If he picks up the Rookie of the Year award (and at this point that seems almost inevitable), Gordon Beckham will become the sixth White Sox player to earn the nod, joining the likes of Ozzie Guillen, Ron Kittle and . . . um, who, exactly? In the spirit of history, Mouthpiece presents a look at South Side freshmen past — and a possible glimpse into Bacon Spice’s future.

Ozzie Guillen, SS, 1985
In 150 games, Guillen posted a solid .273 average to bolster an abysmal .291 OPS. His lone home run and 33 RBI weren’t much to write home about either, but everyone knew Guillen’s glove was what won it for him. Guillen would go on to play 16 seasons between the South Side, Atlanta, Baltimore and Tampa Bay before eventually becoming one of the premier managers in the sport. But you knew that.

Ron Kittle, OF/DH, 1983
Thirty-five home runs in 145 games meant only one thing: DON’T MESS WITH THE KITTLE. Unfortunately, injuries hampered Kittle’s abilities, and his numbers dropped off considerably and in a hurry. Kittle had stints with the Yankees, Indians and Orioles before coming home in 1991, playing his final game on August 13, 1991. Kittle went 1-for-5 that day; his final major league hit was a two-run homer off of Tigers reliever Mike Henneman, a shot now immortalized on Henneman’s Baseball-Reference page. Henneman’s whereabouts are unknown; Kittle wrote a book, found out Barry Bonds is a huge racist and checks in on his blog every now and then.

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