Today in White Sox History: December 23
One of the best leadoff hitters in history arrives on the South Side
1990
White Sox fans got an early Christmas gift, as new GM Ron Schueler made one of his first and best deals.
Schueler sent outfielder Iván Calderon and pitcher Barry Jones to Montreal for All-Star left fielder and stolen base threat Tim “Rock” Raines, pitcher Jeff Carter and a player to be named later (on February 15, pitcher Mario Brito was sent to Chicago to complete the deal).
Raines would provide speed at the top of the order, swiping 143 bases in his five years with the Sox. He hit .444 in the 1993 ALCS against Toronto. His 16.6 WAR in five seasons (highlighted by a powerful 6.3 in 1992) ranks 39th all-time among White Sox hitters. Raines was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2017.
Carter pitched in just five career games with the White Sox in 1991, which comprised his only MLB experience. Calderon had a superb 3.3 WAR season, which actually nipped Raines’ performance by a hair in 1991, but fell off the face of the Earth after that, playing in just 130 games over the next three seasons and ending with a nine-game cameo back with the White Sox in 1993. Jones immediately began to slide, and ironically enough finished up his career, like Calderon, with a short cameo back on the 1993 White Sox.