Tag / Angels

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#210 – Jerry Owens

Jerry Owens

Name: Jerry Owens

Rank: 210

Position: CF

Years With White Sox: 2006-2009

Jerry Owens joined the White Sox organization in a February 2005 trade that sent Alex Escobar to the Nationals.  Owens earned a September call-up in 2006, making his major league debut on September 11 as a pinch runner in the White Sox victory over the Angels.

With the White Sox floundering in 2007, Owens got an extended look in the big leagues, and he did reasonably well, hitting .267 with 32 stolen bases.  A tear to his abductor muscle forced him to start the 2008 season on the disabled list, and he subsequently spent most of the season back in Triple A, appearing in only 12 games for the big league club.

In 2009, Owens again appeared in only 12 games for the White Sox, this time at the beginning of the season.  However, he only got 1 hit in his 12 at bats and, on May 2, he was released and, to date, he has never returned to the major leagues.

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

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Wasted Potential

IMG_2096Gordon Beckham’s tenure on the south side came to an end yesterday when he was traded to the Angels for either a player to be named later or cash considerations.  His White Sox career, which started with such great promise, had failed to meet expectations and has consistently struggled to hit consistently since his rookie year in 2009.

Beckham was the 8th pick of the 2008 draft and was rushed through the White Sox system.  He made his major league debut on June 3, 2009, less than a year after being drafted.  He struggled from the get go, going 2 for 28 in his first eight games, but rebounded to put up a .270 average with 14 home runs and 28 doubles while playing third base.

The future looked bright for Beckham entering the 2010 season as he moved over to second base.  Unfortunately, he was unable to duplicate the success he had enjoyed the year before.  Early struggles relegated him to the bottom of the lineup, but he was able to rebound somewhat, getting his average back up to .252.  However, his OPS was down over 100 points from the year before.

2011 and 2012 saw Beckham’s offensive struggles continue.  His average dropped to the .230s during both seasons and his OPS continued to fall.  It seemed that he was finally putting things together in 2013, until he broke the hamate bone in his left wrist, which led to a career low in home runs and RBIs.

This year has been more of the same.  At the time of the trade, his average was a career-low .221, while his paycheck had expanded to $4.5 million.  He likely would have been moved prior to the trading deadline, but his offense cratered in July.  My expectation was that he would be non-tendered this off-season anyway, so hopefully he can do something useful for the Angels and brings back something that will help the White Sox moving forward.

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

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by admin

#215 – Chuck McElroy

Chuck_McElroy_(1997_White_Sox)_3

Name: Chuck McElroy

Rank: 215

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 1997

Looking to shore up the bullpen a month and a half in to the 1997 season, general manager Ron Schueler turned to his frequent partner, the Angels, and sent Tony Phillips and Chad Krueter out west in exchange for Jorge Fabergas and Chuck McElroy, a proven left handed reliever.  He appeared in 48 games for a disappointing White Sox team that finished in second place despite being one game under .500.

Following the season, McElroy was left unprotected by the White Sox in the expansion draft and he was selected by the brand new Arizona Diamondbacks.

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

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#226 – Scott Ruffcorn

Scott-Ruffcorn

Name: Scott Ruffcorn

Rank: 226

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1993-1996

Scott Ruffcorn was the White Sox first round draft pick out of Baylor University in 1991.  The previous 4 White Sox first round picks, Jack McDowell, Robin Ventura, Frank Thomas, and Alex Fernandez, were leading the White Sox to their first division title in a decade when Ruffcorn made his major league debut on June 19, 1993 against the Angels, taking the place of an injured Kirk McCaskill.  When Ron Karkovice separated his shoulder during the game, Ruffcorn was sent back to the minors to make room for another catcher on the roster.  He returned to the majors in September and made two additional appearances.

When Scott Sanderson had a tremendous spring in 1994 to force his way in to the starting rotation, it forced Ruffcorn to start the year in Triple A.  As July rolled around, Sanderson had started to struggle and Ruffcorn was called up to take his slot in the rotation.  Sadly, he didn’t last long, giving up seven runs and nine hits over 4 innings.  Manager Gene Lamont said that Ruffcorn “needed to get over his nervousness,” but his next start also did not go well.  Facing the Royals, he gave up 4 runs before being pulled in the third inning.  He was demoted back to Triple A before the strike in August wiped out the remainder of the season.

After an abbreviated spring training in 1995, Ruffcorn broke camp with the White Sox, earning a spot in the bullpen.  He walked six in 1 2/3 innings against the Red Sox in his second appearance of the year, and by mid-May, he was back in Triple A, with reporter Dave Van Dyck writing that Ruffcorn was “ruined forever because the Sox rushed him to judgment.”

Ruffcorn finished his White Sox career in 1996, appearing in 3 final games but getting the same results.  He ended up with 0 wins and a career ERA of 9.68 and the “record” for most consecutive seasons with an ERA over 7.00.  In January of 1997, he was purchased by the Phillies.

Ruffcorn’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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by admin

#230 – Don Slaught

Don Slaught (1996 White Sox)

Name: Don Slaught

Rank: 230

Position: C

Year With White Sox: 1996

Don Slaught joined the White Sox via an August 31, 1996 trade with the Angels in exchange for a player to be named later.  With the White Sox battling for a playoff spot, and catcher Ron Karkovice suffering from a sore knee, they needed another catcher to take the load off of Pat Borders, who had also been acquired from the Angels earlier in the year.

He appeared in 14 games in the final month, batting .250, as the White Sox fell out of contention, finishing 3 games out of the wild card race.  Following the year, Slaught left as a free agent.

Slaught’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#232 – Charlie Haeger

Haegerpg-verticalName: Charlie Haeger

Rank: 232

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2006-2007

Charlie Haeger was selected by the White Sox in the 25th round of the 2001 draft.  He retired after the 2002 season to pursue a career in golf, but returned to baseball and the White Sox organization in 2004.  He finally made his way to the major leagues in 2006, making his debut against the Angels in a 12-5 loss after Jose Contreras went down with a back issue.  After the start, he was quickly returned to Charlotte, but he eventually returned, appearing in 6 other games, all in relief, for the White Sox that year, finishing with a 3.44 ERA.

Haeger competed for the fifth starters spot during spring training in 2007, but was sent back to Charlotte again when the newly arrived John Danks won the competition.  As the 2007 season went south, Haeger was recalled in mid-July, and, like the rest of the team that year, did poorly.  He appeared in 8 games, giving up 9 earned runs in 11 1/3 innings.

Haeger spent most of 2008 at Triple A Charlotte, until he was designated for assignment and claimed by the Padres in September, ending his time in the White Sox organization.

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

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#233 – Scott Eyre

scott_eyre_autographName: Scott Eyre

Rank: 233

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1997-2000

Scott Eyre joined the White Sox organization in a 1994 trade that sent Esteban Beltre to the Rangers.  He made his way to the major leagues on August 1, 1997, lasting 4 1/3 innings in a losing start against the Angels.  He would start 10 more games over the final two months of the season, finishing with a 4-4 record but with a 5.04 ERA.

Eyre split the 1998 season between the rotation and the bullpen.  His record dropped to 3-8 and his ERA rose to 5.38.  His struggles continued in 1999, where he started for Triple A Charlotte but worked exclusively in relief for the big league club.  His ERA ballooned up to 7.56, giving up 21 runs in his 21 games.

In 2000, he stuck to the bullpen, both in Triple A and, for the most part, for the White Sox.  He did manage to lower his ERA down to 6.63, but it wasn’t enough to make the playoff roster for the Central Division champions.

Following the season, Eyre was traded to the Blue Jays for fellow pitcher Gary Glover.

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

by jim

2014 Predictions

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersThe 2014 baseball season is scheduled to officially kick off tonight, last week’s trip to Australia not withstanding.  For the fourth consecutive year, I’ve looked into the crystal ball to make my picks for the upcoming season.

American League

East: Rays

Central: Tigers

West: Angels

Wild Cards: Red Sox, Rangers

AL Champion: Tigers

Cy Young: David Price

MVP: Mike Trout

National League

East: Nationals

Central: Cardinals

West: Dodgers

Wild Cards: Braves, Giants

NL Champion: Dodgers

Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg

MVP: Jason Heyward

by admin

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.  Some changes from last year:

– A horrible 2013 dropped the winning percentage for the White Sox 9 points.

– The Miami Marlins join the roster of teams I have seen in person

All-Time Team Records

TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
California Angels 1 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 12 2 0.857
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652
Philadelphia Phillies 10 6 0.625
Toronto Blue Jays 9 6 0.600
Chicago White Sox 220 187 0.541
Tampa Bay Rays 7 6 0.538
Colorado Rockies 7 6 0.538
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 15 13 0.536
New York Yankees 9 8 0.529
Chicgao Cubs 191 170 0.529
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#252 – Atlee Hammaker

WhiteSox-atleehammakerName: Atlee Hammaker

Rank: 252

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1994-1995

Atlee Hammaker first singed with the White Sox as a free agent on February 12, 1992.  An elbow injury in spring training put his career in jeopardy and he was released on March 18th.  After rehabbing for two years, he once again signed with the White Sox on April 12, 1994.

Hammaker spent the majority of 1994 with the Triple A Nashville Sounds.  He did manage to make it back to the major leagues for the first time since 1991, putting up 1.1 scoreless innings in 2 games before the season came to an untimely end due to the player’s strike.

He returned to Triple A in 1995 and again put up impressive numbers, but this time, he was unable to duplicate that success at the major league level.  He appeared in 13 games and gave up 9 runs in just over 6 innings.  His season, and major league career, came to an end on August 18th when he was released.

While not with the White Sox, Hammaker’s most infamous moment took place at Comiskey Park.  During the 1983 All Star Game, Hammaker, pitching for the National League, gave up the first grand slam in All Star Game history to Angels outfielder Fred Lynn.

Hammaker’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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