Minnie Minoso, 1951-1957, 1960-1961, 1964, 1976, 1980, 39.7 bWAR
The Cuban Comet was originally acquired as part of a three-team trade with the White Sox, Philadelphia Athletics, and the Cleveland Indians, Minoso’s original team.
From that point, it seemed like Chicago became Minoso’s centering point, as he would leave for a year or two and return, then do the same again.
Minoso ended up making a few staged appearances in 1976 and 1980 to be part of an exclusive club of two players who have appeared in games in five different decades.
Minoso was most known for two attributes to his game, his speed and his batting stance. Minoso would crowd the plate such that pitchers alleged he couldn’t be thrown an inside strike without being contacted by the pitch.
Due to that crowding of the plate, Minoso was plunked frequently at the plate. He led the league in being hit by a pitched ball 10 times in his career and sits with the 9th most HBP in major league history.
However, the real thing that Minoso should be remembered for is being a trailblazer in the game of baseball. Minoso was just the 9th black player in the major leagues and he was the first black White Sox player.
In fact, while he would never confirm nor deny it, legend was that Minoso chose the number nine for his uniform number because he was the ninth black major leaguer. The #9 was retired by the White Sox in 1983.
With the White Sox, Minoso hit .304/.397/.468 with 260 doubles, 79 triples, 135 home runs, and 171 stolen bases.
Minoso did play around the field some as well, playing 1,665 of his games in the outfield, but also playing 116 at third base and seeing action at first base and shortstop.
Minoso represented the White Sox six different seasons in the All-Star game, won two Gold Gloves as a member of the team, and finished in the top 5 of MVP voting 4 times with the club, though he never finished higher than 4th.
Minoso sadly is not in the Hall of Fame, having never garnered more than 21.1% of the vote before expiring his eligibility after the 1999 vote. His value as an innovator to the sport is certainly worth his induction, at the very least.
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