Name: John Danks
Rank: 34
Position: P
Years With White Sox: 2007-2016
John Danks was acquired by the White Sox, along with Nick Masset, from the Rangers for Brandon McCarthy following the 2006 season. He broke camp with the Sox in 2007 and made his major league debut on April 8, picking up the loss against the Twins at US Cellular Field. Danks, along with the rest of the White Sox, struggled through 2007, finishing the year with a 6-13 record and a 5.50 ERA.
2008 was a different story for both the White Sox and Danks. Posting a career-best 3.32 ERA, Danks finished the year at 12-9 and had quite possibly the best outing of his career in game 163, throwing 8 scoreless innings of 2 hit ball against the Twins to secure the Central Division title. Less than a week later, he picked up the lone White Sox victory in the ALDS against the Rays.
Danks had continued success in both 2009 and 2010, combining for a 28-22 record over the two years, with an ERA in the 3.70s both years. 2011 went south for both the White Sox and John Danks, as his ERA jumped to 4.33 while manager Ozzie Guillen lost control of the team before leaving in the final week to head to the Marlins. Following the season, the White Sox signaled their faith in Danks, signing him to a 5 year extension worth $65 million.
Danks struggled through 9 starts in 2012 before hitting the disabled list with a mysterious shoulder injury. When he finally underwent surgery, doctors found a torn shoulder capsule. Very few pitchers have undergone this surgery, and even fewer have successfully returned to the same level they were before the injury.
Sadly, Danks’ recovery did not happen as anyone would have wanted, though not for a lack of effort. He returned in 2013, making 22 starts and going 4-14 with a 4.75 ERA. 2014 was more of the same, as his ERA was 4.74, though his record improved to 11-11. And 2015, again, saw Danks put up an ERA of 4.71 in 30 starts.
In 2016, Danks, in the final season of his contract and due $14.25 million, went 0-4 with a 7.25 ERA in April. With the surprising White Sox in first place after 1 month and with Danks accounting for half of the team’s losses, being an innings eater was no longer good enough. He was designated for assignment on May 3, ending his White Sox career.
Danks’ numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
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With Game 1 of the 2017 NLCS between the Cubs and Dodgers in the books, it’s time to take an updated look at the pitching leaders from the 9 LCS games I’ve attended prior to last night since 2003, featuring the White Sox, Cubs, Angels, Marlins, Dodgers, and Mets.
