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Little hurt in this goodbye
Williams making all the right movesThe likely departure of Frank Thomas won't slow down the White Sox, writes Phil Rogers
Phil Rogers
Published December 2, 2005
Robbed of The Sporting News' Executive of the Year Award in 2005, Ken Williams has taken the early lead for 2006.
With the exception of what spring training will reveal about any damage to the arms that piled up so many innings in October and before, the White Sox are in better shape today than on Oct. 26, when they won the World Series. That says a ton.
Williams made a great trade by adding Jim Thome a week ago. He walked from one end to the other across a rarely traveled high wire this week, retaining Paul Konerko after allowing him to reach free agency. And he severed ties with arguably the best player in franchise history, Frank Thomas, without slowing down the ringing of Jerry Reinsdorf's cash registers.
How important was it to add a hitter like Thome to the lineup?
Real important.
Williams accomplished two goals in doing it--he got the Philadelphia Phillies to pay almost half of Thome's salary for the next three years ($22 million of $46 million he's owed) and he opened a door for competition from as many five outfield prospects.
If Williams had not traded Aaron Rowand--or Scott Podsednik or Jermaine Dye--he would have sent a terrible signal to Brian Anderson, Chris Young, Jerry Owens, Ryan Sweeney and the scouting and player development pipeline that has them nearly ready for the big leagues.
Even if Williams finds a way to add Juan Pierre as a second leadoff man, it wouldn't be as bad as standing pat would have been. Pierre could be a one-year rental, here only to help the White Sox's chances of a repeat.
Rowand, signed through 2007, seemed entrenched. You better believe Anderson, Owens, Young and even the 20-year-old Sweeney will work harder this winter because Williams created an opening on a World Series winner.
Thome, if he's as healthy as advertised, will join Konerko to give the White Sox a tandem of run-producers that they missed for most of the 2005 season.
Until that magical 16-1 stretch at the end, the Sox had been their strongest from May 30 through July 20. That's when they had Konerko and Thomas, who very much earned his Series ring.
During the time it had Konerko and Thomas, Ozzie Guillen's team went 31-14 and extended its lead over Minnesota from 3 1/2 games to 11. It was 20-8 when Thomas had more than one plate appearance in a game, scoring 5.3 runs per game. That compares with a 4.4 average in the 134 games that Thomas missed or made a cameo appearance.
Because of those numbers, as much as anything, Thomas seemed truly at peace hanging out at the batting cage during the World Series.
Thomas' departure is no small thing, and could have been a very bad thing if another elite hitter had not been acquired to take his place. The White Sox are losing a guy who deserves to go to the Hall of Fame--every eligible player who has won three MVP awards is in the shrine, and Thomas won 2 1/2 (Jason Giambi looking like the Michelin Man, edged him in the 2000 vote)--and is a hitter who had an impact on a ton of games long past his prime.
Consider this: In the last three seasons, the Sox were 141-108 when Thomas had more than one plate appearance and 127-110 when he didn't. That's a difference of 30 points in winning percentage, which translates to five victories over a 162-game season.
It would have been great if Thomas could have stayed healthy and chased 500 home runs in Chicago, which was his goal.
"There were moments I thought I'd be leaving, but it's always been just talk," Thomas said that day at the batting cage, when he relaxed in a track suit.
"I always wanted to be here, to play with this organization from day one. That doesn't happen very often these days. If I was able to stay here, it would be great, but we have to see how it works out. Hopefully, after the season, we can work it out."
There are no guarantees Thomas ever will be able to stay in the lineup for even 100 games a year, not with his bones suddenly too fragile to support his weight. He needs to lose weight, maybe even as much as 30-40 pounds over the 280-plus he was carrying last season, and we can't wish away pounds or years.
Williams is wise to turn the page, with as little pain/controversy as possible. Thome has played 234 more games than Thomas the last five seasons. He comes with risk, but it's minor compared to the one that comes with Thomas, who will get his shot elsewhere in the American League (maybe even Minnesota or Cleveland).
The biggest risk for the 2006 White Sox would have been counting on another dream season from their pitchers. That's not likely, not with Mark Buehrle (260 innings), Jon Garland (237) and Jose Contreras (236 2/3) coming off years in which they pitched a combined 101 innings more than their previous career highs.
No matter how well a team handles pitchers--and Guillen and pitching coach Don Cooper handled them masterfully--championship seasons will take a toll on pitching staffs.
If, however, the 2006 Sox can produce runs all season behind Konerko and Thome as they did in the stretch of '05 they had Konerko and Thomas, they won't have to win so many 2-1 and 4-3 games.
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progers@...
With the exception of what spring training will reveal about any damage to the arms that piled up so many innings in October and before, the White Sox are in better shape today than on Oct. 26, when they won the World Series. That says a ton.
Williams made a great trade by adding Jim Thome a week ago. He walked from one end to the other across a rarely traveled high wire this week, retaining Paul Konerko after allowing him to reach free agency. And he severed ties with arguably the best player in franchise history, Frank Thomas, without slowing down the ringing of Jerry Reinsdorf's cash registers.
How important was it to add a hitter like Thome to the lineup?
Real important.
Williams accomplished two goals in doing it--he got the Philadelphia Phillies to pay almost half of Thome's salary for the next three years ($22 million of $46 million he's owed) and he opened a door for competition from as many five outfield prospects.
If Williams had not traded Aaron Rowand--or Scott Podsednik or Jermaine Dye--he would have sent a terrible signal to Brian Anderson, Chris Young, Jerry Owens, Ryan Sweeney and the scouting and player development pipeline that has them nearly ready for the big leagues.
Even if Williams finds a way to add Juan Pierre as a second leadoff man, it wouldn't be as bad as standing pat would have been. Pierre could be a one-year rental, here only to help the White Sox's chances of a repeat.
Rowand, signed through 2007, seemed entrenched. You better believe Anderson, Owens, Young and even the 20-year-old Sweeney will work harder this winter because Williams created an opening on a World Series winner.
Thome, if he's as healthy as advertised, will join Konerko to give the White Sox a tandem of run-producers that they missed for most of the 2005 season.
Until that magical 16-1 stretch at the end, the Sox had been their strongest from May 30 through July 20. That's when they had Konerko and Thomas, who very much earned his Series ring.
During the time it had Konerko and Thomas, Ozzie Guillen's team went 31-14 and extended its lead over Minnesota from 3 1/2 games to 11. It was 20-8 when Thomas had more than one plate appearance in a game, scoring 5.3 runs per game. That compares with a 4.4 average in the 134 games that Thomas missed or made a cameo appearance.
Because of those numbers, as much as anything, Thomas seemed truly at peace hanging out at the batting cage during the World Series.
Thomas' departure is no small thing, and could have been a very bad thing if another elite hitter had not been acquired to take his place. The White Sox are losing a guy who deserves to go to the Hall of Fame--every eligible player who has won three MVP awards is in the shrine, and Thomas won 2 1/2 (Jason Giambi looking like the Michelin Man, edged him in the 2000 vote)--and is a hitter who had an impact on a ton of games long past his prime.
Consider this: In the last three seasons, the Sox were 141-108 when Thomas had more than one plate appearance and 127-110 when he didn't. That's a difference of 30 points in winning percentage, which translates to five victories over a 162-game season.
It would have been great if Thomas could have stayed healthy and chased 500 home runs in Chicago, which was his goal.
"There were moments I thought I'd be leaving, but it's always been just talk," Thomas said that day at the batting cage, when he relaxed in a track suit.
"I always wanted to be here, to play with this organization from day one. That doesn't happen very often these days. If I was able to stay here, it would be great, but we have to see how it works out. Hopefully, after the season, we can work it out."
There are no guarantees Thomas ever will be able to stay in the lineup for even 100 games a year, not with his bones suddenly too fragile to support his weight. He needs to lose weight, maybe even as much as 30-40 pounds over the 280-plus he was carrying last season, and we can't wish away pounds or years.
Williams is wise to turn the page, with as little pain/controversy as possible. Thome has played 234 more games than Thomas the last five seasons. He comes with risk, but it's minor compared to the one that comes with Thomas, who will get his shot elsewhere in the American League (maybe even Minnesota or Cleveland).
The biggest risk for the 2006 White Sox would have been counting on another dream season from their pitchers. That's not likely, not with Mark Buehrle (260 innings), Jon Garland (237) and Jose Contreras (236 2/3) coming off years in which they pitched a combined 101 innings more than their previous career highs.
No matter how well a team handles pitchers--and Guillen and pitching coach Don Cooper handled them masterfully--championship seasons will take a toll on pitching staffs.
If, however, the 2006 Sox can produce runs all season behind Konerko and Thome as they did in the stretch of '05 they had Konerko and Thomas, they won't have to win so many 2-1 and 4-3 games.
----------
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