The Greatest White Sox Players of all Time (Part 3 of 3)

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.