Tag / Albert Belle

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The Crime Dog Solves The Case

The new Contemporary Era Committee announced the results of their vote Sunday night, inducting former Cub first baseman Fred McGriff into the Hall of Fame with 100% of the vote.  McGriff, whose 18-year career also included tours with the Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Devil Rays, and Dodgers, fell off the BBWAA ballot in 2019 after his tenth year, earning just 39.8% of the vote.

With the Cubs becoming surprise contenders in the 2001 season, they acquired McGriff from the Devil Rays.  The Crime Dog held up his part of the bargain down the stretch, putting up a .942 OPS with 12 home runs in 49 games with the Cubs.  Unfortunately, the pitching fell apart as the Cubs went 23-28 in August and September, finishing five games behind the Astros and Cardinals.  At age 38, McGriff returned to the Cubs in 2002, posting a .858 OPS and 125 OPS+ to go along with 30 homers and 103 runs batted in.  The rest of the Cubs, however, were butt, going through three managers and finishing with a 67-95 record.  McGriff became a free agent following the season.

Players needed twelve of the sixteen votes to gain election.  Don Mattingly finished second, with eight votes, followed by Curt Schilling, with seven, and Dale Murphy with six.  Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Rafael Palmeiro each received fewer than four votes.

Fred McGriff’s numbers in games I’ve attended were:

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By The Numbers – 73

In 1929, uniform numbers appeared on the back of baseball jerseys for the first time, thanks to the Indians and the Yankees.  By 1937, numbers finally appeared across all uniforms, both home and away, across both major leagues.  Since that time, 81 distinct numbers have been worn by members of the White Sox, while the Cubs boast 76.

Today, we continue our look at those players, picking our favorite, if not the best, player to wear each uniform number for both Chicago teams with #73.  A single player has donned #73 for each Chicago team.

Tony Phillips had a turbulent 1996 season with the White Sox, retiring for 48 hours during spring training and getting into a fistfight with a fan at County Stadium in Milwaukee in May.  When Albert Belle signed with the White Sox prior to the 1997 season, Phillips gave up his #8 and switched to #73.  His tenure with the number, however, was short lived.  On April 21, he was ejected 3 pitches into that night’s game against the Yankees.  Phillips had to be restrained by 3 White Sox players and ended up getting suspended for 2 games.  He accused American League president Gene Budig of being a racist, which Jerry Reinsdorf called “out of line,” and, on May 13th, Phillips was traded to the Angels.

On the other side of town, young pitcher Adbert Alzolay has appeared in 10 games for the Cubs over the past 2 seasons.  He has a chance to claim a permanent slot in the rotation in 2021.

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#151 – Albert Belle

albertbelleName: Albert Belle

Rank: 151

Position: LF

Years With White Sox: 1997-1998

Mere weeks after owner Jerry Reinsdorf argued against a labor deal that did not include salary restraints, the White Sox shocked the baseball world on November 19, 1996 by signing free agent outfielder Albert Belle to a 5 year, $55 million deal, making him the highest paid player in baseball.  Belle, joining returning stars Frank Thomas and Robin Ventura, was expected to lead the White Sox back to the post-season.

While Belle certainly lived up to his end of the bargain, things did not go as planned for the White Sox.  Ventura broke his ankle during spring training and missed nearly the first 4 months of the season.  Belle, meanwhile, tried to keep the team afloat, going on a career-high 27 game hitting streak in May.  When Ventura returned in late July, the White Sox had their intended sluggers together for the first time all season and looked like they were ready to make a run.  A week later, at the trading deadline, they were only 3.5 games behind the Indians when Reinsdorf decided to pull the plug and signed off on what has become known as the White Flag trade.

The team finished the season 1 game under .500 and in 2nd place, 6 games behind the Indians.  Belle finished the year with .274 average, 30 home runs, and 116 RBI.

The White Sox struggled again in 1998, but, once again, Albert Belle was not part of the problem.  He became the franchise’s single season leader in home runs (49) and RBIs (152), the later of which surpassed Zeke Bonura’s record from 1936.  On the last day of the season, when Cal Ripken sat out to end his record consecutive games streak, Belle became the active leader.

Following the season, Belle invoked a unique clause in his contract which entitled him to remain as one of the 3 highest paid players in baseball.  Looking at a rebuilding effort, the White Sox decided against renegotiating, which allowed Belle to become a free agent, ending his tenure on the south side.

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

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#486 – Jaime Navarro

Name: Jaime Navarro

Rank: 486

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1997-1999

Following the 1996 season, there were 2 big free agent pitchers available on the open market.  One had decided that Chicago was the place for him.  Intrigued by a lineup that included both Frank Thomas and Albert Belle, Roger Clemens had his agents reach out to Jerry Reinsdorf.  GM Ron Schueler had other ideas, which included Navarro, who was coming off of a 29-18 record in 2 years with the Cubs.  Clemens ultimately ended up in Toronto, where he won back-to-back Cy Young awards in 1997 and 1998.  Navarro went completely off the rails, going 25-43 with a 6.06 earned-run average in his three seasons with the White Sox.  “For me Navarro was just a better value than Roger,” Schueler said.  “There wasn’t as much risk. . . . We talked to our scouts about [Clemens]. They did not recommend him for even a three-year deal. They felt like there is a danger he’s going to have arm problems.”

At the end of the day, Navarro’s most valuable contribution to the White Sox was the trade that sent him out of town.  The Brewers, for reasons that I can not comprehend, sent Cal Eldred and Jose Valentin to the Sox for Navarro in January of 2000.  Of course, those two helped lead the White Sox to the AL Central title later that same year.  Navarro, meanwhile, pitched in 12 more major league games before being sent to the scrap heap.

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