Baseball Prospectus 1996
GM Ron Schueler picked the wrong guys for the job. He went after Mike Devereaux, who was pretty miserable in the early going before a torrid streak after the All-Star break made him acceptable trade bait. Schueler went after Mickey Tettleton, then lied about how much money Tettleton had expected: one day after Schueler made his statement that Tettleton wanted a multi-year contract for at least $2 million per year, Tettleton signed a one-year deal with Texas for less than that. Instead, the team spent months trying to coax Johnny Kruk out of semi-retirement, finally landing their man on May 24, a month into the season. Pending Kruk's decision, the team added a well-worn Chris Sabo to tide the team over in the meantime. Both veterans turned in uninspired performances before leaving or being run out of town on a rail.
But even more troubling than the breakdown of the philosophy of supporting the team's offense with low-end free agent bargains was the early performance of the pitching staff. Simply put, they didn't show up. Wilson Alvarez came in out of shape, Alex Fernandez was rusty, Jason Bere was clueless, and touted youngsters Baldwin and Ruffcorn were disasters. The bullpen wasn't any better, blowing 12 of its first 23 save opportunities. In particular, groans of dismay would go up throughout the stands to greet the arrival of either Jose DeLeon or Roberto Hernandez in a game, followed by fatalistic observations like "of course he gave up the home run, its what he's good at.... " The disgust with what had happened to a team that was supposed to be so much better than this was tangible.
A week after the Kruk signing, after an 11-20 start, Schueler and Reinsdorf gave up on stolid Gene Lamont as manager, and replaced him with the outspoken and emotional Terry Bevington. Apparently, the braintrust believed that the clubhouse needed some fire and histrionics to inspire greatness. Bevington obliged by coming across as the poster child for Ritalin, but it didn't mean much in terms of the team's performance. More damaging was the turnover of pitching coaches. Jackie Brown, who had been well-regarded as a teacher during his rise through the Sox' system, and who had worked with several of the Sox pitchers through both their minor and major league careers, was shown the door along with Lamont, to be replaced by Don Cooper. Seven weeks later, Cooper was given the ax and Mike Pazik was brought in. None of them had a solution for Jason Bere's problems. All three were probably irrelevant to the strong second halves of Alvarez and Fernandez, which were the product of finally pitching into shape.
The front office was incapable of acknowledging its responsibility for the collapse. Jerry Reinsdorf was busy broadsiding the pitching staff in the press early and often, blaming the men for not staying in shape during the strike, while refusing to acknowledge that the strike had anything to do with it: "Other teams were on strike too. I just don't know to what extent our pitchers kept in shape physically and mentally." The idea that the strike he helped create could become the mother of all out-of-shape chickens come home to roost was probably unbearable. Nevertheless, Reinsdorf did have a point: Alvarez admitted he was extremely out of shape at the season's start.
But the strike probably damaged the Sox more than most as far as their roster moves were concerned. Whereas the team had previously been very thoughtful in taking its chances on FA outfielders and DHs, renting low and then waving good-bye after a season, the sudden frenzy of roster moves in the wake of the Sotomayor decision and the thawing of the signing freeze left the Sox flat-footed. The danger of constantly signing free agents after down years in the hope that they snap back is that you might sign someone whose career is genuinely over, like Kruk or Sabo, as opposed to players who had endured a temporary setback, like Franco, Jackson, and Burks. The team failed by doing exactly what it had done in the past, and then panicking when it didn't work out.
THE FRONT OFFICE: Ron Schueler has been an acceptable handmaiden to the bombastic, and to some, despicable, Jerry Reinsdorf. His drafts have not inspired much commentary either way (although it would hard to top Larry Himes' successful run in the late 80s, when he picked McDowell, Ventura, Thomas, and Fernandez). His trades have usually been bad: Sammy Sosa for George Bell is looking more and more like a disaster, and that move started the spiral of acquisitions for temporary solutions at rightfield and DH that has yet to be adequately resolved for any length of time. This offseason has put Schueler in a particularly bad light: the Sox have been hit hard by the Rule V draft. In the major league portion, they lost Andre King (the pickup for Mike Devereaux). In the minor league portion (players they can't potentially get back), they lost Keith Heberling (the throw-in on the McDowell trade), second baseman Essex Burton, pitchers Jason Pierson and Steve Olsen, shortstop Jason Goligoski, and catcher Melvin Rosario. Meanwhile, they were protecting people like Rod Bolton, who they then sold to Japan, or total flops like Jimmy Hurst and Kerry Valrie. Additionally, in the wake of trading Tim Raines or letting Lance Johnson sign elsewhere, Schueler has shown a bitter, nasty side, as he insulted both players in the press after their departures. Maybe he's trying to redefine classy behavior. The organization has also taken a hit among its minor league managers, losing highly regarded Terry Francona and Fred Kendall, and minor league operations personnel have been shaken up. Batting instructor Walt Hriniak was released, and replaced by infamous redass Bill Buckner, which could be good or bad. As an organization, the Sox are in transition, and what they'll turn into is no certain thing.
MANAGER: Terry Bevington seems to talk faster than he thinks. He threatens his pitching staff with bush league stunts like "if a man you walked scores, you're out," then backs off from the threat when reality comes calling. He's a "little ball, manufacture dem runs" kind of guy, in love with the bunt, the hit-and-run, and the steal, on a team that has Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, Harold Baines, and now Danny Tartabull, a bunch of players who think the squeeze is something you do to your honey on the dance floor. It remains to be seen how a collection of big-inning-oriented veterans will mesh with a "run 'til you're tagged" philosophy. You can sum up Terry Bevington by looking at what Ron Schueler said about him last June: "He's made a lot of good moves that didn't turn out." How in the world do you know if they're any good, if they never work?
JEFF ABBOTT 1973 LF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1994 HIK 230 79 10 3 4 29 1 1 .343 .417 .465 .311 72 41 1995 PRW 272 92 7 1 4 22 5 1 .338 .388 .415 .290 79 41 1995 BIR 200 60 9 1 2 16 1 2 .300 .352 .385 .261 52 25 1996 PRJ 544 163 25 5 14 52 8 4 .300 .361 .441 .282 154 81Birmingham is one of the best pitcher's parks in the Southern League, and Abbott had no problem making the adjustment midseason. The Sox took a flyer on him in the '94 draft after he missed his senior season with mononucleosis. Scouting reports believe he'll hit with more power with age, but if he doesn't he can still hit well enough to help a team. He hasn't faltered yet, and Lyle Mouton, Davey Martinez, and Darren Lewis aren't exactly Canseco and the Hendersons, and Tony Phillips and Danny Tartabull are older than the hills. His defense is considered poor.
HAROLD BAINES 1959 DH YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OAK 496 160 23 1 22 71 0 1 .323 .407 .506 .315 156 94 1992 OAK 482 131 15 1 18 58 1 3 .272 .350 .419 .268 129 66 1993 BAL 410 130 17 1 19 53 0 0 .317 .395 .502 .310 127 75 1994 BAL 319 92 11 1 12 26 0 0 .288 .342 .442 .274 87 45 1995 BAL 377 114 16 1 21 65 0 2 .302 .405 .517 .314 118 73 1996 PRJ 391 111 17 0 16 61 0 0 .284 .381 .450 .291 114 64Will he wear his retired number? Old Creaky Knees is said to be considering a Michael Jordan-style number change in his second coming. One of the dopiest generalizations you'll hear from broadcasters is that Harold is a pull hitter, as if he's turned into Darrell Evans or something. Harold has always been excellent at hammering the outside pitch into left. When he was younger, those hits were doubles, but those days are a memory. Hitting behind Frank Thomas, he may lead the league in GIDPs, even if he doesn't start against lefties.
DOUG BRADY 1970 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 UTI 232 41 4 1 1 17 8 3 .177 .233 .216 .147 34 8 1992 SBN 95 23 3 1 0 12 7 2 .242 .327 .295 .234 22 10 1992 SAR 190 43 4 0 2 21 4 3 .226 .303 .279 .206 39 14 1993 SAR 453 99 11 3 6 42 16 5 .219 .285 .296 .209 95 36 1994 BIR 520 116 12 5 4 34 23 7 .223 .271 .288 .202 105 38 1995 NAS 450 127 10 4 4 30 37 7 .282 .327 .349 .255 115 54 1996 PRJ 398 107 9 6 4 25 42 8 .269 .312 .352 .253 101 48His '95 was a major step up offensively, and he's always been a good defensive player. He got an AFL assignment, where he continued to hit well, so his offensive improvement could be his new level of ability. He probably has a very real chance at winning the second base job, since Durham was a mild disappointment in his rookie season, and doesn't appear to be on Bevington's good side.
CARMINE CAPPUCCIO 1970 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 UTI 89 19 2 1 0 4 2 0 .213 .247 .258 .176 16 5 1992 SBN 186 43 3 1 1 14 1 1 .231 .285 .274 .195 36 12 1993 SBN 388 98 16 2 3 28 1 3 .253 .303 .327 .221 86 34 1993 SAR 90 15 2 1 1 3 2 0 .167 .194 .244 .137 12 3 1994 PRW 406 107 15 1 7 17 6 3 .264 .293 .357 .231 94 39 1995 BIR 251 66 10 2 3 19 2 1 .263 .315 .355 .238 60 26 1995 NAS 217 58 7 0 5 27 0 2 .267 .348 .369 .252 55 26With a baseball name right out of the '30s, he may get a shot as a spare part, since he bats lefty and has a good arm in the outfield. He's moved cautiously up the ladder despite never being considered a prospect, and he's done a good job of leapfrogging "prospects."
RAY DURHAM 1972 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 UTI 146 28 2 2 1 15 5 1 .192 .267 .253 .185 27 9 1992 SAR 209 51 4 2 1 27 17 5 .244 .331 .297 .237 49 22 1993 BIR 537 136 15 7 3 34 32 16 .253 .298 .324 .225 121 50 1994 NAS 519 145 22 7 14 42 32 9 .279 .333 .430 .272 141 74 1995 CWS 470 125 23 5 6 25 24 6 .266 .303 .374 .246 116 53 1996 PRJ 582 164 28 8 9 45 33 9 .282 .333 .404 .267 155 78Little Bull's first season was a case of asking if the cup was half-empty or half-full. He frequently looked lost on defense, but he made the occasional brilliant play. He didn't get on base much, but still had reasonable power. He was handed the leadoff slot to start the season, and he promptly handed it back. The expectation is that he will improve in all aspects of the game, but Bevington seems fascinated by Norberto Martin and Doug Brady, and Durham had a lousy winter in the Puerto Rican league. He'll have to fight hard to keep his starting job.
TROY FRYMAN 1972 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 UTI 181 33 7 1 1 6 0 0 .182 .209 .249 .139 25 5 1992 SBN 447 65 11 1 6 40 4 1 .145 .216 .215 .123 55 10 1993 SBN 176 49 4 2 5 24 1 0 .278 .365 .409 .275 48 25 1993 SAR 287 60 8 1 6 24 0 0 .209 .270 .307 .199 57 20 1994 BIR 448 90 13 2 6 28 2 3 .201 .248 .279 .176 79 24 1995 BIR 363 78 10 2 6 42 7 1 .215 .296 .303 .214 78 30What does a guy have to do to play his way to the bench? Is he or his brother Travis Jerry Reinsdorf's son-in-law or something?
OZZIE GUILLEN 1964 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CWS 527 152 20 3 2 9 28 16 .288 .300 .349 .234 123 52 1992 CWS 40 9 4 0 0 1 1 0 .225 .244 .325 .203 8 3 1993 CWS 457 133 22 4 3 6 6 4 .291 .300 .376 .240 110 46 1994 CWS 363 107 4 3 1 10 6 5 .295 .314 .331 .230 84 33 1995 CWS 416 109 15 2 1 7 8 9 .262 .274 .315 .206 86 30 1996 PRJ 570 155 14 3 4 7 13 16 .272 .281 .328 .213 121 45Truly an amazing player. He says he doesn't hit for power because nobody throws him strikes, but he doesn't walk because everyone throws him strikes. Given that his career high in walks drawn is 22, I'm not surprised he doesn't know what's happening when he's batting. To top it off, Ozzie's a notorious whiner on ball-strike calls, despite never showing he knows the difference between the two. He supposed to be a "character," but if character involves shoving passing baserunners or consistently slapping players in the face with the phantom tag, I think the game needs less character.
TIM HOWARD 1969 UTIL YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SLU 242 59 4 1 6 9 4 4 .244 .271 .343 .214 52 20 1991 WPT 247 57 5 4 2 7 4 2 .231 .252 .308 .195 48 16 1992 BIN 514 132 16 6 6 33 9 4 .257 .302 .346 .231 119 49 1993 BIN 101 27 3 1 2 19 1 0 .267 .383 .376 .274 28 15 1993 NOR 198 50 4 1 3 10 2 1 .253 .288 .328 .218 43 17 1995 PAW 89 24 3 1 0 7 6 2 .270 .323 .326 .240 21 10 1995 NAS 103 22 1 1 2 13 5 3 .214 .302 .301 .216 22 9Came back to the States after spending '94 in the Mexican League. He's an ex-Met, so somebody somewhere probably thinks he's a prospect.
JIMMY HURST 1972 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 UTI 228 41 2 2 4 19 5 2 .180 .243 .259 .170 39 11 1993 SBN 470 100 9 1 13 23 8 2 .213 .249 .319 .199 93 33 1994 PRW 466 120 19 4 14 56 12 6 .258 .337 .406 .261 122 61 1995 BIR 306 56 6 0 10 28 10 4 .183 .251 .301 .193 59 21The Sox tout him as a top prospect, but then the Cubs used to say the same sort of thing about Earl Cunningham. He's a lousy outfielder who can't take a pitch or hit the ones he swings at. Strikeouts, unadjusted, 1993-95: 141, 128, 95.
RON KARKOVICE 1964 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CWS 168 44 11 0 6 14 0 0 .262 .319 .435 .261 44 22 1992 CWS 346 89 11 1 15 29 11 4 .257 .315 .425 .260 90 45 1993 CWS 403 96 15 1 20 26 3 2 .238 .284 .429 .246 99 46 1994 CWS 205 45 9 1 9 34 0 3 .220 .331 .405 .251 51 26 1995 CWS 322 73 13 1 12 35 3 4 .227 .303 .385 .237 76 35 1996 PRJ 394 93 11 1 16 55 1 3 .236 .330 .391 .251 99 48He's one of those guys who does a lot of things well enough to make up for his shortcomings: he can take a pitch, he may be the best bunter on the team, and he'll pop an occasional shot over the fence, all this on top of being the best defensive catcher in the league. Unfortunately, he's older than you'd think, but rotting for three years behind Carlton Fisk will do that to a career. Karko is probably the best success Walt Hriniak ever had as a hitting coach, while not strictly hitting in the Charlie Lau style: Karko doesn't consistently release his top hand on contact, yet according to published reports, Hriniak was supposed to be inflexible and demand total orthodoxy. As usual, the truth and the media story seem somewhat different. "Offisa" Karkovice has got to be the ugliest man in a major league uniform.
CHAD KREUTER 1965 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TUL 128 25 4 1 1 22 1 0 .195 .313 .266 .206 26 10 1991 OKL 71 19 4 0 1 15 2 1 .268 .395 .366 .275 20 11 1992 DET 191 51 7 0 3 19 0 1 .267 .333 .351 .242 46 20 1993 DET 372 111 20 3 15 46 2 1 .298 .376 .489 .298 111 64 1994 DET 168 38 4 0 1 25 0 1 .226 .326 .268 .210 35 13 1995 TAC 48 14 3 0 1 7 0 0 .292 .382 .417 .283 14 7 1995 SEA 75 18 3 0 1 4 0 0 .240 .278 .320 .209 16 6Switch-hitting catchers with some defensive skill can count on having more lives than a cat.
JOHN KRUK 1961 Hilljack Retiree YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PHP 551 175 28 5 23 67 7 0 .318 .392 .512 .313 172 103 1992 PHP 523 185 30 4 14 97 3 5 .354 .455 .507 .334 175 111 1993 PHP 538 172 30 4 13 109 6 2 .320 .434 .463 .318 171 105 1994 PHP 254 79 10 1 5 41 5 1 .311 .407 .417 .297 75 42 1995 CWS 157 51 3 0 2 24 0 1 .325 .414 .382 .287 45 24Nobody ever could get him out. He just got tired of playing in pain, and got bored with the game. The Sox probably should have done more to get him in a uniform sooner, rather than fooling around with Chris Sabo.
MIKE LAVALLIERE 1961 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PIT 345 109 12 2 3 34 2 1 .316 .377 .388 .275 95 47 1992 PIT 299 84 14 1 3 47 0 3 .281 .379 .365 .264 79 39 1993 SAR 109 28 1 0 1 15 1 0 .257 .347 .294 .234 26 11 1993 CWS 97 26 2 0 0 3 0 1 .268 .290 .289 .201 20 7 1994 CWS 138 40 0 0 1 18 0 2 .290 .372 .312 .245 34 15 1995 CWS 98 25 5 0 1 8 0 0 .255 .311 .337 .230 23 9As of this writing, Spanky has no contract. Since he can't really play on consecutive days, he may be out of chances, despite still being a fine plateblocker and receiver.
DARREN LEWIS 1968 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PHX 305 89 8 6 2 31 24 7 .292 .357 .377 .270 82 42 1991 SFG 230 65 7 3 1 36 13 6 .283 .380 .352 .267 61 32 1992 PHX 157 33 2 1 1 8 8 4 .210 .248 .255 .177 28 8 1992 SFG 325 84 8 1 2 31 29 8 .258 .323 .308 .239 78 35 1993 SFG 526 139 15 6 2 31 50 16 .264 .305 .327 .237 125 55 1994 SFG 450 118 14 7 3 53 34 14 .262 .340 .344 .251 113 54 1995 SFG 311 84 8 2 1 17 23 8 .270 .308 .318 .233 72 31 1995 CIN 163 41 1 0 0 17 11 12 .252 .322 .258 .204 33 13 1996 PRJ 409 111 14 3 1 23 32 8 .271 .310 .328 .240 98 43He can't hit enough to hold a regular's job, but Bevington will probably run him out there every day. To be fair, he can contribute as a sub, he can bunt and run, but he has no business being an everyday player, let alone a highly-paid one.
NORBERTO "Paco" MARTIN 1967 2B/OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 VAN 334 81 6 1 0 14 9 5 .243 .273 .266 .190 64 20 1992 VAN 492 131 10 4 2 19 22 8 .266 .294 .315 .222 109 43 1993 NAS 574 168 13 4 6 24 34 5 .293 .321 .361 .254 146 66 1994 NAS 170 40 4 0 2 9 4 5 .235 .274 .294 .195 33 11 1994 CWS 130 36 4 1 1 8 5 2 .277 .319 .346 .241 31 14 1995 CWS 160 45 5 3 2 1 7 0 .281 .286 .387 .247 40 17 1996 PRJ 152 42 4 2 0 5 11 2 .276 .299 .329 .237 36 15One of Terry Bevington's favorites, which tells you all you need to know about Terry Bevington. When he started losing his patience with Durham after the All-Star break, and had a choice between Craig Grebeck and Paco, Bev chose Paco. He even got playing time in the outfield, which was amusing if you weren't an angry Sox fan, while being very reminiscent of Steve Sax' outfield adventures in '93.
DAVE MARTINEZ 1965 RF/1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MON 409 135 21 5 8 20 16 6 .330 .361 .465 .291 119 64 1992 CIN 399 110 24 5 4 45 12 7 .276 .349 .391 .262 105 52 1993 SFG 244 62 10 1 5 27 7 3 .254 .328 .365 .248 60 28 1994 SFG 234 59 8 3 3 22 4 4 .252 .316 .350 .235 55 24 1995 CWS 301 96 13 3 4 28 11 2 .319 .377 .422 .288 87 46 1996 PRJ 445 122 19 4 10 36 14 5 .274 .328 .402 .261 116 57I was surprised at how good he was at first base. I expected another outfielder playing out of position, doing his best impersonation of a pillar of salt. Instead, Davey was active, throwing after the lead runner, and playing well off the bag. If he keeps hitting like last year, he can be an excellent spare part.
LYLE MOUTON 1969 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 ONE 277 66 5 1 4 17 6 4 .238 .282 .307 .208 58 21 1992 PRW 194 46 6 1 4 13 3 1 .237 .285 .340 .221 43 17 1992 ABY 221 47 10 2 2 20 1 1 .213 .278 .303 .201 45 16 1993 ABY 495 115 14 1 13 40 14 8 .232 .290 .343 .224 111 46 1994 ABY 278 80 12 1 9 21 7 4 .288 .338 .435 .270 75 38 1994 COH 203 60 11 3 3 12 4 1 .296 .335 .424 .269 55 27 1995 NAS 267 76 11 1 6 22 12 4 .285 .339 .401 .265 71 35 1995 CWS 178 56 13 1 4 16 1 0 .315 .371 .466 .293 52 28 1996 PRJ 439 123 15 1 15 39 18 6 .280 .339 .421 .271 119 61Mouton is what the Sox got from the Yankees for Jack McDowell and kept. He probably hit over his head, but hitting in the sixth slot behind Thomas and Ventura (i.e., with men on base), he saw a lot of fastballs. He may be in the same role this year, but its more likely he'll platoon with Martinez in right. Big and clumsy-looking in the outfield, he fields better than he looks.
REY NORIEGA 1968 UTIL YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 FTL 450 111 11 3 16 62 7 3 .247 .338 .391 .257 116 57 1992 FTL 349 71 10 3 6 35 7 2 .203 .276 .301 .203 71 26 1992 ALB 79 7 2 0 0 4 1 0 .089 .133 .114 **** -11 -3 1995 BIR 102 18 4 0 0 9 1 1 .176 .243 .216 .142 15 3 1995 NAS 55 9 2 0 1 3 0 0 .164 .207 .255 .140 8 2He's been a catcher and a third baseman, but he hasn't survived the wall that separates A-ball players from AA and AAA players.
GREG NORTON 1973 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 HIC 262 51 5 1 3 29 0 1 .195 .275 .256 .179 47 14 1994 SBN 482 114 10 1 5 45 3 2 .237 .302 .293 .210 101 37 1995 BIR 478 112 17 1 5 55 16 8 .234 .313 .305 .223 106 44 1996 PRJ 503 125 18 2 7 68 14 5 .249 .338 .334 .244 123 56Because the team already has Ventura, Snopek, and Olmedo Saenz, not much has been said about Norton's future, but he's talented. He's a switch-hitter with some speed, he'll take a walk, and he was one of the best defensive third basemen in the Southern League last year. He was much improved over the second half of the season. His power comes from the left side. He was sent to the AFL, and although he didn't crack the top prospect lists, he wound up among the leaders in extra-base hits and batting average, and generally looked like his hot second half might be his new level of ability.
JUNIOR ORTIZ 1960 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MIN 134 29 5 1 0 15 0 1 .216 .295 .269 .195 26 9 1992 CLE 244 63 5 1 0 11 1 3 .258 .290 .287 .201 49 17 1993 CLE 250 60 7 1 1 10 1 0 .240 .269 .288 .194 49 16 1994 TEX 76 22 0 0 0 4 0 1 .289 .325 .289 .217 17 6 1995 NAS 172 31 5 0 1 12 0 0 .180 .234 .227 .141 24 5Players who scabbed and were unabashedly proud of it probably won't see the light of day again.
EDDIE PEARSON 1974 1B/DH YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 HIC 348 69 8 1 3 11 2 1 .198 .223 .253 .152 53 13 1993 SBN 191 51 6 0 2 8 0 0 .267 .296 .330 .222 42 16 1994 PRW 510 127 15 1 7 33 0 0 .249 .295 .324 .218 111 43 1995 BIR 202 42 9 0 2 6 1 0 .208 .231 .282 .172 35 10He's supposed to be a power prospect, but last year, between injuries and a light bat, he couldn't cleanly beat out Troy Fryman.
CHARLES POE 1972 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SBN 428 78 14 3 5 22 11 4 .182 .222 .264 .163 70 19 1992 UTI 170 41 2 1 3 12 4 1 .241 .291 .318 .219 37 15 1992 SBN 234 35 5 1 2 15 2 1 .150 .201 .205 .102 24 3 1993 SAR 315 70 9 2 10 25 4 4 .222 .279 .359 .221 70 29 1994 PRW 478 116 13 1 8 38 10 2 .243 .298 .324 .224 107 43 1995 BIR 434 119 19 1 11 44 15 3 .274 .341 .399 .266 115 58 1996 PRJ 535 136 20 2 22 52 28 6 .254 .320 .422 .265 142 74The man who wasted a year of his career so that the front office could satisfy Michael Jordan's curiosity. When Jordan decided he could play baseball, and dictated that he would play in AA, Poe was the outfielder who had to spend a second straight season in the Florida State League. Obviously, he smoked Jordan as a baseball player in Birmingham, and wound up on the Southern League's all-star team. Probably best suited for left, and a limited prospect, but he shouldn't have had to wait for Jordan to show he couldn't play baseball for a year.
FERNANDO RAMSEY 1966 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CHR 558 143 13 4 7 24 27 11 .256 .287 .332 .224 125 51 1992 IOW 478 120 6 3 1 20 36 9 .251 .281 .282 .213 102 38 1993 IOW 540 137 17 5 4 23 17 12 .254 .284 .326 .216 117 45 1994 IND 50 17 2 0 0 0 3 1 .340 .340 .380 .265 13 6 1994 NOR 50 5 0 1 0 2 1 1 .100 .135 .140 **** -6 -1 1995 NAS 405 119 13 2 4 13 31 8 .294 .316 .365 .253 102 47One of Panama's finest, he could help a team in a Rodney McCray type of role. He scabbed, so he'll have to go out of his way to impress a team and his teammates, and at 30, doesn't have much of a future.
MIKE ROBERTSON 1971 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 UTI 55 6 2 0 0 3 1 0 .109 .155 .145 **** -6 -1 1991 SBN 213 57 11 1 1 10 4 3 .268 .300 .343 .228 49 20 1992 SAR 407 90 10 1 10 42 4 4 .221 .294 .324 .216 88 35 1992 BIR 93 18 7 1 1 8 0 1 .194 .257 .323 .195 18 6 1993 BIR 523 136 20 2 10 48 8 3 .260 .322 .363 .244 128 58 1994 BIR 200 59 13 1 3 27 4 2 .295 .379 .415 .282 56 30 1994 NAS 211 45 5 1 6 14 0 2 .213 .262 .332 .202 43 15 1995 NAS 500 121 11 2 16 48 3 4 .242 .308 .368 .236 118 52A lot of other firstbase prospects have received more attention in the Sox chain (Pearson, Domingo Martinez, Scott Cepicky), but Robertson is the one that keeps surviving and keeps moving up. At AAA, he's probably hit the wall, since he really isn't a great prospect. Selected as the best defensive first baseman in the American Association.
OLMEDO SAENZ 1971 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SBN 197 40 4 1 2 12 3 2 .203 .249 .264 .173 34 10 1992 SBN 502 100 13 2 5 21 8 7 .199 .231 .263 .163 82 22 1993 SBN 51 15 2 1 0 4 1 0 .294 .345 .373 .261 13 6 1993 SAR 121 27 6 2 1 7 2 1 .223 .266 .331 .209 25 9 1993 BIR 177 60 13 1 5 17 2 1 .339 .397 .508 .313 55 32 1994 NAS 379 94 18 1 10 27 3 2 .248 .298 .380 .237 90 39 1995 NAS 416 123 16 1 11 43 0 2 .296 .362 .418 .274 114 58It was pretty clever of the Sox to take two third basemen who are reasonable prospects in Saenz and Snopek, and have the guts to play both of them in the field instead of dragging out some career AAA shortstop like Gary Green to play because neither Snopek or Saenz "look like a shortstop." Saenz is a very good fielder (voted the best defensive third baseman in the American Association), and wouldn't be an embarrassment as a hitter. No chance to beat out Ventura, so Saenz will probably be a good pickup in a trade.
CHRIS SNOPEK 1971 SS/3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 UTI 259 56 8 1 1 37 5 2 .216 .314 .266 .209 54 20 1993 SBN 73 26 4 1 3 11 1 1 .356 .440 .562 .340 25 16 1993 SAR 376 82 12 1 10 52 2 1 .218 .313 .335 .229 86 37 1994 BIR 372 90 17 2 5 51 6 2 .242 .333 .339 .241 90 41 1995 NAS 394 124 17 2 10 48 3 5 .315 .389 .444 .291 115 63 1995 CWS 67 23 2 0 1 8 1 0 .343 .413 .418 .302 20 11 1996 PRJ 526 148 24 4 14 73 4 3 .281 .369 .422 .279 147 78Aside from an awful five-error night on opening day in '94, which Chicago got to see for Jordan's baseball debut, he's made a good impression. He's not going to win the Gold Glove at short or third in this life, but he's a patient hitter, and would beat Guillen for the starting shortstop job in a fair fight, kind of like... Craig Grebeck. Snopek will probably have to settle for a spot on the bench, subbing at third and starting at short against LHPs.
FRANK THOMAS 1968 1B/DH YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CWS 562 190 29 2 33 138 2 2 .338 .469 .573 .355 199 140 1992 CWS 583 204 43 3 28 122 7 3 .350 .462 .578 .354 207 143 1993 CWS 543 178 30 2 40 108 5 2 .328 .439 .611 .350 190 133 1994 CWS 389 139 28 2 32 102 3 3 .357 .491 .686 .385 150 116 1995 CWS 483 153 24 2 35 130 4 2 .317 .462 .592 .354 171 124 1996 PRJ 522 187 32 3 39 151 5 3 .358 .502 .655 .387 202 157About the only bad thing you can say about him is that he's worked really hard on his defense, and hasn't gotten any better. He did throw somebody out at a base other than first for what seems like the first time this season, surprising those of us in the stands. Still, he can't throw to save his life, and I was really disappointed with Cal Ripken in one game against the Sox. Ripken was running the bases, and was caught in a rundown between Thomas (with the ball) and Guillen. Ripken hesitated to let the lead runner get to third, a textbook maneuver, except that if he'd gone to second, he'd have forced Frank to throw, which might have scored him. There's a lot of sports talk radio whining that he takes too many walks, as if Frank would hit better if he started swinging at pitches he doesn't think he can hit. In this case, ignore the sports fan's prattle.
CHRIS TREMIE 1970 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 HIC 158 23 2 1 1 5 0 0 .146 .172 .190 **** -7 0 1993 SAR 37 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 .135 .179 .135 **** -4 -1 1994 BIR 303 61 7 0 2 16 3 1 .201 .241 .244 .160 49 12 1995 NAS 190 36 1 0 2 13 0 0 .189 .241 .226 .146 28 6Another lifelong backup with no future, especially with Vollmer likely to get first crack as the major league reserve.
KERRY VALRIE 1969 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SBN 338 62 5 1 5 11 16 4 .183 .209 .249 .157 53 14 1992 SBN 318 66 5 1 4 8 11 8 .208 .227 .267 .167 53 15 1992 SAR 177 37 5 0 2 12 8 1 .209 .259 .271 .193 34 12 1993 SAR 387 73 7 1 10 12 13 4 .189 .213 .289 .173 67 20 1994 BIR 427 111 17 2 3 30 20 6 .260 .309 .330 .234 100 42 1995 NAS 544 129 19 2 6 39 28 15 .237 .288 .312 .216 117 47Valrie's decision to scab was baffling. The front office and the players all talk about him as if he's a prospect, but now he's just a light-hitting outfielder who scabbed, and his career is headed in the wrong direction. Hitting as poorly as he did in Nashville this year probably got rid of whatever loyalty the team may have entertained, and he ticked off the big leaguers, so he's really friendless in the organization.
ROBIN VENTURA 1968 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CWS 609 184 20 2 24 79 3 4 .302 .382 .460 .293 178 100 1992 CWS 600 184 32 2 20 92 3 4 .307 .399 .467 .301 181 104 1993 CWS 550 149 22 2 22 101 2 5 .271 .384 .438 .286 157 88 1994 CWS 397 114 12 1 15 55 4 1 .287 .374 .436 .285 113 62 1995 CWS 487 149 18 1 23 69 5 4 .306 .392 .489 .304 148 87 1996 PRJ 602 186 23 1 26 91 3 4 .309 .400 .480 .305 184 108An excellent player you never hear much about. Ventura is probably the best third baseman in the league, and the only talk you hear about him is about the Sox entertaining a trade offer or two. He gained some notoriety for defying Walt Hriniak, but he still releases the top hand a lot.
JULIO VINAS 1973 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 UTI 155 28 3 1 1 7 0 1 .181 .216 .232 .131 20 4 1992 SBN 96 12 2 0 0 6 1 1 .125 .176 .146 **** -9 -1 1993 SBN 189 53 5 1 6 7 1 1 .280 .306 .413 .251 48 22 1993 SAR 65 14 0 1 1 4 0 0 .215 .261 .292 .190 12 4 1994 SBN 470 100 12 1 7 30 0 1 .213 .260 .287 .186 88 28 1995 BIR 377 95 9 1 6 32 3 2 .252 .311 .329 .227 86 35He's hit a little, but he's got a bad defensive reputation, and took a back seat to Vollmer in Birmingham. He'll probably have to put in a second season in Birmingham.
SCOTT VOLLMER 1971 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1994 HIC 426 96 13 1 5 29 0 0 .225 .275 .296 .198 84 29 1995 BIR 263 59 2 0 5 37 0 1 .224 .320 .289 .215 57 22Vollmer has a very good defensive reputation. He was given an AFL assignment this winter, and hit well, so he may get a shot at the backup job to Karkovice in spring.
CRAIG WILSON 1971 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 SBN 462 99 12 1 4 33 2 2 365 .184 26 .214 .267 .271 1994 PRW 506 118 20 2 2 44 1 1 389 .206 38 .233 .295 .292 1995 BIR 477 125 13 1 3 36 2 1 353 .224 42 .262 .314 .312An extreme groundball hitter who hits into a lot of double plays. He seems pretty solid with the glove, and will probably start in Nashville next season.
JERRY WOLAK 1971 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SAR 333 89 11 1 5 8 12 5 .267 .284 .351 .228 76 31 1992 SAR 336 84 14 2 6 13 12 8 .250 .278 .357 .224 75 31 1992 BIR 173 51 8 1 1 7 4 1 .295 .322 .370 .250 43 19 1993 BIR 532 154 24 2 8 20 14 8 .289 .315 .387 .249 133 60 1994 NAS 390 94 15 1 6 13 6 3 .241 .266 .331 .210 82 30 1995 NAS 385 86 15 1 11 19 7 3 .223 .260 .353 .215 83 32He's hit a wall in AAA the last two years because he can't hit right-handed pitching. He could probably contribute as a platoon player in the majors, but the Sox don't have the need in the outfield.
Organizational Pitching Report
OPR Points: 22 Rank in MLB: 19th (T) Rank in AL Central: 2nd(T)
Name Lvl Age IP Work H/G K/BB K/G ERA Adj Ttl Grade Andujar, Luis 6 3 8 0 4 7 5 4 0 37 A Fordham, Tom 4 4 8 0 4 4 5 4 -1 32 B Sirotka, Mike 7 0 8 0 3 7 3 3 0 31 B- Herbert, R 0 -1 5 0 7 5 7 4 -1 26 D+ Pratt, Rich 3 -1 7 0 4 6 4 3 -1 25 D Smith, Charles 0 -3 8 0 6 4 5 4 0 24 D Lorraine, A 8 5 6 0 0 3 0 0 +2 24 D Best Prospect in 1994: Scott Ruffcorn (A-) Best Rookie Starter in 1995: Brian Keyser (D)
1995 was a disaster for minor league pitching in the Sox system. In the past, pitching was advertised as the organization's strength. Touted pitchers like Scott Ruffcorn, James Baldwin, Steve Schrenk, Rod Bolton, Robert Ellis, and Scott Christman have all been described as "can't miss" prospects, and all of them suffered setbacks in the past year: Ruffcorn, Baldwin, and Schrenk were injured, Bolton, Ruffcorn and Baldwin all pitched badly in their major league trials, Ellis and Schrenk were injured, and Christman worked his way back into A-ball after a disastrous half-season in AA. Larry Thomas was supposed to be a great starting prospect, but flopped in that role and has now resurfaced as a reliever.
There were other disasters. Nashville (Chicago's AAA affiliate) was seventh in the American Association in runs allowed. Its best starters were Dave Righetti and the perenially unwanted Rod Bolton (now sold to Japan). Of the OPR prospects, only Andrew Lorraine and Mike Sirotka spent any time at AAA. Lorraine spent most of it in the Angels system, and Sirotka only put in eight starts in Nashville as well as six in Chicago.
At Birmingham (AA), the news was somewhat better, although Birmingham's big barn had a lot to do with the pitching staff's relative success. Luis Andujar recovered fully from a nerve transplant, and was the Southern League's best starting pitcher. Some well-regarded left-handed pitchers also spent time in Birmingham: Mike Bertotti, Scott Christman (who pitched his way back to A-ball), and Tom Fordham. Only Fordham has escaped setbacks or bruises so far. Two older righthanded relief prospects also pitched for the Barons: Chris Woodfin, who was the closer, and Alan Levine, who the Sox seem to be grooming. Woodfin is a junkballer, and throws something he calls the "scrosh," described as a screwball-fork-changeup. Sounds like junk to me. Finally, Birmingham also had lefthander Larry Thomas, a member of the Barons' rotation the previous year, who finally enjoyed success as a relief pitcher.
The Sox maintained three full-season A-ball teams, which spread their talent a bit thin. Hickory in the Sally League had the worst staff in the league, although the team had two solid prospects, lefthanded power pitcher Jack Ford and righty Russell Herbert (who was promoted to South Bend). South Bend and Prince William were both better than Hickory, but were still below .500. South Bend's ace was Charles Smith, who led the Midwest League in strikeouts and finished fourth in ERA, although he was one of the oldest pitchers in the league. Prince William's top prospect was Rich Pratt, another good lefthanded arm. On the whole, the Sox put their farm teams in pitcher's parks, so that their pitching prospects get a slight edge. Despite this, the pitching staffs at Hickory and Prince William led or nearly led their leagues in home runs allowed, and Hickory and South Bend were near the bottom of their leagues in strikeouts. How much can these poor performances be blamed on the organization's running three full-season A-ball teams instead of two? It's possible that by looking at more farm players, the Sox may develop an extra prospect or two. Although all three A-ball teams had poor records this season, all three had good records in '94.
WILSON ALVAREZ 1970 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BIR 140.0 150 68 14 82 135 4.37 7 9 9.64 5.27 8.68 1991 CWS 55.7 59 30 10 29 38 4.85 2 4 9.54 4.69 6.14 1992 CWS 98.3 116 64 14 65 80 5.86 3 8 10.62 5.95 7.32 1993 CWS 204.3 181 71 13 118 178 3.13 14 9 7.97 5.20 7.84 1994 CWS 159.3 160 64 13 56 119 3.62 10 8 9.04 3.16 6.72 1995 CWS 173.3 166 71 17 83 128 3.69 10 9 8.62 4.31 6.65Alvarez had an awful first half, going 2-5 with a 5.45 ERA, and admitted that he was out of shape after the long layoff of the strike. He's worked hard on his move to first, and become very good an stopping the running game. His curve, always his most unreliable pitch, doesn't work well against lefties, so he's that rare lefthanded pitcher who isn't a screwballer who has some trouble with lefties.
LUIS ANDUJAR 1973 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 SBN 104.7 148 69 14 54 58 5.93 4 8 12.73 4.64 4.99 1993 SAR 78.3 86 39 7 33 63 4.48 4 5 9.88 3.79 7.24 1993 BIR 36.7 38 16 3 20 40 3.93 2 2 9.33 4.91 9.82 1994 BIR 71.0 98 51 9 30 55 6.46 2 6 12.42 3.80 6.97 1995 BIR 155.0 159 64 15 47 121 3.72 9 8 9.23 2.73 7.03 1995 CWS 29.7 26 9 2 12 10 2.73 2 1 7.89 3.64 3.03Recovering from an ulnar nerve transplant that ended his '94 season early, he healed more quickly than expected. He was named to the Southern League All-Star team, and voted the most valuable pitcher and the #5 prospect. He makes his living with his fastball to get a lot of strikeouts and flyouts, adding a slider and change. Andujar will probably win the fourth or fifth slot in the rotation this spring, but don't expect instant greatness, since Birmingham is a very good pitcher's park.
JAMES BALDWIN 1972 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 UTI 30.7 50 30 1 31 14 8.80 1 2 14.67 9.10 4.11 1992 SBN 122.7 158 76 18 51 87 5.58 5 9 11.59 3.74 6.38 1992 SAR 34.7 40 20 7 10 31 5.19 1 3 10.38 2.60 8.05 1993 BIR 112.3 110 58 10 48 88 4.65 5 7 8.81 3.85 7.05 1993 NAS 66.3 48 22 6 38 62 2.98 4 3 6.51 5.16 8.41 1994 NAS 154.7 150 68 15 86 153 3.96 9 8 8.73 5.00 8.90 1995 CWS 13.7 30 17 4 8 11 11.20 0 2 19.76 5.27 7.24Won the fifth starter slot in spring training, and got shellacked so badly he was demoted by mid-May. He didn't fare any better in Nashville, surrendering 27 homeruns in 95 IP. He's no longer being mentioned as a member of the rotation any time soon. Baseball America mentioned he was voted as having the best breaking pitch in the American Association. Now how in the hell did he do that surrendering 27 homeruns in 95 IP in Nashville? Is his fastball the most hittable fastball in the American Association?
JASON BERE 1971 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SBN 144.3 159 102 26 118 106 6.36 5 11 9.91 7.36 6.61 1992 SAR 106.3 110 57 10 47 84 4.82 5 7 9.31 3.98 7.11 1992 BIR 50.7 54 29 3 24 38 5.15 2 4 9.59 4.26 6.75 1993 NAS 47.0 40 19 1 27 53 3.64 3 2 7.66 5.17 10.15 1993 CWS 140.3 118 55 12 78 148 3.53 9 7 7.57 5.00 9.49 1994 CWS 139.7 130 58 14 75 140 3.74 9 7 8.38 4.83 9.02 1995 CWS 135.0 145 87 18 96 119 5.80 5 10 9.67 6.40 7.93Endured a disastrous season, with no highlights whatsoever. He pitched badly to every kind of batter, on the road, at home, at day, at night, by sea, by air... you get the point. If anything, he got worse as the season went on. Worse yet, there are no suspects, no serious injuries, and no attempt at an explanation. Consistently poor holding opposing basestealers, Bere allowed 36 steals in 41 attempts.
MIKE BERTOTTI 1970 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 UTI 31.3 43 37 7 43 20 10.63 0 3 12.35 12.35 5.74 1992 UTI 27.3 43 32 6 41 13 10.54 0 3 14.16 13.50 4.28 1992 SBN 16.0 16 12 2 27 11 6.75 1 1 9.00 15.19 6.19 1993 HIC 53.0 56 28 7 35 50 4.75 2 4 9.51 5.94 8.49 1993 SBN 100.7 121 70 11 50 71 6.26 3 8 10.82 4.47 6.35 1994 PRW 96.7 107 54 17 49 76 5.03 4 7 9.96 4.56 7.08 1994 BIR 64.0 60 28 2 26 38 3.94 4 3 8.44 3.66 5.34 1995 BIR 58.7 66 39 6 40 44 5.98 2 5 10.12 6.14 6.75 1995 NAS 30.7 40 29 9 19 33 8.51 1 2 11.74 5.58 9.68 1995 CWS 13.7 22 15 5 10 16 9.88 0 2 14.49 6.59 10.54He's supposed to have a good fastball, good enough that the team switched him from the bullpen to the rotation. Fastball or no, he's wild and homer-prone, and hasn't had consistent success above A-ball.
RODNEY BOLTON 1969 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SAR 95.3 110 46 9 24 61 4.34 5 6 10.38 2.27 5.76 1991 BIR 82.3 99 39 8 21 47 4.26 4 5 10.82 2.30 5.14 1992 VAN 175.3 206 86 16 55 115 4.41 9 10 10.57 2.82 5.90 1993 NAS 110.0 120 41 7 40 77 3.35 7 5 9.82 3.27 6.30 1993 CWS 41.7 58 35 5 15 19 7.56 1 4 12.53 3.24 4.10 1994 NAS 111.0 113 39 4 36 62 3.16 7 5 9.16 2.92 5.03 1995 NAS 133.7 132 43 12 28 75 2.90 10 5 8.89 1.89 5.05 1995 CWS 21.3 32 17 4 12 11 7.17 0 2 13.50 5.06 4.64One of those guys who has great control and a poor fastball, so he can't buy a break. He could wind up being the new Bob Tewksbury, if he ever gets an extended shot. He's never had an unadjusted ERA over three in the minors, so he really has nothing left to prove there. Rather than take an extended look at him, the Sox have sold him to Fukuoka in the Japanese League.
TOM BOLTON 1962 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BOS 108.0 143 63 14 50 73 5.25 4 8 11.92 4.17 6.08 1992 BOS 28.3 35 12 0 14 27 3.81 2 1 11.12 4.45 8.58 1992 CIN 46.3 55 28 9 24 30 5.44 2 3 10.68 4.66 5.83 1993 DET 100.7 115 47 4 42 75 4.20 5 6 10.28 3.75 6.71 1994 ROC 19.3 14 5 2 8 14 2.33 1 1 6.52 3.72 6.52 1994 BAL 22.7 31 13 2 13 13 5.16 1 2 12.31 5.16 5.16 1995 NAS 97.3 108 47 12 34 78 4.35 5 6 9.99 3.14 7.21The veteran lefty will get to pitch until he's 40, as long as he gets somebody out somewhere. He could probably help a team looking for a fifth starter in a big ballpark.
JEFF DARWIN 1970 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SBR 67.3 90 57 26 26 41 7.62 2 5 12.03 3.48 5.48 1992 PEN 126.0 166 73 19 47 89 5.21 5 9 11.86 3.36 6.36 1993 JAX 34.0 34 20 3 19 32 5.29 1 3 9.00 5.03 8.47 1993 EDM 28.3 48 29 7 10 19 9.21 0 3 15.25 3.18 6.04 1994 CLG 67.3 53 24 9 29 50 3.21 4 3 7.08 3.88 6.68 1995 TAC 60.0 53 20 3 21 52 3.00 4 3 7.95 3.15 7.80Turned into the PTBNL in the Warren Newson trade. He had a successful season at Tacoma when he was handed the closer role after Ron Villone was traded to San Diego. Very good control, and doesn't have problems throwing to lefties or righties, so he'll get a good chance to win a middle relief job with the Sox this season.
ALEX FERNANDEZ 1970 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CWS 188.7 232 117 17 90 174 5.58 7 14 11.07 4.29 8.30 1992 CWS 183.7 223 101 24 48 115 4.95 8 12 10.93 2.35 5.64 1993 CWS 243.3 237 86 26 61 194 3.18 17 10 8.77 2.26 7.18 1994 CWS 167.7 178 74 21 43 134 3.97 10 9 9.55 2.31 7.19 1995 CWS 201.7 196 73 15 54 174 3.26 13 9 8.75 2.41 7.77After starting off badly, like almost every Palehose moundsman, he was probably the best pitcher in the AL after the All-Star break, going 8-2 with a 2.39 ERA. Griped a lot about losing his arbitration case with the Sox. A durable, genuine four-pitch starter, and probably one of the most underrated pitchers, since he hasn't lived up to "ace expectations" and is considered a disappointment.
TOM FORDHAM 1974 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 HIC 44.0 45 29 9 25 18 5.93 2 3 9.20 5.11 3.68 1994 HIC 98.0 135 65 19 37 81 5.97 3 8 12.40 3.40 7.44 1994 SBN 68.3 97 52 9 14 33 6.85 2 6 12.78 1.84 4.35 1995 PRW 78.0 77 31 7 39 62 3.58 5 4 8.88 4.50 7.15 1995 BIR 77.0 90 37 9 31 51 4.32 4 5 10.52 3.62 5.96His out pitch is his changeup, so I'd be cautious in forecasting a great future for a soft-tosser who hasn't gone far beyond A-ball. His weight has been a problem in the past.
STEVE GAJKOWSKI 1970 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WTT 42.7 47 39 4 37 21 8.23 1 4 9.91 7.80 4.43 1992 UTI 43.3 43 22 4 13 22 4.57 2 3 8.93 2.70 4.57 1993 SAR 64.3 65 32 4 20 40 4.48 3 4 9.09 2.80 5.60 1994 BIR 76.0 87 38 10 32 38 4.50 4 4 10.30 3.79 4.50 1995 BIR 47.7 72 29 4 18 24 5.48 2 3 13.59 3.40 4.53 1995 NAS 23.7 27 13 2 9 11 4.94 1 2 10.27 3.42 4.18Chicago's large Polish community eagerly awaits his major league debut.
ATLEE HAMMAKER 1958 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 LVG 14.3 19 8 2 3 8 5.02 1 1 11.93 1.88 5.02 1994 BIR 17.0 14 11 3 11 14 5.82 1 1 7.41 5.82 7.41 1994 NAS 27.7 25 8 2 12 29 2.60 2 1 8.13 3.90 9.43 1995 NAS 27.0 28 8 1 8 19 2.67 2 1 9.33 2.67 6.33What other jobs can you drop for three years and pick up again, other than left-handed reliever and ditch-digger? He can probably get Freddy Lynn out these days, if he wants a rematch of the '83 All-Star confrontation that left Atlee with the highest ERA in the exhibition's history.
ROBERTO HERNANDEZ 1965 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BIR 21.7 14 8 5 6 20 3.32 1 1 5.82 2.49 8.31 1991 VAN 41.3 45 18 3 24 39 3.92 3 2 9.80 5.23 8.49 1991 CWS 15.0 22 15 2 7 7 9.00 0 2 13.20 4.20 4.20 1992 VAN 19.7 15 9 0 12 24 4.12 1 1 6.86 5.49 10.98 1992 CWS 69.7 51 16 5 19 82 2.07 6 2 6.59 2.45 10.59 1993 CWS 77.3 71 19 4 18 82 2.21 7 2 8.26 2.09 9.54 1994 CWS 47.0 48 26 5 17 55 4.98 2 3 9.19 3.26 10.53 1995 CWS 58.7 61 23 6 24 91 3.53 4 3 9.36 3.68 13.96As you can see, he's not the young prospect you might think for a guy with only four years in the majors under his belt. He probably logged the worst 30-save season by anybody not named Jeff Reardon. Like a lot of wild power pitchers, he needs a lot of work and a lot of extended outings to consistently succeed. He's definitely miscast as an "inning or less" Eckersley-style closer, and I think a lot of his failure this year was due to a light workload early, when the Sox weren't building too many ninth-inning leads.
BARRY JOHNSON 1970 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 SBN 98.0 145 77 15 22 47 7.07 3 8 13.32 2.02 4.32 1993 SAR 50.0 45 11 2 8 35 1.98 5 1 8.10 1.44 6.30 1993 BIR 19.7 32 13 2 7 13 5.95 1 1 14.64 3.20 5.95 1994 BIR 90.3 110 54 12 37 57 5.38 4 6 10.96 3.69 5.68 1995 BIR 73.3 74 24 2 17 45 2.95 5 3 9.08 2.09 5.52He was a reasonably talented starting prospect, but with all of the acclaimed starting pitcher prospects in the system, the Sox have made him a long reliever, probably figuring they were doing him a favor. He's done well so far, but drew attention to himself for being the first minor league spring invitee who refused to scab.
DANE JOHNSON 1963 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 ELP 23.3 25 13 4 12 20 5.01 1 2 9.64 4.63 7.71 1993 NWO 14.3 13 5 2 4 10 3.14 1 1 8.16 2.51 6.28 1994 NAS 42.0 42 13 1 19 39 2.79 3 2 9.00 4.07 8.36 1994 CWS 12.0 17 9 1 11 8 6.75 0 1 12.75 8.25 6.00 1995 NAS 53.3 49 22 2 31 49 3.71 3 3 8.27 5.23 8.27A happy story for the media when he made the majors in '94. Johnson went from being a community college pitching coach to major league pitcher. Not a prospect, and something of a bad sign that he was handed the closer's role in Nashville last season.
SEAN JOHNSTON 1971 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 UTI 72.0 99 57 12 27 32 7.12 2 6 12.38 3.38 4.00 1993 SBN 86.7 116 44 6 30 39 4.57 4 6 12.05 3.12 4.05 1993 SAR 65.3 90 58 18 35 26 7.99 1 6 12.40 4.82 3.58 1994 PRW 148.3 224 96 10 68 60 5.82 5 11 13.59 4.13 3.64 1995 BIR 90.0 136 55 7 39 37 5.50 3 7 13.60 3.90 3.70
MATT KARCHNER 1967 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 BCY 68.7 65 44 9 28 52 5.77 3 5 8.52 3.67 6.82 1992 MEM 131.0 183 92 9 42 73 6.32 4 11 12.57 2.89 5.02 1993 MEM 28.0 38 17 4 4 11 5.46 1 2 12.21 1.29 3.54 1994 BIR 39.7 42 12 0 17 25 2.72 3 1 9.53 3.86 5.67 1994 NAS 25.7 19 5 0 7 19 1.75 3 0 6.66 2.45 6.66 1995 NAS 35.3 41 14 2 11 28 3.57 2 2 10.44 2.80 7.13 1995 CWS 32.0 32 9 1 10 26 2.53 3 1 9.00 2.81 7.31Injuries forced him away from being a starting pitcher and out of the Royals system, but he definitely put his career together again as a reliever. Still injury-prone, he could be the top setup man for Hernandez this year.
BRIAN KEYSER 1967 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SAR 116.0 151 64 14 50 74 4.97 5 8 11.72 3.88 5.74 1991 BIR 16.3 25 13 4 10 7 7.16 0 2 13.78 5.51 3.86 1992 BIR 170.7 213 110 22 72 84 5.80 6 13 11.23 3.80 4.43 1993 BIR 10.0 17 10 0 6 7 9.00 0 1 15.30 5.40 6.30 1993 NAS 115.7 156 68 8 29 45 5.29 5 8 12.14 2.26 3.50 1994 NAS 130.3 129 45 9 37 74 3.11 9 5 8.91 2.55 5.11 1995 NAS 70.7 50 22 7 12 38 2.80 5 3 6.37 1.53 4.84 1995 CWS 91.3 111 39 7 21 52 3.84 5 5 10.94 2.07 5.12The organization's unhappy surprise of '95: it was surprising that the team had to turn to him as the fifth starter, after the failure of so many other prospects. He's a soft-tossing control artist who keeps the ball down and relies on his infield. He probably won't be back.
ALAN LEVINE 1968 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 UTI 77.7 95 58 9 25 51 6.72 2 7 11.01 2.90 5.91 1992 SBN 139.3 203 94 18 36 83 6.07 5 10 13.11 2.33 5.36 1992 SAR 14.3 21 16 4 7 9 10.05 0 2 13.19 4.40 5.65 1993 SAR 146.0 209 120 18 58 114 7.40 4 12 12.88 3.58 7.03 1994 BIR 104.7 131 54 9 53 80 4.64 5 7 11.26 4.56 6.88 1994 NAS 23.0 34 19 2 12 23 7.43 1 2 13.30 4.70 9.00 1995 BIR 68.3 70 24 4 28 57 3.16 5 3 9.22 3.69 7.51 1995 NAS 13.0 21 9 1 7 13 6.23 0 1 14.54 4.85 9.00He's being groomed as a closer after flopping as a starter; he has a closer job in winter ball, and will probably get first crack at being the bullpen ace in Nashville in '96.
ANDREW LORRAINE 1973 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 BOI 38.7 47 17 5 0 25 3.96 2 2 10.94 .00 5.82 1994 VAN 133.0 167 62 12 36 87 4.20 7 8 11.30 2.44 5.89 1994 CAL 18.3 29 16 5 9 10 7.85 0 2 14.24 4.42 4.91 1995 NAS 37.0 52 25 5 14 25 6.08 1 3 12.65 3.41 6.08 1995 VAN 92.0 116 51 10 32 53 4.99 4 6 11.35 3.13 5.18Acquired as part of the package sent to Chicago in exchange for Jim Abbott. Lorraine has four pitches, and apparently his velocity has improved since being drafted in '93. He's a longshot for the major league rotation, because if they didn't like Rod Bolton because he didn't throw hard, it'll be hard to see why they wouldn't be biased against Lorraine for the same reason. He was given an AFL assignment, and pitched very poorly. Sent to Oakland for Danny Tartabull, in the mix for an A's rotation spot, along with 41 other guys.
ISIDRO MARQUEZ 1965 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SAN 43.3 47 17 2 18 30 3.53 3 2 9.76 3.74 6.23 1993 SAN 28.7 39 14 2 10 20 4.40 1 2 12.24 3.14 6.28 1993 ABQ 11.3 7 2 0 3 9 1.59 1 0 5.56 2.38 7.15 1994 NAS 61.7 49 29 7 28 62 4.23 3 4 7.15 4.09 9.05 1995 NAS 68.3 83 37 8 31 53 4.87 3 5 10.93 4.08 6.98A sidearm/submariner and veteran of the Mexican League. He made the Sox as part of the extended rosters in late April, but was sent down quickly. Like others of the breed, he has real problems against left-handed batters. He could probably help a team if spotted carefully against righties.
KIRK MCCASKILL 1961 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CAL 175.0 215 90 19 65 83 4.63 8 11 11.06 3.34 4.27 1992 CWS 205.3 217 117 14 94 132 5.13 9 14 9.51 4.12 5.79 1993 CWS 111.3 154 64 11 33 75 5.17 4 8 12.45 2.67 6.06 1994 CWS 51.7 56 20 3 20 41 3.48 3 3 9.75 3.48 7.14 1995 CWS 80.0 94 37 7 29 54 4.16 4 5 10.57 3.26 6.07Bad sign #73 for the Sox' future: Terry Bevington has said he would like to put McCaskill back in the rotation. The problem with that is that McCaskill has already been a huge FA mistake for the Sox. His struggles early in the season mirrored the bad infield defense that plagued the Sox in the early going, and he's an extreme groundballer. Still, he isn't fooling anyone with any of his four pitches.
MICHAEL MONGIELLO 1968 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SAR 61.7 69 39 6 39 49 5.69 2 5 10.07 5.69 7.15 1992 BIR 76.0 94 49 6 46 62 5.80 3 5 11.13 5.45 7.34 1993 BIR 11.0 6 3 1 5 7 2.45 1 0 4.91 4.09 5.73 1993 NAS 86.7 97 43 10 44 75 4.47 4 6 10.07 4.57 7.79 1994 NAS 81.7 98 39 4 51 75 4.30 4 5 10.80 5.62 8.27 1995 BIR 30.3 26 9 3 7 19 2.67 2 1 7.71 2.08 5.64 1995 NAS 86.7 104 52 12 40 69 5.40 4 6 10.80 4.15 7.17
TIM MOORE 1971 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 UTI 75.7 104 61 21 27 37 7.26 2 6 12.37 3.21 4.40 1993 SBN 150.0 201 119 43 57 71 7.14 4 13 12.06 3.42 4.26 1994 PRW 60.3 73 28 4 27 57 4.18 3 4 10.89 4.03 8.50 1994 BIR 12.0 16 12 4 4 8 9.00 0 1 12.00 3.00 6.00 1995 BIR 112.0 133 61 14 44 65 4.90 5 7 10.69 3.54 5.22
DONN PALL 1962 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CWS 69.7 73 26 7 20 48 3.36 5 3 9.43 2.58 6.20 1992 CWS 71.7 88 43 10 27 33 5.40 3 5 11.05 3.39 4.14 1993 CWS 57.7 66 22 4 10 33 3.43 3 3 10.30 1.56 5.15 1993 PHI 17.3 15 6 2 4 12 3.12 1 1 7.79 2.08 6.23 1994 NYY 34.7 44 15 2 8 23 3.89 2 2 11.42 2.08 5.97 1995 NAS 82.3 93 36 10 23 75 3.94 5 4 10.17 2.51 8.20The "Pope" was brought back by the Sox, and strangely enough was not given a chance to make the team, despite the big league staff's obvious need for anyone who could pitch.
DAVE RIGHETTI 1959 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SFG 71.3 69 28 5 29 55 3.53 4 4 8.71 3.66 6.94 1992 SFG 78.3 85 48 7 39 53 5.51 3 6 9.77 4.48 6.09 1993 SFG 46.7 65 33 11 19 34 6.36 1 4 12.54 3.66 6.56 1994 KNX 19.7 21 12 1 5 15 5.49 1 1 9.61 2.29 6.86 1994 TOR 13.0 9 6 2 9 11 4.15 0 1 6.23 6.23 7.62 1995 NAS 80.7 82 36 10 23 42 4.02 4 5 9.15 2.57 4.69 1995 CWS 48.3 63 23 3 15 31 4.28 2 3 11.73 2.79 5.77Rags has remade himself as a starter, and it's worked somewhat. As opposed to being completely washed up as a closer, he can now compete with people like Tom Bolton for a major league job. The Sox will apparently invite him to camp this year.
SCOTT RUFFCORN 1970 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SBN 39.0 46 38 7 30 30 8.77 1 3 10.62 6.92 6.92 1992 SAR 147.7 157 84 21 55 110 5.12 6 10 9.57 3.35 6.70 1993 BIR 125.0 129 58 10 59 116 4.18 7 7 9.29 4.25 8.35 1993 NAS 43.7 33 17 7 9 45 3.50 3 2 6.80 1.85 9.27 1993 CWS 9.7 10 8 3 10 2 7.45 0 1 9.31 9.31 1.86 1994 NAS 159.3 146 53 6 42 141 2.99 12 6 8.25 2.37 7.96 1995 BIR 15.0 18 11 0 11 11 6.60 1 1 10.80 6.60 6.60Most of the season was lost to injury, but Ruffcorn has been pitching well in the winter leagues, which may give him a leg up on the competition in camp. Whether or not the organization has simply given up on him at this point is unknown.
BILL SIMAS 1972 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 BOI 59.3 97 49 3 33 20 7.43 2 5 14.71 5.01 3.03 1993 CDR 71.3 97 56 15 39 38 7.07 2 6 12.24 4.92 4.79 1994 LEL 43.0 52 19 4 10 25 3.98 3 2 10.88 2.09 5.23 1994 MID 15.0 5 0 1 2 9 .00 2 0 3.00 1.20 5.40 1995 VAN 35.3 49 20 2 15 44 5.09 2 2 12.48 3.82 11.21 1995 NAS 11.3 12 5 0 4 12 3.97 1 0 9.53 3.18 9.53 1995 CWS 13.7 15 6 0 9 17 3.95 1 1 9.88 5.93 11.20Another sinker-slider right-handed reliever, he may succeed now that he's been put in relief fulltime. Much of the postseason talk about him mentions his "aggressiveness on the mound"; that and two bucks will buy him a can of Spam.
MIKE SIROTKA 1971 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 SBN 9.3 15 11 5 7 8 10.61 0 1 14.46 6.75 7.71 1994 SBN 180.0 217 115 23 65 120 5.75 7 13 10.85 3.25 6.00 1995 BIR 95.3 108 45 15 24 66 4.25 5 6 10.20 2.27 6.23 1995 NAS 52.0 52 19 5 15 33 3.29 4 2 9.00 2.60 5.71 1995 CWS 33.3 38 13 1 15 21 3.51 2 2 10.26 4.05 5.67He's got a nice curve and fastball with good movement, and unlike so many other Sox farm products, didn't humiliate himself early on. He seemed to nibble at the corners in the majors; if he settles down, he could win a slot in the bottom of the rotation.
JOHN SNYDER 1975 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 CDR 89.3 130 80 25 41 49 8.06 2 8 13.10 4.13 4.94 1994 LEL 144.3 204 102 24 58 78 6.36 5 11 12.72 3.62 4.86 1995 MID 123.3 151 80 19 50 74 5.84 4 10 11.02 3.65 5.40 1995 BIR 19.3 26 16 8 6 11 7.45 0 2 12.10 2.79 5.12The spare change from the Abbott deal.
LARRY THOMAS 1970 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 UTI 65.3 76 33 8 25 37 4.55 3 4 10.47 3.44 5.10 1992 SAR 51.0 58 23 6 11 39 4.06 3 3 10.24 1.94 6.88 1992 BIR 111.7 130 44 6 36 61 3.55 7 5 10.48 2.90 4.92 1993 SAR 56.0 67 29 9 17 24 4.66 3 3 10.77 2.73 3.86 1993 NAS 96.3 124 70 17 34 68 6.54 3 8 11.58 3.18 6.35 1994 BIR 133.3 172 99 28 64 66 6.68 4 11 11.61 4.32 4.46 1995 BIR 38.3 27 11 1 17 39 2.58 3 1 6.34 3.99 9.16 1995 CWS 13.0 8 2 1 5 13 1.38 1 0 5.54 3.46 9.00A top draft choice, Thomas was nearly given up for dead after failing as a starter. He was converted to relief and did a fine job. He's the best choice in the organization to be the left-handed setup man for Hernandez.
STEVE WILSON 1965 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 IOW 108.3 118 61 17 44 80 5.07 5 7 9.80 3.66 6.65 1991 CHC 12.0 14 7 2 5 10 5.25 0 1 10.50 3.75 7.50 1992 LAD 66.3 71 31 8 30 59 4.21 3 4 9.63 4.07 8.01 1993 ABQ 48.3 55 25 7 14 39 4.66 2 3 10.24 2.61 7.26 1993 LAD 25.0 31 13 1 15 24 4.68 1 2 11.16 5.40 8.64 1994 NWO 73.0 84 36 5 34 66 4.44 4 4 10.36 4.19 8.14 1995 NAS 49.0 61 28 8 19 25 5.14 2 3 11.20 3.49 4.59He bugged the wrong managers on the wrong teams, and was tried out in roles he wasn't suited for. After a promising start with the Cubs, Don Zimmer tried him as a starter, then gave up in disgust when that didn't work out. Wilson then went to LA, where he was tried as a primary setup man, but Tommy Lasorda suddenly didn't care for him, and he's had to spend the last two years in AAA. He can probably still help a team, but he needs to be used carefully.