Today in White Sox History: January 9

2001

The White Sox confirmed that reliever Bill Simas, who had Tommy John surgery in December, would miss the entire 2001 season. The righty became just another casualty on a pitching staff that suffered massive losses in the 2000 AL Central title run, including starters James Baldwin and Cal Eldred.

Simas in fact would never pitch in the major leagues again, attempting Triple-A comebacks in 2002 (White Sox), 2003 (Dodgers) and 2004 (Mariners). Thus the 2000 season stood up as the best of his career, with 1.7 WAR and a 3.46 ERA over 60 games.

Simas had his TJS on Dec. 22, 2000 — his son’s first birthday. That son would grow up to be a pitcher like his dad, and the White Sox would sign that son, Kohl, in 2021. Kohl is currently on our SSS Top Prospect ballot, could be as high as our site’s No. 15 Prospect for 2023, and stands a strong change to pitch in Triple-A Charlotte this coming summer.

Bill has been a pitching coach in the Dodgers and Rangers systems for more than a decade now.

2013

Kosuke Fukodome, who the White Sox took a flier on in 2012, left MLB and signed back in his home country of Japan, with the Japanese Central League’s Hanshin Tigers.

Fukodome was a disaster for the White Sox, garnering -0.2 WAR over 24 games (following up his -0.5 for Cleveland in 2011). The outfielder’s meager $500,000 salary, surely incentive-laden, was a relatively easy spoonful to swallow, as Chicago would cut Kosuke on June 26.

Over his five-season, 4.4 WAR career in the majors, Fukodome earned $48.5 million.

Back in Japan, however, Fukodome returned to his days as a productive player, at least from 2013-18; today, at 45, he is still an active player.