No Cap! Jermaine Dye was Underrated and Underappreciated

No Cap! Jermaine Dye was Underrated and Underappreciated

by | Apr 12, 2021 | CLEAN UP

Contributor | Devon POV Mason 

The Chicago White Sox have had some great players throughout franchise history, but for some reason, one superstar always flies under the radar. His name is Jermaine Dye and he helped lead the White Sox to the greatest moment in their franchise’s history.

In a city where the Cubs rule, the White Sox won the 2005 World Series with some downright dominant play led by the aforementioned Dye. When I hear folks mention the 2005 White Sox, names like Paul Konerko, AJ Pierzynski and Mark Buehrle are always lauded and with great reason.

But the boss player and most complete package on Ozzie Guillen’s perfectly constructed roster was Dye.

 

Dye was the World Series MVP during that magical run, but it doesn’t seem like he gets enough credit and appreciation in comparison to some of the other players on that team. Dye wasn’t a subpar player who happened to get hot and turn up in the World Series, as we’ve seen other ballers do in the past.

He was doing big things throughout his entire tenure in Chicago. And never did that show more than in 2005,  as his magnificence carried over into the “Hunt For October.”

 

 

Dye played five seasons for the White Sox and the Black Knight put up All-Star caliber numbers (.278/.344/.525), hitting with power and flashing a web that would make Spider-Man envious. He hit 164 HRs, had 419 RBIs, and scored 419 runs.

He was easily one of the best players in franchise history and dare I say criminally underrated. During that World Series MVP run, he mashed an unreal .438, but that wasn’t the culmination of his greatness.

In 2006 he was all the way up, posting an incredible year with 44 HRs and 120 RBIs, while finishing 5th in the AL MVP voting. Easily the best of his two All-Star seasons with the ChiSox.

Dye was also incredible with other franchises. In fact, not many players post a (WAR) of 20.3 over a 14-year career. He also made impactful stops in Atlanta, Kansas City, and Oakland.

 

 

JD hit 325 career HRs, drove in 1072 runs and scored 984 runs. His career slash-line looks like this: .274/.388/.488.

An absolute BEAST.

Let’s give this unheralded superstar his respect. He had a better career than many guys who are currently sitting in Cooperstown. Don’t get it twisted, he was one of the best players of his era and an MLBbro who did damage Black In The Day.