Tag / White Sox

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#262 – Ben Davis

ben-davisName: Ben Davis

Rank: 262

Position: C

Year With White Sox: 2004

Ben Davis was acquired by the White Sox along side Freddy Garcia in the June 27, 2004 trade that sent Mike Morse, Miguel Olivo, and Jeremy Reed to the Mariners.  Davis appeared in 54 games for the White Sox after the trade, putting up an anemic .231 batting average.

He re-signed with the White Sox for the 2005 campaign, but the arrival of A.J. Pierzynski meant Davis started the year in Triple A Charlotte.  He only appeared in 10 games before a fractured finger and a right elbow injury ended his season.  He underwent Tommy John surgery, was released at the end of the season, and never played in the major leagues again.

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

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#263 – Chris Snopek

snopek

Name: Chris Snopek

Rank: 263

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 1995-1998

Chris Snopek joined the White Sox organization in 1992 when he was drafted in the 6th round.  He worked his way up through the system and made his major league debut on July 31, 1995, going 2 for 3 in the White Sox 6-4 win over the Royals.  Snopek bounced up and down over the next 2 seasons and had already made the club as a backup infielder in spring training in 1997, when something horrible happened.

On March 21, 1997, in an exhibition contest against the Red Sox, third baseman Robin Ventura broke and dislocated his right ankle in an awkward slide into home.  Suddenly, Chis Snopek found himself as the starting third baseman, at least until Ventura returned sometime after the All Star break.  “We have to find out if Snopek can play,” GM Ron Schueler said at the time. “Our people really like him. This is the time to find out if they’re right.”  However, it took less than three weeks for manager Terry Bevington to begin playing Tony Phillips at third against right-handed pitchers, leaving Snopek to rot on the bench.

Snopek got back in the lineup when Phillips was traded and kept it until Ventura returned in late July, having hit .223 with five home runs and 35 runs batted in and committing 15 errors.  He was sent back to Triple A on August 8th.  “Every day he got a question about replacing Robin, and that was tough on him,” said Schueler. “He was trying to hit home runs like they expected Robin to hit and that frustration carried over to his defense.”

After the season, Snopek went to Venezuela to play winter ball and, hopefully, rediscover his stroke.  After hitting .380, he returned to the White Sox in spring training of 1998 hoping to get another crack at replacing a White Sox legend, this time shortstop Ozzie Guillen.  While he lost out to rookie Mike Caruso for the starting role, Snopek did make the team as a reserve and, despite struggling at the plate once again, he stayed with the big league club until August 31, when he was traded to the Red Sox for a minor leaguer.  “It was a total shock,” Snopek said. “But it’s an opportunity for me to go to Boston and show them what I can do.”

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

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Book 17 (of 52) – From Black Sox To Threepeats

From Black Sox to Threepeats - Ron Rapoport

From Black Sox to Threepeats – Ron Rapoport

Former Sun-Times columnist Ron Rapoport put together this collection of the best writing in the Chicago sports pages over the last century and more.  From the sole crosstown World Series between the White Sox and Cubs in 1906 through the White Sox World Series championship of 2005, this collection covers all of the highs and lows in Chicago sports from all of the local newspapers.  There were the over the top champions of the 1985 Bears, the thrills of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen bringing home 6 titles in the 90s, and the (mostly) heartbreak of the local baseball teams who usually come up just a little (or a whole heck of a lot) short.

Alongside the traditional stories detailing the local teams, there are also those columns fighting against the segregation that followed black players to spring training, the bombings of both Oklahoma City and the Twin Towers, the murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, and many other stories of local, national, and international scope.

Fans of the local sports teams will likely enjoy this book, and may have even read some of the stories when they originally appeared in the newspaper.  It gives a nice historical look at the best writing the papers had to offer, as well as the historical highs and lows of our favorite teams.

by jim

Remaking The White Sox

addisonmattLess than a week after acquiring center fielder Adam Eaton from the Diamondbacks in a three team trade that sent Hector Santiago to the Angels, White Sox GM Rick Hahn struck again, this time getting third baseman Matt Davidson from the Diamondbacks in exchange for closer Addison Reed.  Add in Avisail Garcia, acquired in the Jake Peavy trade in July, and the signing of Cuban refugee Jose Abreu and the White Sox have added 4 players under the age of 27 who should form the foundation of the team going forward.

Davidson is ranked 64th on MLB.com’s Top 100 prospect list and was the Diamondback’s 2nd best prospect.  He hit .280 with 32 doubles, 17 home runs, 74 RBIs, 55 runs scored, a .350 on-base percentage and a .481 slugging percentage in 115 games at Triple-A in 2013.  He also took home MVP honors at the Futures Game during All Star weekend at Citi Field.

The closer role will likely fall to Nate Jones, barring any new acquisitions between now and opening day.  An opening day that could have the White Soc fielding 4 different starters from a year ago, hopefully leading them to future glory.

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#264 – Ron Reed

Ron_ReedName: Ron Reed

Rank: 264

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 1984

After 18 seasons in the National League, Ron Reed moved to the American League for the first time when he was traded from the Phillies to the White Sox on December 5, 1983 for Jerry Koosman.  Reed was supposed to be a stabilizing factor at the back end of the bullpen as the White Sox looked to repeat as AL West champs.  The 41 year old Reed pitched well enough, but the White Sox fell apart, finishing 5th in their division.

Following spring training in 1985, Reed was released and he decided to retire.

Reed’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were: Continue reading →

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#265 – Ehren Wassermann

ehren_wassermann_2008_05_11Name: Ehren Wassermann

Rank: 265

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2007-2008

Ehren Wassermann joined the White Sox organization when he signed as an amateur free agent on July 16, 2003.  He finally made his way to the big leagues during the lost season of 2007, making his major league debut on July 20 in a loss to the Red Sox after being called up to replace the injured Nick Masset.  Wasermann pitched well out of the bullpen for the disappointing 2007 squad, putting up a 2.74 ERA in 33 games.

While the White Sox bounced back into contention in 2008, Wassermann’s game fell apart.  His ERA jumped over 5 runs to 7.78 in 24 games.  This earned him a return trip to Triple A Charlotte, where he also spent the entire 2009 season.  Following that season, Wassermann was granted free agency, but he never pitched in the major leagues again.

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

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#266 – Sean Lowe

Sean_LoweName: Sean Lowe

Rank: 266

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1999-2001

Sean Lowe joined the White Sox organization in February of 1999 when he was acquired from the Cardinals in exchange for a minor league pitcher.

Lowe spent the entire 1999 season with the White Sox, putting up a 4-1 record and posting a 3.67 ERA.  In 2000, while the White Sox were winning their first AL Central title, Lowe struggled, with his ERA ballooning nearly 2 runs to 5.48.  He bounced back in 2001, starting 11 games, saving 3, and lowering his ERA back to 3.61.

Lowe’s time on the South Side came to an end on December 13, 2001 when he, along with Kip Wells and Josh Fogg, was shipped to the Pirates in exchange for Todd Ritchie.

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

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#267 – Pat Borders

Pat BordersName: Pat Borders

Rank: 267

Position: C

Year With White Sox: 1996

Longtime Blue Jay catcher Pat Borders joined the White Sox in a trade with the Angels for pitcher Robert Ellis on July 27, 1996.  The White Sox were in the market for a backup catcher after Chad Kreuter suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in a home plate collision earlier that month.

Borders appeared in 31 games for the White Sox, hitting .277 in 94 at bats.  Following the season, Borders was allowed to leave as a free agent.

Borders’ numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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Delaying The End Of An Era

r301593300The White Sox announced yesterday that Paul Konerko, the last remaining member of the 2005 World Series champions, will return to the south side for one final season in 2014.  The slugger, who struggled through an injury plagued 2013 as the White Sox fell to last place in the AL Central, will take on a reduced role with Adam Dunn still on the roster and newly signed Cuban import Jose Abreu expected to take over the reigns at first base for the foreseeable future.

The White Sox, under the leadership of Jerry Reinsdorf, have not always been so accommodating of their aging stars.  Carlton Fisk, Frank Thomas, and Ozzie Guillen are just a few who left town angry after being set loose by the team.  Very few players get to leave the game on their own terms, but it seems that Paul Konerko may get just that chance.

Reaction to the signing has been mixed, to say the least.  A large contingent of fans have been happy to see one of the best players in White Sox history return for one last go around.  A smaller group disdains the fact that sentimentality seems to be taking the place of a sound baseball decision, even though the team is not expected to compete next season.  Breaking camp next spring with Konerko, Abreu, and Dunn will hamstring the roster somewhat, but thankfully rosters do not have to be set on December 5th.

Hopefully a healthy Konerko can bounce back and become a productive member of the White Sox next season.  The longtime captain, and his fans, deserve to see his career come to a satisfying conclusion.

by admin

#268 – Aaron Miles

xnldXs9TName: Aaron Miles

Rank: 268

Position: 2B

Year With White Sox: 2003

Aaron Miles was selected by the White Sox from the Astros in the minor league portion of the 2000 Rule V draft.  He made his major league debut for the White Sox on September 11, 2003, going 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter in the Sox loss to the Twins.  He appeared in 7 additional games for the White Sox that September, finishing with a .333 batting average.

That December, he was moved to the Rockies in exchange for Juan Uribe.

Miles’ numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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