CHICAGO -- While the overall team results weren’t exactly what the White Sox wanted, there were plenty of top-notch individual performances covering the past decade. Here’s a look at the Top 10 White Sox players during that time.
1) Chris Sale, LHP
Seasons: 2010-16
Not only was Sale the best player of the decade for the White Sox, but he interjected himself into the greatest pitcher in franchise history discussion. The southpaw debuted in 2010, about two months after he was selected 13th overall in the 2010 Draft, and he recorded 1,244 strikeouts over 1,110 innings in his White Sox career. He picked up 12 saves working exclusively out of the bullpen in his first two seasons and was an All-Star in each of the next five as a starter. His 274 strikeouts in ’15 represent a single-season franchise record, and he accumulated 30.2 bWAR as a member of the White Sox. Sale also has five of the franchise’s top six single-season strikeouts per nine innings totals, topped by 11.82 in ’15.
2) José Abreu, 1B
Seasons: 2014-present
Giving six years, $68 million to a highly accomplished but somewhat untested free agent out of Cuba proved to be one of the greatest investments ever made by the franchise. Abreu, who recently extended his stay in Chicago via a three-year, $50 million deal, has at least 25 home runs and 100 RBIs during five of his six seasons, with that sixth season cut short by physical issues. He’s coming off a 2019 campaign featuring 33 homers, 38 doubles and a career-high 123 RBIs, needing just 21 homers to become the fifth player in franchise history with at least 200. He will end up third among the franchise’s long ball leaders before his career is done.
3) Alexei Ramirez, SS
Seasons: 2008-15
Ramírez was part of the White Sox Cuban connection before Abreu even arrived. His biggest career hit came in his rookie campaign of 2008, with a grand slam off reliever Gary Glover helping the White Sox beat Detroit in a makeup game one day after the regular season ended and move into a winner-take-all play-in game with Minnesota for the AL Central title. But the shortstop also had a consistent run in this past decade up until his last season in ’15. Ramírez put together 19.1 bWAR during that time.
4) Paul Konerko, 1B
Seasons: 1999-2014
One of the greatest careers in White Sox history came to a close during this decade. But Konerko, who is making his first appearance on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot this year, put together All-Star seasons from 2010-12. During that three-year period, Konerko launched 96 of his 432 White Sox homers and drove in 291 runs. On Sept. 16, 2010, Konerko was hit in the face by a Carl Pavano pitch in the first inning but stayed in the game and homered two innings later off the Minnesota hurler.
5) José Quintana, LHP
Seasons: 2012-17
The southpaw was a Minor League free agent signing on Nov. 9, 2011, and within one season ascended to an integral part of the White Sox rotation. Quintana threw at least 200 innings from 2013-16, earning his lone All-Star nod in ’16. Quintana had a 50-54 record over 172 White Sox games (169 starts), but he posted a 3.51 ERA during that time. He also helped the Cubs win the NL Central when he was traded at the ’17 All-Star break, a deal that brought back left fielder Eloy Jiménez and right-handed starter Dylan Cease.
6) Tim Anderson, SS
Seasons: 2016-present
Anderson’s best decade should be yet to come, but he has already made an imprint over a short time. The shortstop won the batting title in ’19, raising his average from .240 the previous season to a Major League-best .335. He flashed a combination of speed and power, as the team’s top pick in the 2013 Draft has knocked out 64 homers and 108 doubles to go with 68 stolen bases.
7) Adam Eaton, OF
Seasons: 2014-16
Eaton played a significant role in the Nationals’ 2019 World Series championship, but he also put together three solid years in Chicago after being part of a three-team trade in December ’13. Eaton hit .290 with a .362 on-base percentage during his White Sox stay, proving to be a top-notch defensive right fielder. He was eventually traded to the Nationals for right-handed pitchers Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning.
8) Adam Dunn, DH
Seasons: 2011-14
Dunn’s miserable debut after joining the White Sox via free agency has been well-documented, but it’s difficult to imagine anyone handling the stress and turmoil with as much grace and dignity as Dunn showed. People might forget Dunn served as a seminal figure on a 2012 White Sox squad that sat atop the AL Central for 117 days and was the last one to finish at .500 or above. Dunn finished with 106 home runs in parts of four seasons with the White Sox.
9) A.J. Pierzynski, C
Seasons: 2005-12
There’s probably no 2005 World Series title without Pierzynski behind the plate, but he was still productive and consistent over his final three seasons with the White Sox this decade. In fact, Pierzynski’s best overall season with the bat came in ’12 when he hit a career-high 27 homers, matched a career high with 77 RBIs and finished with 3.3 bWAR while catching 126 games.
10) Nate Jones, RHP
Seasons: 2012-19
When Jones was healthy, the hard-throwing right-hander was a force out of the bullpen with a 3.12 ERA and 318 strikeouts over 291 1/3 innings. Unfortunately for Jones, injuries limited him to a combined 45 games over four of his eight seasons with the White Sox.
Others receiving consideration: RHP Jake Peavy, LHP John Danks, LHP Matt Thornton, OF Alex Ríos, OF Avisaíl García, RHP Jesse Crain, LHP Mark Buehrle.