August 12, 200817 yr 35. Bill Melton (6 of 27 lists - 67 points - highest ranking #7 YASNY) bio by YASNY - Beltin' Bill Melton came up the White Sox in 1968 as a big strapping power hitting third baseman. By the next season he had firmly established himself at the position and held it down for the Sox until his final season with the team in 1975. Until Dick Allen's arrival, Melton was the Sox only legitimate power source. He was the AL home run leader in 1971 with 33 dingers. That was a duplication of the previous year, as he hit 33 in 1970 which was good enough to rank sixth in the AL in that category. However, by winning the home run crown in '71, he became the first Sox player in my lifetime to accomplish that distinction. The one time All Star ('71) left the Sox as the franchise career home run leader. Please feel free to comment with any more info and favorite stories about this player or any other in this list.
August 12, 200817 yr QUOTE (Texsox @ Aug 12, 2008 -> 11:26 AM) Great choice, glad he made the list. Wish I could have done Bill more justice on the write up.
August 12, 200817 yr QUOTE (YASNY @ Aug 12, 2008 -> 12:45 PM) Wish I could have done Bill more justice on the write up. For some of these players you had to see them play, you had to following the team. For those of us that followed that team, no write up is necessary, for those that didn't, no write up would make a difference. Perhaps he was popular because he was one of the more consistent on the team. He anchored that side of the infield and could be counted on for some offensive highlights.
August 12, 200817 yr QUOTE (Texsox @ Aug 12, 2008 -> 12:11 PM) For some of these players you had to see them play, you had to following the team. For those of us that followed that team, no write up is necessary, for those that didn't, no write up would make a difference. Perhaps he was popular because he was one of the more consistent on the team. He anchored that side of the infield and could be counted on for some offensive highlights. When Melton got good, I was more interested in girls than bad Sox teams. So sue me. LOL
August 12, 200817 yr Still hoping for an appearance by Contreras aka El Titan De Bronze to crack this list, even though he might be one of the most hated players in White Sox history according to this board. RIP Contreras at least 1 person here hopes you return to pitch someday.
August 12, 200817 yr Bill Melton had another unique batting style which we kids loved to emulate. He hit a lot of HRs (at least in White Sox terms) for some really bad teams. He was one of my favorite players. Those red unis were dumb though. Wasn't Melton a teammte of Bee Bee Richard?
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