A look at the 3 White Sox AL MVPs
Aug 16, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox former player and Hall of Fame member Frank Thomas prior to a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
With the announcement of the 2014 AL Most Valuable Player on Thursday evening, this is a good time to take a closer look and pay tribute to the three players in the history of the Chicago White Sox who have won AL MVP honors while wearing the White Sox uniform.
Those three players are Nellie Fox, Dick Allen and Frank Thomas.
Fox won the award in 1959, becoming the first White Sox to earn the honor. Allen became the second White Sox to become AL MVP for the White Sox in 1972, and Thomas is the last White Sox to win the award, taking home the trophy in consecutive seasons from 1993-94.
Those three had four of the greatest seasons of any White Sox player in history, so let’s just take a look at those four seasons by Fox, Allen and Thomas and either relive the good times, or if you are new to the White Sox fandom, learn about some of the all-time greatest players and seasons in the history of the franchise.
Let’s start with Fox and his ’59 season with the Go-Go AL Champion White Sox club.
Next: The Giancarlo Stanton contract and the rest of baseball
Aug 18, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; The Chicago White Sox logo behind home plate before a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Texas Rangers at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
Nellie Fox
AL MVP: 1959
Fox played 14 seasons with the White Sox, amounting to 2,115 games and 9,493 plate appearances (8,486 at-bats).
He finished his time as a White Sox (1950-63) with 35 home runs and 740 RBIs, including a White Sox batting average of .291. Fox also collected 2,470 hits as a White Sox, with 335 of those hits being doubles and 104 of them being triples.
But his MVP season came in ’59, where he led the majors in games played (156), plate appearances (717) and at-bats (624).
In ’59, Fox totaled 84 runs, 191 hits (34 doubles, six triples) and even two home runs, as the second baseman wasn’t known for his power game at the plate. Fox did have a very good bat in ’59, finishing with a .306 batting average, the third of three straight seasons where he had at least a .300 average (.317 in ’57 and .300 in ’58). His on-base percentage during his MVP campaign was .380, and he finished with a slugging percentage of .389.
More from White Sox News
- The Chicago White Sox might have had a season ending loss
- The Chicago White Sox are expecting Tim Anderson back soon
- Miguel Cairo’s words spark life into the Chicago White Sox
- Dylan Cease should be the favorite for the AL Cy Young Award
- Ozzie Guillen speaks the whole truth about Tony La Russa
Fox walked 71 times in ’59 and struck out just 13 times all season in those aforementioned 624 at-bats. He also had five stolen bases and finished with 243 total bases that season.
Though in some categories his numbers were not even the best in a single season during his storied career, he did more than enough in a collective effort to earn the MVP award.
In fact, in ’59, Fox beat out teammates Luis Aparicio and Early Wynn, who were second and third in the voting. Fox had 16 first-place votes (88 percent of the share), and Aparicio had eight first-place votes.
In the final vote, Fox finished with 295 points, compared to the 255 by Aparicio. Wynn had 123 points. Also in that vote, teammate Jim Landis placed seventh in the voting with 66 points, and in ninth that season was another teammate in Sherm Lollar with 44 points in the final tally.
As a team, the White Sox in ’59 had the best overall regular season in the majors, winning the AL Pennant with a 94-60 record. The eventual World Series champion Brooklyn Dodgers were 88-68 in the regular season.
The White Sox lost the World Series to the Dodgers in six games (4-2).
Aug 10, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies former player Dick Allen during Phillies alumni ceremony prior to game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Mets, 7-6. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Dick Allen
AL MVP: 1972
The ’72 season for Allen was his first as a member of the Chicago White Sox, and one that fans should know more about.
Allen played in 148 games that season, and not only was he an All-Star, but he finished the season leading the majors in home runs (37), RBIs (113), walks (99), on-base percentage (.420), slugging percentage (.603), OPS (1.023) and OPS+ (199).
Not to mention, Allen had a .308 batting average, with 28 doubles and five triples to go with what amounted to 156 hits and 90 runs in 506 at-bats (609 plate appearances). Allen also had 305 total bases, including 19 stolen bases.
As for the ’72 White Sox, they finished 87-67 overall, second in the AL West.
In the MVP voting, Allen totaled 321 points (21 first-place votes), with second place going to Joe Rudi of the Oakland Athletics with 164 points (one first-place vote). Wilbur Wood of the White Sox was seventh in the voting that season with 78 points.
Allen played just three seasons with the White Sox, where in those seasons he had a combined batting average of .304. He played nine of his 15 total seasons in the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he was the Rookie of the Year in 1964.
After winning the MVP in ’72, the closest Allen ever got back to the AL MVP award was a 35th-place finish in ’73 and placing 23rd in ’74.
Jul 26, 2014; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Fame Inductee Frank Thomas arrives with his wife and son at National Baseball Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Frank Thomas
AL MVP: 1993
In the first of his two MVP seasons, Thomas in ’93 was also an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger award. The now Hall of Famer played in 153 games that season (his third full in the majors) and finished with a .317 average with a .426 on-base percentage and .607 slugging percentage.
The ’93 season saw Thomas have 549 at-bats with 106 runs and 174 hits. Of those hits, 36 were doubles and 41 were home runs. What also stands out for the first baseman/designated hitter is his OPS was 1.033, and he collected 333 total bases.
Also in ’93, Thomas had a WAR (wins above replacement) of 6.2, a tick lower than his WAR for ’91 and ’92, which was 6.9 each season.
More from White Sox News
- The Chicago White Sox might have had a season ending loss
- The Chicago White Sox are expecting Tim Anderson back soon
- Miguel Cairo’s words spark life into the Chicago White Sox
- Dylan Cease should be the favorite for the AL Cy Young Award
- Ozzie Guillen speaks the whole truth about Tony La Russa
Thomas was a huge part of the successful ’93 season that saw the White Sox win the AL West with an overall record of 94-68.
The White Sox lost in the ALCS in six games to the Toronto Blue Jays.
In the ’93 voting, Thomas had all 28 first-place votes and totaled 392 points in the voting. Next in line was Toronto’s Paul Molitor with 209 points. White Sox teammate Jack McDowell finished ninth in the voting with 51 points.
Also receiving some points in the voting was teammate Alex Fernandez with four points to finish 21st in the voting.
Jul 27, 2014; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Frank Thomas makes his acceptance speech during the class of 2014 national baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at National Baseball Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Frank Thomas
AL MVP: 1994
For Thomas in the strike-shortened ’94 season, he was still able to put up amazing numbers for the White Sox, as they were first in the AL Central that season with a 67-46 record overall.
In ’94, Thomas was 26 years old, and his numbers were very strong.
This second MVP season saw “The Big Hurt” play in 113 games, where he finished with 38 home runs and 101 RBIs. He walked 109 times, and in his 141 hits, Thomas had 34 doubles and one triple.
The 106 runs scored by Thomas in ’94 led the majors. He also led the majors in walks, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and OPS+.
Thomas batted .353 on the season, with a on-base percentage of .487, and he finished with a slugging percentage of .729. His OPS was higher was 1.217, and he had just as good of a season as his first MVP year. His OPS+ was 212.
Looking at his WAR, Thomas has a number of 6.3 and a WAA (wins above average) of 4.7, nearly a full point higher than his ’93 season of 3.8.
Just think of how many more numbers Thomas could have put up if the strike didn’t occur.