Sure, you have to look all the way back to 2012 for the last time the Chicago White Sox had a winning record, and 2008 if you want to check for a postseason appearance. Despite the recent lack of success, the White Sox have had a plethora of legends don the Sox uniform, which got me thinking — who would make the Mount Rushmore of White Sox legends? There are many options, but only four spots available. Before I get to mine, as Ken “The Hawk” Harrelson would say, you at home select yours.
Ed Walsh (1904-1916)
A hall of fame inductee back in 1946, Walsh to this day still holds the best career ERA of 1.82. He also had 40 wins back in 1908, largely due to his devastating spit ball. He played 13 seasons with the White Sox, resulting in a 195-125 record, 250 complete games, and 57 shut outs. He was one of the most durable pitchers during that era, eclipsing 200+ innings seven times. During his 40-win season, he was on the mound for 464 innings, which is hard to even wrap my head around.
Minnie Miñoso (1951-1957, 1961-1962, ’64, ’76, ’80)
I had the pleasure of meeting the “Cuban Comet” when I was 9 years old at Comiskey Park for the meet and greet held for annual ticket holders. Head over to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and do a search for “Mr. White Sox”, and you will come up with “0 results found”. If you look at his career accomplishments, not only will you find it hard to fathom him not being an inductee, you will find it just as difficult to not carve him into the Sox Mt. Rushmore. Minoso was a 7-time All-Star, won 3 Gold Gloves, and finished 4th in MVP voting 4 separate times. He was a difficult out, hitting over .300 nine times, good enough for a career batting average of .298. Aside from the statistics, Minnie was also the first African-American player for the White Sox, hailing from Havana, Cuba.
Avid White Sox fan, and 44th President of the United States had this to say:
Minnie may have been passed over by the Baseball Hall of Fame during his lifetime, but for me and generations of black and Latino young people, Minnie’s quintessentially American story embodies more than a plaque ever could.
Carlton Fisk (1981-1993)
“Pudge” may be remembered for his famous game winning home run for the Boston Red Sox in the 1975 World Series, but for me, he was a main fixture for our White Sox. Fisk joined the White Sox back in 1981, and would go on to hit 214 home runs, and drive in 762 runs. He saved his best career year for 1985, when he hit 37 home runs and collected 107 runs batted in. His 351 home runs as a catcher still stands in the record books today. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000. It could be said that the Fisk was the best free agent signing in the history of the franchise – a deal that would end a long playoff drought and make baseball fun on the south side for many years to come.
Frank Thomas (1990 – 2005)
I was fortunate to watch the majority of his career as a kid. “The Big Hurt” was exactly that. He was large at 6’5 and 275 pounds, and boy did he put a hurt on a baseball. His numbers over his career are staggering even to this day. He came on to the scene in August of 1990, when the White Sox called him up to finish the remainder of the season. He wasted no time, hitting .330, mashing 7 long balls and knocking in 31 runs. From then on, it was a full blown assault on opposing pitchers. Sure, there are the immediate numbers that jump out at you over his career – 521 home runs, 1465 rbi, and a career batting average of .301. What also made him one of the most feared hitters in baseball was his ability to see the ball and be patient. He lead the league in OBP four separate times and is 10th all-time in walks.
Thomas stands out for me among the rest, because I truly was able to see it in person from my parents seats each season. Back-to-back MVP’s in 1993 and 1994, top 10 in MVP voting nine times, five All-Star Game selections, four Silver Slugger Awards, and my favorite White Sox player of all time.
Honorable Mentions: Luke Appling, Mark Buehrle, Harold Baines, Paul Konerko
Featured Photo: Getty Images
I like your picks, Ryan, as they distill the key eras of White Sox history into just four players: Walsh for the Hitless Wonders, Minoso for the Go-Go Sox, Fisk for the resurgence of the Winning Ugly era and Thomas as the greatest White Sox player of all time, with a tangential tie to the champs of ’05. Collins was an all-timer, but even as a clean member of the Black Sox, it’s hard to include someone from that era. Appling and Lyons were great, but at a time when the White Sox were pretty lousy. Fox, Aparicio and Pierce encapsulate the success of the ’50s, but not as well as Minoso. Konerko and Buehrle were two of the biggest favorites from my lifetime, but they don’t dislodge Thomas. Of your four, Fisk is probably the shakiest for me, particularly since I was a huge Baines fan in his early prime, but Fisk really was the hub of the team during those seasons. So, all in all, I gotta agree with your version of Mt. Soxmore . . .
Love articles like this, nice to look back & reminds you of what might come in the near future. It’s hard to do a Mt.Rushmore for players i didn’t see or hear my Dad puff his chest about…so for me it would be…Hard to put Aparicio on there w/out N.Fox…
Nellie, Luis, Frank & Buehrle…there’s a case to be made for Fisk (he went in the HOF w/a different pair of Sox on so he’s out), love Paulie, number don’t stack up against the Big Hurt, Harold has a soft spot in my heart as imagine he does w/most die-hard Sox fans. Unfortunately, he spent good years wearing other uniforms. Minnie is the only one i feel bad about leaving out, again i can’t put Luis on & not Nellie. There’s a case to be made to take off the double play duo & add Billy Pierce & Minny, i’d be ok w/that substitution too. Great Article Ryan, keep the Sox chatter going, there’s plenty of us still around that love talking White Sox baseball.
Like it but Fisk take out put Paulie in…. paulie won us a World Series….
Joe Borchard, Lance Broadway, Jared Mitchell and Jerry Owens
Get rid of Kenny
Eddie Collins, Luke Appling, Frank Thomas, Luis Aparicio.