Chicago White Sox Pitcher Breaking Out
The Chicago White Sox have not had pitchers to the likes of Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens, who have been the basis for comparison the last few years in Major League Baseball. Johnson and Schilling were the cornerstone for the Arizona Diamondbacks’ World Series victory in 2001 and Clemens seemed as spry as ever in his last two years for the Houston Astros.
But age has not been kind to the kings.
Although Johnson is 5-3 this so far this season, his ERA is over 5.00 and he does not have the velocity he had with the snakes. After a disastrous start against the rival Red Sox, the New York Yankees sent Johnson for an MRI, “just to see if anything was wrong.”
Schilling is off to a good start this season. His 5-2 record and 3.76 ERA has the Sox in a first place tie with the Yanks. He is lethal at home with a record of 3-0 and a 2.14 ERA. All he has to do is stay healthy. Last season Schilling was hampered with injuries that limited to 11 starts and a short stint as the Red Sox’s closer.
Clemens, like a good wine, got better with age. In 2005 Clemens went 13-8 with a career best 1.87 ERA. He has since unofficially retired and left behind a game that he can play just as well now as he did a rookie in 1984.
Enter the babies.
With the older generation of pitchers wearing down, some promising young talent is getting the opportunity to show off their potential. One of the most intriguing prospects is Brandon McCarthy of the Chicago White Sox.
McCarthy tuned his pitching skills at Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, then headed south to play for Lamar Community College. Nobody told McCarthy that the thin air of the Rocky Mountains was not good for pitchers as he took Lamar to the Junior College World Series before being the 510th overall selection in the 2002 MLB Draft.
In 2005, McCarthy announced his arrival into MLB when he pitched seven shutout innings against the then-defending world champion Red Sox. McCarthy ended the season 3-2 with a 4.03 ERA, and came inches away from making Chicago’s playoff roster. Manager Ozzie Guillen eventually chose veteran Orlando Hernandez in favor of the young fireballer.
McCarthy had all but solidified himself on the 2006 roster with his 2005 performance. The White Sox, however, have the fortunate position of having five solid starting pitchers, which sent McCarthy to the bullpen.
A starter at heart, McCarthy is using the opportunity he’s been given to gain experience. Should McCarthy pitch well for the Chicago White Sox into the All-Star Break, he could find himself the target of a lot of trade talk. Teams are always looking for a missing piece to a championship season and McCarthy has proven that he could be the Rosetta stone for someone.