The Greatest White Sox Players of all Time (Part 3 of 3)
Starting Pitcher – Mark Buehrle (2000-2011)
Drafted in the 38th round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, Mark Buehrle was the diamond in the rough for the Chicago White Sox, and one of the most beloved White Sox Players of all time. Shooting through the minor leagues, Buehrle appeared in just 36 games before making his major league debut on July 16 2000. In his first full season in 2001, Buehrle went 16-8 with a 3.29 ERA, and never looked back for the White Sox. Buehrle’s signature feverish pace was his trademark, he averaged 15.8 seconds in between pitches, and generally sent fans home happy in roughly two hours and some change every time he toed the rubber. Buehrle has won 10 or more games in each season as a starter, and eclipsed the 15 win mark six times over the course of his career. He was never a flashy “swing and miss” type pitcher, but he always got the job done effectively. He was the staff ace for the World Series Championship victory in 2005, he won 214 games, appeared in five All-Star Games, won four Gold Gloves, and possibly most impressively he never spent an extended amount of time on the disabled list in 16 major league seasons.
Reliever – Hoyt Wilhelm (1963-1968)
In six seasons Hoyt “Old Sarge” Wilhelm posted a 41-33 record for the Chicago White Sox with an incredible ERA of 1.92. Wilhelm pitched for the White Sox from 1963 through the 1968 season, and was the best reliever they ever had. The Knuckleballer struck out 521 batters while walking just 127 over his six seasons with the White Sox, and compiled a K/9 ratio of 6.9, and 99 saves. A World War II Veteran, a recipient of the Purple Heart Medal, Wilhelm appeared in five All-Star Games, and finished in the top 25 in the Most Valuable Player Award voting four times over his career, getting as high as fourth in his rookie season of 1952. Over his 21 year career Wilhelm went 143-122 with a 2.52 ERA, 227 saves, and 1,610 strike outs. Wilhelm was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.
Closer – Bobby Thigpen (1986-1993)
Bobby Thigpen made his Major League Baseball debut in 1986 for the Chicago White Sox, after being drafted in the fourth round of the 1985 Draft. Thigpen would go on to pitch for the White Sox for eight years, before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1993, and then playing one last season for the Seattle Mariners in 1994 before retiring after just nine major league seasons. Thigpen’s best season of his career was in 1990, when a appeared in 77 games, saving a franchise record 57 games on his way to finishing in the top five in both the Cy Young Award, and Most Valuable Player Award voting. Over the course of his eight years with the White Sox Thigpen amassed 201 saves, also a franchise record. He finished his major league career with a record of 31-36, 201 saves, 376 strike outs, and a 3.43 ERA over the course of 448 major league games. Thigpen’s career was cut short due to lingering back injuries, that developed after his record setting 1990 season. He was released by the Mariners in 1994 after just seven appearances, marking the end of a career cut far too short by injuries. Thigpen served as the Pitching Coach for the White Sox minor league affiliate the Winston-Salem Dash, and currently serves as the White Sox bullpen coach.