Today in White Sox History: November 18

1997

Another expansion draft, stocking the new Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks franchises, found the White Sox losing three players. Catcher Jorge Fabergas was the No. 7 overall pick, going to the Diamondbacks, as did pitcher Chris Clemons at No. 43 and reliever Chuck McElroy at No. 67.

McElroy’s pick reads like a draft-to-trade selection, as Arizona immediately flipped the southpaw to the Colorado Rockies for Harvey Pulliam.

Fabergas had the best stint of his career in Chicago, taking over main catching duties and putting up 0.5 WAR over 100 games. He would end up a -2.2 WAR career player over nine seasons with eight teams. McElroy had a pretty amazing stint with the White Sox, throwing to a 0.7 WAR over just 48 games and 59 ¹⁄₃ innings; he would pitch another four seasons and end up pitching in 654 games, 167th all-time among relievers. Cleamons had seen action in five games for the White Sox in 1997 — to an 0-2 record, high ERA and -0.3 WAR — and would never see action in the majors again.

Fabergas and McElroy actually had come to the White Sox in the same trade, just six months earlier, as the White Sox swapped Tony Phillips and Chad Kreuter to the Angels for the pair.