Strengths and Weaknesses

On Wednesday the White Sox non-tendered catcher Tyler Flowers.  So ends an era that never should have been.

It’s weird how teams have their institutional strengths and weaknesses.  With the Cubs, it’s an inability to develop pitching.  And when they do, the baseball gods intervene.  How else to explain the star-crossed careers of Kerry Wood and Mark Prior?

The Sox can develop pitchers in their sleep; hitters, no so much, outside of shortstops.  From 1931 to 1970, just four players—Luke Appling, Chico Carrasquel, Luis Aparicio and Ron Hansen—played short on the South Side.  Between them, Appling and Aparicio accounted for 26 of those years.  But develop a catcher?  God forbid.  Carlton Fisk and A.J. Pierzynski don’t count, because they were free agents.  Earl Battey and Johnny Romano would’ve been good catchers for us, but we traded them away; thank you, Bill Veeck.  Josh Phegley would’ve been a good catcher, but, well, you get the idea.  So, now it’s back to free agents, with Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro.  Maybe the baseball gods will be appeased.