Tag / White Sox

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#226 – Scott Ruffcorn

Scott-Ruffcorn

Name: Scott Ruffcorn

Rank: 226

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1993-1996

Scott Ruffcorn was the White Sox first round draft pick out of Baylor University in 1991.  The previous 4 White Sox first round picks, Jack McDowell, Robin Ventura, Frank Thomas, and Alex Fernandez, were leading the White Sox to their first division title in a decade when Ruffcorn made his major league debut on June 19, 1993 against the Angels, taking the place of an injured Kirk McCaskill.  When Ron Karkovice separated his shoulder during the game, Ruffcorn was sent back to the minors to make room for another catcher on the roster.  He returned to the majors in September and made two additional appearances.

When Scott Sanderson had a tremendous spring in 1994 to force his way in to the starting rotation, it forced Ruffcorn to start the year in Triple A.  As July rolled around, Sanderson had started to struggle and Ruffcorn was called up to take his slot in the rotation.  Sadly, he didn’t last long, giving up seven runs and nine hits over 4 innings.  Manager Gene Lamont said that Ruffcorn “needed to get over his nervousness,” but his next start also did not go well.  Facing the Royals, he gave up 4 runs before being pulled in the third inning.  He was demoted back to Triple A before the strike in August wiped out the remainder of the season.

After an abbreviated spring training in 1995, Ruffcorn broke camp with the White Sox, earning a spot in the bullpen.  He walked six in 1 2/3 innings against the Red Sox in his second appearance of the year, and by mid-May, he was back in Triple A, with reporter Dave Van Dyck writing that Ruffcorn was “ruined forever because the Sox rushed him to judgment.”

Ruffcorn finished his White Sox career in 1996, appearing in 3 final games but getting the same results.  He ended up with 0 wins and a career ERA of 9.68 and the “record” for most consecutive seasons with an ERA over 7.00.  In January of 1997, he was purchased by the Phillies.

Ruffcorn’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#227 – Royce Clayton

royceclayton

Name: Royce Clayton

Rank: 227

Position: SS

Years With White Sox: 2001-2002

Following their division title in 2000, the White Sox looked to improve their defense by moving Jose Valentin to center field and acquiring Royce Clayton from the Rangers in exchange for Aaron Myette and Brian Schmack.  Unfortunately, things went south for both the White Sox and Clayton.  On June 25, when the White Sox reached .500 for the first time since early April, Clayton went 2-4 and managed to raise his average to a season-high .180.  He also decided that was the perfect time to criticize manager Jerry Manuel for not playing him every day.

“If I don’t [hit] I’m on the bench,” Clayton said.  “I know what I’m dealing with now.  Early in the season I really wasn’t aware of it.  Now I am aware of what I have to do in order to play, and I have a problem with it.”  Did I mention he was hitting .180 at the end of June?  Somehow, Clayton managed to raise his average to .263 by the end of the year, but his relationship with Sox fans and management seemed irreparable.

Clayton was back at shortstop in 2002, with Jose Valentin shifted now to third base.  Despite a good spring, Clayton again struggled as the season began, with his average at .198 at the end of May, leading to another benching from Manual.  Again, he did eventually manage to raise his average to .251, but the damage had been done and, with 3 weeks left in the season, he was released.  “It’s for the best,” Clayton said.  “I wasn’t playing here.  A couple weeks left, maybe I’ll go play somewhere else for the remainder of the season and help somebody else.  It’s best to put the situation behind me as soon as possible and go on.”

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

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by admin

#228 – Jeff Abbott

jeffabbott

Name: Jeff Abbott

Rank: 228

Position: OF

Years With White Sox: 1997-2000

Jeff Abbott was drafted by the White Sox in the 32nd round of the 1993 draft, but didn’t sign.  The White Sox took another chance on him the following year, selecting him in the 4th round, and this time he signed on.  Abbott rose quickly through the minor league system, making his major league debut nearly 3 years to the day he first signed with the White Sox, grounding out against Andy Pettite of the Yankees.  He would return to the big league club for the rest of the season in September, appearing in 19 games and batting .263.

1998 saw Abbott as the White Sox 4th outfielder, where he performed adequately offensively, but was a butcher in the field, finishing the year with a .971 fielding percentage.  Abbott got off to a slow start in 1999, hitting only .158 over the season’s first month, which resulted in his return to the minor leagues, where he would remain for the rest of the year.

In 2000, Abbott returned to the big leagues and regained his hitting stroke, but lost the power he had shown earlier.  He saw his first post-season action in game 2 of the Division Series against the Mariners, which the White Sox lost in 3 games.  Following the season, Abbott was sent to the Marlins in exchange for Julio Ramirez, and his White Sox career came to an end.

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

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#229 – Eric King

ericking

Name: Eric King

Rank: 229

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1989-1990

Eric King came to the White Sox towards the end of spring training in 1989 in the trade that sent future GM Kenny Williams to the Tigers.  King joined the rotation and pitched well, starting 25 games and finishing with a 9-10 record and a 3.39 ERA for a White Sox team that finished 29 games out of first place.

In 1990, the final season at old Comiskey Park, King helped the White Sox achieve an epic turnaround from the year before, as the team improved their record by 25 wins.  His record improved to 12-4 in 25 starts and he finished the year with a career-low 3.28 ERA.

Following the season, the White Sox packaged King with fellow pitcher Shawn Hillegas in a trade to the Indians that would bring slugger Cory Snyder to the south side.

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

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#230 – Don Slaught

Don Slaught (1996 White Sox)

Name: Don Slaught

Rank: 230

Position: C

Year With White Sox: 1996

Don Slaught joined the White Sox via an August 31, 1996 trade with the Angels in exchange for a player to be named later.  With the White Sox battling for a playoff spot, and catcher Ron Karkovice suffering from a sore knee, they needed another catcher to take the load off of Pat Borders, who had also been acquired from the Angels earlier in the year.

He appeared in 14 games in the final month, batting .250, as the White Sox fell out of contention, finishing 3 games out of the wild card race.  Following the year, Slaught left as a free agent.

Slaught’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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by admin

#231 – Adam Dunn

dunnx-wide-communityName: Adam Dunn

Rank: 231

Position: DH

Years With White Sox: 2011-Present

The White Sox first focused in on Adam Dunn at the trade deadline in 2010, but he wasn’t interested in moving to the American League and becoming a designated hitter.  Unfortunately, when he became a free agent that winter, the White Sox threw enough money at him to get him to change his mind.  It was a move that was wildly praised at the time, but may go down in history as one of the worst free agent deals of all time.

Dunn’s White Sox career got off to a strong start, as he went 4 for 14 with a home run and 5 RBIs in his first four games before coming down with appendicitis.  Sadly, after that, things went south.  Dunn finished the season with a .159 average, 11 home runs, 42 RBIs, and a team-record 177 strikeouts.  It was easily the worst season of his, or any one else’s, career.  Had he gotten an additional 6 at bats, qualifying him for the batting title, he would have put up the lowest batting average for a qualified player since Bill Bergen hit .139 for the 1909 Brooklyn Superbas, now known as the Dodgers.

In 2012, Dunn “bounced back”, regaining his power stroke but otherwise still struggling at the plate.  He managed to surpass his 2011 home run total by the end of May and finished with 41.  He also obliterated his team record for strikeouts and set the American League record with 222, one less than Mark Reynold’s major league record.  He also set a major league record for position players, striking out in 36 consecutive games.  When the season wrapped up, he finished with a .204 average and 96 RBIs, and the White Sox, who led the American League Central for most of the season, were out of the playoffs once again.

2013 saw minor improvements for Dunn as the White Sox fell to last place and were never in contention.  Dunn limited his strikeouts to 189 and raised his average up to .219.  As the 2014 season was about to get underway, Dunn’s career average for the White Sox was still under .200 and he’s struck out more than twice as often as he’s gotten a hit.  It’s hard to call his tenure on the south side as anything other than disastrous.

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

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by jim

Class Act

CubKonerkoPrior to last night’s finale of this year’s Crosstown series on the north side of town, the Cubs honored Paul Konerko, who is retiring at year’s end.  Jeff Samardzija, who hit Konerko in the head during a 2012 clash at Wrigley Field, presented Konerko with a number 14 from the scoreboard.  Despite not getting in to the game, Konerko finished his career at the Friendly Confines with a .311 average, 7 home runs and 26 RBIs in 35 games.

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#232 – Charlie Haeger

Haegerpg-verticalName: Charlie Haeger

Rank: 232

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2006-2007

Charlie Haeger was selected by the White Sox in the 25th round of the 2001 draft.  He retired after the 2002 season to pursue a career in golf, but returned to baseball and the White Sox organization in 2004.  He finally made his way to the major leagues in 2006, making his debut against the Angels in a 12-5 loss after Jose Contreras went down with a back issue.  After the start, he was quickly returned to Charlotte, but he eventually returned, appearing in 6 other games, all in relief, for the White Sox that year, finishing with a 3.44 ERA.

Haeger competed for the fifth starters spot during spring training in 2007, but was sent back to Charlotte again when the newly arrived John Danks won the competition.  As the 2007 season went south, Haeger was recalled in mid-July, and, like the rest of the team that year, did poorly.  He appeared in 8 games, giving up 9 earned runs in 11 1/3 innings.

Haeger spent most of 2008 at Triple A Charlotte, until he was designated for assignment and claimed by the Padres in September, ending his time in the White Sox organization.

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

by admin

#233 – Scott Eyre

scott_eyre_autographName: Scott Eyre

Rank: 233

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1997-2000

Scott Eyre joined the White Sox organization in a 1994 trade that sent Esteban Beltre to the Rangers.  He made his way to the major leagues on August 1, 1997, lasting 4 1/3 innings in a losing start against the Angels.  He would start 10 more games over the final two months of the season, finishing with a 4-4 record but with a 5.04 ERA.

Eyre split the 1998 season between the rotation and the bullpen.  His record dropped to 3-8 and his ERA rose to 5.38.  His struggles continued in 1999, where he started for Triple A Charlotte but worked exclusively in relief for the big league club.  His ERA ballooned up to 7.56, giving up 21 runs in his 21 games.

In 2000, he stuck to the bullpen, both in Triple A and, for the most part, for the White Sox.  He did manage to lower his ERA down to 6.63, but it wasn’t enough to make the playoff roster for the Central Division champions.

Following the season, Eyre was traded to the Blue Jays for fellow pitcher Gary Glover.

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

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#234 – Will Ohman

Will+OhmanName: Will Ohman

Rank: 234

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2011-2012

Will Ohman signed a 2 year deal with the White Sox on January 8, 2011.  He joined the bullpen for a team expected to compete for a division title, but which instead unraveled under the watchful eye of Ozzie Guillen.  Ohman was competent, putting up a 4.22 ERA in 59 appearances.

2012 was worse for Ohman.  Under new manager Robin Ventura, the team was actually contending, spending most of the season in first place.  Ohman, however, saw his ERA jump up to 6.41.  As June was coming to an end, so was his time on the White Sox.  He was designated for assignment on June 27 and eventually released on July 3.

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

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