Fireworks Night
August 15
September 12
Family Day
April 12
April 26
May 10
May 24
June 7
June 21
July 5
July 19
August 2
August 30
September 13
October 4
Other Fun Stuff
April 10 – Opening Day
April 25 – Jose Abreu Rookie Of The Year Blanket
May 23 – Paul Konerko Statue
June 6 – Kids Hooded Sweatshirt
July 4 – Bobby Jenks Bobblehead
July 18 – 2005 World Championship Replica Ring
August 1 – Scott Podsednik Bobblehead
August 29 – Jermaine Dye Bobblehead
The Baseball Writers of America have announced the finalists for their awards for the just completed baseball season. It is a good bet that few of my original predictions for the winners will be accurate. Hopefully, these new predictions will be slightly better, especially since I’ll have a 33% chance of being right.
Most Valuable Player: Michael Brantley, Mike Trout, Victor Martinez
Mike Trout was my pre-season selection to win this award, and I think, for once, I might have gotten one right. With Miguel Cabrera out of the picture, thanks to an injury-plagued campaign, Trout should bring home the award that many thought he deserved the past 2 seasons.
Cy Young Award: Chris Sale, Felix Hernandez, Corey Kluber
My initial guess of David Price obviously did not make the cut. While Chris Sale is the sentimental choice around these parts, smart money says that Felix Hernandez will take home the prize.
Manager of the Year: Buck Showalter, Mike Scioscia, Ned Yost
Once again, I didn’t make any predictions for this award prior to the season. Normally, I would go with Ned Yost, who led the Royals to the post-season for the first time since 1985, but if there is one thing the national media agrees on, it is how bad Ned Yost is as a manager. My guess is that the award will go to Buck Showalter, who lead the Orioles to their first division title since 1997.
Rookie of the Year: Jose Abreu, Dellin Betances, Matt Shoemaker
Another award I didn’t predict prior to the season. This one should be a no-brainer. I would expect Jose Abreu to bring the award back to the south side for the first time since Ozzie Guillen in 1985.
It’s been a busy week for White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, first picking up the Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year award on Monday and then being named the first baseman for the AL All Star team announced yesterday, also from Sporting News. Abreu is the first White Sox player to win the Rookie of the Year award since Gordon Beckham in 2009 and the first AL All Star selected by Sporting News voters since Alexei Ramirez in 2010.
Abreu should bring home another award next month when the BBWAA announces their Rookie of the Year award. Hopefully, it’s just the start of a long and prosperous career that sees him get many awards, and maybe even a ring.
Another season has come to a disappointing end, with both Chicago teams left on the outside looking in to the post-season. Let’s take a look back at the offensive leaders for the 35 games I attended this season.
Home Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Jose Abreu | 6 |
| Alexei Ramirez | 4 |
| Dayan Viciedo | 4 |
| Paul Konerko | 4 |
| Oswaldo Arcia | 3 |
Hits
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Adam Eaton | 38 |
| Alexei Ramirez | 36 |
| Jose Abreu | 29 |
| Dayan Viciedo | 26 |
| Conor Gillaspie | 23 |
Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Adam Eaton | 19 |
| Alexei Ramirez | 19 |
| Jose Abreu Continue reading → |
With the All Star Game on the books for tonight, we close the books on yet another disappointing first half for the 2014 season. Here are the offensive leaders for the 17 games I attended:
Home Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Paul Konerko | 4 |
| Alejandro de Aza | 2 |
| Jose Abreu | 2 |
| 20 tied with | 1 |
Hits
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Alexei Ramirez | 18 |
| Adam Eatorn | 17 |
| Gordon Beckham | 14 |
| Dayan Viciedo | 13 |
| Paul Konerko | 10 |
| Jose Abreu | 10 |
Runs
| Name | Total |
|---|---|
| Adam Eaton | 9 |
| Alexei Ramirez | 7 |
| Continue reading → |
Less than a week after acquiring center fielder Adam Eaton from the Diamondbacks in a three team trade that sent Hector Santiago to the Angels, White Sox GM Rick Hahn struck again, this time getting third baseman Matt Davidson from the Diamondbacks in exchange for closer Addison Reed. Add in Avisail Garcia, acquired in the Jake Peavy trade in July, and the signing of Cuban refugee Jose Abreu and the White Sox have added 4 players under the age of 27 who should form the foundation of the team going forward.
Davidson is ranked 64th on MLB.com’s Top 100 prospect list and was the Diamondback’s 2nd best prospect. He hit .280 with 32 doubles, 17 home runs, 74 RBIs, 55 runs scored, a .350 on-base percentage and a .481 slugging percentage in 115 games at Triple-A in 2013. He also took home MVP honors at the Futures Game during All Star weekend at Citi Field.
The closer role will likely fall to Nate Jones, barring any new acquisitions between now and opening day. An opening day that could have the White Soc fielding 4 different starters from a year ago, hopefully leading them to future glory.
The White Sox announced yesterday that Paul Konerko, the last remaining member of the 2005 World Series champions, will return to the south side for one final season in 2014. The slugger, who struggled through an injury plagued 2013 as the White Sox fell to last place in the AL Central, will take on a reduced role with Adam Dunn still on the roster and newly signed Cuban import Jose Abreu expected to take over the reigns at first base for the foreseeable future.
The White Sox, under the leadership of Jerry Reinsdorf, have not always been so accommodating of their aging stars. Carlton Fisk, Frank Thomas, and Ozzie Guillen are just a few who left town angry after being set loose by the team. Very few players get to leave the game on their own terms, but it seems that Paul Konerko may get just that chance.
Reaction to the signing has been mixed, to say the least. A large contingent of fans have been happy to see one of the best players in White Sox history return for one last go around. A smaller group disdains the fact that sentimentality seems to be taking the place of a sound baseball decision, even though the team is not expected to compete next season. Breaking camp next spring with Konerko, Abreu, and Dunn will hamstring the roster somewhat, but thankfully rosters do not have to be set on December 5th.
Hopefully a healthy Konerko can bounce back and become a productive member of the White Sox next season. The longtime captain, and his fans, deserve to see his career come to a satisfying conclusion.