the name of Victor Caratini.  He returned to Chicago in 2015, signing with the White Sox, where he he did not do well at all, hitting .167 in 47 games before being released in August.

Welington Castillo

Debuting with the Cubs in 2010, Castillo spent time behind the plate for the Cubs until May of 2015, when, having been replaced in the starting lineup by Miguel Montero, he was flipped to the Mariners.  He returned to Chicago in 2018 after signing with the White Sox as a free agent.  On May 24th of that season, he was suspended 80 games for a violation of the PED policy.  The White Sox then cut bait following the 2019 season, shipping him off to the Rangers.

Neal Cotts

Acquired by the White Sox in the Billy Koch trade, he debuted with the team in 2003.  He was a key contributor in the bullpen during the 2005 championship season, and was the only relief pitcher to appear in all 3 rounds of the playoffs that season.  Following the 2006 season, he was traded to the Cubs for David Aardsma, and he spent the next 3 injury filled seasons on the North Side.

Scott Eyre

Joining the White Sox organization in a 1994 trade with the Rangers, he debuted with the big league team in 1997.  He split the next 4 seasons between the rotation and the bullpen, not to mention between Chicago and Charlotte, before being moved to the Blue Jays following the 2000 ALDS loss to the Mariners.  He joined the Cubs as a free agent for the 2006 season and enjoyed 2 seasons of relative success, before falling apart in 2008, when he was traded to the Phillies.

Kosuke Fukudome Continue reading →

And Then There Were Four

With players dropping out of the All Star Game due to injury, arrival of a baby, or, in some cases, pure uninterest, Tim Anderson has been added to the American League roster, giving the White Sox their fourth All Star.  Anderson has hit .432 over the past 10 days leading in to the break and leads MLB with a .325 average since the start of the 2019 season.

It also gives the White Sox four All Stars for the first time since 2012, when Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn, Jake Peavy, and Chris Sale all made it for the game in Kansas City.

May All Time Leaders – Through 2020

With a full year of baseball on tap after last year’s troubles due to a combination of the corona virus and needless labor squabbles, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for each month in games that I have attended.

As the weather starts to turn for the better, Memorial Day weekend has played a part in my attending 160 games during the month. I’ve managed to see a game on every day of the month of May, with 10 games on the 22nd and a single game on the 11th.

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 12
Sammy Sosa 7
Corey Patterson 7
Alfonso Soriano 7
Derrek Lee 7
Jermaine Dye 7

Hits

Name Total
Alexei Ramirez 49
Paul Konerko 47
Derrek Lee 47
Alfonso Soriano 47

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 29
Alexei Ramirez 23
Derrek Lee 23

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 41
Aramis Ramirez 28
Alexei Ramirez 25

Doubles

Name Total
Alexei Ramirez 11
Alfonso Soriano 10
Aramis Ramirez 9
Jose Abreu 9

Triples Continue reading →

Padres All Time Leaders – Through 2019

With baseball shut down because of the corona virus, I thought it would be an interesting time to look back at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We continue today with the San Diego Padres.

The Padres began life in 1969, joining the National League along with the Montreal Expos.  I’ve seen them play 19 times at 5 different ballparks, first in 1985 at Wrigley Field and, most recently, in 2017.  I was supposed to take in the 3 game series between them and the White Sox next month at PETCO Park.

Home Runs

Name Total
Adrian Gonzalez 2
Ramon Hernandez 2
Mike Cameron 2
Khalil Greene 2

Hits

Name Total
Ryan Klesko 9
Sean Burroughs 9
Brian Giles 8

Runs

Name Total
Adrian Gonzalez 7
Mark Loretta 5
Ramon Hernandez 4
Mike Cameron 4

RBI

Name Total
Khalil Greene 8
Ramon Hernandez 6
Ryan Klesko 6

Doubles

Name Total
Ryan Klesko 3
Adrian Gonzalez 3
Will Venable 3

Triples Continue reading →

The Decade In Baseball – Pitching Leaders

baseballs3The 2010s have drawn to a close and its time to take a look back at the previous decade.  Today, we are finishing off our look back at 10 years worth of baseball with the pitching leaders for the 385 games I attended between 2010 and 2019.

In addition to the regular season, these totals include 2 wild card games, 3 trips to the NLDS, 3 NLCS appearances, and the 2016 World Series.  Not too many surprises on these charts.

Wins

Name Total
Chris Sale 21
Gavin Floyd 13
John Danks 11
Jon Lester  10
Jake Peavy 10

Losses

Name Total
Jose Quintana 17
Chris Sale 12
John Danks 10
James Shields 10
Gavin Floyd 9
Carlos Rodon 9

ERA (> 10 IP)

Name Total
Kyle Ryan 0.00
Colby Lewis 0.60
Brandon Kintzler 0.68
Matt Moore 0.79
Yovani Gallardo 0.82

ERA (> 20 IP)

Name Total
Kyle Gibson 1.59
Dallas Braden 1.71
Aaron Bummer 1.84
Zach Duke 2.00
Wade Davis 2.01

Strikeouts

Name Total
Chris Sale 313
Jose Quintana 208
Gavin Floyd 145
Continue reading →

Active Pitching Leaders – Through 2017

baseballs3Last week, we looked at the active leaders in games I’ve attended through 2017 on the offensive side of the ball.  With spring training winding down and opening day less than a week away, let’s take a look at the defensive side of the ball and the active pitching leaders, which will be losing a couple of former White Sox starters from their 2008 Division Championship team.

Wins

Name Total
Chris Sale 21
Jake Peavy 11
Jon Lester 8
Jose Quintana 7
Nate Jones 6
C.C. Sabathia 6

Losses

Name Total
Jose Quintana 15
Chris Sale 12
Jake Peavy 9
Carlos Rodon 7
Tom Gorzelanny 7

ERA (> 35 IP)

Name Total
David Robertson 2.17
Nate Jones 2.28
Zach Duke 2.38
Johnny Cueto 2.43
Hector Santiago 2.43

ERA (> 70 IP)

Name Total
Jon Lester 2.89
Chris Sale Continue reading →

Active Pitching Leaders – Through 2016

baseballs3Last week, we looked at the active leaders in games I’ve attended through 2016 on the offensive side of the ball.  With spring training winding down and opening day less than a week away, let’s take a look at the defensive side of the ball and the active pitching leaders, which will be losing a certain lefthander who, while yet to officially retire, has made no effort to continue his career in over a year.

Wins

Name Total
Gavin Floyd 24
Chris Sale 20
John Danks 19
Jake Peavy 11
Jose Quintana 7

Losses

Name Total
John Danks 16
Gavin Floyd 15
Chris Sale 12
Jose Quintana 10
Jake Peavy 9

ERA (> 35 IP)

Name Total
Nate Jones 2.08
Zach Duke 2.38
Johnny Cueto 2.43
Hector Santiago 2.43
Jon Lester 2.61

ERA (> 70 IP)

Name Total
Jon Lester 2.61
Chris Sale Continue reading →

#100 – Jake Peavy

CT sox-tigers05.JPG

Name: Jake Peavy

Rank: 100

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2009-2013

The White Sox first traded for Jake Peavy on May 21, 2009, but Peavy invoked his no-trade clause to block the deal.  The next day, in a game against his soon-to-be cross town rival Cubs, Peavy injured his ankle running the bases and headed to the disabled list.  When the White Sox came around again at the trade deadline despite the lingering ankle injury, Peavy agreed to the deal and left the Padres to join the White Sox in exchange for Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Adam Russell and Dexter Carter.  Peavy eventually managed to make 3 starts for the White Sox, winning all 3 and giving fans hope for the 2010 season.

After getting off to a rough start in 2010, Peavy got on a roll and strung together five consecutive victories until July 6, when he suffered a detached latissimus dorsi muscle, a rare injury that ended his season.  Peavy worked his way back to the White Sox rotation in 2011, but he needed time to adjust to his reattached muscle and rebuild his strength.

In 2012, Peavy led the surprising White Sox to a summer in first place and was named to the All Star team.  Unfortunately, the team faded down the stretch and finished behind the Tigers for the AL Central crown.  After the season, he avoided free agency by reupping with the White Sox, signing a two year, $29 million dollar extension with a vesting option for 2015.  Unfortunately, the late season collapse that doomed the White Sox in September of 2012 continued into 2013, as the team fell into the cellar and saw an opportunity to improve themselves by moving Peavy to the Red Sox in a three-way deal that would send Jose Iglesias to the Tigers and Avisail Garcia and three low level prospects to the White Sox.

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

Continue reading →

Active Pitching Leaders – Through 2015

baseballs2Last week, we looked at the active leaders in games I’ve attended through 2015 on the offensive side of the ball.  With spring training winding down and opening day less than a week away, let’s take a look at the defensive side of the ball and the active pitching leaders, including a certain left hander who, while not signed for 2016, has not officially announced his retirement.

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 31
Gavin Floyd 24
John Danks 19
Chris Sale 15
Jake Peavy 11

Losses

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 17
Gavin Floyd 15
John Danks 15
Sean Marshall 11
Chris Sale 9
Jake Peavy 9
Jose Quintana 9

ERA (> 35 IP)

Name Total
Matt Thornton 2.32
Chris Sale 2.75
Jesse Crain 2.78
Carlos Marmol 2.79
Zach Duke 2.82

ERA (> 70 IP)

Name Total
Matt Thornton 2.32
Chris Sale Continue reading →