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RECENT WHITE SOX ONE-HIT WONDERS

Wednesday marked the 12th anniversary of Julio Franco’s signing with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese Pacific League, thus ending his one-year career with the White Sox. Franco hit .319 with 20 home runs and 98 RBIs in just 112 games as the White Sox designated hitter, making him one of the top “one-hit” wonders in franchise history.

 

Was Franco the best “one-hit” wonder in recent Sox history. Here are some others to against which to judge him. Since it was the great Bill Veeck that mastered the “rent-a-player” concept and it conveniently coincides with dawn of free agency, let’s use Veeck’s second ownership of the club as a starting point (Who did I forget?):

 

Ellis Burks, 1993: Revived an injury-riddled career by hitting .275 with 17 homers and 74 RBIs as the right fielder for the 1993 A.L. Western Division champs. … Gloved the final out in the division clincher. … Hit .304 with a homer and three RBIs in the 1993 A.L. Championship Series. … Granted free agency after the season and signed with Colorado.

 

Bartolo Colon, 2003: Chunky right-hander with a blazing fastball went 15-13 with a 3.87 ERA and a league-leading nine complete games. … Sox made an effort to sign him after the season but the price was too high and Colon signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim where he went on to be a Cy Young winner.

 

Joe Cowley, 1986: Burly right-hander went 11-11 with a 3.88 ERA in 27 starts – following a five-player swap with the Yankees. … His last victory for the Sox was a no-hitter in a 7-1 win at California Sept. 19. … He was traded to Philadelphia the following March and his career quickly went downhill. After five disastrous appearances for the 1987 Phillies, Cowley was out of the game.

 

Tom Gordon, 2003: Reliever went 7-6 with a 3.16 ERA in 12 saves in 66 games. … Became the closer when Billy Koch flamed out. … Signed with the Yankees after opting for free agency following his lone year with the Sox.

 

Orlando Hernandez, 2005: Acquired for the 2005 season to be the team’s fifth starter. … Struggled throughout the year, going 9-9 with a 5.12 ERA. … Shined in the playoffs, escaping a bases-loaded no out jam in the clinching Game 3 of the A.L. Division Series in Boston. … Traded to Arizona after the season to get Javier Vazquez.

 

Charles Johnson, 2000: Acquired from Baltimore in a deadline deal. … Hit .326 with 10 homers and 36 RBIs in 44 games behind the plate. … Granted free agency Oct. 30, 2000 and signed with Florida 49 days later.

 

Steve Kemp, 1982: Slugger hit .286 with 19 home runs and 98 RBIs after being obtained from Detroit for Chet Lemon. … Set career-highs with 160 games, 91 runs and 166 hits for a team that won 87 games and finished third. … Granted free agency Nov. 10, 1982 and signed with the Yankees Dec. 9, 1982. … Never again duplicated the numbers he had with the Sox.

 

Kevin Tapani, 1996: Right-hander went 13-10 with a 4.39 ERA in 34 starts as part of a rotation that also included Alex Fernandez, Wilson Alvarez and James Baldwin. … Still had 51 wins left in his arm after he left the Sox as a free agent following the 1996 season.

 

Danny Tartabull, 1996: Hit .254 with 27 homers and 101 RBIs as the right fielder for a team that challenged for a playoff spot late into the season. … Granted free agency Nov. 18, 1996. Signed with Philadelphia but his season with the Sox was essentially his last.

 

David Wells, 2001: Left-hander went 5-7 with a 4.47 ERA in 16 starts after being acquired from Toronto. … Following a disappointing and disruptive season, Wells was granted free agency and signed with the Yankees.

 

Richie Zisk, 1977: The catalyst of the “Southside Hitmen,” Zisk hit .290 with 30 homers and 101 RBIs after being acquired from Pittsburgh. … Started the 1977 All-Star Game in left and went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. … Attained immense popularity by helping the Sox post a surprising 90 wins in one of the most enjoyable campaigns in franchise history … Granted free agency Nov. 2, 1977 and signed with Texas a week later. … Like Gamble, he was never the same player after leaving the Sox.

Edited December 28, 200619 yr by StatManDu

This is an awesome thread. I really can't think of anyone else outside of the guys you mentioned. Let me sober up a bit, and I'll get back to you.

Edited December 28, 200619 yr by Jordan4life_2006

Just keep posting this stuff, Statman.

Great thread!

Nevermind....

 

 

Was thinking Loaiza for his 2003 Season, but I had forgotten the Sox kept him until the deadline in 04

Edited December 28, 200619 yr by Hanger

StatManDu rocks. Nothing else needs to be said, he is the king of off-season threads that have nothing to do with the upcoming season.

Nice work Statman. Here's a few more to add to your list:

 

Doug Drabek

 

Chris Sabo

 

Dave Steib

 

and of course...

 

Jose Canseco

 

Brandon McCarthy

a couple others: sanderson, belcher.

Edited December 28, 200619 yr by Hatchetman

Bo Jackson?

 

Joe Cowley, 1986: Burly right-hander went 11-11 with a 3.88 ERA in 27 starts – following a five-player swap with the Yankees. … His last victory for the Sox was a no-hitter in a 7-1 win at California Sept. 19. … He was traded to Philadelphia the following March and his career quickly went downhill. After five disastrous appearances for the 1987 Phillies, Cowley was out of the game.

 

He is the same guy as the Sun Times White Sox beat reporter?

He is the same guy as the Sun Times White Sox beat reporter?

 

No he isn't.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Dec 28, 2006 -> 10:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No he isn't.

I considered Belcher, Sanderson, Drabek, Paul Assenmacher and Canseco and Mike Devereaux but those guys didn't "stick" out to me like the others did.

 

Thanks for all the kind words. I really appreciate it.

Edited December 28, 200619 yr by StatManDu

Though he was on the team two years, Mike Caruso was definitely a one-hit wonder.

 

Don't deny it Kalapse.

Though he was on the team two years, Mike Caruso was definitely a one-hit wonder.

 

Don't deny it Kalapse.

 

From the rumors, he took a little more than one "hit"...

i totally forgot about colon.

The one memory I have of Canseco is the towering homer he hit and he thought it was a pop up. So high and cme straight down...on a kids head in the first row in left field. Ouch!

What about Todd Richie?

Hm .. Shingo? Although he was part of the '05 team for a bit.

Great list statman...

 

Canseco jumps out to me. I was a huge Canseco fan in my younger, more naive, years. I still was a thrill to see him with the Sox, I went to a game where he hit 2 homeruns, including one that looked like a pop-out to short, but just kept going and going. Also, I believe the Sox played in Milwaukee with him and he hit a TITANIC blast towards the slide area.

extrapolated over an entire season, canseco would have hit 34 homers and knocked in 104 RBI.

 

I don't know why, but i will always like Jose Canseco, and I still remember how exciting it was when he stepped to the plate for that Sox team.

How about Oscar Gamble? He and Zisk packed quite a punch in 1977 and because Bill Veeck didn't have any money were both one year rentals I believe.

What about Todd Richie?

 

He was never a hit.

 

Just a one-year.

How about Oscar Gamble? He and Zisk packed quite a punch in 1977 and because Bill Veeck didn't have any money were both one year rentals I believe.

 

 

Oscar Gamble came to the Sox in April 1977 from the Yankmees along with Lamar Hoyt in exchange for Bucky Dent. He hit 31 HR's and drove in 83 for the Sox in that Winnin Ugly/Southside Hit Men year. He left via free agency to San Diego never matching the totals again. He was back for a short stint with the Sox in 1985 as a DH.

He was never a hit.

 

Just a one-year.

 

A one year blunder.

A one year blunder.

 

Agree with that analysis 100%. No fence riding on that one