Tag / All Star Game

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Labor Peace

Last week, Major League Baseball and the Player’s Association avoided a lockout and agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement, ensuring labor peace through the 2021 season.  The big changes involve free agent compensation and a few things related to the Mid-Summer Classic.

Let’s start with the All Star Game.  After the fiasco in Milwaukee in 2002, where the game ended in a tie after both teams ran out of pitchers, Commissioner Bud Selig decided that, going forward, the winning team would earn home field advantage for their participant in the World Series.  The new labor agreement changes that, giving home field advantage to the World Series participant with the best regular season record.  Given the scheduling disparities between the leagues, this is not a perfect solution, but is a step in the right direction.

The other ASG-related change is the removal of roster slots available for the manager’s discretion.  The Commissioner’s office will now fill out the remaining spots after the fan and player votes.  Meaning, of course, that the days of the manager bringing loads of his own players, deserving or not, is over.

Changes affecting the regular season include a new 10 day disabled list, replacing the current 15 day list.  Starting in 2018, the schedule will be expanded to provide teams with four additional off days, meaning the season will now begin in the middle of the week.

On the revenue sharing side of things, the A’s will no longer be treated as a small market team, meaning they will lose the $30+ million they get today.

Finally, free agents who have been made a qualifying offer will no longer cost a first round draft pick.  The draft pick compensation will depend on which team makes the signing and how much the contract is worth.  International bonuses have been capped between $4.75 million and $5.75 million, depending on where the team falls in the competitive balance pools.

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#67 – Richard Dotson

dotsonName: Richard Dotson

Rank: 67

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1979-1987, 1989

Richard Dotson joined the White Sox organization, along with Bobby Bonds and Thad Bosley, in a December 5, 1977 trade that sent Brian Downing, Dave Frost, and Chris Knapp to the Angels.  He made his major league debut on September 4, 1979 against those same Angels, going 1 and 1/3 innings and giving up 5 earned runs, leaving him with a 33.75 ERA after 1 start.  He made 4 more starts over the final month of the season, giving up just 5 additional earned runs and finishing with a 2-0 record with a 3.70 ERA.

Dotson moved into the rotation full time for the White Sox in 1980.  He finished second on the team with 12 wins, finishing 12-10 with a 4.27 ERA.  He ended up placing 7th in Rookie of the Year voting, behind winner Joe Charboneau and teammate Britt Burns.

Dotson saw improvement in the strike-shortened 1981 season.  He finished with a 9-8 record and improved his ERA to 3.77 in 24 starts, leading the league with 4 shutouts.

1982 was a disappointing season for Dotson and the White Sox.  He finished with a losing record for the first time and gave up more hits than innings pitched, yet still ended the season with a 3.84 ERA.

Dotson had his breakout season in 1983, as he helped lead the White Sox to their first division title.  He finished the regular season 22-7 with a 3.23 ERA, good enough to place 4th in Cy Young Award voting and 20th in MVP consideration.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t as successful in the ALCS, giving up 6 runs in 5 innings and earning the loss in Game 3 against the Orioles.

1984 was another good year for Dotson, as he earned his first All Star Game nod, throwing 2 scoreless innings in the mid-summer classic at Candlestick Park.  He finished with a losing record for the disappointing White Sox team, going 14-15 with a 3.59 ERA in a career high 245 2/3 innings pitched.

An injury derailed Dotson’s 1985 campaign, as he started only 9 games before undergoing surgery for a career-threatening circulatory problem in his upper chest near the right shoulder.  He returned in 1986 and was the only White Sox starter to not miss a turn in the rotation.  His results, unfortunately, were not as encouraging as he went 10-17 with a 5.48 ERA.

Dotson bounced back a little in 1987.  He went 11-12 with a 4.17 ERA for a White Sox team that finished with a losing record for the second straight year.  Following the season, he was traded, along with Scott Nielson, to the Yankees for Dan Pasqua, Steve Rosenberg, and Mark Salas.

After being released by the Yankees at the end of June in 1989, Dotson rejoined the White Sox for the last 3 months of a season in which they would lose over 90 games.  Appearing in 17 games, Dotson went 3-7 with a respectable 3.88 ERA.  At the end of the season, Dotson became a free agent and left the White Sox for good.  After retiring, Dotson rejoined the White Sox organization as a coach and has spent the last 10 seasons as pitching coach for the Charlotte Knights, the team’s Triple A affiliate.

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

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by admin

2016 All Star Break Pitching Leaders

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersNow that the All Star Game is behind us and we await the start of the second half of the season, let’s take a look at the first half leaders on the defensive side of the ball for the 18 games I attended:

Wins

Name Total
Chris Sale 3
Mat Latos 2
13 tied with 1

Losses

Name Total
Carlos Rodon 3
Miguel Gonzalez 2
13 tied with 1

ERA (> 6 IP)

Name Total
Matt Albers 0.00
Danny Duffy 0.00
Mike Foltynewicz 0.00
Hector Santiago 0.00
Dan Jennings 0.87

Strikeouts

Name Total
Chris Sale 29
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by admin

2016 All Star Break Batting Leaders

baseballs3With the All Star Game on tap for tonight in San Diego, let’s take a look at the first half offensive leaders for the 18 games I attended:

Home Runs

Name Total
Todd Frazier 5
Jose Abreu 4
Adam Eaton 2
Tim Anderson 2
Cheslor Cuthbert 2
Dioner Navarro 2
Brett Lawrie 2
J.B. Shuck 2
Jeff Francoeur 2

Hits

Name Total
Jose Abreu 21
Melky Cabrera 18
Brett Lawrie 15
Todd Frazier 12
Adam Eaton 12

Runs

Name Total
Todd Frazier 11
Jose Abreu 8
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by admin

2016 All Star Break Standings

baseballs2As the baseball world turns its sights to San Diego for tomorrow night’s All Star Game, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 18 games I attended in the first half of the baseball season, a mish-mash of excitement, followed by disappointment, giving way to uncertainty about what the second half will hold.

2016 Team Records
TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
Los Angeles Angels 1 0 1.000
Chicago Cubs 1 0 1.000
Boston Red Sox 1 0 1.000
Kansas City Royals 3 1 0.750
Cleveland Indians 2 1 0.667
Toronto Blue Jays 1 1 0.500
Atlanta Braves 1 1 0.500
Chicago White Sox 8 9 0.471
Texas Rangers 0 2 0.000
Minnesota Twins 0 2 0.000
Cincinnati Reds 0 1 0.000
by jim

All Stars

13641138_10155133635628298_1460960993873466313_oMinutes before today’s game against the Braves, the White Sox announced that Jose Quintana will join fellow starter Chris Sale in San Diego for Tuesday’s All Star game, replacing Danny Salazar, who is suffering with a sore right elbow.  Quintana will be making his first All Star appearance, and will be the third Colombian to appear in the Mid Summer Classic.

Third baseman Todd Frazier, who won the home run derby last year as a member of the Reds, will get the chance to defend his title despite not being named to the team.

On the other side of town, Dexter Fowler, voted in to start for the National League, will miss the game due to injury.  He is currently on a rehab assignment in Class A and hopes to return in the next 2 weeks.

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#87 – Carl Everett

everett-wsName: Carl Everett

Rank: 87

Position: DH/CF

Years With White Sox: 2003, 2004-2005

Carl Everett was acquired by the White Sox on July 1, 2003 from the Rangers for Frank Francisco, Josh Rupe, and Anthony Webster.  Two weeks later, he appeared in the All Star Game at his new home stadium, going 0-1 as one of 3 White Sox representatives.  Everett continued his all star ways in the second half, hitting .301 with 10 home runs after the trade, but the White Sox faded down the stretch and finished the year in second place.

After signing with the Expos as a free agent for the 2004 season, Everett was reacquired by the White Sox on July 18, two weeks after Frank Thomas went down with a broken left foot, for Gary Majewski and Jon Rauch.  In more limited playing time, Everett hit .266 with only 5 home runs and the White Sox again finished in second place.

With Thomas still recovering from his foot injury, Everett went into 2005 as the primary designated hitter.  He appeared in 135 games, hitting .251 with 23 home runs and 87 RBI.  Everett added 12 hits during the post-season as the White Sox won their first World Series title since 1917.  Following the season, Everett again left as a free agent.

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

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#98 – Esteban Loaiza

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Name: Esteban Loaiza

Rank: 98

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2003-2004, 2008

Esteban Loaiza signed with the White Sox as a free agent on January 24, 2003, with the hopes of shoring up the back end of the rotation.  He quickly became the ace of the staff, setting career highs in wins, ERA, innings pitched, and strike outs.  When the All Star Game made its way to US Cellular Field, he was selected as the starting pitcher for the American League.  By season’s end, he had tied Fernando Valenzuela’s single season win record by a Mexican-born pitcher with 21 and found himself finishing in second place for the AL Cy Young Award.

Loaiza came back down to Earth somewhat in 2004, as his ERA jumped back up from 2.90 to 4.86.  He was selected to his second straight All Star team, but, later that month, he was traded to the Yankees for Jose Contreras and cash.

Loaiza returned to the White Sox in 2008 after being cut by the Dodgers.  He signed on June 4, made 3 relief appearances, and spent 6 weeks on the disabled list before being released, ending his White Sox, and major league, career.

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

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by jim

A Pierce To The Heart

billy-pierce012015 is turning out to be a bad year for Chicago’s baseball icons of the 1950s.  Following the deaths of Ernie Banks and Minnie Minoso earlier this year, former White Sox left hander Billy Pierce passed away this morning at the age of 88.  Pierce, the franchise’s leader in career strikeouts and fourth in victories, joined the White Sox following the 1948 season and became a mainstay for the Go Go White Sox until being traded to the Giants in November of 1961.

Pierce, who had his number 19 retired by the White Sox in 1987, started All Star games in 1953, 1955, and 1956, finished 3rd in Cy Young award balloting in 1962, and finished 5th for the 1956 AL MVP.  He joined Minoso on the Hall of Fame Golden Era Committee ballot this winter, but failed to get the necessary votes.

Next month, the White Sox will honor Minnie Minoso by wearing 1950s throwbacks with Minoso’s number during a game against the Cubs.  It would be fitting to modify the plans and have the pitching staff don Pierce’s number 19.

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2015 All Star Break Batting Leaders

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersNow that the All Star Game is behind us and we await the start of the second half of the season, let’s take a look at the first half offensive leaders, if you can call them that, for the 21 games I attended:

Home Runs

Name Total
Gordon Beckham 3
Brian Dozier 3
Jose Abreu 2
Josh Donaldson 2
Avisail Garcia 2
Alexei Ramirez 2
Adam LaRoche 2

Hits

Name Total
Alexei Ramirez 23
Melky Cabrera 19
Jose Abreu 18
Avisail Garcia 17
Adam Eaton 17

Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 11
Avisail Garcia 9
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