I have tried to always take the oldest ballplayer first when adding players each season. After the initial team selection, Modern Day players will have to wait until I go through the early year players.
That is, players from the early years will get added before the later years.
Since I have gone through just about all of the White Sox's third basemen and none of them have done the job, Crede may be added this year.
Bill Melton flunked his shot last year...same thing for Carlos Lee and Alex Fernandez.
Fernandez was 0-2 with an 8.59 ERA in 16 games with one start in 1903.
He gave up 39 hits in 22 innings with 5 BB and 16 K.
Melton was a .165 hitter in 1903.
41 G, 121 AB, 18 R, 20 H, 2 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 0 SB, 12 BB, 31 K
Lee was a .238 hitter in 1902.
17 G, 42 AB, 9 R, 10 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 SB, 6 BB, 11 K
Robin Ventura was the original 3B in 1901...he hit only .185 with 2 homers in limited action. I may give him another shot this season.
Same thing for Lee. He deserves another chance.
Paul Konerko and Willie Kamm split time at third last season.
Konerko has played three years now, hit only .226 and averaged 10 home runs and 45 rbis.
Kamm batted .291 in 50 games in 1904, with one homer, 15 rbis, 25 runs.
Present infielders are Eddie Collins (.297), Nellie Fox (.237), Luis Aparicio (.235), Luke Appling (.258), Buck Weaver (.400), Dick Lundy (.288), Konerko and Kamm. None have stood out yet. Batting average is last year's.
Weaver only played 7 games at the end of the season.
Chicago only has three solid players, Joe Jackson (.303/10 HR/63 RBI), Eddie Collins (.297/0 HR/25 RBI) and Louis Santop (.272/22 HR/92 RBI).
Collins missed half the season with an injury.
Frank Thomas (.220/28 HR/90 RBI) hits homers and drives in runs, but not for average...and can you believe it?...won a Golden Glove in 1904...only in OOTPB.
Ordonez (.250/19 HR/68 RBI) has been a pretty good ballplayer at times...(.256 career hitter)
Lineup at the end of 1904:
Weaver 3B
Jackson CF
Ordonez LF
Thomas 1B
Santop C
Minoso RF
Lundy SS
Appling 2B
Eddie Collins will get second back this year. Career-wise he is hitting .293, second on the team to Jackson's .322.
White Sox finished sixth last season, mainly because of less than average hitting (.253...league average .256) and less than average pitching (3.92 ERA...league average 3.82).
The Chisox only hit 110 homers (league average 127).
Ed Walsh (14-13 3.41 ERA), Mark Buehrle (8-7 3.12), Billy Pierce (5-5 3.35 ERA) and Juan Pizarro (2-4 3.37) look like starters right now.
Pierce and Pizarro only played the second half of the season.
Pierce was injured, Pizarro was called up in August.
Buehrle spent the first two months of the season in the bullpen.
The White Sox need a lot of help.
I don't think I am going to draft any more Negro and Japanese players as the teams may lose their identity if I do. Notice Santop and Lundy are starting now. That's 25% of the lineup.
I want to keep the ballclubs intact as much as possible. Several years down the road I may include some expansion teams to get their players in the league.
I don't play to draft the expansion team players for the same reason as not adding more Negro and Japanese players. The original franchise would lose its identity.
Outlook for 1905: not good unless pitchers make a comeback...Wilbur Wood (9-11 4.42), Ed Cicotte (9-18 4.19) and Gary Peters (8-8 4.64) need to improve over 1904 season...all were mediocre.
Joe Horlen was called up from the minors in September and did very well. He was 0-1 with a 1.82 ERA in 15 games. He started one game and had one save in 32 innings. Looks like he might be a starter again. He has struggled since a 14-11 mark in 1901. Spent a lot of time in the minors since.
Ted Lyons was 9-2 with a 4.24 ERA. He wins, in spite of high ERA, so he deserves a shot at the starting rotation.
Still have relief ace, Bobby Thigpen, who had a fine season: 70 appearances (5th), 29 saves (2nd), 6-6 won-lost record and 3.40 ERA. He was second to Washington's Rick Aguilera in saves. Aguilera topped the AL with 32 saves.