Chicago White Sox All-Time Lineup/ Roster

While the White Sox lineup doesn’t feature a lot of great power hitters, they feature a great mixture of speed and batters that can get on base. Starting with the top of their lineup, the pair of middle infielders combined for a total of 547 steals during their time in Chicago. Next, the duo of first baseman were some of the greater power hitters in the team’s history. Rounding out the rest of the lineup are some more consistent batters of the time and another pair of base stealers at the bottom of the lineup.

Starting Lineup

1. Eddie Collins, 2B (L)
2. Luke Appling, SS (R)
3. Frank Thomas, DH (R)
4. Paul Konerko, 1B (R)
5. Shoeless Joe Jackson, RF (L)
6. Minnie Minoso, LF (R)
7. Robin Ventura, 3B (L)
8. Fielder Jones, CF (L)
9. Ray Schalk, C (R)
Red Faber, P (R)
Manager: Al Lopez

Catcher

Ray Schalk
1912-28: 579 Runs, 11 HR, 593 RBI, 177 SB, .254 BA/.340 OBP/.316 SLG

The catcher position was the toughest one to call for the White Sox. Carlton Fisk was such a heralded player who likely should get the nod based on his great power numbers and ability to knock in runs. However, he was already part of the Red Sox lineup and we simply can’t have one player on two different lineups. Next is Sherm Lollar was another very solid player for the White Sox with great RBI numbers. However, the pick is hall of Famer Ray Schalk who played great defense in addition to his hitting numbers. While not a power threat, Schalk was actually a speedster for catchers and makes for a great addition at the bottom of the lineup.

Honorable Mentions: Carlton Fisk, Sherm Lollar

First Baseman

Paul Konerko
1999-14: 1,141 Runs, 432 HR, 1,383 RBI, 9 SB, .281 BA/.356 OBP/.491 SLG

After being nothing more than a bench bat at best for his first few professional seasons, Paul Konerko was traded to the White Sox in the 1998 offseason for Mike Cameron who was eventually used in the deal that landed the Reds Ken Griffey Jr. In Chicago, Konerko became an overnight star. His numbers took off and he quickly became one of the better power hitters in the league. In his 16 years with the team, he would go on to become a fierce power bat and one of the most prolific power hitters in White Sox history.

Honorable Mentions: Jose Abreu, Zeke Bonura

Second Baseman

Eddie Collins
1915-26: 1,065 Runs, 231 HR, 803 RBI, 368 SB, .331 BA/.426 OBP/.437 SLG

While Eddie Collins did begin his career with Philadelphia, it wasn’t until he came to Chicago where he really cemented himself as a bonafide star. While he never led the league in batting average, his career marks were extremely impressive. He was a huge stealing threat for the White Sox and the walk rate was literally insane. In his 1915 season, Collins struck out only 27 times compared to a league leading 119 walks. His eye at the plate was beyond amazing and there’s no doubt he deserves a stop atop the Chicago lineup.

Honorable Mentions: Nellie Fox, Ray Durham

Shortstop

Luke Appling
1930-50: 1,319 Runs, 45 HR, 1,116 RBI, 179 SB, .310 BA/.399 OBP/.398 SLG

Luke Appling was one of the best all around bats the White Sox franchise ever had. The 7 time All Star and Hall of Famer was a consistent hitter through his career and from 1933 to 1949, only had one season where he held a batting average lower than .303. That’s almost insane to think of in today’s era. The line drive machine was one of the best shortstops in his era and was even regarded as having one of the best batting eyes in the game. In single seasons, he would sometimes have 3 times the amount of walks compared to strikeouts.

Honorable Mentions: Luis Aparicio, George Davis, Ozzie Guillen

Third Baseman

Robin Ventura
1960-73: 658 Runs, 171 HR, 741 RBI, 15 SB, .274 BA/.365 OBP/.440 SLG

For the 10 years he spent as a member of the White Sox, Robin Ventura was known as a great glove at the hot corner and one of their more consistent bats in the lineup. Hit left handed bat will play a perfect compliment to what’s a righty hitting team thus far. He was a great hitter though not particularly known for one skill. He had decent power though not enough to compete with the greats of the league. His hitting was also fairly consistent though never good enough to be in a race for the batting title. Overall, Ventura is a very solid player and can slot honestly anywhere in the All Time lineup.

Honorable Mentions: William Kamm, Buck Weaver

Left Fielder

Minnie Minoso
1951-57, 60-61, 64, 76, 80: 893 Runs, 135 HR, 808 RBI, 171 SB, .296 BA/.364 OBP/.503 SLG

Playing a total of five separate stints with the White Sox, Minni Minoso will be remembered as a great fielder and hitter of his time. Despite not getting into the Hall of Fame, Minoso was a very dynamic player who could do everything. The Cuban was another major source of steals and average like many on this roster and shouldn’t have trouble fitting in. He showed a great combination of power and speed during his career that very few in the game possess.

Honorable Mentions: Pete Ward

Center Fielder

Fielder Jones
1901-08: 693 Runs, 10 HR, 375 RBI, 206 SB, .269 BA/.357 OBP/.326 SLG

Taking up the center field spot for Chicago is yet another speedster. For his career, Jones swiped a total of 359 bags, 206 of which came during his time with the White Sox. He’ll bring great defensive ability of being able to cover the whole field and the decent on base percentage. By the time he arrived in Chicago, Jones was right at the peak of his career. Following the next two years, his hitting ability began to drop and by age 37, he was out of the league. Still, Jones brings another speed element to this Chicago team and we’ll put him at the bottom of the lineup to put those skills to use.

Honorable Mentions: Chet Lemon, Johnny Mostil

Right Fielder

Shoeless Joe Jackson
1915-20: 396 Runs, 30 HR, 433 RBI, 64 SB, .340 BA/.407 OBP/.499 SLG

It seems like every team has had their fair share of controversial players and the White Sox are more of the same. Chicago’s controversial selection for right field is none other than Shoeless Joe Jackson. In 1919, he and seven other teammates were involved in the infamous Black Sox Scandal which accused the White Sox players of intentionally losing the World Series. While Jackson wasn’t allegedly never part of fix, he was banned from baseball in his prime and we’ll never know if he was truly Hall of Fame worthy. Nevertheless, Jackson will be included in our team simply based on his potential and what could’ve been.

Honorable Mentions: Harold Baines, Magglio Ordonez

Designated Hitter

Frank Thomas
1990-05: 1,327 Runs, 448 HR, 1,465 RBI, 32 SB, .307 BA/.427 OBP/.568 SLG

One of the greatest power hitting first baseman all time and the White Sox’s highest offensive WAR player in history, Frank Thomas is the pick at DH. While he did serve as a first baseman during the earlier parts of his career, he wasn’t particularly skilled defensively and the move to the DH spot likely paid dividends. He was a terrific player up until the turn of the century when he suddenly dropped over 100 points in his batting average between 2000 and 2001. While the next few years saw those numbers go back up, it’s interesting to look back and think what could’ve been if not for that slump. There’s no doubt we want Chicago’s most dangerous bat in the middle of this lineup.

Pitcher

Red Faber
1914-33: 254-213 Record, 3.15 ERA, 3.2 K/9, 2.7 BB/9

At pitcher, we have two very deserving players though obviously only one can be the pick. The first Hall of Famer is Red Faber who scored a pair of ERA Titles and was notorious for inducing groundball outs. Faber played a key role in helping the White Sox win the 1917 over the then New York Giants who actually tried acquiring him earlier in his career. Ted Lyons is our second candidate who was one of the best pitchers in his younger career. However, he struggled with command issues during his late 20s and early 30s that ultimately left a bad mark on his overall career. On the other hand, Faber was a model of consistency in his prime and gets the nod for the start.

Honorable Mentions: Ted Lyons, Ed Walsh, Wilber Wood

Manager

Al Lopez

While he isn’t the winningest manager in White Sox history or won any World Series rings for Chicago, Al Lopez gets the call for manager. The 1977 Hall of Fame inductee was a very likeable manager and one that always stood behind his players. He wrapped up his career with the highest winning percentage in White Sox history and never had a losing record in a full season as manager. The former catcher was one of the best in the business and first retired from the game in 1965. He would later return for a short stint at the helm during the 1968 and 1969 seasons before leaving the game for good.