Tag / Mariners

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#116 – Kip Wells

kipwellsName: Kip Wells

Rank: 116

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1999-2001

Kip Wells joined the White Sox organization as the 16th overall pick of the 1998 draft.  After splitting most of the 1999 season between A and AA, he was called up to the White Sox to make his major league debut August 2nd against the Tigers in Detroit.  In a game I just so happened to attend, he earned his first major league win, going 5 1/3 innings in the Sox 6-2 victory.  He started 6 more games for the White Sox, winning 3 of them and finishing with a respectable, if unspectacular, 4.04.

2000 again saw Wells splitting time between the minor leagues and the big leagues.  As the White Sox ran away and hid with the AL Central crown, Wells started 20 games, struggling through most of them.  He finished with less than 100 innings pitched, which averages out to less than 5 innings per start, and an ERA over 6.  While the White Sox battled the Mariners in the ALDS, he did not see any post-season action.

Wells again spent most of 2001 in Chicago, though he split time between the bullpen and the rotation.  He again started 20 games, but also appeared in another 20 in relief.  He did manage to win 10 games for the first time in his career, but finished with a losing record for the second straight year, despite lowering his ERA by 1 and a quarter runs.  That December, he was packaged with fellow pitchers Josh Fogg and Sean Lowe in a trade to the Pirates for Todd Ritchie.

Wells rejoined the White Sox organization on a minor league deal in April of 2012, but he was released 10 days later.

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

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#118 – Jim Parque

parque

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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Mariners All Time Leaders – Through 2015

marinersWith 3 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We continue today with the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners began life in 1977, joining the American League along with the Toronto Blue Jays. I’ve seen them play 30 times, including the final night game at the original Comiskey Park and the first 2 games of their sweep of the White Sox in the 2000 ALDS.

Home Runs

Name Total
Kyle Seager 4
Franklin Gutierrez 3
Richie Sexson 3

Hits

Name Total
Ichiro Suzuki 19
Michael Saunders 12
Raul Ibanez 11

Runs

Name Total
Ichiro Suzuki 8
Raul Ibanez 6
Michael Saunders 5
Jose Lopez 5

RBI

Name Total
Kyle Seager 8
Mike Cameron 8
Alvin Davis 7

Doubles

Name Total
Michael Saunders 3
6 tied with 2

Triples Continue reading →

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Blue Jays All Time Leaders – Through 2015

jaysnewWith 4 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We continue today with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays began life in 1977, joining the American League along with the Mariners. I’ve seen them play 20 times, first in 1984 and most recently at their home stadium in September during my trip to Toronto.

Home Runs

Name Total
Edwin Encarnacion 2
Josh Donaldson 2
10 tied with 1

Hits

Name Total
Vernon Wells 16
Edwin Encarnacion 8
Reed Johnson 8
Jose Bautista 8

Runs

Name Total
Vernon Wells 7
Reed Johnson 4
Jose Reyes 4
Aaron Hill 4

RBI

Name Total
Jose Bautista 8
Lyle Overbay 6
Vernon Wells 5
Adam Lind 5

Doubles

Name Total
Vernon Wells 6
Jose Bautista 4
Lyle Overbay 3
Adam Lind 3

Triples Continue reading →

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2016 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Newcomers

baseballhof

The BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2016 last Monday.  The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 6th, with induction taking place next July. After Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 17 holdovers along with 15 newcomers, which may start to cause a bit of a problem.  The current BBWAA rules continue to limit the number of votes on one ballot to 10, and there may be more than 10 deserving candidates, so there will be too many qualified candidates fighting for limited spots in a shorter amount of time.  Once again, the BBWAA and the Hall may find themselves with a mess on their hands.

Last Thursday, we looked at the returning candidates.  Today, it’s time to look at the newcomers and who will be thankful come January.

Garret Anderson

The long-time Angel had a proud career, but has no chance to stay on the ballot for another year, let alone earn election at some point.

Brad Ausmus

It should be a quick one and out for the current Tigers manager.

Luis Castillo

Again, a perfectly acceptable career, but will be lucky to get a sympathy vote from a hometown writer.

David Eckstein

Wow, this batch of newcomers is starting to look a little weak.

Jim Edmonds

The defensive whiz will likely get some support, but not enough to get elected in this, or any other, year.

Troy Glaus

Another long time Angel who has no chance of being elected.

griffeyKen Griffey Jr.

The former Mariner, Red, and White Sox outfielder is likely to be the only newcomer elected in his first year of eligibility.  630 career home runs, without a hint of PED suspicion, will let him easily surpass the 75% threshold.

Mark Grudzielanek

Yeah, that’s not going to happen.

Mike Hampton

The one-time poster child for bad long term contracts is unlikely to get much support in what should be his one HOF election.

Trevor Hoffman Continue reading →

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2016 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Holdovers

baseballhof

The BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2016 on Monday.  The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 6th, with induction taking place next July.  After Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz were elected in last year’s voting, the new ballot contains 17 holdovers along with 15 newcomers, which may start to cause a bit of a problem.  The current BBWAA rules continue to limit the number of votes on one ballot to 10, and there may be more than 10 deserving candidates, so there will be too many qualified candidates fighting for limited spots in a shorter amount of time.  Once again, the BBWAA and the Hall may find themselves with a mess on their hands.

Let’s take a look at the returning candidates today before moving on to the newcomers.

Jeff Bagwell
Years on ballot: 5
2015 Percentage: 55.7

Bagwell bounced back last year with a small increase, but things continue to look bleak for him thanks to seemingly unsubstantiated PED rumors.  I fear he’ll continue to wait for that elusive call.

Barry Bonds
Years on ballot: 3
2015 Percentage: 36.8

The all time home run champion saw his vote percentage rise for the first time last year, but not significantly.  I doubt he’ll see much more support this year, leaving him on the outside looking in.

Roger Clemens
Years on ballot: 3
2015 Percentage: 37.5

Roger Clemens, he of the 354 career victories and 7 Cy Young awards, also found himself with a slight rise after his third run through the voting process.  For some odd reason, perhaps by having played for more teams, Clemens continues to get marginally more support than his fellow PED poster child Barry Bonds.

Nomar Garciaparra
Years on ballot: 1
2015 Percentage: 5.5

Considered at one time on an even keel with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, Garciaparra is likely to drop off the ballot after this election.

Jeff Kent
Years on ballot: 2
2015 Percentage: 14.0

The 2000 NL MVP saw his support wane in his second year of eligibility.  With the number of candidates coming down the pike, the future does not look good for him.

Edgar Martinez
Years on ballot: 6
2015 Percentage: 27.0

The longtime DH for the Mariners has had plenty of support from the Internet but not as much from the BBWAA, though his percentage did increase slightly last year.  His long career as a DH in the Pacific Northwest may be holding him back.

Fred McGriff
Years on ballot: 6
2015 Percentage: 12.9 Continue reading →

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#128 – Philip Humber

Phil-Humber-perfect-game-pictures-5

Name: Philip Humber

Rank: 128

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2011-2012

Philip Humber was selected off waivers from the A’s by the White Sox in January of 2011.  With Jake Peavy out due to injury, Humber got the opportunity to join the White Sox rotation out of spring training.  He was surprisingly successful, leading the White Sox to move to a 6 man rotation once Peavy returned from injury.  Despite spending some time on the DL after taking a line drive off the bat of Kosuke Fukudome in the face, Humber finished his first full season as a starting pitcher with a 9-9 record and a respectable 3.75 ERA.

Humber returned to the White Sox rotation to begin the 2012 season.  The high point of his season, not to mention career, came on April 21, as he threw the 21st perfect game in major league history, defeating the Mariners 4-0.  The unlikely no-no was his first career complete game.  Sadly, he fell apart after the perfect game, giving up 20 runs in 13 1/3 innings over his next 3 starts.  By July, he was out of the rotation.  At season’s end, he was put on waivers and selected by the Astros, ending his White Sox career.

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

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2015 Final Standings

baseballs3Now that the Cubs have been swept from the NLCS by the Mets, the physical attendance portion of the 2015 baseball season, for me, has come to an end.  I made it to 39 games this year, in 4 stadiums (1 new) across 2 countries.  Here are the final standings for those games, and the 15 different teams that I saw in person this year.

2015 Team Records
Team Won Loss Winning Pctg
New York Mets 2 0 1.000
Kansas City Royals 3 1 0.750
Detroit Tigers 3 1 0.750
Toronto Blue Jays 2 1 0.667
St. Louis Cardinals 2 1 0.667
Minnesota Twins 4 3 0.571
Seattle Mariners 1 1 0.500
New York Yankees 1 1 0.500
Cincinnati Reds 1 1 0.500
Chicago White Sox 16 18 0.471
Chicago Cubs 3 5 0.375
Baltimore Orioles Continue reading →
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#133 – Tony Bernazard

92-231Fr

Name: Tony Bernazard

Rank: 133

Position: 2B

Years With White Sox: 1981-1983

Tony Bernazard was traded to the White Sox from the Expos for Rich Wortham on December 12, 1980.  During the strike shortened 1981 season, Bernazard became the starting second baseman, hitting .276 with 6 home runs while leading the team with 106 games played.

In 1982, the White Sox were poised to make a run for a division title, with Bernazard leading the way.  Unfortunately, his season came to a premature end when he suffered a broken leg on September 12, and the White Sox faltered down the stretch without him, finishing in third place, 6 games behind the division-winning Angels.

Expectations for the White Sox were large in 1983, but the team got off to a slow start.  On June 15, with a record of 28-32, the White Sox looked to shake things up and shipped Bernazard to the Mariners in exchange for Julio Cruz.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Bernazard’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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All Time Playoff Team Records

baseballs3As the Cubs prepare for tonight’s NL wild card game against the Pirates, the first post-season appearance by a Chicago team since the inception of this blog, it’s time to take our first look at the team records for the 17 playoff contests I have attended.  These contests come from the 2000 ALDS, the 2003 NLDS and NLCS, all 3 rounds of the 2005 post-season, the 2007 NLDS, and both the ALDS and NLDS in 2008.

TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
Florida Marlins 3 0 1.000
Seattle Mariners 2 0 1.000
Los Angeles Dodgers 2 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 1 0 1.000
Chicago White Sox 5 4 0.556
Tampa Bay Rays 1 1 0.500
Los Angeles Angels 1 1 0.500
Atlanta Braves 1 1 0.500
Chicago Cubs 1 7 0.125
Houston Astros 0 1 0.000
Boston Red Sox 0 2 0.000