In Memoriam – White Sox RF

If there is one thing that is near and dear to the hearts of the Fromthe108 crew, it is right field. In the before times, we spent many a day there drinking beers and cheering on our team. Sometime in the future we will return. But as fond as we are of it, it has been underwhelming of late and maybe that’s why I was a little more than critical of Chris Getz and his new title in our last podcast.

In 2017, Avisail Garcia was out there in RF at the beginning of the rebuild. He looked like a promising young player, going to the All Star Game that year and providing an OPS of .885. This fell off in 2018, but we were told not to worry. We had so many great corner outfielders in the pipeline, the biggest problem we’d have is choosing which one would be the best of the best.

Well, that shit didn’t happen! While some are still in the minors like Blake Rutherford, Luis Gonzalez, Jameson Fisher (I think), and Micker Adolfo, others are washed out or otherwise gone like Courtney Hawkins, Luis Alexander Basabe, and Alex Call. Leury Garcia and Adam Engel are still with the big league club, but likely in a backup capacity. At the end of the day, there is still uncertainty in our special corner. Though it was not without trying a few options. Let’s take a look at those no longer with us (the White Sox I mean, they ain’t dead):

Ryan LaMarre 2018

We only got 4 games in right field out of Ryan, but boy were they memorable. Actually, I remember very little about him. He had one great game against the NYY, but pretty sure he played left field that night.

Daniel Palka 2018-2019

In 2018 Daniel Palka lead the White Sox in home runs with 27 in only 124 games and became beloved in Section 108. The next year, things fell off for Palka and last year saw him playing in Korea. While we still love Daniel, he unfortunately was not the answer in right field.

Trayce Thompson 2015, 2018

Trayce was a promising young talent for the White Sox in 2015, with a .896 OPS in his first 44 games. He was unable to recreate that on the west coast and ended up back in RF for the Sox in 2018. The most memorable moment I have of that year was a random Wednesday night when a young lady flashed him from the stands a few sections over from us.

Ryan Cordell 2018-2019

Ryan Cordell came over from the Brewers in exchange for Anthony Swarzak in 2017. The White Sox getting value for a reliever pitching above expectation. Sounded good. The results, well, not so good.

Jon Jay 2019

We remember why he was brought in. We remember how few games he actually played. We remember that it did not go well. Man, I need a drink.

Ryan Goins 2019

I almost don’t want to mention him, because he’s a utility guy that only played 7 games in RF. However, I have to mention him, because for all this depth the Sox supposedly had: Ryan Goins played 7 games in right field!!! I know he played for the Sox in 2020, but he did not spend any time near the empty 108.

Charlie Tilson 2019

Zach Duke was sent to St Louis in 2016 for Charlie Tilson. At that point, he was a CF prospect, but by 2019, right field was his best option. While it was fun rooting for a local prospect and hearing everyone play six degrees of Charlie Tilson, the results were just never very good. Even his fielding left something to be desired as I mentioned he was a CF prospect.

Jarrod Dyson 2020

He only played one game in RF last year, but I felt it worth reminding you that he was the prize of the trade deadline. I’m not even sure if that trade was ever completed, but I assure you it did not net the Sox an answer in RF.

Nicky Delmonico 2020

Nicky was with the Sox a lot longer, but it wasn’t until 2020 we saw him in RF. That said, it wasn’t great. And believe it or not, people really hated it when he’d bat cleanup. Delmonico started off with some promise in 2017, but his OPS dropped each year in the majors. As a bat first player, well, you do not want that.

Nomar Mazara 2020

I saved everyone’s favorite for last. The White Sox sent another outfield prospect, Steele Walker, to the Rangers for Nomar last off-season. Nomar was a young player with a huge power profile that had yet to pan out. The Sox took a chance, hoping to finally find that right fielder they’ve been looking for. They did not find it here and Mazara was non-tendered.

So why did I do this? Maybe it was just to prove to myself that I hadn’t imagined what had happened in front of my alcohol addled body the past few years. Maybe it was to help you, the reader, understand why White Sox fans overreact to having a mediocre free agent sign to play RF. Maybe it was to explain why I would have been more than happy to watch Marcell Ozuna or Michael Brantley play a sub-par RF while actually hitting the baseball. All I know is that the White Sox have not filled this position and they need to in order to be a true World Series contender.

-Chorizy-E

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