Tag / Matt Thornton

by admin

#49 – Matt Thornton

Name: Matt Thornton

Rank: 49

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2006-2013

Matt Thornton was acquired by the White Sox from the Mariners towards the end of spring training in 2006 in exchange for Joe Borchard.  Thornton moved in to the bullpen and, working with pitching coach Don Cooper, started to harness the potential that was in his left arm.  He finished the 2006 season with a 5-3 record and a 3.33 ERA in 63 appearances.

2007 was a down year for the White Sox, and Thornton was no exception.  In 68 appearances, his ERA skyrocketed to 4.79.

Thornton, and the White Sox, bounced back in 2008.  He finished the regular season with a 5-3 record and a 2.67 ERA in 74 appearances.  He made 3 appearances in the ALDS, throwing 3 and 1/3 scoreless innings as the White Sox fell to the Rays in 4 games.

2009 saw Thornton continue to be successful in the bullpen.  He finished the year 6-3 and notched his second straight sub-3.00 ERA while appearing in 70 games.

Thornton earned his first All Star nod in 2010, despite being a set-up man.  In only 61 appearances, his lowest total since joining the White Sox, he finished 5-4 with a 2.67 ERA.

In 2011, Thornton started to show some chinks in the armor.  His ERA rose above 3.00 for the first time since 2007, rising to 3.32, and he finished the year with a 2-5 record in 62 appearances.  He was given the opportunity to close, but 4 straight blown saves between April 6 and 13 moved him back to the set-up role.

2012 was more of the same for Thornton.  His ERA rose again, to 3.46, and his record dropped to 4-10 in 74 appearances, surpassing Bobby Thigpen for the team record in career relief outings.  On April 11, he made Travis Hafner the 500th strikeout victim of his career.

Thornton went winless for the White Sox in 2013, and again saw his ERA go up, now to 3.86.  He made 40 appearances before July 12, when he was traded to the White Sox for minor leaguer Brandon Jacobs.

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

by jim

Active Pitching Leaders – Through 2015

baseballs2Last week, we looked at the active leaders in games I’ve attended through 2015 on the offensive side of the ball.  With spring training winding down and opening day less than a week away, let’s take a look at the defensive side of the ball and the active pitching leaders, including a certain left hander who, while not signed for 2016, has not officially announced his retirement.

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 31
Gavin Floyd 24
John Danks 19
Chris Sale 15
Jake Peavy 11

Losses

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 17
Gavin Floyd 15
John Danks 15
Sean Marshall 11
Chris Sale 9
Jake Peavy 9
Jose Quintana 9

ERA (> 35 IP)

Name Total
Matt Thornton 2.32
Chris Sale 2.75
Jesse Crain 2.78
Carlos Marmol 2.79
Zach Duke 2.82

ERA (> 70 IP)

Name Total
Matt Thornton 2.32
Chris Sale Continue reading →
by admin

White Sox All Time Leaders – Through 2015

cws_logoWith the return of Chicago baseball right around the corner, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. We finish things off today with the hometown Chicago White Sox.

I’ve seen the White Sox play 472 times at 10 different stadiums in 6 different cities, including every home playoff appearance in 2000, 2005, and 2008 except for Game 1 of the 2005 World Series.

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 93
Jermaine Dye 39
Alexei Ramirez 34

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 366
Alexei Ramirez 299
A.J. Pierzynski 231

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 200
Alexei Ramirez 133
A.J. Pierzynski 104

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 235
Alexei Ramirez 138
Jermaine Dye 107

Doubles

Name Total
Paul Konerko 57
Alexei Ramirez 49
A.J. Pierzynski 41

Triples Continue reading →

by admin

All Time Pitching Leaders – Through 2015

baseballs3White Sox pitchers and catchers report to spring training tomorrow, so it is time for our annual look at the pitching leaders in the now 704 games I’ve attended, and identified, between 1984 and 2015. Not a whole lot of difference from last year, but a few categories have seen new faces join the leader board.  So, without further ado, let’s get things started with our first category, the always popular:

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 31
Gavin Floyd 24
Carlos Zambrano 21
John Danks 19
Chris Sale 15

Losses

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 16
Carlos Zambrano 15
Gavin Floyd 15
John Danks 15
Jon Garland 14

ERA (>= 35 IP)

Name Total
Nate Jones 2.11
DJ Carrasco 2.20
Matt Thornton Continue reading →
by admin

Crosstown Pitching Leaders

cws-chiLast week, with the 2015 Crosstown Cup series wrapped up, we looked at the leaders in the 63 crosstown games I’ve attended since interleague play began in 1997. Today, we look at the pitching leaders in the annual match-up between the White Sox and the Cubs, starting with:

Wins

Name Total
Carlos Zambrano 4
Mark Buehrle 3
Jon Lieber 3
12 tied with 2

Losses

Name Total
Carlos Zambrano 3
Mark Buehrle 3
Jon Garland 3
Jose Contreras 3
9 tied with 2

ERA (> 9 IP)

Name Total
Matt Thornton 0.00
Glendon Rusch 0.00
Chris Sale 0.56
Kip Wells 1.13
Freddy Garcia 1.20

Strikeouts

Name Total
Carlos Zambrano 46
Continue reading →
by admin

Active Pitching Leaders – Through 2014

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersLast week, we looked at the active leaders in games I’ve attended through 2014 on the offensive side of the ball.  With spring training winding down and opening day little more than a week away, let’s take a look at the pitchers.

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 31
Gavin Floyd 24
John Danks 17
Jake Peavy 11
Chris Sale 10

Losses

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 16
Gavin Floyd 15
Continue reading →
by admin

All Time Pitching Leaders – Through 2014

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersWhite Sox pitchers and catchers report to spring training today, so it is time to looked at the pitching leaders in games I’ve attended, and identified, between 1984 and 2014.  Not a whole lot of difference from last year, but a few people have moved up the ranks a little.  So, without further ado, let’s get things started with our first category:

Wins

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 31
Gavin Floyd 24
Carlos Zambrano 21
John Danks 17
Ryan Dempster 13
Matt Clement 13

Losses

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 16
Carlos Zambrano 15
Continue reading →
by admin

All Season Pitching Leaders – Through 2014

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersLast week, we took our first look at the offensive leaders per season since 2011.  Today, we do the same with the pitchers for all of the games I’ve attended from 1984 through the 2014 season.  As with the hitters, there is little change from our first look after the 2011 season, but the time was right for another perusal of the stats.  We start with that most maligned pitching stat:

Wins

Year Name Total
2008 Mark Buehrle 8
2003 Matt Clement 6
2006 Freddy Garcia 6
2003 Mark Prior 6
2004 Greg Maddux 6
2005 Mark Buehrle 6
2008 Gavin Floyd 6

Losses

Year Name Total
2003 Kerry Wood 6
2008 Javier Vazquez 6
2003 Matt Clement 5
2004 Greg Maddux 5
2011 Gavin Floyd 5
2005 Greg Maddux 5

ERA (> 8 IP)

Year Name Total
Continue reading →
by admin

#202 – Lucas Harrell

HarrellLucas

Name: Lucas Harrell

Rank: 202

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2010-2011

Lucas Harrell was drafted by the White Sox in the 4th round of the 2004 draft.  He made his major league debut on July 30, 2010 thanks to travel issues that kept newly acquired pitcher Edwin Jackson from getting to Chicago.  Harrell went six innings against the A’s in picking up his first major league victory.

Harrell found his way back to Chicago at the end of August when Matt Thornton and J.J. Putz both went on the disabled list.  Things did not go as smoothly on his second go around, as the White Sox fell out of contention during September while Harrell battled control issues, walking more batters than he struck out.

Harrell came to spring training in 2011 in line to compete for the 5th starter spot, but struggled and found himself back in Triple A.  When Tony Pena went to the DL in late May, Harrell got another shot in the major leagues, which lasted 1 game.  He returned a little more than a week later when Jake Peavy went down with a groin injury.  He pitched twice before being sent down again when Peavy returned.  By early July, Harrell was placed on waivers and was claimed by the Astros.

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

Continue reading →

by admin

#236 – Joe Borchard

WhiteSox-joeborchardName: Joe Borchard

Rank: 236

Position: RF

Years With White Sox: 2002-2005

Joe Borchard was the 12th overall draft pick in the 2000, receiving a then-record bonus to dissuade him from focusing on football.  Borchard made his major league debut on September 2, 2002 against the Blue Jays, blasting a home run in his second at bat as the White Sox most touted prospect since Frank Thomas.

Borchard returned to Triple A in 2003, at least until Willie Harris went down in late May with a sprained shoulder.  He did not stay long, appearing in 16 games, and batted only .184.

2004 gave Borchard his first extended opportunity in the big leagues, thanks to injuries to Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordonez.  Unfortunately, he still had trouble producing, as he hit only .174 in 63 games, although he did set the US Cellular Field record for the longest home run with a 504 foot blast against Brett Myers of the Phillies.

Borchard returned to the minor leagues in 2005, appearing in just 7 games for the eventual World Series champions.  The next spring, with a little more than a week to go before the start of the season, Borchard was traded to the Mariners in exchange for relief pitcher Matt Thornton, which, ultimately, may have been his biggest contribution to the organization.

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