December 31

1955 Bowman #86 - Ted Gray

On this day in 1924, pitcher Ted Gray was born.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Ted was the star of his high school and caught the attention of the Detroit Tigers, who signed him at age seventeen, in 1942. He joined the Tigers in 1942, but did not play. Then he joined the Navy for the remainder of World War II and pitched on the Navy team. He rejoined professional baseball in the 1946 season.

After the 1954 season, he was sent to the White Sox in a six player deal. Gray made his White Sox debut on May 1, 1955 against the Orioles in the first game of a doubleheader. Ted started the game and went one and two-thirds innings, giving up two runs while facing just nine batters. Gray came into a game against the Detroit Tigers to start the seventh inning on May 7th and gave up four runs over one and a third innings. The White Sox released Ted on May 23, 1955. He also pitched for and was released by the Cleveland Indians, the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles in 1955.

December 30

1948 Leaf #153 - Floyd Baker

On this day in 1944, Floyd Baker's contract was purchased from the St. Louis Browns.

Floyd played seven seasons with the White Sox, but his best season was in 1949, where he reached career highs with a .251 average, forty RBI, one hundred one hits, fifteen doubles, four triples, and played in one hundred twenty-five games. Baker also took part in three double plays in one game as a third baseman on July 14, 1949, against the Washington Senators, in Chicago.

After the 1951 season Floyd was traded to the Washington Senators.

December 29

1909-11 T206 #NNO - Lou Fiene

On this day in 1884, Lou Fiene was born.

Big Finn was drafted by the White Sox from Cedar Rapids Rabbits in the Three-I League in September 1904. Lou was brought up to the parent club in 1906, after claiming he had mastered the spitball in Spring Training that year. During his four years with the White Sox, Fiene had a 3-8 record, with a 3.85 ERA and fifty-four strikeouts in twenty-six games.

Lou's last game with the Sox was on August 15, 1909 against the Detroit Tigers, pitching four innings in relief. Fiene hurt his arm sometime after being sent back to the Minneapolis Millers in 1910. He mixed pitching appearances with stretches in the outfield and first base through the rest of his career, which ended in 1915.

December 28

1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier #60 - Kirk McCaskill

On this day in 1991, the White Sox signed Kirk McCaskill.

Kirk made his name on the California Angels by being a solid pitcher on mostly bad teams. He led the majors in losses in 1991 with nineteen. That Angels team also finished in seventh place with a record of 81-81.

Kirk spent five seasons with the White Sox, beginning in the starting rotation and slowly transitioning to the bullpen as a mop up guy. McCaskill's last game with the Sox came on July 20, 1996 against the Kansas City Royals, where he blew a save, giving up two runs on four hits. The Sox released him on July 24, 1996. He last played baseball with the Fiorentina Baseball team in Florence, Italy.

December 27

On this day in 1922, Connie Johnson was born.

The White Sox purchased Connie's contract from the St. Hyacinthe Saints (of St. Hyacinthe, Quebec) of the Provincial League on August 31, 1951. He had been playing in the Negro Leagues for seven seasons between 1940 and 1950. Connie's MLB debut came on April 15, 1953 against the St. Louis Browns. He pitched two innings to finish the game.

Johnson had an 11-9 record with the Sox over three seasons between 1953 and 1956. He had a 3.51 ERA during that time, with one hundred twenty-two strikeouts, seven complete games and three shutouts. On May 21, 1956, Connie was traded to the Baltimore Orioles, where he would play until 1958.

December 26

1968 Topps #522 - Wayne Causey

On this day in 1936, Wayne Causey was born.

Wayne found himself on the White Sox through a trade with the California Angels on May 27, 1966. Through parts on three seasons with the ChiSox, Causey hit .223 with one home run and forty-eight RBI in two hundred sixty-one games. Primarily at second base for the Pale Hose, he also played a handful of games at shortstop and third base.

The White Sox traded Wayne to the California Angels on July 20, 1968.

December 25

1912 T207 Brown Backgrounds #NNO - Morrie Rath

On this day in 1886, Morrie Rath was born.

Morrie was drafted by the White Sox in the 1911 Rule V draft from the Baltimore Orioles of the Eastern League. In his debut season with the White Sox, Rath led the league in games played and plate appearances, while getting one hundred sixty-one hits and scoring one hundred four runs. He also had ninety-five walks and thirty-one stolen bases and was great on defense.

In 1913, Morrie got off to a slow start and he was sent to the minor league Kansas City Blues on August 23, 1913. His last game for the Sox was on July 31, 1913, in New York against the Yankees. He went 0-4 against Yankees pitcher Ray Caldwell.

December 24

1989 Donruss The Rookies #14 - Carlos Martinez

On this day in 1986, the White Sox received Carlos Martinez in a trade with the New York Yankees.

The stopgap at first base after Greg Walker had medical issues and before the arrival of Frank Thomas was Carlos Martinez. Carlos made his MLB debut on September 2, 1988 against the Cleveland Indians. Martinez would spend three seasons with the south siders, hitting .258 over that time. With the arrival of Frank Thomas, Carlos was deemed expendable and was granted Free Agency before the 1991 season. He signed on with the Cleveland Indians and spent three seasons there. Martinez made it back to the majors for a short while during the 1995 season with the California Angels.

Sadly, in 2006, Carlos lost a long battle with cancer, at age 40. His son, Jose, signed with the White Sox shortly after Carlos' passing.

UPDATE: Jose Martinez made his MLB debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on September 6, 2016.

December 23

1974 O-Pee-Chee #557 - Jim McGlothlin

On this day in 1975, Jim McGlothlin died.

Jim came to the White Sox through a trade with the Cincinnati Reds on August 29, 1973. McGlothlin appeared in five games with the Sox, compiling a 0-1 record with a 3.93 ERA, one game started and two games finished.

His last MLB game was on September 28, 1973 against the Oakland Athletics. He started the game and gave up three runs in four innings. The Sox released Jim on March 29, 1974.McGlothlin died on this day in 1975, due to leukemia, at his home in Union, Kentucky.

December 22

2004 Topps Total #767 - Mike Jackson

On this day in 1964, Mike Jackson was born.

After sitting out the entire 2003 season, Mike was signed as a non-roster invitee. Jackson compiled a 2-0 record with a 5.01 ERA and twenty-six strikeouts. He was released by the Sox on September 2, 2004 after forty-five appearances.

December 21

2006 Topps Heritage #358 - Dustin Hermanson

On this day in 1972, Dustin Hermanson was born.

Dustin signed with the White Sox on December 9, 2004. When Shingo Takatsu pitched himself out of the closer role, Dustin Hermanson stepped in. He dominated in the closer role, saving thirty-four games with a 2.03 ERA. Then Dustin started to have back issues, which forced the White Sox to test a rookie named Bobby Jenks in the closer role in September in a pennant chase.

Hermanson returned in the 2006 season, but only appeared in six games. After the 2006 season, the Sox declined his option. Dustin signed with the Cincinnati Reds for the 2007 season, but never made it out of Spring Training.

December 20

1985 Topps Traded #37T - Oscar Gamble

On this day in 1949, Oscar Gamble was born.

Oscar was originally traded to the White Sox on April 5, 1977 from the New York Yankees. He became one of the stars of Chicago that summer as part of the South Side Hit Men, the team made a surprising surge, sparked by owner Bill Veeck's rent-a-player scheme.Gamble hit .297 with thirty-one homers and eighty-three RBI that summer.

While Oscar would sign with the San Diego Padres after the 1977 season, he would ultimately end his career with the White Sox, when he signed before the 1985 season. Never afraid of a little attention, he wore the number zero in his second stint with the Pale Hose. Unfortunately, if Gamble was hoping for some resurgence, it did not come. He hit .203 with four home runs and twenty RBI in seventy games. Oscar was released on August 12, 1985. His last MLB game was on August 8, 1985 against the Boston Red Sox. He pinch hit for pitcher Mike Stanton in the bottom of the ninth with two out. He grounded to shortstop Jackie Gutierrez to end the game.

December 19

1970 Topps #395 - Walt Williams

On this day in 1943, Walt Williams was born.

Walt came to the White Sox via trade with the St. Louis Cardinals on December 14, 1966. Playing six seasons for the Sox, he compiled a .271 average, twenty home runs and one hundred sixteen RBI, while patrolling the outfield. After the 1972 season, Williams was traded to the Cleveland Indians.

December 18

1955 Bowman #282 - Phil Cavarretta

On this day in 2010, Phil Cavarretta died.

Born in Chicago in 1916, Phil spent time with both baseball teams in the city. He spent his first twenty seasons with the Chicago Cubs, racking up 1,927 hits and a .292 batting average and was the 1945 National League MVP. He was the Cubs manager for his last three seasons with them. On September 28, 1953, after twenty seasons, the Cubs released Phil.

On May 24, 1954, the White Sox signed Cavarretta as a Free Agent. He played seventy-seven games for the South Siders, sporting a .309 average. Phil only played in six games during the 1955 season, after failing to get a hit in four plate appearances. His last game was on May 8, 1955 against the Detroit Tigers, pinch running for Walt Dropo in the bottom of the ninth inning, scoring on a Ron Jackson home run that tied the game. The Sox would win the game in the eleventh inning. They would also win the second game of the double header that day.

December 17

2007 Upper Deck First Edition #72 - Alex Cintron

On this day in 1978, Alex Cintron was born.

Alex came to the Sox through a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks before the 2006 season. He was obtained to be a utility infielder, but took on a more serious role in 2007, when he would sub for Joe Crede, who was having back issues. Alex became more of a defensive liability when he was playing third base. Cintron committed ten errors over fifty games in the field. The Sox realized pretty quickly that Alex was not working out, so they limited his role.

After the 2007 season, Cintron bounced around six teams and seven different stints. Some resulted in MLB time, some didn't. On May 24, 2011, he voluntarily retired from the San Diego Padres.

December 16

1976 Topps #282 - Dan Osborn

On this day in 1974, the White Sox received Dan "Ozzie" Osborn from the Cincinnati Reds.

Ozzie would make his MLB debut on April 26, 1975 against the Kansas City Royals, taking over for Stan Bahnsen in the fifth inning, stopping the momentum and finishing the game. Osborn would appear in twenty-four games, going 3-0 with a 4.50 ERA and thirty-eight strikeouts.

On December 12, 1975, Ozzie was traded to the Atlanta Braves. He kicked around their minor league AAA team, but never returned to the majors.

December 15

1967 Topps #467 - Jim O'Toole

On this day in 1966, Jim O'Toole was traded to the White Sox from the Cincinnati Reds.

After nine seasons with the Reds, Jim found himself traded to his hometown team for the 1967 season for Floyd Robinson. While Jim's numbers look pretty decent, 4-3 record with a 2.82 ERA in fifteen games, arm troubles would limit his season. His last MLB game would be on July 22, 1967 against the Kansas City Athletics, where he would go two innings, giving up four hits, while facing nine batters.

O'Toole would try to resurrect his career two years later with the expansion Seattle Pilots, but he was cut during Spring Training.

December 14

2007 Upper Deck #8 - Josh Fields

On this day in 1982, Josh Fields was born.

Josh was selected by the White Sox in the first round of the 2004 amateur draft. The fast track plan was for Fields to be ready to replace an ailing Joe Crede at third base. Josh made his MLB debut on September 13, 2006 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Josh's big test would be in 2007, where he played in one hundred games for the Sox. He batted .244 and has twenty-three home runs with sixty-seven RBI. Unfortunately, those would be Josh's season highs with the White Sox. After an underwhelming 2009, where he appeared in seventy-nine games, Fields was traded to the Royals for Mark Teahen. Thirteen games with the Royals in 2010 would be the last Josh would see of the majors.

December 13

2001 Bowman #362 - Josh Fogg

On this day in 1976, Josh Fogg was born.

Josh was drafted in the third round of the 1998 amateur draft by the White Sox. Fogg made his MLB debut for the Sox on September 2, 2001 against the Cleveland Indians. In eleven games, he had a 2.03 ERA with seventeen strikeouts. As a birthday present to Josh, the Sox traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 13, 2001 for Todd Ritchie.

In hindsight, this was a bust of a trade for the White Sox. Todd Ritchie flamed out within a year for the Sox and Josh Fogg came in seventh in AL Rookie of the Year voting for 2002. Josh had a nice career, mostly with the Pirates and the Rockies.

December 12

2010 Topps Update #US-2 - Dayan Viciedo

On this day in 2009, the White Sox signed Dayan Viciedo.

Dayan's hype was huge when he was signed. His first games in 2010, with the Sox, showed a glimpse of what could be. In thirty-eight games, he batted .308 and had five homers. When he finally got regular playing time, in 2012, his numbers came down to earth. His last game in the majors was in 2014. In 2015, Dayan would go from the White Sox to the Blue Jays to the Athletics and back to the White Sox. He would be released at the end of 2015.

December 11

1990 Topps #299 - Adam Peterson

On this day in 1965, Adam Peterson was born.

Adam was drafted in the fifth round of the 1984 amateur draft by the White Sox. Peterson made his debut on September 19, 1987 against the Seattle Mariners, starting the game and going four innings. He compiled a 2-7 record and a 6.01 ERA, switching between the starting rotation and the bullpen. On March 31, 1991, Adam was traded to the San Diego Padres.

December 10

1991 Bowman #346 - Norberto Martin

On this day in 1966, Norberto Martin was born.

The White Sox signed Norberto as an amateur free agent in 1984. He made his MLB debut on September 2, 1993 against the California Angels. He hit .299 over five seasons with the Sox. After the Sox, he spent time with the Angels and the Blue Jays.

December 9

1985 Fleer Update #U116 - Bruce Tanner

On this day in 1961, Bruce Tanner was born.

Bruce was drafted by the White Sox in the 1983 amateur draft. He was called up in 1985 and appeared in ten games, starting four and finishing three. He was sent to the Athletics to complete a deal on December 18, 1986.

December 8

1992 Score #517 - Rodney McCray

On this day in 1987, the White Sox drafted Rodney McCray from the San Diego Padres in the minor league draft.

Rodney's claim to fame was crashing through an outfield wall during a minor league baseball game. It made national news and it made many Sox fans wait patiently for McCray to get called back up. Over two seasons with the Sox, Rodney batted .154 in forty-nine games. The Sox originally drafted McCray in 1982, but he didn't sign. Rodney would sign with the Mets before the 1992 season, but after eighteen games, he was released.

December 7

1936 World Wide Gum (V355) #95 - Tony Piet

On this day in 1906, Tony Piet was born.

The White Sox purchased the contract of Tony Piet from the Cincinnati Reds on June 4, 1935. Tony hit .267 over three seasons with Chicago. On December 2, 1937, the Sox traded Piet to the Detroit Tigers. After retiring, Tony founded a car dealership in Chicago.

December 6

2007 Topps Rookie 1952 Edition #186 - Ehren Wassermann

On this day in 1980, Ehren Wassermann was born.

Ehren signed with the White Sox as a free agent in 2003. Wassermann made his MLB debut on July 20, 2007 against the Red Sox. The submarine specialist appeared in fifty-seven games for the White Sox over two seasons, sporting a 5.06 ERA.

December 5

2003 Donruss Champions #292 - Josh Stewart

On this day in 1978, Josh Stewart was born.

Josh was drafted by the White Sox in the fifth round of the 1999 amateur draft. Stewart saw limited action in 2003 and 2004, compiling an 8.10 ERA. Josh stayed in the Sox minor league system until he was released in June 2005. He signed with the Florida Marlins for the 2006 season, but never made it back to the majors.

December 4

1912 T207 Brown Backgrounds #NNO - Shano Collins

On this day in 1885, Shano Collins was born.

Shano spent his first eleven seasons with the White Sox, starting in 1910. He was a part of two World Series with Chicago, batting .250 between both series. Over his eleven seasons, he hit .262, 1,254 hits, 540 RBI and 193 stolen bases. On March 4, 1921, Collins was traded to the Boston Red Sox, where he spent his final five seasons.

December 3

1974 Topps Traded #270T - Ron Santo

On this day in 2010, Ron Santo died.

The way Ron Santo ended up on the White Sox is unique. The Cubs wanted to trade their long time player and Ron fell under the new five and ten rule; five years on the same team and ten years in the majors. The new agreement stated that if you fell into this category, you could block any trade. The Cubs had a trade all set with the Angels, but Ron didn't want to go to the west coast. He would only agree to a trade if it was local. The only team that fit that criteria was the White Sox. So, on December 11, 1973, the Cubs traded Ron Santo to the Chicago White Sox.

Santo played in one hundred seventeen games for the Sox in 1974. He batted a dismal .221, but managed to play all infield positions and was mainly used in the designated hitter position, which Ron hated. Santo wanted to play the field, but manager Chuck Tanner would not bench third baseman Bill Melton to accommodate him. Ron retired after the season.

December 2

2010 Topps Update #US-227 - Mark Kotsay

On this day in 1975, Mark Kotsay was born.

Mark arrived with the White Sox through a trade with the Boston Red Sox on July 28, 2009. Kotsay did fairly well upon arrival, but ran into some hitting issues in the 2010 season. Mark hit .252 with the White Sox over one and a half seasons.

December 1

1961 Topps #157 Cal McLish

On this day in 1925, Cal McLish was born.

Calvin Coolidge Julius Caeser Tuskahoma McLish was traded to the White Sox on December 15, 1960 from the Cincinnati Reds. McLish's one season with the Sox saw him post a 10-13 record with a 4.38 ERA and eighty strikeouts.

The White Sox sent Cal to the Phillies on March 24, 1962 as a replacement player to complete a trade on December 15, 1961, when Andy Carey refused to report to the Philadelphia club.