Since about 2007 or so, it seems like with a few notable exceptions like J.J. Putz, Jesse Crain, or Andruw Jones, every guy we bring in performs worse than their career averages when they put on a White Sox uniform, and often significantly worse. I've looked back at every move over the past 8 years where we've brought in a guy with some kind of track record with other teams, and it's not like we've brought in a bunch of over-the-hill players or guys who've been trending downward, a lot of the time these guys are in the prime of their careers and coming off some good seasons, yet they suck with us, and an amazing number of them end up having their career-worst year with the White Sox. What gives? Even the bench players and back of the bullpen relievers end up performing worse with us than they do elsewhere.

 

2007: Toby Hall was never very good, but with us he was dreadful. Darin Erstad put in an uninspiring campaign but was trending down at that point. David Aardsma was hot garbage with us as well, putting in his worst season of his career. He would end up having a couple solid seasons in Seattle a few years later.

 

2008: Orlando Cabrera was mediocre, but still worse than the previous two seasons. D.J. Carrasco actually breaks the trend and is better with us than he was elsewhere. Linebrink was overall mediocre in his time here, Dotel was at career averages, Swisher was obviously horrible (though his numbers in 2008 would look great compared to the guys today), Griffey was actually OK but obviously at the end of the rope, and Wise was better with us than elsewhere but that only means slightly less awful.

 

2009: Kotsay was bad but on the downswing, Castro was slightly better, Betemit was a solid hitter elsewhere but dreadful with us, Tony Pena was better in Arizona, although Rios was OK in 2010 and great in 2012, he still turned in two completely dreadful campaigns in '09 and '11. Peavy was slightly worse with us.

 

2010: Vizquel was washed-up, Pierre was really bad (coming off a solid year in LA too), Jones turned in a surprisingly good season, De Aza was OK, while Edwin Jackson and J.J. Putz were pretty good.

 

2011: Adam ".159" Dunn, Teahen was significantly worse in a White Sox uniform, Bruney and Frasor also were complete busts.

 

2012: Youkilis was just OK but significantly down from before, Hudson was awful, only 41 ABs but Fukudome was horrendous, Liriano sucked, Crain was awesome and Myers was solid.

 

2013: Keppinger was coming off a very solid year and turned in easily his career-worst season, Lindstrom ended up just OK

 

2014: Belisario and Downs were huge busts but were solid elsewhere

 

2015: Melky is arguably the worst hitter in the league, LaRoche has significantly regressed, Samardzija has been mediocre, and even Bonafacio has stunk up the joint relative to his mediocre career numbers. Duke has been OK and Robertson has obviously been fantastic.

 

By my count, over the past 7 seasons Hall, Aardsma, Swisher, Betemit, Pierre, Frasor, Fukudome, Liriano, Dunn, Keppinger, Belisario, Downs were all more or less complete disasters in a White Sox uniform compared to what we should have expected from them (Yes I'm aware some of them had small samples but we can't even catch a break with the small sample guys). If things continue at their current pace, Melky, LaRoche and Bonafacio could join the list. Rios doesn't deserve to be called a disaster but he still had his two worst seasons with us. Pretty much the only moves we "hit" on was a solid bench campaign from Andruw Jones, a good year from Edwin Jackson, great years from Putz and Crain and a solid year from Carrasco. Every other guy more or less performed below career averages, often significantly less so. I know guys like Quentin, Floyd, Eaton, Abreu have been good for us but I'm focusing on the guys we bring in who already have a track record. Why do we miss on these types of moves so often?

Edited May 27, 201510 yr by OmarComing25

I've noticed as well...I've also asked the same questions. Weird as hell, I liked the offseason moves, but in the back of my mind I kinda had an idea that this would happen. Can't explain it.

Maybe the Sox have too strict of an internal policy against PEDs.

 

Although I get this general feeling described above too, I think as far as free agents go, it is very common for them to not pay off. I'm happy that the most expensive FA bust we've had is Dunn, because some teams have had some ludicrous ones that were well into the 100 million+ range.

 

A couple of expensive busts....Carl Crawford, Josh Hamilton, Matsuzaka, Alfonso Soriano, Gary Matthews Jr, Barry Zito, BJ Upton to name a few.

 

 

I've become jaded. Because whenever a new guy arrives, he seems to always start slowly, at least the hitters (Robertson, Duke were on fire and quite effective out of the gates). But if we bring up a hitter or acquire a hitter, it seems to me he always starts horrifically. I'm not talking about a home run on opening day for LaRoche; I'm talking the first 25 at bats.

I've become jaded. Because whenever a new guy arrives, he seems to always start slowly, at least the hitters (Robertson, Duke were on fire and quite effective out of the gates). But if we bring up a hitter or acquire a hitter, it seems to me he always starts horrifically. I'm not talking about a home run on opening day for LaRoche; I'm talking the first 25 at bats.

 

 

Well, that was definitely true of Jermaine Dye in 2005.

 

I notice Dye, Thome, Pods, Quentin, AJ, Iguchi, Alexei and Abreu were not on the list.

 

 

At the very least, Dye, Thome and AJ all had career resurgences with Chicago. Pods stayed about even. Everett was on the downside already (I realize that was another trade, and not FA move, but distinguishing between trades and FA moves doesn't really matter, the business of baseball is talent procurement and cost/benefit analysis).

 

In the end, the White Sox were able to cover up for all these mistakes (free agents as well as developing their own position players) largely because of the pitching staff nurturing guys like Sale/Quintana/Danks/Floyd (not to mention all the relievers whose careers were resuscitated) and hitting it big with Quentin (at least 2008), Ramirez and Abreu.

Edited May 27, 201510 yr by caulfield12

I've become jaded. Because whenever a new guy arrives, he seems to always start slowly, at least the hitters (Robertson, Duke were on fire and quite effective out of the gates). But if we bring up a hitter or acquire a hitter, it seems to me he always starts horrifically. I'm not talking about a home run on opening day for LaRoche; I'm talking the first 25 at bats.

 

Some of the well known names usually come from the NL and they can't adjust to the AL. I think it would be different if they were younger players.

 

A couple of expensive busts....Carl Crawford, Josh Hamilton, Matsuzaka, Alfonso Soriano, Gary Matthews Jr, Barry Zito, BJ Upton to name a few.

I don't know that I'd call Soriano an expensive bust. He didn't replicate the career year he had for Washington in 2006, and there was a big damn price tag attached to him, but that could have been a lot worse than it ended up being.

I have had this feeling for a while, too. It seems hard to believe that there is some team philosophy that exists that is responsible for the trend (if there really is one). Maybe it's just a bigger spotlight than the players were used to on other teams.

 

I was really hoping they signed Victor Martinez in the offseason, because even at his age, I thought he would make a good litmus test. The guy has only hit less than .300 5 out 14 years (prior to 2015), and still managed .278 as the lowest of those 5 years, and each of those 5 years was less than a full season for one reason or another. He's not doing so hot to start this year, so maybe it wouldn't have been such a great test, but I guess we'll never know.

 

I would just love to see what happens if the Sox get a guy like Trout or Miggy, arguably both still in their prime (Miggy is a bit older, but simply does not stop hitting). I know it's never going to happen, but I often wonder if they came here, would they decline as well.

I have had this feeling for a while, too. It seems hard to believe that there is some team philosophy that exists that is responsible for the trend (if there really is one). Maybe it's just a bigger spotlight than the players were used to on other teams.

 

I was really hoping they signed Victor Martinez in the offseason, because even at his age, I thought he would make a good litmus test. The guy has only hit less than .300 5 out 14 years (prior to 2015), and still managed .278 as the lowest of those 5 years, and each of those 5 years was less than a full season for one reason or another. He's not doing so hot to start this year, so maybe it wouldn't have been such a great test, but I guess we'll never know.

 

I would just love to see what happens if the Sox get a guy like Trout or Miggy, arguably both still in their prime (Miggy is a bit older, but simply does not stop hitting). I know it's never going to happen, but I often wonder if they came here, would they decline as well.

 

As for Miggy hitting in the Cell for 81 games, probably not much decline.

 

As for Miggy hitting in the Cell for 81 games, probably not much decline.

 

It's a hitter's park, until they put on a Sox uniform...