Tag / Kenny Williams

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#326 – Billy Koch

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Name: Billy Koch

Rank: 326

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2003-2004

Billy Koch rode a blazing fastball to major league success, saving 144 games in his first 4 seasons in the major leagues.  After racking up 44 saves and finishing 18th in the MVP voting for the 2002 A’s, Koch was looking at a pretty decent payday at arbitration, so Billy Beane looked to move his star closer.  Enter Kenny Williams, who sent Keith Foulke, Mark Johnson, Joe Valentine, and cash out west in exchange for Koch, Neal Cotts, and Daylon Holt.

Unfortunately for all involved, when Koch arrived in Chicago, his 98 MPH fastball did not.  And while a closer can get by with only a fastball with no movement when it is 98 MPH, he most certainly cannot when the fastball tops out in the low 90s or upper 80s.  Koch struggled during the 2003 season, finishing with only 11 saves and a 5.77 ERA.  The following year, Koch was put back in the closer role and again struggled, putting up a 5.44 ERA in 24 appearances through early June, when his White Sox career came to an end.  He was traded to the Marlins on June 17 in exchange for Wilson Valdez and cash.  Koch finished the season strong for the Marlins, but never pitched again in the major leagues following the 2004 season.

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

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#381 – Ryan Bukvich

Name: Ryan Bukvich

Rank: 381

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2007

The Naperville native appeared in a career high 45 games for the 2007 White Sox, coming up from Triple A as reinforcements after the original slate of arms Kenny Williams put together in the bullpen imploded.

Following a mediocre season, he was granted free agency, and he managed 4 more major league appearances before his career came to an end.

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

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#383 – Andy Sisco

Name: Andy Sisco

Rank: 383

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2007

Kenny Williams had a plan for the bullpen in 2007, power arms that had struggled in previous major league assignments.  The hope was that, under the tutelage of pitching coach Don Cooper, the young arms could be harnessed and would give the Sox one of the top bullpens in the league.  As you can probably guess, things did not work out as expected, especially for Andy Sisco.

Sisco was acquired in December of 2006 from the Royals for super-sub Ross Gload.  Sisco had a 7.10 ERA with the Royals in 2006, and despite the best efforts of Cooper and the rest of the Sox coaching staff, that rose to 8.36 in his 19 games before being shuffled back to Charlotte at the end of May.  Following the season, he was granted free agency, and he hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since.

Sisco’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

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#384 – Todd Ritchie

Name: Todd Ritchie

Rank: 384

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2002

Following the 2000 playoff loss to the Mariners, Kenny Williams traded for David Wells, thinking a front-line ace would help solidify a promising young staff and lead the team back to the playoffs.  When that didn’t turn out as planned, he turned his attention to Pittsburgh and Todd Ritchie, hoping that after 3 steady seasons with the Pirates, the right hander would stabilize the White Sox rotation.  That move was even worse.

Ritchie was acquired from the Pirates in December 2001, in exchange for Josh Fogg, Sean Lowe, and Kip Wells.  12 months, 1 week, and 1 wildly disappointing season later, he was granted free agency, after which he pitched in 9 more big league games before calling it a career.

He started 23 games for the 2002 White Sox, managing to win only 5, while allowing nearly 100 more base runners than innings pitched with a crowd pleasing ERA of 6.06.

Ritchie’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

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#484 – Scott Linebrink

Name: Scott Linebrink

Rank: 484

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2008-2010

From 2003 through 2007, Scott Linebrink had become the premier set-up man in the National League, averaging 68 games per year, which prompted Kenny Williams to sign him a 4 year, 19 million dollar deal prior to the 2008 season.  Little did anyone know how horrible things would go.

The 2008 season started off well, with Linebrink filling the set-up role successfully.  Things started to go south when closer Bobby Jenks went down with an injury and Linebrink was asked to slide from the 8th inning to the 9th inning, where things did not go as smoothly.  Unfortunately, when Jenks came back and Linebrink could be returned to his 8th inning comfort zone, the damage, whatever it was, was done.  Whether it was his confidence, the switch to the AL, overuse during his past (he had over 70 appearances in each of the past 3 years), or undisclosed arm problems, he just wasn’t the same pitcher he had been.

For each of the next two seasons, there was hope that Linebrink would return to his prior form, but it just never happened.  Finally, following the 2010 season, Kenny Williams defied expectations and found a taker for Linebrink, trading him to Braves while picking up the majority of his salary.  For whatever reason, things just did not work out for Linebrink on the South Side.

Linebrink’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

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#485 – Javier Vazquez

Name: Javier Vázquez

Rank: 485

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2006-2008

In 2005, the White Sox defied expectations and won their first World Series championship since 1917.  In an attempt to bolster the rotation for their title defense, Kenny Williams sent playoff hero Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, Luis Vizcaino, and prospect Chris Young to the Diamondbacks for Javier Vazquez, the former Expos ace who had bounced around the previous few years.  On paper, it seemed like a good move, but it failed to take into account that Javier Vazquez is at his best when he is pitching for either a National League club or a team out of contention.  Neither of these fit in to the White Sox plans for the 2006 season.

Watching him pitch in 2006 was frustrating, to say the least.  He had a propensity for being unhittable for 5 innings, and then completely falling apart in the sixth.  He finished the year 11-12 with a 4.84 ERA in 33 games and, while they won 90 games, the White Sox finished in third place.

2007 was a much better year for Vazquez, going 15-8 with a 3.74 ERA.  Coincidentally, the White Sox finished the year with a 72-90 record, 24 games behind the Indians.  In 2008, as the team rebounded to 89-74, winning the division in a one game playoff versus the Twins.  Vazquez regressed back to a 12-16 record, with a 4.67 ERA.  Thanks to the push down the stretch to win the division, the Sox were forced to start Vazquez in game 1 of the ALDS, where he was battered around by the Rays, giving up 6 runs in 4 1/3 innings.  That December, his tenure on the South Side came to an end when he was moved to the Braves for a package that included Tyler Flowers and Brent Lillibridge.

Vazquez’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

by jim

#487 – Nick Swisher

Name: Nick Swisher

Rank: 487

Position: OF/1B

Year with White Sox: 2008

In January 2008, Kenny Williams pulled the trigger on a deal that would send three prospects to the Oakland A’s in exchange for Nick Swisher, a switch hitting outfielder/first baseman who could get on base and provide some pop.  Swisher was also supposed to be a great clubhouse presence, someone who could keep the team loose throughout the course of the season.

With Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye entrenched at first base and right field respectively, the plan was to plug Swisher into left field.  Unfortunately, another off season pickup, Carlos Quentin, managed to earn the job out of spring training, leaving Swisher to play out of position for most of the season in center field.

To say things did not go as planned would be a bit of an understatement.  As the season wore on, and Swisher continued to not perform, his demeanor changed and you could say his attitude hurt the team almost as much as his .219 average.  When manager Ozzie Guillen dared to sit him on the bench occasionally down the stretch while trying to win the division, Swisher showed his true colors by complaining.  When he did play, he was so interested in trying to walk that the easiest way to get him out was to lay one right down the middle.

After the playoff loss to the Rays, Williams wasted no time in shipping him out to the Yankees, less than a year after he had been acquired.

Swisher’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

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Who’s Next?

2004 – 2011

Rumored for nearly 2 years, the Ozzie Guillen era for the White Sox came to an end last week, as Guillen was released from his contract and allowed to take his talents to South Beach.  Guillen wrapped up his tenure as the third winningest manager in team history, in terms of victories, and the only manager to lead the team to multiple post-season appearances.  That said. his act had started to grow stale and it became apparent that a change was needed in the clubhouse, something to shake up the underachieving bunch that has been run out for the past two years.  So, as Guillen prepares to lead the re-christened Miami Marlins into their new stadium next season, who will take his place on the end of the White Sox bench?

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