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| | Wednesday, April 19 Chicago White Sox | ||||||||||
| By Sean McAdam Special to ESPN.com
Record: 75-86, 17th overall Payroll: $24.5 million, 25th overall Runs scored: 777, 10th in AL Runs allowed: 870, 11th in AL What went right The bullpen flourished. The White Sox relief corps compiled a 4.32 ERA, fourth best in the American League. Keith Foulke was third among relievers in innings pitched (105.1) and had a 2.22 ERA. Bobby Howry had 28 saves. Young outfielders Carlos Lee and Chris Singleton developed quickly. Right fielder Magglio Ordonez flourished (.301, 30 HR, 117 RBI) with an All-Star season. What went wrong Frank Thomas had career lows in homers (15) and RBI (77). Porous defense on the left side of the infield cost the young pitching staff. Mike Caruso's play -- in the field and at the plate -- dropped off after a strong rookie year. In retrospect, the critical decisions were: 1. Giving Paul Konerko regular playing time. Konerko, once a highly-touted prospect for the Dodgers, finally got a chance with his third organization and produced good numbers (.294, 24, 81) in his first full season. 2. Dealing for catcher Brook Fordyce in spring training. Fordyce enjoyed a career year, finishing with the second-highest batting average among regular AL catchers. At 29, he might just be arriving. 3. Going with outfielders Lee and Singleton, each of whom played well enough to warrant Rookie of the Year votes. Looking ahead to 2000 Three key questions 1. Can the White Sox improve the left side of their infield, where third baseman Greg Norton and Caruso combined for 51 errors? 2. What does the club do with young outfielders Brian Simmons and McKay Christensen? 3. Are young pitching prospects like Kip Wells, Jon Garland and Aaron Myette ready to contribute? Can expect to play better Left-handed pitcher Jim Parque was 9-6 with a 3.94 ERA in the first half, with nine quality starts. But a thumb injury in late July sent him into a tailspin in the final two months, during which he lost his last nine decisions. Parque is the clasic finesse lefty and showed in his rookie season and the first half of last year that he knows how to win in the big leagues. Can expect to play worse Pitcher James Baldwin. Actually, no one can say with any certainty what to expect from Baldwin, who's been terribly inconsistent over his four-year career. If only Baldwin could start the season the way he normally finishes. In the last two years, he's a combined 7-12 with a 6.88 ERA in the first half and 18-7, 3.61 in the second half.
2B Ray Durham CF Chris Singleton DH Frank Thomas RF Magglio Ordonez 1B Paul Konerko LF Carlos Lee 3B Greg Norton C Brook Fordyce/Mark Johnson SS Jose Valentin/Mike Caruso Rotation/closer Mike Sirotka Jim Parque James Baldwin Kip Wells Aaron Myette/Cal Eldred Bobby Howry A closer look The White Sox didn't win much in the second half of the 1990s, but they did succeed in stockpiling their system with good young players. General manager Ron Schueler, a former major league pitcher, has done particularly well in building an inventory of young arms. In fact, the White Sox minor league system is the envy of many. Kip Wells, voted the best prospect in the Carolina League and third-best prospect in the Southern League last year, is expected to make the rotation permanently in 2000. Jon Garland, a former No. 1 pick stolen from the Cubs for Matt Karchner in 1998, is also close. That doesn't begin to factor in the top pitchers who are still progressing through the lower rungs of the system. Aaron Myette was 12-6 at Double-A Birmingham and was named the eighth-best prospect in the league. Josh Fogg won 10 games at Class A Winston-Salem. Schueler's overall track record in assembling personnel is impressive. Over the last few seasons, the White Sox have introduced a number of homegrown players from Carlos Lee (amateur free agent) to Brian Simmons (second-round pick in 1995) in the field, as well as pitchers like Jim Parque (sandwich pick in 1997). At the same time, Schueler has traded for young players like Paul Konerko (Reds), Bobby Howry, Mike Caruso and Keith Foulke (Giants), Chris Singleton (Yankees), Bill Simas (Angels) and Sean Lowe (Cardinals), without sacrificing much in return. In time, it will be up to tight-fisted owner Jerry Reinsdorf to loosen the payroll strings and allow Schueler to augment his nucleus with some big-name free agents. Schueler's patient approach has brought them this far. Now, he'll need some help from ownership if the White Sox are going to put a scare into the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central. Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal-Bulletin covers the AL for ESPN.com. | ALSO SEE White Sox minor-league report ESPN.com's Hot Stove Heaters  | ||||||||||
