EB Gold Sox

[Erik Bedard]

I figured I should make this.

1968 Johnson Division Champions
1964 Wild Card

[Erik Bedard]

Tony Cloninger

1964 Team Pitcher of the Year
1964 Team Rookie of the Year

Johnny Callison

1964 Team Player of the Year
1965 Team Player of the Year

Jim Lonborg

1965 Team Rookie of the Year

John Buzhardt

1965 Team Pitcher of the Year

Jose Santiago

1966 Team Rookie of the Year
1966 Team Pitcher of the Year

Clay Dalrymple

1966 Team Player of the Year

Tony Gonzalez

1967 Team Player of the Year

John Hiller

1967 Team Pitcher of the Year
1967 Team Rookie of the Year

Mickey Mantle & Jimmy Wynn

1968 Team Co-Players of the Year

Jim Nash

1968 Team Pitcher of the Year

Stan Bahnsen

1968 Team Rookie of the Year

Jim Northrup

1969 Team Player of the Year

Jim Maloney

1969 Team Pitcher of the Year

Mark Belanger

1969 Team Rookie of the Year

Johnny Bench

1970 Team Player of the Year

Ken Henderson

1970 Team Rookie of the Year

Nolan Ryan

1970 Team Pitcher of the Year

Billy Williams

1970 Team Pitcher of the Year

Ron Theobald

1970 Team Rookie of the Year

Steve Blass

1970 Team Pitcher of the Year

[Erik Bedard]

Gene Alley

1968 All-Star

Johnny Bench

1969 All-Star
1970 All-Star (unanimous)

Steve Blass

1971 All-Star

Ernie Broglio

1964 All-Star

Johnny Callison

1964 All-Star
1965 All-Star

Tony Cloninger

1964 All-Star

Ken Henderson

1970 All-Star

Sandy Koufax

1965 All-Star

Mickey Mantle

1968 All-Star

Nolan Ryan

1970 All-Star

Jose Santiago

1966 All-Star

Mike Shannon

1968 All-Star

Tommie Sisk

1967 All-Star

Leon Wagner

1965 All-Star

Jimmy Wynn

1968 All-Star

[Erik Bedard]

Johnny Callison

1964 MVP Runner-Up

Tony Cloninger

1964 Rookie of the Year Runner-Up

Jose Santiago

1966 Rookie of the Year Runner-Up

Mickey Mantle

1968 MVP Runner-Up

Jimmy Wynn

1968 MVP Runner-Up

Stan Bahnsen

1968 Rookie of the Year

Johnny Bench

1968 Rookie of the Year Runner-Up
1970 Most Valuable Player

Ken Henderson

1970 Rookie of the Year

[Erik Bedard]

1967 Preview

The Gold Sox head north today after an exciting offseason. The biggest event was the rookie draft, where the Gold Sox netted super-prospect catcher Johnny Bench. Bench will likely spend one year in the minors before joining the team for 1968. 1965 first-rounder John Hiller is expected to come north with the team after two years in the minors, and Gold Sox management is very optimistic on his prospects as a future closer. 1966 first-rounders Nolan Ryan and Stan Bahnsen are two contrasting pitchers. Ryan looks to have more upside, but will need a couple more years in the minors before he really reaches his full potential. Bahnsen could possibly have made the team this year, but management doesn't want to rush him, and will have him spend one more year at Triple-A ball before bringing him up. He figures to be a prominent part of the 1968 rotation. The Gold Sox also drafted a few players who could be of use sometime down the road, or immediately. Lefty reliever Jim Weaver will go straight into the big league bullpen, complementing new acquisition Cecil Upshaw and veteran closer Roy Face. Mike Torrez will go to the minors, where he will probably be for the next few years, as the Gold Sox see him as a long-term project. The final two picks the Gold Sox made were outfielder Wayne Comer and utility infielder Ted Kubiak, who was Mr. Irrelevant for 1967. Strangely enough, Kubiak may be very relevant, possibly making the major league club out of spring training. The final cut will likely come down to him or 1965 fourth-rounder Mark Belanger. Comer, on the other hand, likely will not figure into any plans for at least a couple of seasons. In the free agent market, the Gold Sox picked up starting pitcher Mike McCormick, most recently a member of the Knights, backup catcher Jerry McNertney, who has not yet appeared in a CKL game, and reliever Bob Allen, whose only prior experience was in 1961, with the Legends, where he had a 5.34 ERA. The Gold Sox also made many key acquisitions through trades, most notably Tony Gonzalez, Felipe Alou, and George Scott. Gonzalez came from the Redbirds in a deal for minor league shortstop Gene Michael and a second-round pick that had been acquired from the Hard Cider. Alou was acquired from the Legends, along with Cecil Upshaw and Ted Uhlaender, for the Gold Sox' first round pick in 1970. George Scott was the Gamblers' first-round pick in 1965, but had no place to go on the 1967 team, and was shipped to the Gold Sox for part-time outfielder Tony Conigliaro, who had spent three years starting for the Gold Sox. Ken Boyer also came to Chicago in this deal. Returning to starting roles this year are shortstop Maury Wills, in the second year of his four-year deal, and second baseman Jerry Buchek, who was acquired off waivers from the Legends last year. Other players who will rise to starting roles this year are 1964 third-round pick Randy Hundley, who looks to be a stopgap between Clay Dalrymple and Johnny Bench, left fielder Pete Ward, who was acquired in the Brooks Robinson deal with the Skipjacks after 1965, and right fielder Ron Swoboda, who was taken in the fifth round in the 1965 draft, and saw limited time in the last two years. Scott looks to start at first, Boyer will take the third base job, and Gonzalez will start in center. On the bench will be Alou, who will see time at all three outfield spots, as well as first base, McNertney, and two of Uhlaender, Tommy Harper, Kubiak, and Belanger. In the rotation will be McCormick, 1965 third-rounder Jim Lonborg, who looks to finally reach his potential after increasingly decent seasons in 1965 and 1966, incumbent Jim Perry, 1964 second-round pick Steve Blass, who scouts say may be just one year away from greatness, and Tommie Sisk, who will return to the big leagues after a year in the minors. The bullpen will once again be anchored by Roy Face. The former Gambler's best days are behind him, but he can still be a very effective reliever. Setting him up will be the new acquisitions Upshaw and Allen, and rookie Weaver. Hiller will likely see mop-up work, and last year's rookie sensation Jose Santiago will be moved to the bullpen as the long reliever. Whitey Ford is the final pitcher on the club, and the Gold Sox have indicated that once his career expires, as he has announced it will after this season, they would like to retain him as pitching coach. In other coaching news, former Gold Sox outfielder Harvey Kuenn was announced as the hitting coach, after three years of solid pinch hitting duty.

[Erik Bedard]

1968 Preview

Following a disappointing 1967 season, the Gold Sox made some drastic changes for 1968. To start things off, manager Skip Jones was fired, following a third straight poor season. Former Major League shortstop Alvin Dark was hired in his place, and Dark announced that he will retain all the coaches from previous years save one: he hired his longtime friend Larry Jansen to be the pitching coach.

Before any of the offseason events took place, the Gold Sox made a big splash by acquiring Jimmy Wynn, Jim Northrup, Rusty Staub, Mike Shannon, Jim Nash, and Al Worthington for draft picks, turning a good team into a great one overnight. Following that, veteran reliever Ron Perranoski was acquired for Randy Hundley and Ron Swoboda Then came the draft. The Gold Sox did not have a pick until the fifth round, where they selected Bruce Look. Following the fifth round, they picked Duffy Dyer, Ed Sprague, Al Santorini (who was later cut), and Rick Renick. Look and Renick will make the big club as reserves, while Dyer and Sprague go to the minors.

In the free agent auction, the Gold Sox were interested in Bob Veale and Dave McNally. After getting Veale, however, they were unable to pursue McNally due to salary cap constraints. They attempted to rectify these issues in time to make a run at Denis Menke by trading high-priced shortstop Maury Wills to the Redbirds for a draft pick, but the same Redbirds beat out the Gold Sox for the services of Menke. In order to fill the hole left at short, Gene Alley was acquired from the Shoeless Joes. In the secondary auction, the Gold Sox were able to retain Ken Boyer, and were just seconds away from getting Orlando Cepeda, but the bid was discounted due to its lateness. After cutting Santorini and discovering a bad listing in the roster page, the Gold Sox were left with one open spot, which was filled by catcher Johnny Edwards.

After all the roster overhaul, a final team has taken shape. Going north with the team are catchers Bench and Look, with Edwards being the first call up. Rusty Staub will man first base, Glenn Beckert will hold down second, Alley will take short, Shannon third. In the outfield will be Wynn, Northrup, and Felipe Alou, with Ted Uhlaender as the backup. In the rotation will be top free agent Bob Veale, followed by Stan Bahnsen and Steve Blass, who look to be ready to fulfill their massive potential. Jim Nash, another ex-Legend, will be the fourth starter, and veteran Larry Jackson, who was acquired from the Gamblers last year, will be the fifth starter. In the bullpen, Jim Perry shifts his focus from starting to closing, and Jose Santiago and John Hiller will set him up. Former Hard Cider phenom Wally Bunker made the team with an excellent spring, and will be used as a setup man as well. Finally, Ron Perranoski and Al Worthington are the final members of this bullpen. 21-year old Nolan Ryan was the last man cut, and Gold Sox scouts are still raving about his fastball. "He's the hardest thrower I've ever seen." said one scout. "He's got all the potential in the world if he can harness that thing" said another. Ryan should be up to stay next year, and a call up this year is not out of the question.

All in all, this looks to be a big year for the Gold Sox. They will likely be able to make the first serious challenge at the Leecemark Knights run of dominance in the Johnson division, and many experts are actually picking them to win.