In 1929, uniform numbers appeared on the back of baseball jerseys for the first time, thanks to the Indians and the Yankees. By 1937, numbers finally appeared across all uniforms, both home and away, across both major leagues. Since that time, 81 distinct numbers have been worn by members of the White Sox, while the Cubs boast 76.
Today, we continue our look at those players, picking our favorite, if not the best, player to wear each uniform number for both Chicago teams with #16. 65 different players have donned #16 while playing in Chicago, 24 for the White Sox, who retired the number in 1987, and 41 for the Cubs.
Aramis Ramirez switched to his familiar #16 shortly after being acquired by the Cubs from the Pirates. Ramírez finished the 2003 season strong, appearing in 63 games down the stretch and hitting 15 home runs while helping the Cubs capture their first division title since 1989. He managed 11 hits during the post-season, including 4 home runs and 10 RBIs and hitting the first playoff grand slam in Cubs’ history during Game 4 of the NLCS. The following year, Ramirez became the 14th player in baseball history to hit 3 home runs in 2 different games in the same season. While his offense remained strong, posting a .951 OPS, his defense was a bit of a liability, as he posted the lowest range factor among all third basemen.
Ramirez was elected to his first All-Star Game in 2005. He finished the season with 31 home runs and 92 RBIs despite missing the last month of the year with a strained quadriceps femoral muscle. While his defense continued to suffer in 2006, with his third straight season with the lowest range factor, his offense continued to carry the load. He collected his 1000th hit in July against the Mets and ended up with 38 home runs, 119 RBIs, and an OPS of .912. A free agent at the end of the season, he re-signed with the Cubs, scoring a 5-year, $73 million contract.
In April of ’07, Ramirez launched his 200th career home run. His continued offensive presence helped lead the Cubs back to the post-season in 2007 and 2008, winning division titles both seasons. Unfortunately, Ramirez, like his teammates, went cold in both series as the Cubs were swept in the NLDS each season. In 2009, Ramirez christened the season with his 250th career home run on Opening Day against Roy Oswalt. He followed that with #300 in July of 2011 against the White Sox. Following that season, he declined his portion of a mutual option and became a free agent.
Julio Cruz wore #16 on the southside following his June 1983 acquisition from the Mariners, when he gave the White Sox the spark they were looking for, helping the team go on a 72-31 run to finish the season and go from 6 1/2 games back to 20 games ahead. Cruz scored the winning run on a Harold Baines sacrifice fly against, of all teams, the Mariners on September 17, clinching the first division title in White Sox history. Cruz hit .333 during the ALCS against the Orioles, swiping 2 bases in the 4-game series. Heading in to the 1984 season, Cruz re-signed with the White Sox with a 6-year deal, thought to be worth between $3.6 to $4.8 million. Unfortunately, time, and injuries, were starting to take their toll. 1984 was the best year of the deal, and Cruz saw his average drop to .222 and he stole only 14 bases, a career low to date. Following that season, Cruz changed his number from #16 to #12.
It’s time for another trip in the wayback machine, as this week we move our focus to the start of the 21st century and see what my view of the baseball world looked like in the 2000s. This was my first decade as a season ticket holder, starting in 2002 for the Cubs and 2005 for the White Sox.
A week after Commissioner Rob Manfred, with a telling smile on his face, announced he was cancelling the first two series of the regular season due to the ongoing lockout, the two sides are still without an agreement on a new CBA and MLB released a statement cancelling another two series. In total, the first two weeks of the regular season have now been wiped out.
