WSC Birth Years: Pedro Hernandez

Card #119 - Pedro Hernandez

Born: April 12, 1989

Chris Sale, Jake Peavy and Jose Quintana all needed an extra day of rest, so the White Sox reached into their minor leagues and plucked out the ninth rookie pitcher to take the mound in 2012 for the Pale Hose on July 18th. Paul Konerko provided Pedro with the lead, when he singled home Alejandro De Aza in the top of the first. Call it butterflies. Call it inexperience. Call it whatever you will. Hernandez took the mound in the bottom of the first and tied the game.

The Red Sox at Fenway Park are usually tough. Throw in a twenty-three year old pitcher making his MLB debut and things can go south quickly. After settling down in the second inning, Hernandez gave up four runs in the third and four runs in the fourth, before giving way to Hector Santiago after two batters in the fifth inning. Pedro ended up with an ERA of 18.00 after one outing. After the game, Hernandez was optioned back to AAA Charlotte. Ten days later, Pedro was traded, along with infielder Eduardo Escobar, to the Minnesota Twins for Fransico Liriano. It would mark the first time in twenty-six years that the two teams traded players.

The First White Sox Card Of 2013 Is...

 One of the most anticipated days of the year is finally here. The first release attributed to the new year; Topps Series One. The flagship series of the only major card company to be fully licensed. I'm still at odds with that aspect of the hobby, but it is nice to have a breather from being barraged by endless releases by multiple companies. Still, I'm waiting for Topps to become complacent, being essentially the only game in town. I'm not willing to stand for complacency by any company in the hobby.

It's nice to see a decent design on the flagship cards. Not great. Not memorable. Not horrible either.

I planned my outing for the early afternoon, right after my quiz for psychology class. I would end up at two different places to get a sampling of the product.

My first stop was Target. I searched for the blaster box, but was unable to find it right away. Then I noticed something peculiar. The boxes were there, but my eyes passed them by because they packaging is smaller. I always wondered why card companies wasted so much space in the blasters. Now, I needn't wonder about that again. A quick look at the rest of the product on the shelf confirms that the newer blasters are all smaller. It's a nice thing to see.

I picked up a blaster and two loose packs from Target. There were no opened boxes on the shelf, but there were plenty of loose packs in a hanging bin. I grabbed two and went to the movie section. I found a nice bargain on a Hunger Games blu-ray, so I grabbed that as well.

As luck would have it, the first White Sox card came from the blaster. It was an Emerald Foil parallel. It was one of my favorite players that I don't have a player collection for. It was...

 A.J. Pierzynski!

My first White Sox card is of a player no longer on the White Sox. A.J. isn't even on my 2013 White Sox calendar. Tyler Flowers looks like he's about to throw a runner out or toss the ball back to the pitcher with too much annoyance on his face, adorning my wall for January. In fact, in a White Sox calendar first, every player featured on a month is still with the team.

It might be because green is my favorite color, but I absolutely adore this parallel! The chances were one in six that I get an Emerald Foil parallel and this was the only one I got in the blaster. It turns out that this would be the lone White Sox card from Target.

I was off to the hobby shop, Baseball Card King #2, right in the heart of my hometown. My task was simple. I was to browse around and then pick up two jumbo packs. I was able to find a 2011 Topps Target Throwback card of Edwin Jackson for fifty cents, so I picked that up. It makes me sad that I never bring a list because I wasn't sure about it, but lo and behold, I needed it.

Out of two jumbo packs, containing fifty cards each, I would up with one White Sox card.

Addison Reed strikes again. At least Topps graced the card with a slightly different picture than the 2012 Topps Heritage disaster of four rookie cards for the Sox closer.

As I look through the packs, I can spot one of the "Out of Bounds" variations of Rajai Davis. Since I received one, they mustn't be too difficult to obtain.

A pleasant experience, to say the least. I sampled the new release and I came away with a good feeling. How many days before pitchers and catchers report?

The Traveling Box: Pass Two

Here's what you've been waiting for. The Traveling Box of Sports Cards has made its way through my hometown with three cards swapped out. While I can't tell you what I put in the box, I can tell you what I took out.

A fistful of Frank.

I swiped the 1990 Leaf card of Frank Thomas. It has been a card that has eluded me for almost twenty-three years. I have coveted this card since Series Two started trickling out during the summer of 1990. I never pulled the trigger on the card because of the enormously inflated price tag. Always outbid on eBay and always astronomically priced in the Chicago area, I thought this card might be a white whale for me. Albeit an extremely easy white whale, marred only by a moral sense of value. The obtaining of this card concludes the 1990 Leaf White Sox team set, and for that, I am thrilled.

The other two cards I took because of a "why not" factor. Did I need them? Not really. Could I pass them up? Probably, but something told me to take a chance.

I normally do not collect graded cards. They have their place in the hobby, I guess, but there's something alien about them that makes me back away slowly before turning around and bolting through the nearest exit. Then I thought to myself, "Self, when are you going to get another chance to get a graded Frank Thomas rookie? And a rookie card that isn't one of the typically thought ones?". The opportunity presented itself and I took it. Do I feel shameful? No, not really. This graded 1990 Score Rookie/Traded card of Frank Thomas helps balance out the other graded card I own. A 1990 Upper Deck Sammy Sosa. It balances it out a lot!

The final card is a 2005 Bazooka Moments Game-Worn Uniform card of Frank Thomas. Did I need it? Nope. But I didn't have the card either. It's cute. It's different. It's mine.

The box has only been through a handful of participants and already I see things listed that aren't in the box and things in the box that aren't listed. There was at least one listed card that I had my eye on that I could not find anywhere inside the box. I think we need to be a little more diligent on marking what's entering and exiting the box. I hope that it doesn't become too much of a problem.

I did find it interesting and funny that a card that I had made ended up in the box without my knowledge. Future possessors of the traveling box, who have been reading the various blogs for quite awhile, should recognize it when they see it. That was probably the biggest surprise I came across, at least to me. I should also note that I am very happy to see that the box has grown in size since the first pass.

As always, I think I left the box a little better than I found it. The box should be arriving at its next destination as this posts.

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.