Tag / Padres

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#97 – Luis Salazar

lsalazar

Name: Luis Salazar

Rank: 97

Position: 3B/OF

Years With White Sox: 1985-1986

Luis Salazar came to the White Sox, along with Tim Lollar, Bill Long, and Ozzie Guillen, in the December 6, 1984 trade that sent LaMarr Hoyt to the Padres.  Salazar split time between third base and the outfield for the 1985 White Sox, posting a .245 average with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs.  His season came to a premature end when, on September 23, he tore his PCL against the Angels.

After off-season surgery, Salazar spent most of 1986 rehabbing his knee.  He was activated off the disabled list on August 8, but went back on the DL on the 16th, appearing in just 4 games.  That December, he was released by the White Sox.

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

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#100 – Jake Peavy

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Name: Jake Peavy

Rank: 100

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2009-2013

The White Sox first traded for Jake Peavy on May 21, 2009, but Peavy invoked his no-trade clause to block the deal.  The next day, in a game against his soon-to-be cross town rival Cubs, Peavy injured his ankle running the bases and headed to the disabled list.  When the White Sox came around again at the trade deadline despite the lingering ankle injury, Peavy agreed to the deal and left the Padres to join the White Sox in exchange for Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Adam Russell and Dexter Carter.  Peavy eventually managed to make 3 starts for the White Sox, winning all 3 and giving fans hope for the 2010 season.

After getting off to a rough start in 2010, Peavy got on a roll and strung together five consecutive victories until July 6, when he suffered a detached latissimus dorsi muscle, a rare injury that ended his season.  Peavy worked his way back to the White Sox rotation in 2011, but he needed time to adjust to his reattached muscle and rebuild his strength.

In 2012, Peavy led the surprising White Sox to a summer in first place and was named to the All Star team.  Unfortunately, the team faded down the stretch and finished behind the Tigers for the AL Central crown.  After the season, he avoided free agency by reupping with the White Sox, signing a two year, $29 million dollar extension with a vesting option for 2015.  Unfortunately, the late season collapse that doomed the White Sox in September of 2012 continued into 2013, as the team fell into the cellar and saw an opportunity to improve themselves by moving Peavy to the Red Sox in a three-way deal that would send Jose Iglesias to the Tigers and Avisail Garcia and three low level prospects to the White Sox.

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

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All Time Team Records

baseballs3Another exciting baseball season is upon us, and it is time once again to look at the all-time team records for games that I have attended.  Despite disparate seasons on the two sides of town last season, both the White Sox and the Cubs saw their overall winning percentage drop.  The 2016 season looks to be hopeful for both teams, so this trend should reverse itself.

All-Time Team Records
TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
California Angels 1 0 1
Arizone Diamondbacks 13 2 0.866666666666667
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652173913043478
Philadelphia Phillies 10 6 0.625
Toronto Blue Jays 12 8 0.6
New York Yankees 12 9 0.571428571428571
Colorado Rockies 7 6 0.538461538461538
Los Angeles Angels 15 13 0.535714285714286
San Francisco Giants 8 7 0.533333333333333
Chicago White Sox 250 222 0.529661016949153
Chicago Cubs 197 177 0.526737967914439
Detroit Tigers Continue reading →
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#123 – Clayton Richard

richard

Name: Clayton Richard

Rank: 123

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2008-2009

Clayton Richard was selected by the White Sox in the 8th round of the 2005 draft.  He made his major league debut on July 23, 2008, starting and going 4 innings in the White Sox 10-8 victory over the Rangers.  He ended up pitching in 13 games that year, starting 8, as the White Sox took home the division crown.  He made 2 appearances during the division series against the Rays, giving up 1 run in 6 1/3 innings pitched.

Richard started the 2009 season in the bullpen, before eventually moving in to the starting rotation.  He would make 14 starts before the trade deadline, when he, along with Dexter Carter, Aaron Poreda, and Adam Russell, was traded to the Padres for Jake Peavy.

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

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Padres All Time Leaders – Through 2015

Padres-Friars-LogoWith 5 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 San Diego Padres.

The Padres began life in 1969, joining the National League along with the Montreal Expos.  I’ve seen them play 18 times at 5 different ballparks, first in 1985 at Wrigley Field and, most recently, 2014 at US Cellular Field.

Home Runs

Name Total
Adrian Gonzalez 2
Ramon Hernandez 2
Mike Cameron 2
Khalil Greene 2

Hits

Name Total
Ryan Klesko 9
Sean Burroughs 9
Brian Giles 8

Runs

Name Total
Adrian Gonzalez 7
Mark Loretta 5
Ramon Hernandez 4
Mike Cameron 4

RBI

Name Total
Khalil Greene 8
Ramon Hernandez 6
Ryan Klesko 6

Doubles

Name Total
Ryan Klesko 3
Adrian Gonzalez 3
Will Venable 3

Triples Continue reading →

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#144 – Rodney McCray

mccrayName: Rodney McCray

Rank: 144

Position: OF

Years With White Sox: 1990-1991

Rodney McCray was originally drafted by the White Sox in the 1st round of the 1982 draft, but didn’t sign.  In December of 1987, he finally joined the White Sox organization after being selected from the Padres in the minor league draft.  He made his major league debut with the White Sox on April 30, 1990, appearing as a defensive replacement in the team’s 5-4 victory against the Rangers.

McCray was used primarily as a pinch runner and defensive replacement, appearing in 32 games but getting only 6 at bats.  He ended the season with 6 stolen bases but still in search of his first major league hit.

McCray spent most of 1991 in Triple A Vancouver, where he became internationally famous.  On May 27, McCray was playing right field and was tracking down a flyball hit by current Diamnodack manager Chip Hale.  After initially catching the ball, McCray barrelled through the plywood fence.  The video of the play has lived on through the years in sports blooper videos.

McCray later earned a call-up to the White Sox in 1991, but again saw limited playing time and even more limited batting opportunities.  This time he made it in to 17 games, but got only 7 at bats.  He did manage to get 2 hits this time around.  Following the season, McCray became a free agent and his White Sox career came to an end.

McCray’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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Franchise Four – NL West

Major League Baseball is asking its fans to vote for the four most impactful players who best represent the history of each franchise.  The winners will be announced in July at the All Star Game in Cincinnati.  Today, I will give my Franchise Four picks for the National League West.

F4Dbacks

The Diamondbacks have only been around since 1998, so there isn’t a ton of history to choose from.  6 of the 8 nominees played on their 2001 World Championship team.  My selections would be Randy Johnson, Luis Gonzalez, Matt Williams, and Steve Finley.

F4Rockies

The Rockies franchise dates all the way back to 1993, so they are in a similar boat as the Diamondbacks, but without the championship to boost their roster.  Not surprisingly, no pitchers made their list of 8 nominees.  I would go with Todd Helton, Larry Walker, Dante Bichette, and Troy Tulowitzki.

F4Dodgers

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Goodbye To The Q

Former White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin, who finished 5th in MVP voting in 2008 despite missing the final six weeks of the season with a broken wrist, announced his retirement after 9 seasons.  After being released in spring training after being acquired by the Braves in a trade, Quentin had been playing with the Mariners’ Triple A club, but was hitting only .176 in 17 at bats.

After spending parts of the 2006 and 2007 seasons with the Diamondbacks, Quentin was acquired by the White Sox in a December 2007 trade.  He earned the nickname “The Carlos Quentin” after general manager Kenny Williams was quoted saying that the team’s goals for the winter meetings were to “acquire Carlos Quentin, and not a guy like him but actually Carlos Quentin.”

Quentin played immediate dividends, breaking through in a big way for the 2008 White Sox.  He was leading the American League in home runs and was third in slugging percentage, OPS, and RBIs when he broke his wrist following a strikeout against Cliff Lee.  The injury likely cost him the MVP award, and certainly impacted the White Sox as they battled the Twins for the AL Central title before eventually losing to the Rays in the ALDS.

Quentin continued to struggle with injuries for the remainder of his White Sox career, never appearing in more than 131 games.  A shoulder injury ended his 2011 season, and his White Sox career, at the end of August.  That December, just over 4 years since he was acquired, Quentin was shipped to the Padres.

In 3 years with the Padres, injuries continued to plague Quentin, as he failed to appear in 90 games in any season.  His most famous (or infamous) moment with the Padres was the April 11, 2013 brawl against the Dodgers, where he broke Zach Greinke’s collarbone after being hit by a pitch.

This spring, Quentin was traded to the Braves, who promptly released him.  He had signed on with the Mariners in the hopes of working his way back to the major leagues, but his history of injuries had finally caught up to him and caused him to call it a day.

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

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He Is Risen

Jesus Christ himself returned today and descended upon Wrigley Field, taking human flesh and going under the name Kris Bryant, or at least that is what you would believe based on the Cubs recalling their star prospect now that he has surpassed the deadline for earning a full year of service time this season.  So of course, the Cubs continued their winning ways, remaining in first place while Bryant single-handedly won the game while simultaneously rebuilding the outfield bleachers and installing 5 new sets of bathrooms.  Anything else would, of course, be a tremendous let down.

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Well, Bryant made his major league debut in the cleanup spot for the Cubs and finished the day 0-4 with 3 strikeouts as the Cubs fell to the Padres and dropped out of first place.  Not an auspicious debut for the so-called savior.  Of course, it isn’t really fair to tag Bryant with expectations of leading the franchise to their first World Series title in 107 years, but that hasn’t stopped certain corners of Cub fandom, who look to Bryant’s future success as a lock.

One radio announcer this morning wondered, without a hint of sarcasm, if the 12 days Bryant missed would affect his chances of earning the MVP award come seasons end.  The same announcer (Mully?  Hanley?  I don’t know who’s who) also reluctantly agreed that he would probably be satisfied if Bryant ended up with Mike Schmidt’s career.  That’s Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.

None of this should be taken as a knock against Kris Bryant.  He’s obviously talented and will likely become a superstar.  But I think it is fair to say that we should make him earn it at the big league level.  Annointing him MVP prior to his first major league at bat (a 3 pitch strikeout) makes you look silly and does nothing but put tremendous pressure on someone who should, if everything falls right, become a cornerstone of a Cub resurgance over the next 7 years.

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All Time Team Records

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersAnother exciting baseball season is upon us, and it is time once again to look at the all-time team records for games that I have attended.  Another disappointing season dropped the winning percentage for the White Sox 7 points, giving them a 16 point drop over the past 2 years.

All-Time Team Records

TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
California Angels 1 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 13 2 0.867
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652
Philadelphia Phillies 10 6 0.625
Toronto Blue Jays 10 7 0.588
New York Yankees 11 8 0.579
Colorado Rockies 7 6 0.538
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 15 13 0.536
Chicago White Sox 234 204 0.534
San Francisco Giants 8 7 0.533
Chicago Cubs 194 172 0.530
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