Tag Archives: Chicago White Sox

Harold Baines Just Ruined the Baseball Hall of Fame

The Baseball Hall of Fame Today’s Era Committee announced they voted Relief Pitcher Lee Smith and Outfielder/DH Harold Baines into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Smith was slowly gaining votes, but only received 34% of the votes in his fifteenth and final year on the ballot.

Baines was only on the regular Hall of Fame ballot just a few seasons as he fell under the 5% threshold on his fourth year and only had a max 6.1% of voters in 2010.

I can understand Lee Smith’s legitimacy as a Hall of Fame candidate. He was a reliever that often pitched multiples innings to get saves. The Hall of Fame was late to the game when it came to voting in relievers. He was a member of some good teams and he was a large part in maintaining those wins. He held the title of Most Career Saves for thirteen years, until Trevor Hoffman surpassed him in 2006. Continue reading →

Welington Castillo Suspended 80 Games

Chicago White Sox catcher Welington Castillo was hit with an 80-game suspension after failing a drug test. He tested positive for Erythropoietin, more commonly known as EPO.

Castillo is the third player to fail a drug test in Major League Baseball this season. Minnesota Twins infielder Jorge Polanco failed for the steroid Stanozolol and multi-time All Star infielder Robinson Cano failed for Furosemide, a diuretic known to be used as a masking agent.

He is the first-ever MLB player to fail a drug test for EPO.

Erythropoietin was a common drug used to dope in cycling. Lance Armstong has admitted to using EPO at times during the Tour de France. It helps stimulate red blood cell production in your bone marrow. This drug is commonly prescribed to patients who are anemic or have hypoxemia due to chronic lung disease. It basically re-oxygenates your blood and gives you an edge in endurance races.

Continue reading →

2018 MLB Season Preview: Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox got off to a huge start to their rebuild when they traded Chris Sale to the Red Sox. They received some stud prospects in return and have been drafting near the top of the draft for a couple seasons.

They weren’t finished with making deals. They got another load of good prospects from the Cubs last season when they sent starter Jose Quintana across town. These trades have sped up the rebuilding process by a lot. Some players from this trade should contribute for the White Sox as early as this season.

Are the White Sox finished dealing? Could first baseman Jose Abreu be the next player to be moved?

Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Chicago White Sox.

Continue reading →

2017 MLB Season Preview: Chicago White Sox

This isn’t the best time for the White Sox to begin a rebuilding process. The team across town (the Cubs) won the World Series and the Sox are on the South Side trading their best players away.

The White Sox still have some very good players left on the team. It is still up in the air for how long they will remain there.

Chicago received favorable deals this offseason when they unloaded Adam Eaton to Washington and Chris Sale to Boston. If they can make solid deals for their remaining stars, they could be back in the AL Central mix in just a few years.

Will Chicago hold off until the trade deadline to make some deals or will they get it over with early?

Here is the 2017 MLB season preview for the Chicago White Sox.

Continue reading →

2016 MLB Season Preview: Chicago White Sox

This White Sox are currently playing second fiddle to the Cubs in the city of Chicago. The Cubs have a ton of youth and new faces that can bring any fanbase up from the basement. The White Sox are a weird bunch of veterans, kind-of-young hitters still waiting to mature and Chris Sale.

Jose Abreu had another solid year for the White Sox. He should have another good year if Adam Eaton keeps getting on base in front of him. The addition of Todd Frazier helps protect Abreu a little in the lineup, but another power hitter is needed if they want to compete in the AL Central.

Can the back-end of the starting rotation hold up against the rest of the AL?

Here is the 2016 MLB season preview for the Chicago White Sox.

Continue reading →

2015 MLB Team Preview: Chicago White Sox

The city of Chicago has a familiar face back in town. The White Sox traded Oakland for Jeff Samardzija, who once pitched on the North Side. It was one of the few specific upgrades the White made in order to compete in the AL Central.

Jose Abreu was the team MVP in 2014 and was even better than advertised. The team still only won 73 games and saw two teams from their division make the postseason. I’m sure they thought they could do what the Royals did last season with only a few roster tweaks.

Can Chicago’s bullpen get the job done?

Here is the 2015 MLB season preview for the Chicago White Sox.

Continue reading →

2014 MLB Team Preview: Chicago White Sox

It’s going to be a long season for Chicago baseball teams. We all know the Cubs were in a performance lull, but the White Sox fell from AL Central contenders to the division basement in 2013.

Chicago made a big splash this offseason by trading Addison Reed to Arizona for young hitters Adam Eaton and Matt Davidson. They also signed Jose Abreu, possibly the best hitter to come out of Cuba in a long time (sorry Yoenis Cespedes).

Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko both look near the end of their careers. Do they have one final elite season in them or are they running on fumes?

Will Robin Ventura last the entire season as manager?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Chicago White Sox.

Continue reading →

2013 MLB Rule 5 Draft Results

It’s rare I cover baseball news this time of year. NFL, NBA, NHL and college football are in-season and the only news worth mentioning right now are significant trades.

I try to weed out trade and free agent rumors in MLB, since there is so much fabricated information. Agents leak out wrong information to gain leverage in negotiations.

Something did happen today in the MLB, the Rule 5 Draft. As you may already know, the Texas Rangers selected Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson in the minor-league portion of the draft. Wilson played some minor league baseball in the Colorado Rockies farm system.

In the past, the major league portion of the MLB Rule 5 Draft has been significant in the past. Josh Hamilton, Jose Bautista, Johan Santana, R.A. Dickey and even hall of famer Roberto Clemente have been selected in the past. Here are today’s results and what the rules are after drafting a player.

Continue reading →

2013 MLB Team Preview: Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox have been perennial contenders in the AL Central. They’ve had a lean season and bounce right back the next year. They have relied on pitching during this stretch. It is a consistent way to build a team.

In order for a pitching staff to meet its potential, you need a good game-calling cather. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski has been that guy and he was in Chicago during its recent success. They will be without him this season since he signed with the Texas Rangers this offseason. They will rely on an unproven catcher in Tyler Flowers.

Will the pitching staff struggle without Pierzynski?

Here is the 2013 MLB season preview for the Chicago White Sox. Continue reading →