Name: Jon Garland
Rank: 47
Position: P
Years With White Sox: 2000-2007
Jon Garland was acquired by the White Sox at the trade deadline in 1998 from the Cubs in exchange for Matt Karchner. He made his major league debut on July 4, 2000 against the Royals, becoming the youngest player in the American League and earning the loss by giving up 7 runs in 3 innings pitched at Kauffman Stadium. He appeared in 15 games in the big leagues, 13 of them starts, and finished the year 4-8 with a 6.46 ERA as the White Sox won the AL Central.
Garland returned to the minor leagues to start the 2001 season, but was recalled in early May. On May 12, he gave up the 200th home run of Alex Rodriguez’s career. He split time between the rotation and the bullpen, ending the year with a 6-7 record and 3.69 ERA in 35 games. He also notched his only career save.
In 2002, Garland joined the White Sox starting rotation full time. He started 33 games and went a pedestrian 12-12 with a 4.58 ERA. 2003 was more of the same, as he went 12-13 with a 4.51 ERA. He evened things out in 2004, going 12-11 with a 4.89 ERA, giving him a 3 year record of 36-36.
Things turned around in 2005, for both Garland and the White Sox. He earned his first, and only, All Star nod, throwing a scoreless inning in relief. He finished the year with an 18-10 record and a career low 3.50 ERA, helping the White Sox claim their first Central Division title since 2000. Garland made his first post-season appearance in game 3 of the ALCS against the Angels, throwing a complete game in the 5-2 victory. Garland appeared again in game 3 of the World Series, giving up 2 earned runs in 7 innings against the Astros. He came in 6th place in Cy Young Award voting, right behind teammate Mark Buehrle.
Garland continued his winning ways in 2006, again winning 18 games while losing only 7, though his ERA rose to 4.51. He also found success at the plate, hitting his first (and only) career home run on June 18 against the Reds.
2007 was another average year for Garland, as the White Sox cratered. He finished the year 10-13 with a 4.23 ERA and completed his fourth straight year over 200 innings. On November 19, he was traded to the Angels for shortstop Orlando Cabrera, ending his White Sox career.
Garland’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: