When the Chicago White Sox acquired outfielder Jermaine Dye before the 2005 season, my immediate thought was that this was a great pick-up for the team. The acquisition received very little media attention or fanfare, even in the Chicago market however. Dye was just coming off a serious leg injury and had a subpar year in 2004, and many baseball insiders wrote him off, saying his career was done. But the Sox desperately needed a right fielder when Magglio Ordonez left for greener pastures in Detroit.
The move proved to be one of the best the Sox made that season – and they made several good ones. JD, as fans like to call him, was the MVP of the 2005 World Series, and went on to have one of his best seasons as a pro in 2006. He led the Sox in batting average (.315), home runs (44) and RBI (120). The rest of the league also took notice. Dye was selected as the American League Players Choice Winner by fellow baseball players, an award comparable to the MVP. Even if Dye is not selected as the AL MVP which is chosen by the baseball writers, he’s still number one to his peers and Chicago fans.
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