Tag / Angels

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#127 – Chad Kreuter

Chad Kreuter (1998 White Sox)

Name: Chad Kreuter

Rank: 127

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 1996-1997, 1998

Following the 1995 season, the White Sox signed Chad Kreuter to back up incumbent starter Ron Karkovice.  He appeared in only 46 games before his season came to a premature end on July 19 due to a home plate collision with the Royals’ Johnny Damon.  Kreuter suffered a shattered shoulder socket and a lacerated stomach, which nearly claimed his life.  Surgery tried to repair the shoulder, but Kreuter was told he would likely never play baseball again.

When Kreuter started to regain strength in his arm in mid-October, he dedicated himself to making it back to the big leagues.  General Manager Ron Schueler offered him a minor league deal for 1997, with a chance to earn a roster spot in spring training.  He not only earned his way onto the roster, but had supplanted Karkovice as the everyday catcher by mid-May, when he was traded, along with Tony Phillips, to the Angels for Jorge Fabergas and Chuck McElroy.

Following the 1997 season, Kreuter re-signed with the White Sox and once again became the primary catcher.  In September, for the second consecutive year, he was traded to the Angels, ending his White Sox career.

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

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LCS Pitching Leaders

baseballs2With game 1 of 2015 NLCS in the books, with the Mets taking a quick lead against the Cubs, it’s time to take our first ever look at the pitching leaders from the 5 LCS games I’ve attended since 2003, featuring the White Sox, Cubs, Marlins, and Angels.

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 1
Brad Penny 1
Ugueth Urbina 1
Chad Fox 1
Paul Byrd 1

Losses

Name Total
Jose Contreras 1
Mark Guthrie 1
Kerry Wood 1
Mark Prior 1
Kelvim Escobar 1

ERA (> 4 IP)

Name Total
Jarrod Washburn 0.00
Mark Buehrle 1.00
Paul Byrd 3.00
Carl Pavano 3.18
Jose Contreras 3.24

Strikeouts

Name Total
Josh Beckett 8
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#131 – Jorge Fabergas

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Name: Jorge Fabergas

Rank: 131

Position: C

Year With White Sox: 1997

Jorge Fabergas was acquired by the White Sox, along with Chuck McElroy, from the Angels on May 18, 1997 in exchange for Chad Krueter and Tony Phillips.  He became the regular catcher and put together a fine season, hitting .280 and driving in 48 runs in only 100 games.  Unfortunately, his time on the south side was cut short, as he was left unprotected in the expansion draft and was selected by the Diamondbacks.

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

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#133 – Tony Bernazard

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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
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2015 Predictions Revisited

baseballs2Six months ago, as the 2015 baseball season was scheduled to kick off at Wrigley Field, I made my annual predictions as to who would win what.  Now that the regular season has come to an end, it is time revisit those predictions and see what, if anything, I got right.

American League

East: Blue Jays

After a middling first half, the Blue Jays turned things around after the All Star break, especially after acquiring David Price and Troy Tulowitzki at the trade deadline, earning them their first division title since 1993.

Central: Indians

Well, I correctly predicted the end of the Tigers reign after four seasons, but I wrongly assumed that the Royals would regress after their World Series appearance last year.  Instead, they went and ran away with the AL Central crown while the Indians struggled to stay out of the cellar.

West: Angels

It came down to the final day, but the Rangers, who finished in last place in 2014, managed to hold off the Astros and the Angels to win the division.

Wild Cards: Tigers, Mariners

I completely missed the boat here, as both teams failed to live up to their pre-season expectations.  The Yankees return to the post-season and so do the surprise Astros.

AL Champion: Angels

Cy Young: Felix Hernandez

MVP: Mike Trout

Only one of these seems like a possible choice at this point, with Mike Trout the frontrunner for the MVP award.  The Cy Young award is up in the air at this point.

National League

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#134 – Josh Fields

Name: Josh Fields

Rank: 134

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 2006-2009

Josh Fields joined the White Sox organization as their first round pick in the 2004 draft.  He made his major league debut on September 13, 2006 as a defensive replacement in the White Sox 9-0 victory over the Angels.  6 days later, Fields became the third White Sox player, following Carlos Lee and Miguel Olivo, to homer in their first major league at bat.

Fields entered the 2007 season rated as the second-best prospect in the White Sox organization, and got his first chance at extended playing time in the major leagues when Joe Crede went down with a season-ending back injury.  Fields appeared to be one of the bright spots on that miserable team, finishing the year with a .244 average and 24 home runs in only 100 games, good enough for one third place Rookie of the Year vote.

With a healthy Crede back in the fold for 2008, Fields returned to Triple A, where he had a disappointing, injury-marred season.

Fields became the starting third baseman in 2009, with Joe Crede moving on to the Twins.  Fields appeared in 79 games, but struggled to hit with consistency and was eventually replaced by rookie Gordon Beckham.  The highlight of his season came on July 23, when he hit a grand slam and recorded the final putout in Mark Buerhle’s perfect game against the Rays.

Following the season, Fields, along with Chris Getz, was traded to the Royals for Mark Teahen.

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

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Looking Ahead To Next Year

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersMajor League Baseball released their tentative 2016 schedule earlier this week and, while the 2015 squad focuses on taking the second Wild Card slot, let’s take a look at what’s on tap for next summer for the North Siders.

The Cubs open the season on April 5 on the road against the Angels, the first time they will start the year in inter-league play.  The home slate kicks off the following Monday with a night game against the Reds.

This year’s inter-league slate is against the AL West, with the Rangers, Mariners, and Angels making trips to Wrigley Field, while the Cubs hit the road to visit the aforementioned Angels, A’s, and Astros.  The club also has a 2 and 2 series with the White Sox during the last week of July.

The Cubs finish the season on the road against the Pirates and Reds, which should make for a great pennant race if the team is once again in contention.

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#143 – Joe Cowley

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Name: Joe Cowley

Rank: 143

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 1986

Joe Cowley joined the White Sox, along with Ron Hassey, in the December, 1985 that sent Britt Burns a couple of minor leaguers to the Yankees.  Cowley stepped in to the rotation and put together a .500 record with a 3.88 ERA.  The highlight of his season came of September 19, when he threw one of the ugliest no-hitters in major league history.  While he held the Angels hitless, he walked 7 and gave up a run on a sacrifice fly.  Cowley also goes down in history as the only pitcher to throw a no hitter in his final major league victory.

The following spring, Cowley was traded to the Phillies, in exchange for Gary Redus, ending his brief White Sox career.

Cowley’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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Franchise Four – AL 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 American League West.

F4Astros

The Astros, around since 1962, have 2 obvious options, and both are from their World Series team in 2005: Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell.  After that, there is a bit of a drop off.  Nolan Ryan would seem to be a good pick for the third slot, having spent more years with the Astros than with any other team.  For the last slot, I’ll go with J. R. Richard, whose career was cut short due to a stroke, but still came to represent the franchise in the late 70s.

F4Angels

Despite existing since the 1961 season, the Angels have a complete lack of star power in their 8 nominees.  Garret Anderson?  Tim Salmon?  Brian Downing?  While fine players, none of them would be confused with an all time great.  Of the remaining 5, I will dump Jim Fregosi and take Chuck Finley, Nolan Ryan (again!), Vladamir Guerrero, and, despite being in only his 4th season, Mike Trout.

F4As

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