Tag / White Sox

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All Time Batting Leaders – Through 2016

baseballs2Last week, we took our annual look at the all time leaders in pitching stats for the 833 games I’ve attended (and identified) between 1984 and 2016. With the full White Sox roster reporting to camp on Saturday, it’s time to move over to the other side of the ball and take a look at the offensive stat leaders for those games, starting with our first category:

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 93
Sammy Sosa 42
Aramis Ramirez 41
Derrek Lee 40
Jermaine Dye 40

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 366
Alexei Ramirez 300
Derrek Lee 255
AJ Pierzynski 239
Aramis Ramirez 234

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 200
Derrek Lee 140
Alexei Ramirez 134
Aramis Ramirez 120
A.J. Pierzynski 106

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 235
Aramis Ramirez 158
Alexei Ramirez 140
Derrek Lee 134
Jermaine Dye 108

Doubles Continue reading →

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Team Stats: Bases On Balls

With 2 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 833 games I’ve identified that I have attended. We continue today on the defensive side of the ball with bases on balls surrendered.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen the most.  When you adjust the numbers per game, 4 teams are averaging 4 or more walks per game, with the California incarnation of the Angels leading the pack with 5.  The Cubs find themselves, unfortunately, in the top 10 at 3.42 walks per game, while the White Sox are in the bottom half (or top half, depending on your point of view) with 3.19 walks per game.  The Anaheim version of the Angels and the Miami version of the Marlins bring up the rear as the only teams with less than 2 walks per game, at 1.5 a piece.

Walks
Team Name Walks
Chicago White Sox 1610
Chicago Cubs 1308
Cleveland Indians 156
Kansas City Royals 151
Cincinnati Reds 133
Pittsburgh Pirates 128
Milwaukee Brewers 125
Seattle Mariners 120
Detroit Tigers 116
Minnesota Twins Continue reading →
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#40 – Scott Radinsky

Name: Scott Radinsky

Rank: 40

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1990-1995

Scott Radinsky was selected by the White Sox in 3rd round of the 1986 draft.  He made his major league debut on April 9, 1990, retiring the only batter he faced in a 2-1 victory over the Brewers at Comiskey Park.  He earned his first major league victory the following day.  With the surprising White Sox competing for a divisional title, Radinsky was a key component of the bullpen, going 6-1 with 4 saves in 62 appearances.  His performance enabled him to finish 9th in Rookie of the Year voting.

Radinsky improved in 1991, lowering his ERA by nearly 3 runs, to 2.02.  He finished the year 5-5 with 8 saves in 67 appearances.  1992 was more of the same, with a 2.73 ERA in 68 games.  He went 3-7 with 15 saves.

1993 saw Radinsky fall off somewhat, with his ERA jumping up to 4.28 despite earning an 8-2 record.  Despite the higher ERA, he set a career high to date for appearances and contributed to the White Sox earning their first division title in a decade.  He appeared in 4 of the 6 games in the ALCS against the Blue Jays, giving up 4 runs, 2 earned, in 1 2/3 innings pitched.

Radinsky missed the entire 1994 season while undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s Disease.  “Oh, it sucks to have a doctor tell you that you have cancer, but in the same breath, he told me that with aggressive treatment they can treat this particular disease,” he said.  He returned in 1995, appearing in only 46 games and with a ballooning ERA of 5.45.  Following the season, he became a free agent.

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

Continue reading →

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All Time Pitching Leaders – Through 2016

baseballs3White Sox pitchers and catchers hold their first spring workout today, so it is time for our annual look at the pitching leaders in the now 833 games I’ve attended, and identified, between 1984 and 2016. 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
Chris Sale 20
John Danks 19

Losses

Name Total
Mark Buehrle 17
John Danks 16
Carlos Zambrano 15
Gavin Floyd 15
Jon Garland 14

ERA (>= 35 IP)

Name Total
Nate Jones 2.08
DJ Carrasco 2.20
Matt Thornton Continue reading →
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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #150-159

3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 artists in my iTunes library.  Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact.  So, I figured it was time to take another look, expanding out the field to the top 200 artists, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2017.

Today, we continue our journey with the last group of artists that make up the bottom 50 on our list.

#159: Divinyls
iTunes stats: 29 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The Australian band touched themselves all the way up to tie for this spot on the chart.

#159: Bree Sharp
iTunes stats: 29 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

2 tracks from the singer’s debut album combine to place her on the chart.

#152: Violent Femmes
iTunes stats: 30 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The debut album from the Wisconsin band contributes 4 songs that make up their total.

#152: Robin Sparkles
iTunes stats: 30 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The alter ego of Cobie Smulders character from How I Met Your Mother combines her 2 Canadian pop hits to make up this total.

#152: Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
iTunes stats: 30 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The punk rock supergroup, who only do covers, use 4 tracks to combine for their total.

#152: Lenny Kravitz
iTunes stats: 30 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The son of TV’s Roxie Roker makes the list thanks to 4 tracks.

#152: Kanye West
Continue reading →

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Team Stats: Triples

With 3 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 833 games I’ve identified that I have attended. We continue today on the offensive side of the ball with triples.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen the most.  When you adjust the numbers per game, the Brewers lead the way with a little more than 1 triple per every 4 games.  The Anaheim and California iterations of the Angels, the Miami version of the Marlins, and the Expos bring up the rear without a triple between them.

Triples
Team Name Triples
Chicago White Sox 69
Chicago Cubs 67
Cleveland Indians 11
Milwaukee Brewers 10
Detroit Tigers 9
Minnesota Twins 8
Baltimore Orioles 7
Houston Astros 7
Pittsburgh Pirates 6
Seattle Mariners Continue reading →
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#41 – Craig Grebeck

Name: Craig Grebeck

Rank: 41

Position: SS/2B

Years With White Sox: 1990-1995

Craig Grebeck joined the White Sox as an undrafted amateur free agent On August 13, 1986.  He made his major league debut on April 13, 1990, pinch hitting for Scott Fletcher in the White Sox 6-2 loss to the Indians at Comiskey Park.  Splitting time between Triple A and the big leagues, Grebeck appeared in 59 games for the White Sox, hitting an anemic .168 in 119 at bats while playing as the smallest man in the American League.  He hit his first major league home run off Nolan Ryan on August 10.

Grebeck improved in 1991, as the White Sox moved across the street to their new digs.  Appearing in a career high 107 games, he hit .281 with a career high 6 home runs.

A severe knee injury that ended Ozzie Guillen’s season in late April saw Grebeck get significant time in the starting lineup in 1992.  While his total appearances dropped to 88 games, he started 85 of them, garnering more at bats and hitting .268 with the increased playing time.

With Guillen back and Joey Cora entrenching himself at second base, Grebeck was moved back to the bench in 1993.  His average dropped to .226 while making appearances in 72 games.  He had one at bat in the ALCS against the Blue Jays, singling in the Game 2 loss as a pinch hitter.

Grebeck bounced back in 1994, hitting .309 in only 35 games before the strike ended the season on August 12.  When baseball returned in 1995, Grebeck appeared in 53 games for the White Sox, hitting .260.  Following the season, he became a free agent.

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

Continue reading →

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Team Stats: Strike Outs

With 2 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 833 games I’ve identified that I have attended. We continue today on the offensive side of the ball with strikeouts.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen the most.  When you adjust the numbers per game, the Diamondbacks have a commanding lead with 9.6 strikeouts per game, the only team over 9.  Both the Cubs and the White Sox are in the bottom (or top, depending on your point of view) third, surprising given the number of at bats given to strikeout machines like Sammy Sosa, Jim Thome, and Adam Dunn.  The California iteration of the Angels have the low water mark with 4 strikeouts per game.

Strike Outs
Team Name Strike Outs
Chicago White Sox 3321
Chicago Cubs 2612
Minnesota Twins 410
Cleveland Indians 369
Kansas City Royals 363
Pittsburgh Pirates 349
Cincinnati Reds 342
Detroit Tigers 327
Houston Astros 317
Milwaukee Brewers Continue reading →
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Team Stats: Saves

With 2 months until baseball in Chicago returns, I thought it would be interesting to look at the all time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 833 games I’ve identified that I have attended. We continue today on the defensive side of the ball with saves.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen the most.  When you adjust the numbers per game, the California iteration of the Angels lead the way with an even 1 save per game.  At the bottom end of the spectrum are the Anaheim incarnation of the Angels, the Miami version of the Marlins, and the Devil Rays, who did not manage to earn a single save.

Saves
Team Name Saves
Chicago White Sox 112
Chicago Cubs 92
Kansas City Royals 17
Minnesota Twins 14
Toronto Blue Jays 12
Cincinnati Reds 11
New York Yankees 10
Detroit Tigers 10
Houston Astros 10
Los Angeles Angels Continue reading →
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#42 – Ivan Calderon

Name: Ivan Calderon

Rank: 42

Position: RF/LF

Years With White Sox: 1986-1990, 1993

Acquired from the Mariners as the player to be named later from an earlier trade for Scott Bradley, Ivan Calderon joined the White Sox on July 1, 1986.  After spending some time in Triple A Buffalo, Calderon was called up to the big leagues, appearing in 13 games and hitting .303.

Taking over as the every day right fielder in 1987, Calderon put up impressive offensive numbers.  He hit .293 with a career high 28 home runs and .888 OPS.  He made one of the defensive plays of the year on July 27 at Tiger Stadium.  Playing left field, he jumped on top of the mini scoreboard at the bottom of the fence to rob Alan Trammel of a home run.

An injured shoulder cut short Calderon’s season in 1988, as he was placed on the disabled list on August 1 and missed the remainder of the year.  Appearing in only 73 games, he managed to hit only 14 home runs while his average dropped to .212.

A healthy Calderon returned in 1989, but the shoulder injury seemed to have sapped him of much of his power.  He appeared in 157 games and totaled 622 at bats, but managed to only hit 14 home runs, equaling his total from the injury shortened season the year before and falling well below his career high in 1987.  1990 was more of the same, with the third straight season of 14 home runs, but he did manage a career high 44 doubles.

Following the season, he was traded, along with Barry Jones, to the Expos for future Hall of Famer Tim Raines, Jeff Carter, and a player to be named later.  He returned to the White Sox on August 31, 1993 as a free agent.  He appeared in only 9 games over the final month of the season, hitting an anemic .115 no home runs and 3 RBIs.  He was left off the playoff roster and, after the season came to an end, he decided to retire at the age of 31.

Sadly, 10 years later, on December 27, 2003, he was murdered in a bar in his native Puerto Rico.

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

Continue reading →