Good morning!
Another week at Saturday Sporcle, and another trip down memory lane. For on this date in 1949, the Philadelphia Athletics traded one Jacob Nelson Fox in exchange for catcher Joe Tipton. Fox is a well-known and revered figure in White Sox history, and his contact-oriented approach served him well: 2,663 hits over his career and never a season in which he struck out more than 18 times.
In reporting the trade, the AP was complimentary, writing, "Fox is regarded an excellent prospect, jumping to the Athletics last season from the Class A Western league where he batted .311 for Lincoln and won all-star second sacker honors in 1948."
It wasn't until 1951 that Fox would break out, however, and only after significant work on both fielding and hitting as this excellent SABR profile lays out. In all, Mighty Mite would go on to accrue 47.4 WAR with the White Sox, mostly through defense and his contact-oriented approach: he totaled just 35 home runs during his tenure.
Which begs the question: who in White Sox history has produced similarly? That’s what today’s Sporcle is all about: who hit 50 home runs or fewer in their White Sox career, and also provided at least 15 WAR in return? There are 22 names, how many can you get? Good luck!
Quiz Parameters
- I’ve allotted 15 minutes for completion attempts.
- For hints, I’ve provided the general length of tenure with the team, defensive position, and WAR accumulated.
Useless information to amaze, annoy, confuse, and/or confound your friends and family:
- Fox leads this list in triples, with 104. (Though the top two players on this list came close, each with 102)
- The player with the fewest home runs in MLB history, but the most WAR is Jack Glasscock: 27 dingers, 62 WAR. (Ozzie Smith finished a close second, with 28 home runs)
- On the flip side, the player with the most home runs (minimum 400) but the fewest wins above replacement is Dave Kingman: 442 dingers, 17.3 WAR. (Adam Dunn finishes a close second: 462 home runs and 17.4 WAR)
All data from baseballreference.com
