Tag / Draft

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You Get A Prospect! And You Get A Prospect!

chi-russellApparently, the joy of calling up Kris Bryant on Friday wore off for Cub nation, so they decided to dip in to the well one more time on Monday when they decided to call up Addison Russell, the stud shortstop prospect they acquired from the A’s in the Jeff Samadzija trade.  Russell, who had been moved to second base last week, replaces Arismendy Alcantara, who kicked off the prospect parade last summer but had struggled in limited playing time this year, on the roster.  Like Bryant, Russell struggled in his major league debut, going hitless in 5 at bats and garnering 3 strike outs.

AP INDIANS WHITE SOX BASEBALL S BBA USA ILNot to be outdone, the White Sox also decided to call up their top prospect on Monday.  Carlos Rodon, the team’s first round draft pick last summer, was slated to join the starting rotation at some point this season, but instead was brought up to head to the bullpen.  He also made his debut Tuesday night, and it was also a rocky one.  He gave up 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks in 2 and a third innings.

Chances are both will bounce back and help their respective teams this summer and for years to come.  The hopes of an entire city lie on their shoulders.

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Crosstown Competitors

cws-chiLast Saturday, Geovany Soto and Jeff Samardzija became the 25th and 26th people I’ve seen play in person for both the Cubs and the White Sox.  Here’s a look at those players, in alphabetical order.

DavidAardsma2David Aardsma

After posting a decent season with the Cubs in 2006, Aardsma was traded to the White Sox for Neal Cotts.  Aardsma lasted one season with the Sox, where he was unable to duplicate his success from the year before.

Jason Bere

Drafted by the White Sox in the 36th round in 1990, Bere debuted with the big league club in 1993, finishing 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting.  After an All Star selection in 1994, injuries marred the remainder of his tenure on the South Side, which ended in 1998.  He resurfaced with the Cubs in 2001 and had a decent season, but he went 1-10 in 2002 before being let go.

Neal Cotts

Acquired by the White Sox in the Billy Koch trade, he debuted with the team in 2003.  He was a key contributor in the bullpen during the 2005 championship season, and was the only relief pitcher to appear in all 3 rounds of the playoffs that season.  Following the 2006 season, he was traded to the Cubs for David Aardsma, and he spent the next 3 injury filled seasons on the North Side.

scott_eyre_autographScott Eyre

Joining the White Sox organization in a 1994 trade with the Rangers, he debuted with the big league team in 1997.  He split the next 4 seasons between the rotation and the bullpen, not to mention between Chicago and Charlotte, before being moved to the Blue Jays following the 2000 ALDS loss to the Mariners.  He joined the Cubs as a free agent for the 2006 season and enjoyed 2 seasons of relative success, before falling apart in 2008, when he was traded to the Phillies.

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#165 – Ryan Sweeney

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim v Chicago White SoxName: Ryan Sweeney

Rank: 165

Position: OF

Years With White Sox: 2006-2007

Ryan Sweeney joined the White Sox organization as their 2nd round pick in the 2003 draft.  He worked his way through the system before making his major league debut on September 1, 2006, appearing as a late inning defensive replacement.  Sweeney appeared in 18 games for the defending champions, hitting .229 in 35 at bats.

Sweeney returned to Charlotte for the 2007 season, as the number one prospect in the White Sox organization according to Baseball America.  He earned himself another September call-up, appearing in 15 games and batting only .200.

On January 3, 2008, Sweeney was packaged along with pitchers Fautino de los Santos and Gio Gonzalez, in the ill-fated deal with the A’s that brought Nick Swisher to the south side.

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

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#166 – Addison Reed

areed

Name: Addison Reed

Rank: 166

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2011-2013

Addison Reed was the 3rd round draft pick of the White Sox in 2010.  He made his major league debut the following September, giving up 4 hits and 1 earned run in an inning and two thirds as the White Sox were blown out by the Tigers 18-4.  Reed appeared in 5 other games down the stretch as the White Sox finished up a disappointing season.

Reed made the White Sox bullpen out of spring training in 2012.  He picked up his first career save on May 5 and was officially named the closer by manager Robin Ventura on May 23.  He finished the season with 29 saves, despite an ERA near 5, as the White Sox faded out of contention over the season’s last month.

2013 saw Reed again holding down the closer role for the White Sox.  On August 22, he saved his sixth consecutive game, becoming the first White Sox reliever to accomplish the feat and the first overall since Eric Gagne in 2003.  When the season came to an end, he wound up with 40 saves in 48 opportunities, and he had lowered his ERA by nearly a run from the year before.

That December, Reed was traded to the Diamondbacks for minor league third baseman Matt Davidson, drawing his White Sox career to a close.

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

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Another One Bites The Dust

lance-briggsFor the third straight off-season, the Bears have told a long tenured fan favorite that his time with the team has come to an end.  Lance Briggs, who was drafted by the Bears in the 3rd round of the 2003 draft, became a starter his rookie season and was been one of the anchors of the vaunted defense under former coach Lovie Smith.  Over the past seasons, under new (and now former) coach Marc Trestman, Briggs has appeared in just over half of the Bears’ games due to injury.

Briggs announced last November that his time in Chicago was likely winding down and sources close to the Bears reported this week that Briggs was officially informed that he will not be offered a contract for the upcoming 2015 season.  With a new coaching staff and new defensive scheme coming in, Briggs was thought to be a poor fit.

The 7-time Pro Bowler finishes his Bears career with the fifth-most games played and the second-most tackles in franchise history.  He may find himself in the same situation Brian Urlacher did 2 years ago: looking for work and forced to retire before he was really ready.

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#168 – Mark Johnson

mjohnson

Name: Mark Johnson

Rank: 168

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 1998-2002

Mark Johnson joined the White Sox organization as their first round pick in the 1994 draft.  4 years later, he made his major league debut on September 14, 1998, going 0-1 as a late inning replacement in the White Sox 17-16 victory over the Tigers.  He managed to get into 6 additional games in September, struggling with an .087 average in 23 at bats.

1999 saw Johnson making the team as the backup catcher.  His average “jumped” to .227, but he had a respectable OBP of .344.  Johnson split time behind the plate in 2000, along with Brook Fordyce.  He was behind the plate on April 23, when a brawl broke out between the White Sox and the Tigers, and managed to avoid suspension.  He was relegated back to backup duty in late July, when Charles Johnson was acquired from the Orioles for the stretch run.

When Sandy Alomar signed on as a free agent for the 2001 season, Johnson saw himself shuttling between Triple A and the major leagues.  He still managed to put together his best season as a pro, setting career highs with a .249 average and 5 home runs.  He also managed to finish 4th in the American League with 10 sacrifice hits.

He was given another opportunity to start in 2002, as he set career highs in games played and in at bats.  Unfortunately, his production fell off again, with his average dropping back down to .209 and his OBP dropping below .300 for the first time in his career.  Following the season, he was packaged, along with Keith Foulke and Joe Valentine, in a deal with the A’s that brought Billy Koch and Neal Cotts to the White Sox.

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

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#175 – Adam Russell

Name: Adam Russell

Rank: 175

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2008

Adam Russell joined the White Sox as their 6th round draft pick in 2004.  He was called up to the major leagues in early May, 2008, but did not make it into a game before being returned to the minor leagues.  He returned and finally made his major league debut on June 17, pitching a perfect inning in the White Sox 16-5 drubbing of the Pirates.

As the year continued, Russell bounced back and forth between the White Sox bullpen and Triple A.  He finished the year with a 4-0 record and a 5.19 ERA in 22 appearances.  He was left off the playoff roster as the White Sox lost the ALDS to the Rays.

Russell spent all of 2009 in Triple A until July 31, when he was traded, along with Dexter Carter, Aaron Poreda, and Clayton Richard, to the Padres in exchange for Jake Peavy.

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

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#176 – Greg Norton

nortonName: Greg Norton

Rank: 176

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 1996-2000

Greg Norton was the 2nd round draft choice of the White Sox in 1993.  He made his major league debut on August 10, 1996, appearing as a pinch runner for Harold Baines in the 8th inning of the White Sox 8-7 loss against the Brewers.  The next night, he got hits in his first 2 plate appearances against the Tigers.  He appeared in only 11 games for the big league club that year, finishing with a .217 average.

He returned to Triple A Nashville in 1997 and made another token appearance with the White Sox.  He appeared in 18 games this time, putting up a .265 average in his limited playing time.

Norton stuck with the big league club in 1998, appearing in 132 games, mostly at first base as Frank Thomas transitioned to strictly being a DH.  In his first shot at extensive playing time, Norton struggled, hitting a lowly .237 with only 9 home runs and 36 RBI.

When Robin Ventura left as a free agent, Norton became the team’s starting third baseman in 1999.  He improved his average to .255 and hit 16 home runs while driving in 50.  Norton ran into some problems trying to replace a legend, as he was subjected to taunts from the fans.  Things boiled over in early September, when he committed 2 errors in one inning, leading to chants of “We want Robin” from the crowd.  Norton responded by hitting his second homer of the game, glaring at the fans as he ran to first and bowing to the crowd after crossing home plate.

2000 saw the White Sox run away with the Central Division title, but things continued to not go well for Norton.  His playing time diminished, and he was sent back to Triple A for a bit.  He finished the year with a .244 average, hitting only 6 home runs with 28 RBI.  Norton was left off the playoff roster in place of, ironically, Harold Baines, the same player he pinch ran for to start his career 5 years earlier.  Following the season, Norton was allowed to leave the organization as a free agent.

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

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#177 – Rusty Kuntz

rusty

Name: Rusty Kuntz

Rank: 177

Position: OF

Years With White Sox: 1979-1983

Rusty Kuntz, possessing one of the finest names in recent baseball history, was drafted by the White Sox in the 11th round of the 1977 draft.  He made his major league debut 2 years later, as a September call-up in 1979, starting in left field and going 0-3 in a 4-3 victory over the Tigers.  He appeared in 4 other games over the course of the final month of the 1979 season, finishing up with an anemic .091 average.

Kuntz split time between Triple A Iowa and Chicago in 1980.  He had slightly better results, finishing the year with a .226 average in 36 games.  He spent the entire strike-shortened 1981 season with the White Sox, appearing in 67 games and batting .255 in 55 at bats.

1982 saw Kuntz back splitting time between Triple A and Chicago, appearing in only 21 games with the White Sox.  His batting average fell to .192.

As the White Sox raced to their first division title in 1983, Kuntz again was shuttling between the major leagues and Triple A, appearing in 28 games through June 21, when he was traded to the Twins for a minor leaguer.

Kuntz’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#189 – Josh Fogg

JOSHFOGG.1

Name: Josh Fogg

Rank: 189

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2001

Josh Fogg was selected by the White Sox in the 3rd round of the 1998 draft.  After quickly rising through the minor league system, Fogg earned a September call-up in 2001, appearing in 11 games.  His 2.03 ERA boded well for his earning a spot in the rotation the following year.

His future with the White Sox was cut short, though, as he was included in the ultimately disappointing deal that sent Fogg, along with fellow pitchers Kip Wells and Sean Lowe, to the Pirates in exchange for Todd Ritchie.

Fogg’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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