WSC Birth Years: Chris Bassitt

Card #172 - Chris Bassitt

Born: February 22, 1989

Chris was drafted by the White Sox in the sixteenth round of the 2011 amateur draft. He steadily climbed the ranks in the farm system until he comfortably settles in Birmingham AA. Bassitt made his MLB debut on August 30, 2014, at home, against the Detroit Tigers. He went six and a third innings, picking up the loss.

The outings slowly improved, until Chris was able to cut a seven plus ERA down to 3.94 over six appearances. Bassitt would get revenge over the Tigers, this time in Detroit, on September 22, 2014, when he would blank the Motor City Kitties over seven and two-thirds innings for his first MLB win.

Before the 2015 season, Chris was traded to Oakland, along with Marcus Semien, Josh Phegley and Rangel Ravelo for pitchers Jeff Samardzija and Michael Ynoa.

WSC Birth Years: Taylor Thompson

Card #171 - Taylor Thompson

Born: June 18, 1987

Taylor was originally drafted by the White Sox in the 25th round of the 2008 amateur draft, but chose not to sign. He was again chosen by Chicago in the 44th round of the 2009 draft. There he spent parts of six seasons in the White Sox minor league system. slowly working his way through, until his MLB debut with the Pale Hose on July 20, 2014 against the Houston Astros.

From July 20th until August 3rd, Thompson appeared in five games, giving up nine hits and six runs, culminating in a 10.13 ERA. Each appearance seemed to get progressively worse. Taylor's first two appearances went extremely well. A hit and two strikeouts in his first outing and only a walk and a hit in his second. Then Thompson appeared to derail and his ERA climbed higher in each successive outing. On November 4, 2014, Taylor was claimed off of waivers by the Oakland Athletics.

WSC Birth Years: Michael Taylor

Card #170 - Michael Taylor

Born: December 19, 1985

Originally drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth round of the amateur draft in 2007, he was sent to the Toronto Blue Jays as part of the Roy Halladay trade, and seemingly within seconds of becoming a Jay, was traded to the Oakland Athletics on December 16, 2009. Michael made his MLB debut on September 2, 2011 with the Athletics against the Seattle Mariners in Oakland, achieving a walk and a strikeout in four plate appearances. Taylor spent limited time from 2011 through 2013 with the Athletics on the parent club; eleven games in 2011, six games in 2012 and nine games in 2013.

On June 14, 2014, Michael was traded to the White Sox for pitcher Jake Sanchez. Taylor made his White Sox debut on September 2, 2014 again the Twins in Minnesota. he played for ten innings, walking once and scoring a run. Michael could find himself in contention for a bench spot sometime in the 2015 season, if he has a solid season in AAA.

WSC Birth Years: Andy Wilkins

Card #169 - Andy Wilkins

Born: September 13, 1988

Originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2007 in the 25th round of the amateur draft, Andy ultimately did not sign with them and chose to attend the University of Arkansas. In 2010, Wilkins got another chance, when the White Sox drafted him in the fifth round. Andy slowly progressed through the White Sox farm system and performed well during his spring training invites.

On August 31, 2014, Wilkins made his MLB debut against the Detroit Tigers, going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. He finished the 2014 season batting .140 with six hits, two runs, two RBI, two walks and twenty-two strikeouts in forty-five plate appearances. Andy may be the odd man out at first base in 2015 with Jose Abreau and Adam LaRoche platooning between first base and designated hitter. The only hope that Wilkins might have of making the roster is at third base, but that is a long shot. Hopefully, the small taste of the majors will make Andy hungry for more and he will force the Sox to consider him for the roster later in the season.

WSC Birth Years: Carlos Sanchez

Card #168 - Carlos Sanchez

Born: June 29, 1992

The latest in a long line of White Sox Venezuelan infielders, Carlos signed with the Pale Hose in 2009 as an international free agent. He moved up slowly in the farm system until he was finally added to the forty man roster after the 2013 season, which saw him invited to spring training and play at AAA Charlotte the entire season.

Sanchez made his MLB debut with Chicago on July 13, 2014 in Cleveland against the Indians. He went 0-5 at the plate with two strikeouts and was sent back down after the game. After the Sox traded Gordon Beckham to the Angels, Carlos was brought back up and ended up batting .250 over twenty-eight games in 2014. Carlos looks to be the everyday second baseman in 2015, unless something drastically changes before Opening Day. He will need to work on his patience at the plate in the upcoming season, since he had twenty-five hits, twenty-five strikeouts and three walks for his 2014 MLB campaign.

WSC Birth Years: Scott Snodgress

Card #167 - Scott Snodgress

Born: September 20, 1989

Scott was drafted in the fifth round of the 2001 amateur draft by the Chicago White Sox. Snodgress made his way to the number six prospect in the ChiSox farm system by the beginning of 2013. Bullpen woes from the parent team in 2014, forced the Pale Hose to promote a number of minor league pitchers to showcase their talents for consideration in 2015. Scott was one of those promoted and made his MLB debut on September 3, 2014 against the Minnesota Twins.

Snodgress' first two outings resulted in a sky high ERA, but after the jitters of the majors passed, he settled in nicely for his last two appearances. The Sox did not tender a contract to Scott after the 2014 season, but were hopeful that he would again be part of their plans in 2015. On December 10, 2014, Snodgress signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels that included an invitation to 2015 spring training. The Angels are the closest team to Scott's hometown, so the signing should have been an easy decision for him.

WSC Birth Years: Eric Surkamp

Card #166 - Eric Surkamp

Born: July 16, 1987

Eric was drafted in the sixth round of the amateur draft in 2008 by the San Francisco Giants. Moving his way up the Giants' minor league system, Surkamp finally made his MLB debut on August 27, 201, starting against the Houston Astros, going six innings, giving up six hits and a run while striking out four and walking three. Eric suffered a flexor tendon strain that landed him on the disabled list in 2012, which eventually required Tommy John surgery.

Surkamp pitched in one game for the Giants in 2013, giving up seven runs in two and two-thirds innings. The White Sox claimed Eric on December 23, 2013. Surkamp made his White Sox debut on June 26, 2014 in Toronto against the Blue Jays. Eric appeared in thirty-five games for the Sox in relief. He seems to have found a niche in the Chicago bullpen.

WSC Birth Years: Ronald Belisario In Action

Card #165 - Ronald Belisario

Born: December 31, 1982

A bonus card from the 1982 set.

WSC Birth Years: Ronald Belisario

Card #164 - Ronald Belisario

Born: December 31, 1982

After having some moderate success with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ronald was poised to capitalize on that and vault to the next level. He did just that... for the first two games, then Belisario imploded with a blown save against the Minnesota Twins on April 3, 2014. The real culprit was a game on April 9, 2014 in Colorado against the Rockies, where Ronald gave up five earned runs on sixteen pitches to six batters in the eighth inning, recording only one out, pushing his skyrocketing ERA to 15.75 and obliterating the tie game.

Belisario recovered enough to have a 3.96 ERA on May 19th, but was wildly inconsistent the rest of the season to finish with a 5.56 ERA. While ERA isn't the full measure of a pitcher, it is a stat that can mess with some pitchers' heads. One can only speculate if the trouble was between the ears, poor mechanics, poor pitch selection or just plain bad luck, but since Ronald was designated for assignment by the White Sox on November 20, 2014, it will likely be another team that finds out that answer.

WSC Birth Years: Zach Putnam

Card #163 - Zach Putnam

Born: July 3, 1987

Originally drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2005 in the thirty-eighth round, Zach ultimately chose not to sign. The gamble paid off three years later when he was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the fifth round of the 2008 draft. Putnam later made his MLB debut on September 13, 2011 with the Indians against the Rangers in Texas. Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre was the first ever to face Zach and he belted a home run on the eighth pitch of the at-bat in bottom of the seventh inning. He appeared in eight games for the Tribe in 2011.

After brief stints with the Colorado Rockies (two games in 2012) and the Chicago Cubs (five games in 2013), Putnam signed with the White Sox in November 2013. He made his ChiSox debut on April 18, 2014 against the Rangers in Texas, taking over for an ineffective Felipe Paulino with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, down ten runs. The first batter was Rangers left fielder Shin-Soo Choo, who Zach got to line out to Sox left fielder Alejandro De Aza in left center. Putnam was one of the most consistent relievers for the Pale Hose in 2014, shattering his previous high for games in one season by forty-one games. His season ERA of 1.98 was just icing on the cake. Zach looks to loom large for the White Sox bullpen in 2015.

WSC Birth Years: Adam Eaton

Card #162 - Adam Eaton

Born: December 6, 1988

Originally selected in the nineteenth round of the 2010 amateur draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, Adam made his MLB debut on September 4, 2012 and looked to be a cornerstone of the D'Backs lineup for years to come. Injuries made him expendable to Arizona, so the White Sox acquired Spanky from the Diamondbacks in a three way deal that sent pitcher Hector Santiago to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Eaton immediately filled a few holes in the White Sox lineup by being the first true leadoff man since Scott Podsednik and plugging the pesky hole in center field. Adam responded by tying the lead for AL triples for the 2014 season with Cleveland's Michael Bourn and is one of the American League's finalists for center field Gold Glove. Spanky looks to be part of Chicago's plan for the foreseeable future.

WSC Birth Years: Felipe Paulino

Card #161 - Felipe Paulino

Born: October 5, 1983

Felipe's White Sox career would seem to be short lived. After winning his first start in a White Sox uniform on April 2, 2014, Paulino's luck ran out and his ERA started to balloon. Felipe's last appearance for the Pale Hose in 2014 happened on April 18th and resulted in ten earned runs over three and two-thirds innings.

Paulino's ineffectiveness was caused by a rotator cuff injury. This was quite a setback after Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the majority of the 2012 and 2013 seasons, when he was with the Kansas City Royals. The White Sox may not pick up his $4 million dollar team option for 2015, but if the team believes he can recover from these devastating injuries, they may sign him on a cheap incentive based contract, strictly as an insurance policy for the starting rotation.

WSC Birth Years: Frank Francisco

Card #160 - Frank Francisco

Born: September 11, 1979

Frank signed a minor league contract with the White Sox on April 14, 2014, where he was assigned to the AAA affiliate in Charlotte. Francisco previously had played six seasons for the Texas Rangers, one season for the Toronto Blue Jays and two seasons with the New York Mets. In that time, he logged seventy-three saves over ten seasons. Originally signed by the Boston Red Sox in 1996, Frank spent some time in the White Sox minor league system from 2002, when he came over in the Bobby Howry trade, to 2003, when he was sent to Texas to complete the Carl Everett trade.

Francisco made his White Sox debut on May 11, 2014, against the Arizona Diamondbacks, giving up a meaningless home run to D'Backs catcher Miguel Montero in the ninth inning, in a loss. His ERA blossomed to a robust 12.27, after three more outings and Frank was designated for assignment on May 22, 2014. Francisco cleared waivers and was outrighted to AAA Charlotte, which he refused and became a free agent.

WSC Birth Years: Hector Noesi

Card #159 - Hector Noesi

Born: January 26, 1987

Hector was signed by the New York Yankees in 2004, but didn't play in their minor league system until 2006. While moving up the Yankee minors, Noesi was injured in June 2007 and required Tommy John surgery., which sidelined him until July 2008. Hector finally made his MLB debut with the Yankees on May 18, 2011 in Baltimore. He ended up winning that game in the bottom of the fifteenth inning.

Noesi was traded to the Seattle Mariners before the 2012 season, where he stayed until he was purchased by the Texas Rangers on April 12, 2014. After three games with Texas, Hector was selected off waivers by the Chicago White Sox on April 25, 2014. Despite a rocky start in Chicago, Noesi has settled into a mostly stable starting pitcher. He was the ninth starter in 2014 for the White Sox.

WSC Birth Years: Maikel Cleto

Card #158 - Maikel Cleto

Born: May 1, 1989

Maikel was originally signed as an amateur free agent on August 10, 2006, by the New York Mets. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners on December 11, 2008, in a three way trade involving the Cleveland Indians. Just over two years later, Cleto was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on December 12, 2010. Maikel made his MLB debut on June 2, 2011 when the Cardinals brought him up from AA to relieve an overworked bullpen.

Cleto would remain with the Cardinals for parts of three seasons, until he was claimed off of waivers by the Kansas City Royals on June 23, 2013. Maikel did not make it to the Royals' parent club and was selected off waivers by the Chicago White Sox on February 26, 2014. Cleto pitched fourteen innings over thirteen games for the Pale Hose between April 2nd and May 8th, producing a 5.14 ERA. His last appearance, on May 8th, sealed his fate with the ChiSox. Maikel gave up five runs over two innings to the Chicago Cubs. His season ERA jumped from 2.25 to 5.14. Cleto was released by the White Sox on July 1, 2014.

WSC Birth Years: Javy Guerra

Card #157 - Javy Guerra

Born: October 31, 1985

Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2004 amateur draft, Javy made his MLB debut with the Dodgers on May 15, 2011. During his first year, Guerra was thrown into the closer role due to an injury to Jonathan Braxton and thrived. A few bad outings in his sophomore season and Javy was thrown into middle relief in favor of Kenley Jansen. Injuries plagued Guerra's 2012 and 2013 seasons. Javy was designated for assignment and removed from Los Angeles' forty man roster on March 16, 2014.

Ten days later, the Chicago White Sox claimed Guerra off of waivers and assigned him to AAA. In May 2014, Javy was promoted to the parent club and made his White Sox debut on May 25th against the New York Yankees, replacing Andre Rienzo to begin the sixth inning. Guerro lasted two innings in his ChiSox debut, giving up two hits, a run and two hit batters, while balancing that with three strikeouts. After some initial rockiness, Javy has settled into his role nicely with Chicago.

WSC Birth Years: Scott Carroll

Card #156 - Scott Carroll

Born: September 24, 1984

Originally drafted by the Angels in 2006, during the sixteenth round, Scott did not sign and re-entered the draft in 2007, where he was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the third round of the draft. Carroll slowly climbed the Reds minor league system until he reached AAA in 2011. Cincinnati released him in 2012, but the White Sox picked him up on July 12th.

Scott missed the majority of the 2013 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but came back strong. A series of unfortunate events led to Carroll's promotion to the big leagues in 2014. Scott made his MLB debut on April 27, 2014 against the Tampa Bay Rays as a twenty-nine year old rookie. Carroll made the most of his debut, going seven and a third innings, in front of countless family and friends, winning 9-2. Scott came back to Earth in May, but his gritty determination has him contending for a permanent spot in the starting rotation.

WSC Birth Years: Moises Sierra

Card #155 - Moises Sierra

Born: September 24, 1988

Moises began his career in the Toronto Blue Jays organization in 2006. He worked his way up to the majors by 2012, when he was brought up on July 31st to play against the Seattle Mariners. Later that season, Sierra hit his first MLB home run on August 13th, against Chicago White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy.

The start of the 2014 season was a rough one for Moises. After hitting a dismal .059 through thirteen games, the Blue Jays placed Sierra on waivers. The White Sox claimed Moises on May 3rd. Since joining Chicago, Sierra has been on a tear, hitting .364 through his first eight games and clubbing a home run. Moises has been such a pleasant surprise, he replaced Jordan Danks as the backup outfielder after his first week with the ChiSox.

WSC Birth Years: Scott Downs

Card #154 - Scott Downs

Born: March 17, 1976

After a disastrous 2013, the White Sox spent the off-season retooling their bullpen with a mix of veterans, projects and rookies. Scott was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 1997 draft. He made his debut with the Cubs in 2000, but was traded to the Montreal Expos before the end of the season for Rondell White. While with Montreal's AAA affiliate, Downs threw a no-hitter against the Las Vegas 51s in 2004, but was released after the season when struggles returned. Scott then signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he spent the bulk of his career. Before he signed with the White Sox in 2014, Downs spent time with the Angels and the Braves.

Scott mainly throws a sinker and a curve ball. In his thirteen year career, he has started, closed and relieved. His primary role with the White Sox has been late inning reliever and after a rocky start, has settled in nicely. The White Sox have found some offense in 2014 and Downs may be a key reason in 2014 that the Sox keep their leads late in the game.

WSC Birth Years: Adrian Nieto

Card #153 - Adrian Nieto

Born: November 12, 1989

Originally drafted by the Washington Nationals in the fifth round of the 2008 draft, Adrian was the third pick in the Rule 5 draft after the 2013 season, selected by the Chicago White Sox. While Nieto seemed a longshot at best to make the club out of spring training, he vaulted over Josh Phegley, Hector Giminez and Miguel Gonzalez to secure the backup catcher spot on the roster.

Adrian made his MLB debut with the White Sox on April 2, 2014, pinch running for Paul Konerko in the bottom of the ninth, scoring the first run in a rally that would send the game into extra innings and end up an eventual White Sox winner. Nieto has been used sparingly, mostly as a pinch runner and late inning replacement, but if he can translate and expand on his .240 spring average into the majors, I don't think anyone will complain about that in his backup capacity.