1992 Chicago White Sox

Record: 86-76, Finished 3rd in AL Western Division (1992 AL)

Coaches: Terry Bevington, Jackie Brown, Walt Hriniak, Doug Mansolino, Joe Nossek and Mike Squires

History, Comments, Contributions[edit]

The 1992 Chicago White Sox featured speed, power, a young phenom named Frank Thomas, a 20-game winner, two relievers with ERAs under 2, a future Hall of Famer in Tim Raines, and myriad stars, semi-stars, future and past All-Stars -- and all they were good for was a third-place finish. 24-year-old Thomas led the offense with 24 home runs, 115 RBI, 46 doubles, 108 runs scored, 122 walks and a .323/.439/.536 slash line. George Bell added 25 home runs and 112 RBI, while Robin Ventura contributed 16 dingers, 38 doubles and 93 RBI. Raines, Lance Johnson and Steve Sax stole 45, 41 and 30 bases, respectively, with the team finishing second in the American League in stolen bases. It was one of the league's best offenses overall, in fact. Though they featured a weak bench, Shawn Abner managed a .279 average in a reserve role. Jack McDowell was the ace of the rotation, going 22-10 with 13 complete games and a 3.18 ERA to finish second in the Cy Young Award voting, behind Dennis Eckersley. Kirk McCaskill contributed 12 wins and Greg Hibbard, 10. Primary closer Bobby Thigpen struggled to a 4.75 ERA, but still managed 22 saves; Scott Radinsky and Roberto Hernandez fared much better in the closer's role, with the former posting a 2.73 mark with 15 saves in 68 games, and the latter earning 12 saves with a 1.65 ERA in 43 games. In one last hurrah, 38-year-old Terry Leach had a 1.95 ERA in 51 appearances. The team featured two 44-year-olds, future Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk and knuckleballer Charlie Hough. 22-year-old Wilson Alvarez was the youngest player on the team.

It was a star-studded team. The players combined for 46 career All-Star selections, 12 Silver Sluggers, 8 Gold Gloves, 3 MVPs, 3 Rookie of the Year selections, a Cy Young and 3 Hall of Fame selections.