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| Monday, February 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago White Sox Special to ESPN.com | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What went right? Rebuilding seeds planted in 1997 yielded fruit faster than expected, with the Sox driving to a 95-67 record, the best in the American League. Frank Thomas returned to previous form, stayed healthy, and hit .328 with 43 homers and 143 RBI. Magglio Ordonez developed into a full-fledged star, proving 1999 was no fluke. Herb Perry seized the vacant third-base position, while young hitters Paul Konerko and Carlos Lee proved their worth. Keith "Excellent K/BB Ratio" Foulke saved 34 games, with Kelly Wunsch, Bobby Howry, and Bill Simas filling out the bullpen with solid seasons. Starters Mike Sirotka, Jim Parque, James Baldwin, and Cal Eldred were occasionally brilliant. Charles Johnson was outstanding after coming over from Baltimore in a trade. What went wrong? The catching situation was unsettled until Johnson showed up. Chris Singleton was unable to duplicate his excellent (fluke) 1999 performance. Rookie starters Kip Wells and Jon Garland were impressive at times, but posted ERAs in excess of 6.00, which is never a good thing. Eldred, Baldwin, and Sirotka all struggled with arm trouble at the end of the year. In retrospect, the critical decisions were: 1. The 1997 White Flag trade. Roundly criticized at the time, it set the stage for the successful rebuilding process. 2. Letting Herb Perry play third base. A veteran minor-league hitter, Perry missed large portions of several seasons with knee injuries, usually when he was about to get a chance at a major-league job. He was healthy for a change in 2000, and proved his minor-league numbers were not deceiving: he is a very good hitter, and surprisingly solid with the glove. 3. The Charles Johnson trade. Concerned about their weak catching situation, the Sox used their surplus of young pitching talent, picking up Johnson for the stretch run. He hit .326 with a .607 slugging percentage in 44 games for the Pale Hose, including .362 in September. 4. Chris Singleton. Based on his unanticipated strong 1999 numbers, the Sox gave Singleton 511 at-bats, but he hit just .254 with a horrid .301 on-base percentage. His glove is an asset, but his bat was a drag on the otherwise-outstanding hitting attack. He is best cast as a fourth outfielder. Looking ahead to 2001 Three key questions 1. Although the White Sox have more pitching depth than most teams, there are worries about the depth of the rotation for 2001, or at least there should be. The health of Baldwin and Eldred is a major question. All three had late-season bouts with arm trouble. The Sox need the trio to be productive for another year before the next surge of mound prospects arrives from the minors. Are the young pitchers as good as advertised? Both Wells and Garland have dominating stuff, but struggled with their command and control last year. The Sox need at least one of them to step forward in 2001, and perhaps both, if the older pitchers are injured or ineffective. 2. Can Sandy Alomar Jr. fill the catching gap? He hasn't been fully healthy for two years, and is as capable of hitting .230 as he is of hitting .290. Catching was the main weakness in the Sox lineup early in the year. The position was ably filled by Charles Johnson, but he left as a free agent. 3. How does the third base/center field situation shake out? The Sox picked up Royce Clayton to handle the shortstop duties, freeing up Jose Valentin for a super-utility role. He might split third base with Herb Perry, play in center field if Chris Singleton doesn't hit, or both.
Both Konerko and Lee are just entering the prime phase of their careers; either or both could take further strides forward, which would give the White Sox a fearsome offense indeed. Ray Durham has been remarkably consistent the last few years, and is capable of a career year at any point. Can expect to play worse Kelly Wunsch was mediocre in the minor leagues, so he still has something to prove. Herb Perry is a good hitter, although probably not quite as good as he looked last year. No one should expect Cal Eldred to go 10-2 again, even if his elbow holds up. Projected lineup 2B Ray Durham CF Jose Valentin/Chris Singleton DH Frank Thomas RF Magglio Ordonez LF Carlos Lee 1B Paul Konerko 3B Herb Perry/Jose Valentin SS Royce Clayton C Sandy Alomar Jr. Rotation/Closer David Wells James Baldwin Jim Parque Cal Eldred Kip Wells / Jon Garland Keith Foulke A closer look There are rumors that the powers that be want to decouple amateur draft picks as compensation for major league free agent losses. As it currently stands, any changes in the amateur draft must be bargained with the player's union, since revisions alter the value of draft picks, and thus, theoretically at least, impact what a player can get as a major league free agent. If you end any connection between draft picks and losing major league free agents, the union will no longer have a say in the way the draft is conducted. This would help the owners screw amateur talent more easily. When a team loses a major league free agent, fans (and the teams themselves) often lament that "all we get is a draft pick." While it is true that getting an extra draft pick doesn't seem like fair compensation for losing someone like Alex Rodriguez or Mike Mussina, smart teams use these extra picks to good advantage. In the 1997, 1998, and 1999 drafts, the White Sox proved themselves to be quite smart. In 1997, the Sox lost Alex Fernandez and Kevin Tapani to free agency. They also had an extra pick for failing to sign 1996 first-rounder Bobby Seay. In Fernandez's case, they got an extra supplemental choice because he was a "service time" free agent, a hangover from the 1994-1995 strike. Totaled up, they had six picks before the beginning of the second round. Here's who they got: 1. Jason Dellaero, SS, University of South Florida 1S. Kyle Kane, RHP, Saddleback Community College 1S. Brett Caradonna, OF, El Capitan HS, San Diego 1S. Aaron Myette, RHP, Central Arizona Junior College 1S. Jim Parque, LHP, UCLA 1S. Rocky Biddle, RHP, Long Beach State The two hitters on the list haven't developed, while the hard-throwing Kane has been stalled with control trouble. Parque is already in the rotation. Myette is a good prospect, and was traded to Texas for Royce Clayton. Biddle is a fair prospect and should reach the majors sometime in 2001. As a group, they certainly have more long-term value than Fernandez and Tapani. If only the Sox had managed to sign second-rounder Jeff Weaver ... In 1998, the Sox again benefited from losing a free agent, this time outfielder Dave Martinez. They also made good use of their second and third-round picks. 1. Kip Wells, RHP, Baylor University 1S. Aaron Rowand, OF, Cal State Fullerton 2. Gary Majewski, RHP, St. Pius X HS, Houston 3. Josh Fogg, RHP, University of Florida Wells has reached the majors, while Rowand, Majewski, and Fogg are all good prospects. Rowand is certainly more valuable than Dave Martinez. In 1999, Sox fans were apoplectic about losing Albert Belle and Robin Ventura to the free market. But the scouting staff hunkered down, bringing in a strong group of young pitchers. 1. Jason Stumm, RHP, Centralia HS, Centralia, Washington 1S. Matt Ginter, RHP, Mississippi State University 1S. Brian West, RHP, West Monroe HS, Monroe, Louisiana 1S. Rob Purvis, RHP, Bradley University 2. Danny Wright, RHP, University of Arkansas Stumm blew out his elbow in 2000, but looked very good before he got hurt, and is expected to recover. Ginter has already reached the majors, while West and Wright are among the hardest throwers in the minor leagues, with terrific ceilings. Purvis has received less attention, but would be highly-praised as a prospect in thinner systems. Add to the group astute third-round pick Jon Rauch, and you have an outstanding influx of talent. Ginter, West, Purvis, and Wright certainly have more long-term value than hip-hobbled Belle and the aging Ventura. Let's put this all into one chart, counting only those prospects that came directly as a result of the free-agent loss.
| ALSO SEE White Sox minor-league report ESPN.com's Hot Stove Heaters Season in review: Chicago White Sox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Right now, nobody knows how effective Cal Eldred will be this year. He, along with James Baldwin, propelled the White Sox to their great start last season. Eldred ended up 10-2, but blew his elbow out again. Chicago's starting pitching was really broken down by the time they got to the playoffs. If the White Sox are going to threaten in the postseason, Eldred will be a big key. He showed how good he can be when he's healthy, but he's also had six trips to the DL is six years. If the pin in his arm holds, the White Sox can go deep in the playoffs.