#207 – Cory Snyder

30ebeb65e2762775597c9ab7e1ebe22eName: Cory Snyder

Rank: 207

Position: 1B/OF

Year With White Sox: 1991

Former Olympian Cory Snyder joined the White Sox on December 4, 1990 via a trade with the Indians in exchange for pitchers Shawn Hillegas and Eric King.  Things did not go smoothly for Snyder in Chicago, as he clashed with manager Jeff Torborg over playing time and with hitting coach Walt Hriniak over his approach at the plate.

“I was a power guy who had some strikeouts but I drove in runs,” Snyder would say years later.  “I wasn’t a line drive hitter. The Sox organization expected me to work with him. He was a lot different from Charlie Lau. Basically it was Walt’s way or the highway.”

On July 15, Snyder was hitting .188 and had only 3 home runs and 11 RBI.  Wi

#308 – Mike Huff

e571Name: Mike Huff

Rank: 308

Position: OF

Years With White Sox: 1991-1993

Mike Huff joined the White Sox in July of 1991 when he was selected off waivers from the Indians.  He performed well for the Sox in the second half of the 1991 season, hitting .268 in 51 games.  Unfortunately, that would be his high water mark as a member of the South Siders.

In 1992, Huff appeared in 60 games, but saw his average drop to .209.  Things were even worse the next year, as the White Sox headed to their 2nd and final AL West championship.  Huff only appeared in 43 games for the big league club, and finished with an anemic .182 average.

Spring training of 1994 brought an unexpected addition to the White Sox clubhouse: Michael Jordan.  Being on the bubble, Huff was vocal about the uneasiness of having a roster spot potentially taken by an unworthy player for marketing purposes.  He shouldn’t have worried, since neither he nor Michael Jordan would be spending the summer in Chicago.  As spring training was winding down and it became obvious that Huff was not going to make the team, GM Ron Schueler traded him to the Blue Jays in exchange for Domingo Martinez, commenting that the move “gives him a chance to stay in the big leagues.”

Huff has rejoined the White Sox organization in recent years, acting as a vice president for the Bulls/Sox training academy and filling in on the television broadcasts when Steve Stone is away.

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