Married Robin...played collegiate baseball at Arkansas...ranked 31st according to Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects in 1999...
played in the Cape Cod League...graduated in 1996 from Sullivan South High School...member of the Arkansas State baseball
championship team...was an All-State selection in basketball his sophomore and junior year...All-District in football as a junior and senior
...selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 19th round of the 1996 free agent draft but did not sign.
2004
Had reconstructive elbow surgery on June 1 and will be out for at least 18 months from the day of the procedure...was demoted to Triple-A Charlotte on May 1...allowed 11 walks and 24 hits in 17 2/3 innings over four starts with the White Sox, finishing with an 0-4 record and 8.15 ERA.
2003
Made 20 appearances in his second full season, going 0-7 with a 6.85 ERA (53 ER/69.2 IP) in 15 starts and 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA (6 ER/16.2 IP) and one save in five relief outings ... made five quality starts ... lasted at least 6.0 IP five times ... one of only four American League pitchers without a win as a starter (minimum seven starts), joining Tampa Baybs Jason Standridge and Steve Parris and Torontobs Pete Walker ... allowed 19 earned runs in 44.0 IP (3.89 ERA) in his eight no decisions as a starter ... went 0-1 with a 4.40 ERA and one save at home and 1-6 with a 8.24 ERA on the road ... compiled a 2.76 ERA during the day as opposed to 7.89 at night ... lost a career-high five consecutive games from 5/9-8/2, the second-longest season losing streak by a Sox pitcher (Mark Buehrle, nine games) ... posted five straight no decisions from 6/5-7/11 ... was second on the staff with two pickoffs and third in wild pitches (six) ... left with the game tied in six straight starts (5/30-7/2) ... made five relief appearances from 8/9-28 ... tossed a career-high 5.0 IP (1 ER) in his final relief appearance on 8/28 at the Yankees, allowing one run ... notched his first career save on 8/23 vs. Texas (1 ER/3.0 IP) ... posted first career win in relief on 8/12 at Anaheim, allowing one earned run over 4.2 IP ... threw 1.0 scoreless IP on 8/9 vs. Oakland in first relief appearance since his major-league debut on 7/27/01 at Boston (1 ER/3.0 IP) ... struck out four or more batters on six different occasions ... opponents batted .277 (91-329) but just .227 with runners on base and .193 with runners in scoring position ... limited the opposition to a .063 (2-32) average with runners in scoring position and two outs ... was optioned to Class AAA Charlotte on 7/11 and recalled on 8/2 ... went 1-1 with a 6.28 ERA (10 ER/14.1 IP) and one complete game in four games (three starts) with the Knights ... posted a 3.42 ERA (9 ER/23.2 IP) in June ... suffered his first loss at home in six starts on 5/19 vs. Toronto (5 ER/3.0 IP) ... lost debut on 5/9 at Seattle, allowing four runs on six hits over 4.1 IP, ending his career-high four-game win streak that dated back to 9/9/02 ... was bothered by a sore right elbow for much of spring training ... was placed on the disabled list on 3/27 (retroactive to 3/25) with right elbow inflammation ... made four rehabilitation starts at Charlotte, going 0-2 with a 3.38 ERA (7 ER/18.2 IP) with 16 strikeouts ... was reinstated from the disabled list on 5/5.
Minor League Highlights
2001: Was rated as the No. 8 Prospect in the Southern League in a postseason poll by
Baseball America...won Birmingham's Charles
W. Lubin Award...went 7-7 with a 2.82 ERA (42 ER/134.0 IP) and 128 strikeouts in 20 starts with the Barons...led the Southern League
in IP and ranked second in strikeouts and ERA at the time of his promotion...limited opponents to a .229 average (112-490)...averaged
8.6 strikeouts (128 SO) and 2.8 walks (21 BB) per 9.0 IP.
2000: Was rated by
Baseball America in a postseason poll as the No. 5 Prospect in the organization...also cited by the same
publication as having the Best Fastball and Best Breaking Ball in the Sox system...spent time at Class A Winston-Salem and Class AA
Birmingham, combining to go 11-12 with a 3.43 ERA (67 ER/175.2 IP)...ranked among the organizational leaders in ERA, wins, games
started, IP and strikeouts (137)...made 16 quality starts...lasted 6.0 IP or more in 19 of his 28 starts...spent the majority of the season
at Winston-Salem...was 9-8 with a 3.74 ERA (55 ER/132.1 IP) with the Warthogs...was named Player of the Month for July by the
organization, Carolina League and TOPPS after going 4-0 with a 1.91 ERA in five starts...averaged 7.0 strikeouts per 9.0 IP...was
promoted to Birmingham on 7/29...went 2-4 with a 2.49 ERA (12 ER/43.1 IP) in seven starts...was a non-roster invitee to spring training.
1999: Made stops at Advanced Rookie Bristol and Class A Burlington in his first professional season...spent the majority of the season
at Bristol, going 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA (2 ER/18.0 IP) and one save in 10 relief appearances...averaged 9.0 strikeouts per 9.0 IP (18 SO)...
Baseball America rated his fastball as tied for best among White Sox 1999 draftees (with Rob Purvis and Jason Stumm)...limited
opponents to a .209 (19-91) combined average...struck out a season-high six over 3.0 IP in his final Bristol appearance on 8/27 at
Danville...made two relief appearances at Class A Burlington...also pitched in two postseason contests for the Bees, allowing two
earned runs in 3.2 IP (4.91 ERA)...was recommended/signed by Ken Stauffer and John Kazanas.
2002
Led the White Sox with 136 strikeouts and finished second in wins (14) and IP (196.1) in his second season...went 7-2 with a
3.90 ERA (26 ER/60.0 IP) over his final nine starts, including a career-high four-game winning streak to end the season...his nine-win
improvement from his rookie season (2001) tied Cleveland's Ryan Drese and Minnesota's Kyle Lohse for the most by an American League
pitcher...his 14 victories tied for third among AL pitchers age 24 and younger...went 9-4 with a 4.61 ERA (49 ER/95.2 IP) and 76
strikeouts in the second half, compared to 5-8 with a 5.72 ERA (64 ER/100.2 IP) and 60 strikeouts prior to the break...averaged 7.2
strikeouts and 2.9 walks (31 BB) per 9.0 IP after the break...Sox won 14 of his final 20 starts after going 5-8 in his first 13...opponents
batted .263...was 0-3 with a 5.82 ERA in June but rebounded with a 2-0 mark and a 3.62 ERA in July...was 11-7 with a 4.72 ERA (75
ER/143.0 IP) at night...11 wins tied for 13th in the AL...went 4-1 with a 3.41 ERA in September...was 7-6 at home and on the road...
home ERA (5.44) was the second-highest in the AL...averaged 5.82 runs in support (127 runs)...struck out six or more batters on eight
different occasions, including a career-high eight on 8/1 at Minnesota and 8/24 vs. Tampa Bay...made 18 quality starts...ranked among
the AL leaders in fielding percentage (T1st, 1.000), runs allowed (4th, 124), home runs allowed (T4th, 32), wild pitches (T5th, 10), walks
allowed (7th, 71), starts (T7th, 33) and extra-base hits (T7th, 77)...5.18 ERA was the fourth-highest in the AL...went 6.0 or more IP in 24
of 33 starts and 18 of last 22...has allowed one or no earned runs over at least 6.0 IP in eight of his 39 career starts, going 5-0 with a 0.80
ERA (5 ER/56.0 IP) in those starts...lasted just 2.2 IP on 6/28 vs. the Cubs, allowing eight runs, but the Sox rallied from an 8-0 deficit to
win, 13-9...deficit overcome was their largest since rallying from nine runs down on 7/5/98 at Boston...won on 5/21 at Boston (3 ER/6.1
IP)...tossed first career complete-game shutout on 5/16 vs. Texas, allowing five hits...defeated Cleveland and Seattle in consecutive
starts on 4/24-30 (3 ER/13.0 IP)...made his first career Opening Day roster.
2001
Made 13 appearances (12 starts) in his rookie season with the White Sox...went 5-3 with a 5.83 ERA (41 ER/63.1 IP) in 12 starts
and 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA (1 ER/3.0 IP) in one relief appearance...became the first Sox pitcher since Kip Wells in 1999 to win his first two
career starts...was one of four Sox prospects to make his major-league debut in 2001, joining left-hander Ken Vining (5/22 at Toronto),
outfielder Aaron Rowand (6/16 at St. Louis) and right-hander Josh Fogg (9/2 vs. Cleveland)...was one of five Sox prospects drafted in the
first three rounds since 1998 to reach the major leagues, joining Kip Wells (1st round, 1998), Rowand (S-1st, 1998), Fogg (3rd round, 1998)
and Matt Ginter (1st round, 1999)...was 4-1 with a 5.03 ERA at home and 1-2 with a 6.67 ERA on the road...Sox were 8-4 in his starts...
made three quality starts...received 7.9 runs in support...contract was purchased from Class AA Birmingham on 7/27...made major-
league debut in relief that night at Boston, allowing one run on one hit over 3.0 IP...yielded a solo home run to the first batter (Mike
Lansing) but retired nine of the next 10...recorded his first major-league win in first start on 8/1 at Kansas City (4 ER/5.0 IP)...allowed
just one hit over 6.1 scoreless IP in victory on 8/6 vs. Tampa Bay...carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning before yielding a one-out
double to Chris Gomez...went 7.2 IP on 8/11 at Seattle, allowing just one run on five hits...left with a 3-1 lead, but Seattle rallied in the
ninth for a 4-3 win...suffered first career loss on 8/17 vs. Oakland (4 ER/6.0 IP)...earned first career road win on 9/10 at Cleveland (1
ER/7.0 IP)...won three straight games from 9/5-27.
