Name: Dewayne Wise
Rank: 101
Position: OF
Years With White Sox: 2008-2009, 2012-2013
Dewayne Wise signed with the White Sox organization on March 5, 2008. He started the year at Triple A, but was recalled to the big leagues in May when Juan Uribe landed on the disabled list. He returned for good in late July when Paul Konerko got hurt, becoming a defensive replacement for the newly acquired Ken Griffey Jr. and gaining additional playing time when Carlos Quentin broke his wrist in early September. The high point of his season came on September 14, when, with the White Sox battling the Twins for the Central division title, he answered a grand slam in the top of the 8th by Marcus Thames with one of his own in the bottom of the inning, pushing the Sox to an 11-7 victory over the Tigers and retaining their first place standing.
Wise returned to the White Sox in 2009, earning the Opening Day nod in center field. A separated shoulder 7 games into the season put him on the shelf until early June. He made the play of his career on July 23, when he entered the game against the Rays as a defensive replacement in the 9th inning. The first hitter, Gabe Kapler, hit a deep fly ball to center field which Wise first leaped to keep in the ballpark, then juggled the ball as he fell to the ground, finally grasping it with his bare hand. The catch preserved Mark Buehrle’s perfect game, which he wrapped up two batters later.
The remainder of 2009 was uneventful, as the White Sox fell from contention. Wise finished the year with a .225 average, and became a free agent following the season.
Wise returned to the White Sox in 2012, signing a minor league deal on August 3rd. Barely a week later, he was called up to the majors when Paul Konerko landed on the 7 day concussion DL. Wise appeared in 45 games over the final two months of the season, hitting .258 as the White Sox blew their division lead over the last few weeks of September.
Wise re-upped with the White Sox for the 2013 season, but was used sparingly. He appeared in only 30 games, hitting .234, before being released on August 3rd, which drew his major league career to an end.
Wise’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
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To paraphrase from a famous movie, the one constant through all the years has been baseball. With the winter meetings starting today, we continue our look at the all-time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. Today, we take a deeper dive into the New York Yankees.