Tag / Marc Hill

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#30 – Greg Walker

Name: Greg Walker

Rank: 30

Position: 1B

Years With White Sox: 1982-1990

Acquired as a rule 5 selection from the Phillies in 1979, Greg Walker made his major league debut for the White Sox on September 18, 1982, pinch hitting for Marc Hill and getting a hit against Brian Kingman in the White Sox 5-4 loss to the A’s at Comiskey Park.  During his brief cup of coffee with the big league club, Walker took advantage, hitting .412 with 2 home runs in 11 games.

Walker split time with Tom Paciorek in 1983, hitting .270 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs in 118 games.  He led the American League with 15 pinch hit RBIs.  He appeared in 2 games during the ALCS against the Orioles, going 1-3 with a walk.

In 1984, Walker started to establish himself as the every day first baseman.  In 136 games, he hit 24 home runs while posting a .294 average.  He hit another 24 home runs in 1985 while tying a White Sox record with 163 games played.

1986 saw Walker spend time on the disabled list, limiting him to 78 games and only 13 home runs, with a .277 average.  He bounced back in 1987, appearing in 157 games and setting career highs with 27 home runs and 94 RBIs while hitting a career low .256.

Walker’s 1988 season came to a premature end on July 30, when he suffered a seizure during batting practice while fielding grounders from coach Ed Brinkman.  Four trainers were needed to hold Walker down and pry open his mouth to prevent Walker from swallowing his own tongue.  During the ordeal, Walker bit his tongue and chipped a tooth from biting down on a pair of scissors.  A subsequent seizure the following day kept Walker in the hospital for 11 days.  A third seizure, days after being released from the hospital, left him in a daze for months.

He returned in 1989, unsure if he would be able to continue his career, until a .308 spring average with 7 home runs convinced him, and the White Sox, that he once again could be a productive member of the lineup.  He wasted little time in getting back in the swing of things, participating in an Opening Day brawl against the Angels after Bob McClure hit Ivan Calderon with a pitch in the ninth inning.  The good feelings did not last, though, as he appeared in only 77 games due to a shoulder injury and hit a career low .210 with only 5 home runs.

Walker found himself the odd man out in 1990, appearing in only 2 games before being released on April 30.

Walker rejoined the White Sox organization on May 19, 2003 as hitting coach, a position he would hold until September 28, 2011 in the waning days of Ozzie Guillen’s tenure.

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

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#146 – Joel Skinner

joelskinnerName: Joel Skinner

Rank: 146

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 1983-1986

Acquired in 1982 by the White Sox as a free agent compensation pick from the Pirates organization, Joel Skinner made his major league debut on June 12, 1983 in a victory over the A’s.  He appeard in only 6 games for the eventual AL West champions, garnering 3 hits in 11 at bats.

Skinner again split time between the minor leagues and the major leagues in 1984, though he had more of a lasting impact at the big league level than the year before.  He appeared in 43 games for the White Sox, struggling at the plate and hitting only .213.

Skinner got another opportunity with the White Sox in 1985, when backup catcher Marc Hill went down with a hip contusion.  He appeared in 22 games and hit a surprising .341.  This convinced incoming general manager Ken Harrelson that he was ready to take over behind the plate in 1986.

To accomodate Skinner, Harrelson had manager Tony LaRussa move Carlton Fisk to left field.  The White Sox stumbled out of the gate and Skinner struggled to hit.  On May 9, with Skinner hitting in the .150s and LaRussa’s job on the line, he moved Fisk back behind the plate and the White Sox proceeded to win 10 of their next 13 games.  Skinner got another chance behind the plate in July when a virus knocked Fisk out of the lineup, but his days with the team were numbered.

As the trade deadline approached at the end of July, Skinner, along with Ron Kittle and Wayne Tolleson, were sent to the Yankees in exchange for Ron Hassey, Carlos Martinez, and a player to be named later, who eventually became Bill Lindsey.

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

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#162 – Marc Hill

MarcHill2_20090603845Name: Marc Hill

Rank: 162

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 1981-1986

Marc Hill signed with the White Sox as a free agent just as spring training was getting underway in 1981.  When the White Sox signed fellow free agent Carlton Fisk a month later, Hill jockeyed for playing time alongside fellow backup catcher Jim Essian.  Between that, spending time in the minor leagues, and the player’s strike, which wiped out 2 months of the season, Hill managed to get into only 16 games, going hitless in 6 ABs.

With Essian gone, Hill returned to a more normal backup role in 1982.  He appeared in 53 games and managed to get a hit or 23 in 88 ABs.  Things were starting to look up for the White Sox and Hill.

The Sox were expected to contend in 1983, but got off to a slow start.  By May 26, the Sox were eight games under .500 and manager Tony LaRussa’s job was in jeopardy.  Hill, and the other veterans, helped to turn things around.  “We looked around at each other and told ourselves Tony wasn’t going to get fired,” Hill said in an interview.  “We weren’t going to let that happen.”  The White Sox got back to .500 by the end of June and caught fire after the All-Star break, earning their first division title.  Hill again provided solid defense behind the plate, even though he struggled at the plate.

Expectations were high in 1984, but the White Sox struggled to reproduce their success of the previous year.  Hill saw the most playing time he had since joining the White Sox, appearing in 77 games and getting 193 ABs, despite hitting only .233.

The White Sox rebounded to have a winning season in 1985, but Hill’s production dropped off significantly.  With the 37 year old Fisk still chugging along and young prospect Joel Skinner ready to take the next step, Hill saw his playing time reduced, appearing in just 40 games and hitting an anemic .133.

Things went downhill for the White Sox in 1986.  Hawk Harrelson was brought in as GM and he clashed with manager Tony LaRussa.  “I got along with Hawk and I got along with Tony but it was just bad,” Hill said.  “With Tony gone, it just wasn’t any fun anymore for me.  I remember Hawk came up to me in Texas and asked if I’d had enough and I did.”  Hitting .158 in only 19 AB, Hill was released on May 27.  He remained with the club for the remainder of the year as a bullpen catcher and batting practice pitcher.

Hill’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#259 – Scott Bradley

scottbradleyName: Scott Bradley

Rank: 259

Position: C

Year With White Sox: 1986

Scott Bradley joined the White Sox on February 13, 1986 along with Neil Allen and a minor leaguer who never sniffed the big leagues from the Yankees in exchange for Ron Hassey, Matt Winters, and two additional minor leaguers who would never again heard from.  Bradley spent the majority of his time with the White Sox in Triple A, earning a promotion to the big league club on May 28th after the release of Marc Hill.  With Carlton Fisk and Joel Skinner also on the roster, Bradley wasn’t going to be limited to catching.  “Wherever they want to play me is fine with me,” Bradley said. “The whole key is being here.”

He wasn’t there for long, though.  On June 26, his short stay in Chicago came to an end when he was traded to the Mariners for a player to be named later, which, 5 days later, became Ivan Calderon.

Bradley’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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