Name: Jeff Abbott
Rank: 228
Position: OF
Years With White Sox: 1997-2000
Jeff Abbott was drafted by the White Sox in the 32nd round of the 1993 draft, but didn’t sign. The White Sox took another chance on him the following year, selecting him in the 4th round, and this time he signed on. Abbott rose quickly through the minor league system, making his major league debut nearly 3 years to the day he first signed with the White Sox, grounding out against Andy Pettite of the Yankees. He would return to the big league club for the rest of the season in September, appearing in 19 games and batting .263.
1998 saw Abbott as the White Sox 4th outfielder, where he performed adequately offensively, but was a butcher in the field, finishing the year with a .971 fielding percentage. Abbott got off to a slow start in 1999, hitting only .158 over the season’s first month, which resulted in his return to the minor leagues, where he would remain for the rest of the year.
In 2000, Abbott returned to the big leagues and regained his hitting stroke, but lost the power he had shown earlier. He saw his first post-season action in game 2 of the Division Series against the Mariners, which the White Sox lost in 3 games. Following the season, Abbott was sent to the Marlins in exchange for Julio Ramirez, and his White Sox career came to an end.
Abbott’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
