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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Our Throwback Thursday feature continues, as we once again point the wayback machine back to the 1990s, finally putting our focus on the defensive leaders of that decade. As a reminder, I’ve identified 32 games that I attended during this time period, when I would have been ages 15 through 24.