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Expansion Era Minor League All-Star Rosters – White Sox

Derek Bain

Founded on my research for the “Minors vs Majors” chapter in my book, “Hardball Retroactive” paired with complementary articles “Minors vs. Majors: The Top Minor League Batters in the Expansion Era” and “Minors vs. Majors: The Top Minor League Pitchers in the Expansion Era“, the ensuing series will reveal the Minor League All-Star rosters for every MLB franchise based primarily on single-season statistics in Runs Created / 140 Games (batters) and Fielding Independent Pitching (pitchers).

Selection Criteria

Terminology

RC – Runs Created – using the basic formula devised by Bill James:

((H + BB) * TB) / (AB + BB)

Note: I utilized the basic formula as opposed to the Technical Version due to incomplete GIDP and IBB data.

RC/140 – Runs Created per 140 Games as Minor League ballplayers

RC / (G / 140)

FIP – Fielding Independent Pitching – “Fielding Independent Pitching converts a pitcher’s three true outcomes into an earned run average-like number. The formula is (13*HR+3*(HBP+BB)-2*K)/IP, plus a constant (usually around 3.2) to put it on the same scale as earned run average.

FIP is a component ERA inspired by the work of Voros McCracken on defense-independent pitching statistics, but has become more widely used because of the ease of computation – it requires only four easily-found box score stats, uses only basic arithmetic operations and has four easily-memorized constants. It was conceived of by both Tom Tango and Clay Dreslough, the latter of who called it Defense-Independent Component ERA.” (definition courtesy of Baseball Prospectus Glossary).

((13*HR+3*(HBP+BB)-2*K)/IP)+3.2)

Assessment

The Chicago White Sox

Ron Kittle secured 1983 AL Rookie of the Year honors after destroying opposition offerings over the two previous minor league campaigns. Following a breakout 1981 season for Glen Falls (AA) in which he clubbed 40 long balls and hit .326, Kittle tallied 50 circuit clouts, 144 ribbies, 121 runs scored while accruing 169.9 RC/140 and batting .345 for the Edmonton Trappers (AAA). Pat H. Kelly pilfered 74 bags for the expansion Royals (1969-1970), but found himself back in triple-A for the first half of the 1971 season. Hitting .355 with 130.1 RC/140 for the Tucson Toros (AAA) at the end of June, Kelly punched his return ticket to the Majors where he achieved a 15-year career. Frank E. Thomas (#1, 1989) slashed .323 / .487 / .581 as a member of the Birmingham Barons (AA) in 1990. “The Big Hurt” was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 after claiming back-to-back AL MVP awards (1993-94), coaxing at least 100 bases on balls in 11 seasons and swatting 521 big-flies as a big-leaguer. Three-time Gold Glove winner Mike Cameron (.300/28/77) slugged .600, registered 120 tallies and nabbed 39 bags with Birmingham (AA) in ’96. Marcus Semien drilled 32 two-base knocks and scored 110 runs in the upper minors during the 2013 season. Ray Durham rapped 33 doubles and swiped 33 bases for the Nashville Sounds (AAA) in 1994. Jeremy Reed toiled through parts of 8 MLB seasons subsequent to posting a .373 BA with 35 two-baggers and 45 stolen bases for Winston-Salem (A+) and Birmingham (AA) in 2003. Greg Walker (.321/22/86) laced 33 two-base hits and logged 117 runs for Glen Falls (AA) in 1981. Joe Crede mashed 30 taters in ’06 while manning the hot corner for the Pale Hose after combining to slam 36 round-trippers and drive in 100 baserunners between Charlotte (AAA) and Chicago four years prior.

Bart Johnson notched 12 wins and 14 saves in a variety of roles with the Sox in 1971 following a dominant effort in the Midwest League two years earlier. “Toys in the Attic” whiffed 200 batters and crafted a 16-4 mark with a 2.17 ERA for the Appleton Foxes (A). Daniel Hudson quickly ascended the organizational ladder in ’09. Beginning the season in the South Atlantic League (A), “Huddy” reached the Majors by September after accumulating 14 victories along with a 2.32 ERA, 0.943 WHIP and 10.1 SO/9. Addison Reed amassed a career-high 40 saves in 2013 with Chicago subsequent to fashioning an ERA of 1.26, WHIP of 0.743 and striking out 111 batsmen in just 78.1 innings across four minor league outposts two years prior. Scott Radinsky (7-5, 1.75) saved 31 contests and struck out 12.1 batters per nine innings at South Bend (A) during the 1989 season.

Starting Lineup Age Year Teams Levels POS RC140 BA HR RBI OBP SLG
Jeremy Reed* 22 2003 BIR,WSM AA,A+ LF 121.1 0.373 11 95 0.453 0.537
Pat H. Kelly 26 1971 TUC AAA RF 130.1 0.355 6 43 0.445 0.522
Frank E. Thomas 22 1990 BIR AA 1B 127.9 0.323 18 71 0.487 0.581
Ron Kittle 24 1982 EDM AAA DH 169.9 0.345 50 144 0.442 0.752
Mike Cameron 23 1996 BIR AA CF 126.6 0.300 28 77 0.402 0.600
Dick Kenworthy 23 1964 LBG AA 3B 108.8 0.312 29 97 0.358 0.530
Marcus Semien 22 2013 BIR,CHR AA,AAA SS 100.8 0.284 19 66 0.401 0.479
Ray Durham# 22 1994 NVL AAA 2B 96.8 0.296 16 66 0.363 0.495
Tyler Flowers 23 2009 BIR,CHR AA,AAA C 96.6 0.297 15 56 0.423 0.516
Bench Age Year Teams Levels POS RC140 BA HR RBI OBP SLG
Lorenzo Gray 24 1982 EDM AAA OF 120.1 0.358 16 79 0.410 0.547
Ken Hottman 23 1971 AVL AA OF 115.2 0.302 37 116 0.391 0.621
Ossie Blanco 24 1970 MOB,TUC AA,AAA 1B 114.5 0.336 13 55 0.415 0.547
Lamar Johnson 24 1975 DEN AAA 1B 114.2 0.336 20 101 0.398 0.540
Mario Valdez* 23 1998 CGY AAA 1B 111.9 0.330 20 81 0.420 0.536
Greg Walker* 21 1981 GLF AA 1B 111.8 0.321 22 86 0.412 0.524
Gary Holle 26 1981 EDM AAA 1B 111.5 0.327 26 88 0.397 0.592
Jeff Inglin 21 1997 HCK A OF 110.3 0.334 16 102 0.388 0.509
Daryl Boston* 21 1984 DEN AAA OF 109.5 0.312 15 82 0.390 0.533
Joe Crede 24 2002 CHR AAA 3B 108.3 0.312 24 65 0.359 0.571
Carlos May* 20 1968 LBG A OF 108.7 0.330 13 74 0.435 0.516
Joseph Talley* 25 1974 IWA AAA OF 108.2 0.326 18 66 0.469 0.535
Curtis Fontenot 23 1968 APP,HAW A,AAA OF 107.8 0.307 16 55 0.420 0.532
Tyler Saladino 21 2011 WSM A+ SS 96.4 0.270 16 55 0.363 0.501
Ron Karkovice 22 1986 BIR AA C 94.7 0.282 20 53 0.394 0.517

 

Starters Age Year Teams Levels FIP WLSV ERA WHIP BB9 SO9
Bart Johnson 19 1969 APP A 2.22 16-4 2.17 1.071 3.1 10.6
Daniel Hudson 22 2009 BIR,WSM AA,A+ 2.28 14-5 2.32 0.945 2.1 10.2
Gil Downs 22 1963 SAR,LBG A,AA 2.30 13-3 1.37 0.984 2.3 8.2
Dylan Axelrod 24 2010 WSM,BIR A+,AA 2.22 8-4 2.06 1.082 1.2 7.6
Alec Hansen 22 2017 KAN,WSM A,A+,AA 2.36 11-8 2.81 1.169 3.3 12.2
Relievers Age Year Teams Levels FIP WLSV ERA WHIP BB9 SO9
Dan Remenowsky 23 2009 KAN A 1.27 24 2 0.887 2.3 15.5
Matt Cooper 23 2015 KAN,WSM A,A+ 1.47 12 1.55 0.825 2.1 13.1
Addison Reed 22 2011 WSM,CHR A+,AAA 1.51 5 1.27 0.73 1.6 12.8
Ryan Kussmaul 24 2011 WSM A+ 1.73 6 2.52 0.946 3.3 13.9
Scott Radinsky* 21 1989 SBN A 1.88 31 1.76 0.948 2.8 12.2
Bench Age Year Teams Levels FIP WLSV ERA WHIP BB9 SO9
Andre Rienzo 21 2010 KAN A 2.38 8-4 3.65 1.257 2.9 11.1
Jack Egbert 24 2007 BIR AA 2.40 12-8 3.07 1.129 2.5 9.2
James Dykstra 23 2014 KAN,WSM A,A+ 2.42 9-11 3.43 1.249 0.9 7.6
Santo Luis 24 2008 KAN,WSM A,A+ 1.91 4 3.82 1.217 2.8 13.2
Jeff Pierce 23 1992 SBN,SAR A,A+ 1.92 30 2.05 0.913 2.3 11.4
Ian Hamilton 22 2017 WSM,BIR A+,AA 2.06 7 2.65 1.053 2 9.4

 

Honorable Mention

Don Buford (.336/9/53) eclipsed the 200-hit plateau, ripped 41 doubles and scored 114 runs while swiping 42 bags for the Indianapolis Indians (AAA) in ’63. Chris B. Young was included in a deal for Diamondbacks’ SP Javier Vazquez in December 2005 following a fine campaign in which he collected 41 two-base hits, 26 jacks, 32 steals and 100 runs against Southern League (AA) opponents. Gail Hopkins (.312/20/79) reached the century mark in walks while striking out only 27 times for Lynchburg (A) in ’67.

Batter Age Year Teams Levels POS RC140 BA HR RBI OBP SLG
Terrell Merriman* 21 1999 BUR A CF 105.2 0.306 15 85 0.411 0.518
Jeff Liefer* 25 2000 CHR AAA 1B 105.1 0.281 32 91 0.356 0.566
Chris B. Young 21 2005 BIR AA CF 104.8 0.277 26 77 0.377 0.545
Randy S. Johnson* 21 1980 GLF,IWA AA,AAA OF 104.7 0.274 26 78 0.389 0.550
Russ Morman 23 1985 GLF,BFL AA,AAA 1B 104.7 0.309 24 95 0.406 0.537
David Cook 23 2005 KAN A LF 104.3 0.283 24 65 0.403 0.552
Jimmy Terrell* 20 1998 HCK,WSM A,A+ 3B 103.9 0.341 13 66 0.405 0.483
Joe Borchard# 22 2001 BIR AA OF 103.8 0.295 27 98 0.384 0.509
Don Buford# 26 1963 INA AAA 3B 103.5 0.336 9 53 0.406 0.457
Gail Hopkins* 24 1967 LBG A 1B 103.2 0.312 20 79 0.439 0.513

 

 

Pitcher Age Year Teams Levels FIP WLSV ERA WHIP BB9 SO9
Jerome Rozmus 22 1963 CLI A 2.45 17-5 1.44 0.955 2.5 8.8
Ravelo Manzanillo* 24 1988 TAM A 2.47 10-6 3.04 1.091 3.4 9.7
Stephen Sauer 22 2009 KAN A 2.53 6-5 3.36 1.282 1.2 7.8
Kyle Kubat* 24 2017 KAN,BIR A,AA 2.12 4 1.7 0.836 1.5 9.3
Al Jones 24 1983 APP A 2.13 22 0.97 0.912 3.4 10.9
Adam Lopez 23 2013 KAN A 2.14 3 2.54 1.201 3.2 11.7

 

References and Resources

Baseball-Reference

Bill James Baseball Abstract

Seamheads – Baseball Gauge

 

About the Author

I am a New Jersey native with a passion for baseball, statistics, computers and video games who enjoys spending quality time with his family.

“Hardball Retroactive”, published in June 2018, is available in paperback and digital (Kindle) format at Amazon.com along with digital eBook format at GooglePlay.com. 

“Hardball Retrospective” is available in digital format on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, GooglePlay, iTunes and KoboBooks. The paperback edition is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and CreateSpace. Supplemental Statistics, Charts and Graphs along with a discussion forum are offered at TuataraSoftware.com.

Don Daglow (Intellivision World Series Major League Baseball, Earl Weaver Baseball, Tony LaRussa Baseball) contributed the foreword for Hardball Retrospective. The foreword and preview of my book are accessible here.

“Hardball Retrospective – Addendum 2014 to 2016” supplements my research for Hardball Retrospective, providing retroactive standings based on Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and Win Shares (WS) for each “original” team over the past three seasons (2014-2016). Team totals from 2010 – 2013 are included for reference purposes. “Addendum” is available in paperback and digital formats through Amazon, Barnes and Noble and CreateSpace.

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