Tag / Birmingham Barons

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#147 – Matt Merullo

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Name: Matt Merullo

Rank: 147

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 1989, 1991-1993

Matt Merullo was selected by the White Sox in the 7th round of the 1986 draft.  When Carlton Fisk broke his hand days in to the 1989 season, Merullo got his chance with the big league club.  He made his major league debut on April 12, 1989, going hitless in one at bat against the Mariners.  2 days later, he made his first start in the White Sox home opener, and notched his first hit, his first home run, and his first caught stealing behind the plate.   He got in to 31 games total that season, hitting .222 in 81 at bats with that lone home run.

A knee injury, plus the continued presence of Fisk and Ron Karkovice, kept Merullo in Birmingham in 1990.  He split the 1991 season between Double A and the big leagues, appearing in a career high 80 games despite hitting only .229.

1992 saw Merullo splitting time between Triple A and the White Sox, and he only made it in to 24 games with the big league club.  He spent the majority of 1993 back in Triple A, playing only 8 games with the White Sox, hitting an anemic .050.

With spring training winding down in 1994, Merullo was dealt to the Indians.

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

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He Gone!

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The countdown on Dayan Viciedo’s time with the White Sox started ticking last Wednesday when he was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for the re-signed Gordon Beckham.  The Viciedo era officially came to an end yesterday when he was waived for the purpose of giving him his release.

Viciedo defected from Cuba in 2008 at the age of 19, and that November he signed a 4 year deal with the White Sox.  He spent the 2009 season in Double A Birmingham and moved to Triple A Charlotte for 2010.  He spent some time with the big league club in 2010, making his major league debut on June 20 against the Nationals.

He returned to Triple A in 2011, until Carlos Quentin went down with an injury in late August.  Viciedo returned to Chicago, this time to stay.  He became the everyday left fielder in 2012, putting up decent, if underwhelming numbers.  Viciedo became a bit of a conundrum in 2013, as his average improved slightly, but his power numbers decreased.

Viciedo was slated for a platoon role with Alejandro de Aza last year, until Avisail Garcia’s shoulder injury opened up a spot for him.  By the time Garcia returned, de Aza was in Baltimore and Viciedo had left field all to himself.  He was unable to capitalize on the opportunity, though, as his average and OBP fell to a career lows.

As Rick Hahn remade the White Sox roster over this off-season, Viciedo appeared to be the odd man out.  With Melky Cabrera signed to play left field and Adam LaRoche on board as DH, Viciedo would have been relegated to backup duties.  Now, he will try to continue his career elsewhere, hopefully with better results.

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

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#319 – Jhonny Nunez

Jhonny+Nunez+Chicago+White+Sox+Photo+Day+VTFxIGyxj7WlName: Jhonny Nunez

Rank: 319

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2009

Jhonny Nunez joined the White Sox on November 13, 2008 along with Wilson Betemit and Jeff Marquez in the deal that sent Nick Swisher packing to the Yankees.  Ironically enough, he made his major league debut the following summer against the Yankees, getting the only batter he faced, Johnny Damon, to ground out.  Unfortunately, his successes were few and far between, as he finished the season with only 7 appearances and an ERA over 9.  He spent 2010 and 2011 bouncing between Double A Birmingham and Triple A Charlotte, but was unable to recapture his earlier successes.  Following the 2011 season, he left the White Sox organization as a free agent, but has still never made it back to the big leagues.

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

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#325 – Arnie Muñoz

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Name: Arnie Muñoz

Rank: 325

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2004

Arnie Muñoz joined the White Sox organization in December of 1998 as an amateur free agent.  He finally got the call to the big leagues in June of 2004 and made his major league debut 2 days before his 22nd birthday.  That debut, in inter-league play against the Expos, was record setting, but not in a good way.  Muñoz allowed eleven runs in three innings, tying for third all-time for most runs allowed in a major league debut.  His Game Score, Bill James’ statistic to measure pitcher’s starts, was a -7, the worst for a debut start since at least 1918.  The most amazing thing about the outing is that Muñoz almost did not pick up the loss, as the Sox mounted an incredible comeback, eventually losing 17-14.

After the game, Muñoz was relegated back to Triple A until September, when he returned to the big leagues and was more successful pitching out of the bullpen.  Unfortunately for Muñoz, that was the end of his major league White Sox career.  He spent the next two seasons bouncing between Triple-A Charlotte and Double-A Birmingham before leaving as a minor league free agent after the 2006 season.

Muñoz’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#331 – Bryan Ward

WhiteSox-bryanwardName: Bryan Ward

Rank: 331

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1998-1999

Bryan Ward joined the White Sox organization following the 1997 season when he was selected off of waivers from the Marlins.  Ward pitched well in 1998 for the Double A Birmingham Barons before earning a call up to the big league club and making his major league debut on July 3 in mop-up duty against the Red Sox.  Ward did well for himself, finishing the year with a 3.33 ERA in 27 innings.

Unfortunately, Ward’s success was short lived.  He spent the entire 1999 season in Chicago, appearing in 40 games and finishing with a 7.55 ERA.  As soon as the season finished, he was granted free agency, ending his White Sox career.

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

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Who’s Next?

2004 – 2011

Rumored for nearly 2 years, the Ozzie Guillen era for the White Sox came to an end last week, as Guillen was released from his contract and allowed to take his talents to South Beach.  Guillen wrapped up his tenure as the third winningest manager in team history, in terms of victories, and the only manager to lead the team to multiple post-season appearances.  That said. his act had started to grow stale and it became apparent that a change was needed in the clubhouse, something to shake up the underachieving bunch that has been run out for the past two years.  So, as Guillen prepares to lead the re-christened Miami Marlins into their new stadium next season, who will take his place on the end of the White Sox bench?

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