Draft Years: 1970

With the sixth pick in the 1970 amateur draft, the Chicago White Sox selected shortstop Lee Richard of Southern University.

I'm pretty good with this pick. The 1970 draft class was pretty weak and the White Sox did get some good selections in later rounds, picking up Terry Forster, Jerry Hairston and Rich Gossage in later rounds. The White Sox even drafted Bucky Dent in the June secondary draft.

Lee "Bee Bee" Richard would play parts of four seasons with the White Sox and one season with the St. Louis Cardinals. He wasn't outstanding at the plate and somewhat OK in the field, but he did become a fan favorite during his time with the Sox. Sometimes, that's all you need to be a success.

If I were forced to make a selection other than Bee Bee, I would attempt Fred Lynn. Fred did not sign with the Yankees when they drafted him in 1970, but with Lynn coming from Chicago, that might have been enough to persuade him to sign with the Pale Hose.

Let's say that Fred was hell bent on going to college and I had scouted that well and was prepared for that. Bruce Sutter didn't sign either and opted for college instead. My choice would then be...



Dave Parker.

Imagine Dave Parker being one of the South Side Hitmen! Dave was the NL batting champion in 1977 and 1978. That would have made things especially interesting against the Royals. He literally knocked the cover off of a ball that he hit! Parker would have made an amazing addition to the batting lineup for the Sox in the 70s. His presence could have prevented the 1977 team from fading.

Alas, we'll never know. The Sox did pretty well in the 1970 draft, but they missed a few opportunities. At least in this draft, there were a few selections that made it to the majors and even a Hall of Fame pitcher thrown in the mix.