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New York Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
White Sox All-Quarter Century Team, the South Siders' best since 2000
Editor's note: The Athletic is marking 2025 by naming MLB All-Quarter Century Teams, selected by Jayson Stark and Tyler Kepner and our readers. In addition, some of our writers are picking All-Quarter Century Teams for the teams they cover. Check this page to find all of our All-Quarter Century Team coverage. Advertisement Well, the last quarter century of White Sox baseball has certainly been eventful, hasn't it? The 2000s began with a surprise division title just three years after the infamous 'White Flag Trade.' Five years later, the franchise reached its apex with a World Series championship. Yadda yadda yadda, in 2024, the White Sox went 41-121 and eclipsed the 1962 New York Mets as the worst team in modern baseball history. It's been a long way down. You could basically put the 2005 team on this list and Sox fans would be satiated, but in the end, I included only four of its position players, the ace of the pitching staff and the closer. I tried to balance longevity with impact, and in one case, I picked a guy mostly for vibes (and two big defensive plays in the World Series). Feel free to argue among yourselves in the comments, but if you look at the team's most common players by position page on Baseball Reference, you'll get a picture of why the Sox made the playoffs only five times since 2000. Signing Pierzynski was one of GM Kenny Williams' finest decisions. He was perfect for this team and this town and no one personified that era of Sox baseball like Pierzynski, who was both brash and good. Mark Buehrle famously said he never shook him off. Pierzynski's two most famous moments of his eight years with the team were running to first on a dropped third strike with two outs in the bottom of the ninth in Game 2 of the 2005 ALCS, a heads-up play that helped propel the Sox to a win; and getting punched by Cubs catcher Michael Barrett in 2006, setting off a benches-clearing brawl. But later that season, when the crosstown series returned to Wrigley Field, he hit a three-run homer to give the Sox the lead in the ninth that led to some Cubs fans showering the outfield with garbage. Those kinds of moments are why Sox fans still wear his jerseys to games. They called him 'The King' for a reason. Konerko, who played on the South Side from 1999 through 2014, was the captain of the White Sox, an erudite student of hitting with a caustic dry wit. He hit 408 of his 439 career homers for the Sox in the 2000s while putting up a .280/.356/.490 slash line. He could go into slumps, but he was otherwise the steady presence for a rocky franchise. Advertisement Everyone thought he'd leave after 2005 for free agency riches, but he pulled a smooth negotiating maneuver when he saved the final-out ball from the World Series and presented it to chairman Jerry Reinsdorf at the parade. When Konerko finally retired in 2014, he immediately got a statue and a retired number. In two-plus seasons of the 2000s, Durham put up 10.8 bWAR for the Sox. He hit 52 homers in that span (Durham is the franchise leader for homers as a second baseman) and was an All-Star in the team's surprising run to the AL Central title in 2000. There aren't a lot of other candidates, really. Tadahito Iguchi was a 30-year-old rookie in 2005 and helped spark the 'Ozzie Ball' Sox to the World Series, but he had a 5.3 WAR in two-plus seasons. Gordon Beckham should've been the guy, but wasn't. Yoán Moncada didn't stick at second long enough. Chris Getz started one season at second base and is now the GM. From 2009 through 2023, the White Sox got consistent production from Alexei Ramirez and Tim Anderson at shortstop. Anderson personified the team's short-lived 'Change the Game' era, winning a batting title in 2019 and making a pair of All-Star Games in 2021 and 2022. His bat-flipping charisma made him a star and his homer into the corn in the 'Field of Dreams' game got the Sox a nod for the 25 best games of the quarter century. Ramirez, who started at shortstop from 2009 through 2015, put up 23.5 bWAR and hit 109 homers in his eight seasons (including one at second base) for the Sox. He finished second in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2008 and made an All-Star team in 2014. But this is a subjective exercise and I'm going with my gut. This team needs Juan Uribe, the Winnie the Pooh-shaped shortstop who brought vibes like no one else. Advertisement 'He remains one of my favorite guys to ever put on a White Sox uniform,' Williams told me in 2016. 'He's a prince of a guy and if you get a chance to know him, he's one of the funniest guys you'll ever know.' More importantly, he made one of the iconic plays of the Sox World Series run, catching a foul ball in the stands for the second out in the ninth before helping finish off the 1-0 clincher in Game 4 with a ridiculous snag and throw to first. You wish you loved your kids as much as Hawk Harrelson loved Joe Crede. (I can only hear his name in Harrelson's bellowing voice.) Crede was only a full-time starter for the Sox from 2003 through 2008, but it seems like he was there forever, a quiet guy on a loud team. His best offensive season actually came in 2006, when the Sox failed to get back to the playoffs, but he'll forever be remembered for his walk-off hit in Game 2 of the '05 ALCS. Crede was up with two outs in a tie game just after Pierzynski reached first on the dropped third strike and hit an 0-2 pitch from Kelvim Escobar for a double to left, scoring pinch-runner Pablo Ozuna. That tied the series at 1-1, and the Sox didn't lose again in the playoffs. Crede had a .949 OPS in the 2005 playoffs with four homers and 11 RBIs. The Hawkeroo will toast to this pick. Carlos Quentin had the best single season of any left fielder in the 2000s with a 5.3 WAR in 2008 (and that's with missing the last month of the season). Scott Podsednik was the straw that stirred the Sox's drink in 2005. But it's the guy who was traded for Podsednik — in the deal that got used as an example of the 'culture change' that Ozzie Guillen wanted — who wins this honor based on actual production. (Yes, I know I used the opposite argument for Uribe.) Because from 2000-04, Lee had a .287/.344/.493 slash line, hitting 136 homers and driving in 468 runs. He was really good, if not the right person for Guillen's lineup at the time. When Theo Epstein traded Eloy Jiménez to the Sox, he comped him to 'El Caballo,' but the oft-injured Jiménez never came close to capturing Lee's production. Advertisement But I should point out that while Podsednik's value was only immeasurable in the 2005 regular season, he really raked in the playoffs with six extra-base hits, including two homers. He slugged .551 in the postseason as compared to .349 during the season. Aaron Rowand is the sentimental favorite, but even though he's having a nightmarish season, Robert is still the pick. He's a five-tool player, even if only three of those tools are showing up right now. He showed signs of stardom in his first four seasons and I have to think the woeful state of the team has had an effect on him. While the team was falling apart in 2023, Robert played 145 games and put up a 5.3 bWAR with 38 homers and an .857 OPS. But he was bad last year in the Sox's historically awful season and he's been even worse in 2025 as the team tries to peddle him for prospects. It's a shame he hasn't produced more in a Sox uniform. You want to know something depressing? Adam Eaton had a better bWAR (16.2) in four seasons with the Sox than Robert does (14.4) in five-plus seasons. Shoot, maybe Eaton should've won this honor? From 2000-04, Ordoñez made three of his four All-Star Games as a Sox (he made two more with Detroit) and put up a .313/.376/.550 slash line with 139 homers and 510 RBIs. He was a star and another White Sox inductee into the Hall of Very Good. The Sox let Ordońez go after the 2004 season and he signed a five-year, $75 million deal with Detroit that included two option years, one of which was picked up for $18 million. Nineteen years later, the Sox finally gave their own five-year, $75 million deal to a free agent outfielder. (Don't ask.) Jermaine Dye, the Sox's World Series MVP, finishes second here. You have Jim Thome, who hit 134 homers, had 369 RBIs and put up a .933 OPS in 529 games in three-plus seasons with the Sox — and also hit the solo homer in the 1-0 2008 division tiebreaker win over the Twins at The Cell — and of course you have Frank Thomas (more on him below). There's also, uh, Adam Dunn. Advertisement But while he never played more than 39 games at DH, Abreu obviously deserves to be on this team for his production over nine years in Chicago. Abreu, the regular first baseman from 2014 through 2022, made three All-Star teams, won Rookie of the Year in 2014 and the AL MVP in the shortened 2020 season. He put up 31.3 bWAR and hit 243 homers and 863 RBIs for the Sox. I'm actually surprised there aren't more pictures of him around the ballpark. When does he get his statue? You can't do an All-Sox team without Frank Thomas, the franchise's all-time best hitter. From 2000-05, after his Hall of Fame peak, he still hit 147 homers and drove in 425 runs in 588 games and he barely played in 2001 and 2005. In that last year, he started the season rehabbing from an offseason ankle surgery and then was lost to foot surgery in late July. Still, he somehow managed 12 homers in just 105 at-bats. He wasn't on the playoff roster, which was a shame, but he still enjoyed the World Series run. The next year in Oakland, he finished fourth in AL MVP voting en route to a first-ballot Hall of Fame nod. He's currently selling an eponymous vodka and appearing in those cringey Nugenix commercials. One thing the White Sox did in this era was produce pitchers. Somewhere Don Cooper is smiling. Our starting five has four left-handers. We're leaving out Lucas Giolito, José Contreras (who was basically the best pitcher in baseball from the second half of 2005 through the first half of 2006), Freddy Garcia and Jon Garland, among others. Buehrle was one of the most effective (and efficient) pitchers of his era and one of the all-time best Sox starters (48.9 bWAR, 161 wins, 3.83 ERA, nearly 2,500 innings in 12 seasons), which is why he's still getting Hall of Fame votes and a statue at The Rate this summer. Sale was the franchise's best draft pick since Thomas. He went 74-50 with an even 3.00 ERA in 228 games (148 starts) for the Sox, striking out 1,244 in 1,110 innings. He was in the top six of Cy Young Award voting for his last five seasons with the Sox, making the All-Star team each time. His trade to Boston after the 2016 season started the team's ill-fated rebuild — and it was obvious then and now that the Sox's failure to build around him and Quintana was an organizational failure. He should be Cooperstown-bound with a strong finish to his career. Advertisement You don't have to say 'What about Danks?' because he made the list. The lefty is just behind Sale in career strikeouts for the franchise. Quintana had 21.2 WAR in six seasons before being dealt in a crosstown blockbuster to the Cubs for Cease, who finished second for the AL Cy Young in 2022. Cease, the lone right-hander, had a 3.83 ERA and 792 strikeouts in 658 innings for the Sox. He pitched in 346 games with the Sox and 209 of them came between 2000-02. Foulke had a 2.74 ERA and 87 saves, striking out 224 in 246 2/3 innings. He wasn't a setup guy, but he'll do just fine. Who else? Jenks is second all-time in saves in Sox history at 173 (Bobby Thigpen is first with 201) and he had 334 strikeouts in 341 2/3 innings. The best closers have what the kids today call 'aura' and Jenks was thick with it. After coming up during the 2005 season as a golden ticket of a waiver claim, Jenks started pumping triple-digit fastballs in an era where that wasn't commonplace. In the post-Jordan era of Chicago sports, I'd put Jenks, despite being a heavyset dude with a goatee, among the most electric athletes we had, right up there with Javy Báez, Patrick Kane and Derrick Rose. He was like a folk hero. As you might've read, Jenks is currently battling stomach cancer in Portugal. Da Pope. The Sox fan formerly known as Robert Prevost sneaks past Donn Pall for the honor. Last year, the Sox had the milkshake as the distraction for an awful season. This season, it's the pope. I love that the White Sox, the team perennially slept on by the national media, can count a Pope and a President among its fans. Obama proudly wore his Sox gear as a Senator and as the President and gave the franchise some needed cachet after they stopped winning. Guillen was the shortstop of the 1990s, a Rookie of the Year and three-time All-Star with the gift of gab. His hiring before the 2004 season was one of Williams and Reinsdorf's best moves. The White Sox went 678-617 in Guillen's eight seasons in charge, with five winning seasons. Their 11-1 romp through the 2005 playoffs looked dominant but included a host of close games. Seven of those wins were decided by one or two runs, including all four games of a World Series sweep. Advertisement Guillen should still be managing somewhere, but he's turned into the best studio analyst in the city, the Charles Barkley of White Sox games. I would love to hear Ozzie the analyst critique Ozzie the manager's moves after a game. (Photo of Mark Buehrle, A.J. Pierzynski and Paul Konerko after Buehrle pitched a complete game against the Cubs in 2006: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Blue Jays All-Quarter Century Team: Toronto's best since 2000
Jayson Stark's MLB All-Quarter Century Team inspired me. What would a team of the best Blue Jays from the last 25 years look like? Sticking to production since 2000, I've compiled a roster of Toronto's top talent this century. There were some tough choices, having to weigh high peaks against lengthy runs, and you're going to disagree with a few, rightfully. Advertisement While The Athletic posted a ballot to vote for your own league-wide All-Quarter Century roster, feel free to express your dissenting Blue Jays opinions in the comment section. Sorry, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the next 25 years can be yours. This era belongs to Delgado. The Puerto Rican slugger leads the Blue Jays in all-time offensive WAR (according to Baseball Reference) and has the most total bases, RBI and runs scored in franchise history. Much of that came in the 1990s, but if you take only Delgado's 25.4 bWAR from 2000 through 2004, that's still the seventh most in franchise history and three more than Guerrero has racked up. Delgado twice finished in the top five in American League MVP voting with the Jays this century, including a 2003 season in which he led the AL with 145 RBI. He's the only Blue Jay to drive in more than 135 runs in a season, doing so twice. Delgado never got his playoff moment with the Blue Jays, but he deserves a spot on this list. It was the best summer fling the Blue Jays ever had. Semien's 45 homers in 2021 remain the most in a single season by any AL second baseman. Despite playing just one season in Toronto, Semien is the only Blue Jays second baseman to win a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger this century. If you're looking for longevity, Aaron Hill is your guy. He had seven solid seasons with the Jays, earning MVP votes in 2009. But Semien's peak, albeit short, earns my nod as Toronto's quarter-century keystone. I was surprised how easy this pick was. The other options were guys like Marco Scutaro, Yunel Escobar, José Reyes and Troy Tulowitzki. Bichette has doubled all their bWAR as a Blue Jay, sitting at 18.3 as of May 25. Bichette also has double the hits, homers and runs scored of any other Toronto shortstop since 2000. He's also the only Blue Jay, at any position, to lead the AL in hits twice. I'll hear debate on other selections, but this is not one. Eric Hinske, Troy Glaus and Matt Chapman had their moments, but this is another no-brainer. The Bringer of Rain helped capture the best Blue Jays seasons the franchise has seen since winning the World Series. There were other big bats and big personalities on Toronto's 2015 and 2016 AL Championship Series squads, but Donaldson was the biggest threat. Advertisement His 2015 season, Donaldson's first in Toronto, remains the greatest by a Blue Jays third baseman. He put up 7.4 bWAR and led the AL in runs, RBI and total bases. Donaldson earned 23 of the 30 first-place AL MVP votes that year, becoming the second Toronto player to win the award, alongside George Bell. His Toronto tenure ended with a whimper, but there were plenty of bangs when it mattered. This was the toughest pick. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has a case. Alex Rios would've been the easy selection if he played even a moment of left field for Toronto. I almost talked myself into an Adam Lind/Reed Johnson platoon. Ultimately, Stewart's start to the century was the best run in left the Jays have had since Bell left town. In three full seasons after 1999, Stewart hit over .300, tallied at least 10 homers and stole at least 14 bases. After four seasons away from Toronto, he came back to the Blue Jays for one final season in 2008. From Toronto's weakest position this century, Stewart stands out. Wells was the bright spot in a dark era of Blue Jays baseball, both in jersey colour and result. He logged 12 seasons in Toronto, never sniffing the playoffs or suiting up for a team that won more than 85 games. But Wells undeniably belongs on this list, sitting second in franchise bWAR this century with 29.1. He also leads the Blue Jays in hits, doubles and RBI since 2000. On a better team, Wells may have earned more MVP love, getting votes just twice and never finishing higher than eighth. At the very least, he's earned the coveted centre field spot on Toronto's Quarter-Century Team. Bautista was a baseball vagabond, playing for five different franchises in his first five MLB seasons. If not for a 2010 swing change, he's probably one of those deep-cut names you throw out when trying to impress other baseball fans. Instead, Bautista became a six-time All-Star and two-time home run leader, and his name rests forever on Toronto's Level of Excellence. Advertisement There are many individual moments that could've earned Bautista a spot on this team — the bat flip, the franchise-record 54 homers, throwing out Billy Butler at first base or the Darren O'Day beef. But the totality of Bautista's decade in Toronto makes it obvious. He sits atop the post-2000 Blue Jay leaderboards in bWAR, runs, homers and walks. He found a home and became one of the most iconic players in Blue Jays history. Either Wells or Bautista top basically every Blue Jays hitting leaderboard over the last 25 years. But sitting there in third place, almost across the board, is Encarnación. Breaking out alongside Bautista, Encarnación went from middling to masher for the 2010s Blue Jays. He became the perfect lineup protector for Joey Bats and the cleanup hitter on Toronto's ALCS teams. He put the parrot on his arm 239 times as a Blue Jay, sitting third in franchise home runs. Encarnación is the franchise leader in games at DH and the easy pick to represent this quarter century. Can we agree on Halladay and move on? He was Toronto's lone representative on Stark's MLB Quarter-Century Team and remains the only recent Blue Jays pitcher to get in the Hall of Fame. After that, things get messy. I feel you feverishly scrolling down to the comments to make cases for Ricky Romero, Marcus Stroman, A.J. Burnett, Mark Buehrle and maybe even R.A. Dickey. But to fill out this rotation, I prioritized peak. Estrada is probably the most underrated member of Toronto's ALCS teams, allowing the AL's lowest hits per nine innings in 2015 and 2016. He also added a 2.16 ERA across six postseason outings. Gausman still has one year left to polish off one of the best big contracts in Blue Jays history, and Ray is the only non-Halladay starter to win the Cy Young this century. The toughest pick was Happ, but go back and look at his 2016 season. He posted a 3.18 ERA, racked up 20 wins and was sixth in AL Cy Young voting that year. Maybe Aaron Sanchez and Romero had slightly better top years, but when you combine Happ's two Toronto tenures, he also sits second in strikeouts among all Blue Jays starters since 2000. Advertisement If B.J. Ryan stopped after his 2006 season, he might be locking down the ninth for this team. Instead, the lights go down and Tsunami's thumping beat blares over the speakers for Romano. Even if you include the righty's dud 2024, he posted a 2.90 ERA across six seasons with the Blue Jays. The Markham, Ontario, native converted 105 of 118 save opportunities for Toronto, sitting third in franchise history in saves. He's not the Blue Jays closer anymore, but Romano is the best they've had in the last 25 years.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Miguel Cabrera shockingly erased from quarter century list and here is why
Detroit Tigers legend and one of baseball's greatest hitters, Miguel Cabrera, was shockingly omitted from The Athletic's All-Quarter Century team announced on May 22. It was a Hall of Fame-worthy resume with more than 3,000 hits and 500 home runs that failed to include Cabrera among the 15 players. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Though Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, two of the Tigers' former stars, were included, Cabrera's name was not on the list prompting many raised eyebrows in the baseball community. So why was this great player omitted? Miguel Cabrera's career statistics were legendary, but positions kept holding him back Miguel Cabrera's numbers at the plate position him as one of baseball's all-time greats. He was an All-Star twelve times and a power hitter in his prime years. But as for Jayson Stark's All-Quarter Century team which featured eight position players, five starters, a closer, and one designated hitter Cabrera wasn't included. Why not? They constructed the team by position, and that hurt him. Cabrera had more than 100 games at four positions: first base, third base, left field, and right field. He also spent a huge portion of his later years as a DH. That might serve a team well, but for a list such as this, it blurred where he mattered. First base, initially, was won by Albert Pujols, arguably the best to occupy the position of his greatness at the position. Third base saw Adrian Beltre's excellent defense and similar offense usurp Cabrera's place. As a DH, Cabrera's later stats were not good enough to compete with Edgar Martínez or David Ortiz types. Outfield? Not when legends like Mike Trout and Barry Bonds were in the mix. Also Read: Miguel Cabrera's defense played a role in snub Another reason Miguel Cabrera probably was omitted? Defense. Although he played several different positions, Miguel Cabrera wasn't exactly revered for his glove. His defensive statistics, including Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), were well below average. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now At the same time, Beltre, winner of five Gold Gloves and owner of 200 career DRS played elite defense. Add to that 3,166 hits and 477 home runs, and the case for Beltré becomes overwhelming. If Miguel Cabrera was an elite fielder or decidedly superior at the plate, he might have had a more compelling case. But his all-around competition passed him by.
