Every week at Franchise Phenoms, I plan to release the all-time 25 man roster for a new franchise.
In addition to publishing the 25-man roster, there will be other content related to the history of the franchise’s best players.
I chose to begin with the Chicago White Sox. I have lived most of my life in Northwest Indiana, a short 40-minute drive from the ballpark on the South Side of Chicago. For better or worse, I was raised a White Sox fan, and that’s where we will begin.
Franchise Overview
The White Sox were founded in 1901 as a charter member of the American League. Only eight National League franchises have played more seasons than the White Sox.
Their three World Series championships (1906, 1917, 2005) have them tied for 10th most in history.
The White Sox are one of 13 teams to have a franchise winning percentage over .500. Their .503 mark puts them at 11th best in history.
Despite a long history of respectability, White Sox fans have struggled as often as not.
The Sox went without a World championship from 1917-2005. The club made just two World Series appearances in the meantime.
The 1919 club had the second best record of any team in Sox history before infamously conspiring with gamblers to throw the World Series. This cloud hung over the franchise for decades as the Sox made just one more World Series trip in the next 85 years.
The most telling statistic in White Sox history might be the fact that the percentage of the team’s seasons in which they have made the playoffs is the lowest of any team in history at just 7.63%.
For a franchise that has frequently fielded winning teams, the Sox have rarely rewarded their fans with a chance to see baseball in October.
Hitters
| Starting Lineup | Name | Position | B/T | bWAR/ 650 | OPS+ | Years Played |
| 1. | Joe Jackson | LF | L/R | 3.6 | 159 | 1915-20 |
| 2. | Eddie Collins | 2B | L/R | 6.2 | 133 | 1915-26 |
| 3. | Frank Thomas | DH (1B) | R/R | 5.3 | 161 | 1990-2005 |
| 4. | Minnie Minoso | RF (LF/3B) | R/R | 4.7 | 133 | 1951-57, 60-61, 64, 76, 80 |
| 5. | Paul Konerko | 1B | R/R | 2.1 | 120 | 1999-2014 |
| 6. | Robin Ventura | 3B (1B) | L/R | 4.9 | 117 | 1989-98 |
| 7. | Luke Appling | SS | R/R | 4.8 | 113 | 1930-50 |
| 8. | Fielder Jones | CF | L/R | 4.3 | 112 | 1901-08 |
| 9. | Sherm Lollar | C | R/R | 3.6 | 106 | 1952-63 |
| Bench | ||||||
| OF | Magglio Ordonez | RF | R/R | 4.0 | 127 | 1997-2004 |
| OF | Harold Baines | RF | L/L | 2.4 | 118 | 1980-89, 96-97, 00-01 |
| IN | Luis Aparicio | SS | R/R | 3.6 | 83 | 1956-62, 68-70 |
| IN | Nellie Fox | 2B | L/R | 3.3 | 95 | 1950-63 |
| C | Ray Schalk | C | R/R | 3.1 | 83 | 1912-28 |
The White Sox careers of Frank Thomas, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, and Eddie Collins place them among the elite in this entire exercise.
A two-time A.L. MVP, and Hall of Famer, Thomas would start at first base or DH for the all-time team of every single franchise without requiring much shuffling to make it work. Thomas is unquestionably one of the best hitters in history.
No team has three outfielders who were better hitters than Shoeless Joe was for the White Sox. It was a tough decision as to whether or not to include Jackson in this exercise given his involvement in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. Considering his performance record in the games in question, and the fact that some historians dispute his guilt, I gave him the benefit of the doubt where others throughout history have not.
Collins is part of a rare breed of player who would be a lock to start for two different franchises if I permitted players to appear for more than one team. He was actually a better player on a rate basis with the Athletics, but accrued more playing time and total value for the White Sox.
For a team with such a long history, it’s not surprising to find that most of the starters for the Sox are approximately average at worst when compared to their counterparts on other teams.
At shortstop, Luke Appling is a Hall of Famer who spent his entire career with the franchise. His contact/on-base skills and above-average defense over a 20-year career put him in rarefied air among South Side greats. He was a seven-time All Star who twice finished second in the MVP voting.
Third baseman Robin Ventura was an extremely underrated player for his 10 seasons with the Sox. He won six Gold Gloves while providing consistently above-average offensive production.
As a solid hitter who provided no value defensively, or on the bases, Paul Konerko is among the 5-10 weakest starting franchise first baseman. Konerko became the face of the White Sox for the better part of a decade following the 2005 World Series. He was named the team’s captain, and was beloved by the organization’s fans. On a value basis, there is a case for his teammate, Magglio Ordonez to be inserted into the starting lineup. Given that Konerko is on the right side of the team’s improbable 2005 championship run, he gets the nod. Konerko was a six-time All Star.
Fielder Jones is the only member of the all-time Sox roster who played for the team during it’s inaugural season in 1901. Jones began his career with the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in the National League before posting eight seasons as an above-average hitter and solid outfielder for the Sox.
Cuban baseball icon Minnie Minoso gets the nod in right field. Minoso was an elite offensive player who was a seven-time All Star and two-time Gold Glover during his 12 seasons with the Sox. Minoso finished fourth in the MVP voting four different times with the Sox. He was famously brought back for cameo appearances with the club in 1976 and 1980 making him one of only two players to appear in the big leagues during five different decades.
Catcher Sherm Lollar played 12 years on the South Side. He was a six-time All Star, and won three Gold Gloves while playing for the Sox. He gets the starting nod over Hall of Famer Ray Schalk on the strength of a significantly better offensive career.
Bench
The Sox bench boasts three Hall of Famers who were excellent all around players over long careers with the club in Ray Schalk (C), Nellie Fox (2B), and Luis Aparicio (SS).
Schalk received MVP votes four different times in his 17 years with the Sox.
Fox was a 12-time All Star who led the league in hits four times. He added three Gold Gloves and is well-regarded for his defense. In 1959, as the best player on the American League Champion “Go-Go” White Sox, Fox was also the AL MVP.
Aparicio played 10 of his 18 seasons with the White Sox. He was a six-time All Star and seven-time Gold Glover in Chicago. He led the league in stolen bases for nine straight seasons to begin his career, seven of which were with the Sox. In 1959, he finished second to his double play partner Fox in the MVP race.
Organizational favorite Harold Baines was the first overall draft pick in 1977. He was a solid hitter, and four-time All Star in 14 seasons with the Sox. Some of his best offensive seasons were spent as a designated hitter in exile with other American League teams in the 1990s.
Venezuelan right fielder Magglio Ordonez rounds out the offense. Ordonez was a four-time All Star in eight seasons with the Sox. Terrible timing of a nasty knee injury in 2004 hastened his departure via free agency to Detroit the following winter. Maggs remained a productive hitter with Detroit including a second place MVP finish in 2007.
Pitchers
| Starting Rotation | Name | B/T | ERA+ | Years Played |
| 1. | Ed Walsh | R/R | 147 | 1904-16 |
| 2. | Billy Pierce | L/L | 123 | 1949-61 |
| 3. | Mark Buehrle | L/L | 120 | 2000-11 |
| 4. | Red Faber | S/R | 119 | 1914-33 |
| 5. | Chris Sale | L/L | 135 | 2010-16 |
| Bullpen | ||||
| LR | Ted Lyons | S/R | 118 | 1923-46 |
| RP | Bobby Thigpen | R/R | 126 | 1986-93 |
| RP | Bobby Jenks | R/R | 136 | 2005-10 |
| RP | Roberto Hernandez | R/R | 154 | 1991-97 |
| SU | Keith Foulke | R/R | 166 | 1997-2002 |
| CL | Hoyt Wilhelm | R/R | 171 | 1963-68 |
The White Sox boast the sixth best starting pitching rotation of any all-time team by average ERA+.
Hall of Famer Ed Walsh spent 13 seasons with the Sox during which time he was, at times, arguably the best pitcher in baseball. He accumulated nearly all of his career value in Chicago. His 1.82 career ERA and 2.02 FIP are the best in baseball history.
Billy Pierce spent 13 seasons on the South Side. He was a seven-time All Star. He led the league in Wins, Strikeouts, and ERA at different times during his White Sox tenure.
Mark Buehrle is perhaps one of the more improbable all-time greats in history. A soft-tossing left-hander who first signed as a 38th round pick, Buehrle was a four-time All Star in 12 seasons for the Sox. He threw both a perfect game and a no-hitter with the Sox. He is one of just seven players to accomplish that feat in history.
Hall of Famer Red Faber pitched his entire 20-year career for the Sox. He led the league in ERA and Complete Games in back to back seasons (1921-22).
The most controversial selection to the White Sox pitching staff is probably Chris Sale. Sale pitched just seven seasons and 1110 innings with the Sox before being traded to Boston after the 2016 season. Sale was a five-time All Star with the White Sox, finishing sixth or better in the Cy Young voting in each of those seasons. He led the league in Strikeouts and ERA+ once each along the way. A quick Twitter Poll of my followers indicated most fans believe he had done enough to qualify for the list.
Bullpen
The White Sox have a long history of solid relief pitching as well. The average ERA+ of their relievers is third best of any all-time team.
As is my custom, most teams stash another elite starting pitcher in their bullpen. Hall of Famer Ted Lyons was bumped from the rotation to include Sale, but his 21-year White Sox career lands him in the pen. Lyons led the league in Wins and Innings twice each, and ERA once, during his career. He did make 110 career relief appearances.
Knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm gets the nod at closer. Wilhelm pitched for nine different teams in his career, but threw more innings for the Sox than any other. An old-school fireman who averaged nearly two innings per appearance for the Sox, Wilhelm was dominant during his six seasons on the South Side.
Like Wilhelm, change up specialist Keith Foulke spent six years with the Sox finishing 10th in the 1999 Cy Young vote.
Roberto Hernandez spent seven seasons with the Sox before bouncing around to nine other teams. He finished sixth in the Cy Young voting and was an All Star in 1996.
Bobby Jenks burst onto the scene for the Sox in 2005 before earning the closer’s role late in the regular season. His 100+ MPH heater helped him convert four of five save chances that October including the World Series clincher. He made the All Star team in 2006-2007 before departing as a free agent after the 2010 season.
Bobby Thigpen spent eight seasons with the Sox. He had a career year in 1990 making the All Star team and finishing in the top-five in both the Cy Young and MVP voting. His 57 saves that year stood as the single season record until 2008 when Francisco Rodriguez saved 62 for the Angels. He is Chicago’s franchise leader with 201 career saves.