WSC Birth Years: Zach Stewart

Card #108 - Zach Stewart

Born: September 28, 1986

Zach came to the White Sox from the Toronto Blue Jays with Jason Frasor for Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen. Stewart has had flashes of brilliance, such as throwing seven perfect innings against the Minnesota Twins before giving up a hit to Danny Valencia. Then he retired the last six batters.

Stewart can be frustrating while navigating through the growing pains of a young pitcher. He does have a tendency to give up home runs to opponents. Six out of the nine home runs given up during the 2011 season while with the White Sox were to Kansas City Royals batters.

WSC Birth Years: Josh Kinney

Card #107 - Josh Kinney

Born: March 31, 1979

Josh signed with the White Sox on January 9, 2011 and stood out in Spring Training, but couldn't pitch his way into a roster spot on a mostly set bullpen by the time the club broke for the regular season. As with most players that make a positive impression in the spring, he was asked to stick in the organization for the opportunity to be brought up later in the year.

Kinney found his opportunity, just in a way that he couldn't have imagined. When pitcher Philip Humber was hit in the head by a line drive, Josh found himself called up to the parent club. After thirteen appearances, he had given up thirteen earned runs in seventeen and two-thirds innings for a Rubenesque 6.62 ERA. Kinney became a free agent after the 2011 season and signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners for 2012.

WSC Birth Years: Dylan Axelrod

Card #106 - Dylan Axelrod

Born: July 30, 1985

Dylan made his debut on September 7, 2011 for the White Sox, in relief of John Danks. He pitched two scoreless innings against the Minnesota Twins for his first taste of the majors. Axelrod then took Jake Peavy's place in the rotation shortly after, making his starting debut against the Detroit Tigers on September 14th.

Axelrod has been shuttled back and forth between the majors and minors in the 2012 season. Dylan has a good dirty slider which is hard for the parent club to ignore, but fitting into an already crowded rotation and bullpen is a tricky balancing act. Axelrod has been effective in both long relief and as a spot starter. If Dylan keeps being effective, he may find himself a permanent role with the parent club in 2013.

WSC Birth Years: Eduardo Escobar

Card #105 - Eduardo Escobar

Born: January 5, 1989

Eduardo is a valuable asset to the White Sox. He can play three different infield positions. He can play defense. He can switch hit. A triple threat for a utility player!

After a brief call up in 2011, Escobar impressed enough in 2012 Spring Training to break with the parent club. Eduardo's bat hasn't caught on fire, but his defense has been above average while filling in at third, shortstop and second base. His only error, so far in his MLB career has been on April 8, 2012, at third base, against the Texas Rangers. Second baseman Michael Young reached on an error, in an attempted force out that brought Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre to third base. Since it was in the third game of the season, Escobar's first appearance in 2012, it may have been a case of rookie excitement.

WSC Birth Years: Addison Reed

Card #104 - Addison Reed

Born: December 27, 1988

Addison was selected in the third round of the 2010 draft. He is the second from that year's draft to reach the majors with the White Sox. Chris Sale was the first to reach.

Reed got his feet wet in 2011, when he was called up in September. His fastball and slider impressed and paid dividends in 2012. Addison made the parent club out of spring training and has been virtually lights out through April. Smart money has Reed eventually settling into a closer role, but with Chris Sale's move back to the bullpen from the rotation, that could be delayed further. Until that time, his dominating stuff will work well in the late innings.

WSC Birth Years: Don Cooper

Card #103 - Don Cooper

Born: January 15, 1957

After manager Ozzie Guillen left for Miami with two games left in the season in 2011, the White Sox needed to find an interim manager to fill the spot. Thought naturally turned to Joey Cora among the fan base, but with Cora vacating the scene following Guillen to Florida, other plans had to be executed. Enter: Don Cooper. The Chicago White Sox pitching coach, who has been with the organization since 1988, was asked to run the team for the final games.

Cooper took the reigns and managed a split record, one win and one loss. With the previous manager having checked out mentally, dreaming of a Cuban tinged lifestyle in South Beach, the team had been on autopilot for quite some time, with the coaches stepping up their own influences over the team. Don had the task of managing in the wake of a hot winded Venezuelan hurricane and did the job with little fanfare and decent results.

The Don Cooper era only lasted two games, as the White Sox hired former Sox number one pick, Robin Ventura, after the 2011 season. Coop has gone back to his pitching coach duties, as of the beginning of the 2012 season.

* Although Baseball Reference lists his birth year as 1956, every Don Cooper baseball card lists his birth year as 1957, so majority rules and baseball cards rarely lie to me.

WSC Birth Years: Philip Humber In Action

Card #102 - Philip Humber - In Action

Born: December 21, 1982

A bonus card based on the 1982 Topps In Action subset.

WSC Birth Years: Philip Humber

Card #101 - Philip Humber

Born: December 21, 1982

The path of Philip Humber is a long and strange one. In the 29th round of the 2001 draft, the New York Yankees selected Humber, but he chose not to sign. Instead, Philip attended Rice University. It was a wise decision, as Humber was selected third overall in the 2004 draft by the New York Mets.

During his first season in the Mets minor league system, Philip was shut down due to elbow pain, which eventually required Tommy John surgery. He made his MLB debut with the Mets in September 2006. Humber's potential never surfaced in New York, so he was traded to the Minnesota Twins in 2008. Philip's struggles continued with Minnesota. After spending more time in the minors, he signed a contract with the Kansas City Royals in December 2009. While Humber earned his first MLB win with the Royals, he was put on waivers, where the Oakland Athletics claimed him in December 2010. When the A's 40 man roster filled up, Philip was waived again, where the Chicago White Sox claimed him on January 18, 2011.

While with the White Sox, pitching coach Don Cooper worked with Humber on a slider and a few mechanics. The tinkering worked, as Humber started to improve, taking a no-hitter into the seventh against the New York Yankees on April 25, 2011, in just his sixth MLB start. Philip continued to gain experience and confidence as a starter, while subbing for the oft injured Jake Peavy.

On April 21, 2012, Philip Humber pitched the 21st perfect game in MLB history, joining ex teammate Mark Buehrle and 1920's hurler Charlie Robertson as pitchers who have accomplished that feat while in a Chicago White Sox uniform.

WSC Birth Years: Shane Lindsay

Card #100 - Shane Lindsay

Born: January 25, 1985

Shane spent time in the Rockies, Yankees and Indians minor league organizations before signing with the White Sox in 2011. Lindsay spent most of the season in the minors, before being called up by the Pale Hose in September 2011. He made his MLB debut against the Tigers on September 2nd, striking out one and walking one in one inning of work.

Shane became the first Australian born player to pitch for the White Sox, when he made his debut, furthering the worldwide diversity of the Sox staff and players.

Lindsay had a disastrous second outing, where he gave up seven runs to the Tigers, but he has settled down in subsequent appearances. During the offseason, Shane plays for the Melbourne Aces of the Australian Baseball League.

WSC Birth Years: Jason Frasor

Card #99 - Jason Frasor

Born: August 9, 1977

Jason was drafted into the Tigers organization in the thirty-third of the 1999 draft. After being traded to the Dodgers in 2002, he was converted from a starter into a reliever. He was then traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004 for Jayson Werth.

It was with the Blue Jays where he finally made it to the majors. Eventually, in 2011, he surpassed Duane Ward in number of appearances for Toronto. A week and a half later, Jay was traded to the White Sox, along with Zach Stewart, for Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen, in what became a salary dump for Chicago.

In Frasor, the Sox got a tough competitor, who will battle the hitters with every pitch. Ozzie Guillen used to hate for his team to face Jay because he gave the Sox hitters fits. Now, he's giving the Pale Hose opponents fits.

Jason is a south side native, who grew up rooting for the Cubs. He shed those allegiances and has given his all for the South Side. Frasor gives the Sox another option besides Jesse Crain in the late innings and has worked out better than expected since coming over.

WSC Birth Years: Hector Santiago

Card #98 - Hector Santiago

Born: December 16, 1987

Santiago was selected in the 30th round of the 2006 amateur draft by the White Sox. He made a slow climb up the ranks, landing in AA Birmingham for the first time in 2011. Once there, he was plucked onto the parent team.

Hector was called up to replace John Danks on the roster. Santiago made his MLB debut on July 6, 2011 against the Kansas City Royals. He pitched a perfect ninth inning.

The next day, he came into the game, against the Minnesota Twins, with two out in the fourth inning. Philip Humber had a rare bad outing and Santiago stepped in to mop up. Hector gave up one hit and one walk over four and a third innings.

When Danks returned from the DL, Hector was sent back to AA. While he was up with the Sox, everyone raved about his command, so expect Santiago to be called back up, if needed.

WSC Birth Years: Will Ohman

Card #97 - Will Ohman

Born: August 13, 1977

Born in Frankfurt, West Germany, Will was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1998. He made his MLB debut with the Cubs on September 19, 2000. Ohman pitched seventeen games for the Cubs in 2000 and 2001, before shutting down and having Tommy John surgery in 2002.

Will returned to pitching in 2004 and found himself back on the Cubs MLB roster in 2005. After the 2007 season, Ohman was traded to the Braves. He spent a season there before signing with the Dodgers, where he also spent one season.

2010 saw Will split time between the Baltimore Orioles and the Florida Marlins. He made the Baltimore club as a non-roster invitee in Spring Training, but was traded to the Marlins mid-season.

Ohman signed with the White Sox prior to the 2011 season. His start with the Sox was rocky, as was most of the White Sox bullpen, but Will has settled down and found a comfortable role. Throw out the month of April from Ohman's resume and 2011 has been a pretty solid effort, so far.

WSC Birth Years: Brian Bruney In Action

Card #96 - Brian Bruney - In Action

Born: February 17, 1982

A bonus card based on the 1982 Topps In Action subset.

WSC Birth Years: Brian Bruney

Card #95 - Brian Bruney

Born: February 17, 1982

It's been a long journey for Brian, starting in his hometown of Astoria, Oregon, where it is rumored that he was an extra in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, Kindergarten Cop.

Bruney was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000. A decent rookie season in 2004, led to a disappointing 2005 season. Brian found himself on the Yankees the next year and stayed with them until 2009, where he found himself on the World Series roster.

He was traded to the Washington Nationals after the 2009 season, but was released in May 2010. Brian had minor league stints with the Brewers and the Mets, before signing with the White Sox prior to the 2011 season.

Bruney made his White Sox debut on May 31, 2011, against the Boston Red Sox. His outings have been mostly spectacular with a couple of bad outings mixed in. Brian stepped up against the Nationals, by replacing an injured John Danks for 2.1 innings of one hit ball, after pitching an exhausting inning the night before in a fourteen inning game.

WSC Birth Years: Jesse Crain

Card #94 - Jesse Crain

Born: July 5, 1981

Jesse had been a thorn in the side of the White Sox for many years with the Minnesota Twins. Crain had gotten the best of the Sox in many situations, so when he became a free agent, the Pale Hose snapped him up to bolster their bullpen.

While the fortunes of the White Sox in 2011 have been mixed, Jesse's fortunes are rising. Through June 8th, he has a 2-2 record, with nine holds and one blown save. Both losses have come when Crain went more than one inning during an outing.

Jesse has been mostly immune to the early falterings of the Sox pen. Now that the bullpen as a whole is back on track, Crain seems to be thriving even more. Jesse is signed through the 2013 season and hopefully he will be as consistent throughout the rest of his contract as he has been through the first two plus months.

WSC Birth Years: Dallas McPherson

Card #93 - Dallas McPherson

Born: July 23, 1980

On September 10, 2004, Dallas made his MLB debut with the Angels against the White Sox, scoring his first run. Coming full circle, McPherson made his ChiSox debut on May 17, 2011.

In between, he has bounced around the majors and minors, plagued by injury and bad luck. Dallas signed with the White Sox as a free agent in November 2010. During 2011 Spring Training, he had impressed the Sox coaching staff so much that he was one of the last cut.

In many ways his Chicago debut was like his MLB debut, both were pinch appearances where something positive happened. In his Angels debut, he pinch ran and scored a run. In McPherson's debut on the South Side, he pinch hit and singled up the middle, moving Gordon Beckham to third, setting up the winning run. It was Dallas' first hit in the majors since September 10, 2008.

WSC Birth Years: Jeff Gray

Card #92 - Jeff Gray

Born: November 19, 1981

Jeff was drafted in 2004 by the Oakland Athletics in the 32nd round. At the end of the 2009 season, Gray was traded to the Cubs, where he won his first MLB game.

He was granted Free Agency after the 2010 season and signed on with the White Sox. Jeff made an impression with the club in Spring Training, but did not break with the team. After the first week of the 2011 season, outfielder Lastings Milledge was designated for assignment and Gray was brought up.

The first week of the 2011 season was especially taxing on the ChiSox bullpen and an extra arm was needed. Jeff has filled in as a long man in the bullpen. He is usually called upon to eat innings during a lopsided game. In his first five games with the Pale Hose, he has finished a game four times.

WSC Birth Years: Lastings Milledge

Card #91 - Lastings Milledge

Born: April 5, 1985

Lastings has a high ceiling of potential, but no team has effectively tapped that yet. The White Sox are his fourth MLB team. Milledge was drafted by the Mets in 2003 and made his debut with them in 2006. He was traded to Washington after the 2007 season and was traded to Pittsburgh in the middle of the 2009 season.

If any team can crack the Lastings Milledge code, it figures to be the White Sox. Lastings was a non-roster invitee for 2011 Spring Training and began to turn heads. After a torrid spring, Milledge appeared to be the last cut. In what proved to be the most difficult decision of the spring, Lastings, along with Jeff Marquez and Brent Lillibridge were vying for the last two roster spots. Marquez and Lillibridge were both out of options, but Milledge played his way into the final spot over Marquez.

Lastings made the most of the opportunity and smoked a double in the first game of the 2011 season. Milledge gave fans a thrill as he flew home from second on an A.J. Pierzynski single. His adventurous time in the outfield was the only blemish on him during the first week of the season. Unfortunately, the White Sox were involved in a few extra inning games and were forced to use their bullpen more often. Lastings was designated for assignment after the first week, in order to solidify the bullpen with another arm. Milledge cleared waivers and is waiting for his next opportunity with the White Sox.

WSC Birth Years: Adam Dunn

Card #90 - Adam Dunn

Born: November 9, 1979

Over the past seven seasons, Adam has hit around 40 home runs, hit near or above 100 RBI, and eclipsed 100 walks in six of those seasons. Big Donkey is the measure of consistency. Dunn started the 2011 season in spectacular fashion, by going 2 for 4, with 4 RBI and a home run.

In the past few years, an unfair criticism of Adam has followed him. Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi publicly stated that Dunn "doesn't like baseball much" and "doesn't have a passion to play the game", when asked about signing Adam. Reds announcer Marty Brennaman has stated that he sees "no energy whatsoever" out of Dunn.

They, of course, are entitled to their opinions. Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has said that "Dunn was the most misunderstood player I have heard about in recent memory" and the White Sox seem to agree with that assessment. Less than twelve hours following an emergency appendectomy, Adam made it known to manager Ozzie Guillen that he would be available to pinch hit for that day's game. It seems that whatever lack of passion and energy others may have seen in Dunn in the past, has been found in Chicago.