Bill Melton, who passed recently, is one of the great players in White Sox history. If there were a White Sox Hall of Fame, he’d be a first ballot enshrinee.
Here’s a look back at Bill’s career:
*THE OVERVIEW: Melton was the first consistent power hitter in Sox history, which endeared him to generations of fans.
I did a rundown of Melton’s career on a recent Sox In The Basement podcast.
Here’s the link …
*HOME RUN HAPPY: A member of the Sox Team of the Century, the third baseman ended his Southside career as the franchise’s all-time leader with 154 home runs. … He supplanted Minnie Minoso as the Sox home run king with his 136th dinger off the Rangers’ Steve Foucault in the first game of a doubleheader on Aug. 4, 1974 at Comiskey Park. … It took Melton 827 games to equal Minoso’s total, which Minnie reached in 1,374 games. … Melton held the Sox home run record until he was surpassed by Harold Baines on July 22, 1987. Melton is currently ninth on the list … He was the first Sox player to hit 30 homers in a season (1970) and the first Sox player to lead the American League homers (1971). … Melton is the all-time leader with 88 White Sox home runs at Comiskey Park … Including his time with Cleveland and California, Melton hit 160 home runs. He left the game second to George “The Boomer” Scott’s 253 among Mississippians in homers. He currently ranks ninth.
*THE START: Gulfport, Miss., native was signed by the White Sox prior to the 1964 season by veteran scout Hollis “Sloppy” Thurston, who posted the franchise’s first “immaculate inning” on Aug. 23, 1929.
Melton was signed out of a weekend baseball league in California after he was kicked off the Citrus College team for smoking, according to his SABR biography.
Melton did not play baseball at Duarte High School in Los Angeles County.
*THE DEBUT: After four-plus seasons in the minors, Melton made his big league debut in the Sox 4-1 win over the Yankees on May 4, 1968 at Comiskey Park.
He delivered a sac fly RBI in his first big league appearance in giving the Sox a 2-0 lead. Melton joined Jerry McNertney (April 16, 1964) as the only Sox players with a sac fly RBI in his first MLB plate appearance. Gustavo Molina (April 2, 2007) has done it since then.
Later in the game, Melton collected his first big league hit — a single off Fred Talbot.
*PASSING OF THE TORCH: Melton made his MLB debut at third base.
The Sox starting first baseman that day was Pete Ward, who spent most of the 1960s as the Sox regular third baseman.
It was Ward whom Melton overtook as the Sox all-time leader in home runs by third basemen with his 66th blast while manning the hot corner on Aug. 20, 1971.
*FIRST BLAST: Melton’s first home run was a solo shot off Fritz Peterson on Sept. 11, 1968 at Yankee Stadium. … The first of Melton’s Sox-record 88 home runs at Comiskey Park came off Oakland’s Jim Nash six days later.
*SEATTLE SLUGGER: Melton served notice he would be a thumper in his first full big league season of 1969.
On June 24 of that campaign Bill belted home runs in three consecutive at bats in the Sox 7-6 win over the Pilots in Seattle. He was the only player to hit three homers in a game at Seattle’s Sick’s Stadium.
Melton is the only third baseman in Sox history with a three-homer game.
*DRAMA: Melton won the 1971 A.L. home run title with a little help from his manager.
Chuck Tanner hit Melton in the leadoff spot the final two days of the 1971 season just to get him a few more at bats. The strategy paid off as Melton hit three bombs in the final two games to claim the crown. Those, by the way, were the only two starts he made in the top spot in his career.
*HEY NOW …: Melton and Wilbur Wood represented the Sox at the iconic 1971 All-Star Game at Tiger Stadium.
It was Melton’s lone All-Stat appearance and one of three for the knuckleballing Wood.
Melton joins Jimmy Dykes (1933, 1934), George Kell (1954), Robin Ventura (1992) and Joe Crede as Sox All-Star third baseman.
*OUCH: Melton suffered a back injury in 1972 that was devastating to both his career and that renaissance team, which featured AL MVP Dick Allen.
“If Melton didn’t come up with a herniated disc in mid-season, he played just 60 games that year, I think that club would have gone onto the World Series,” White Sox GM Roland Hemond recalled years later.
*LEADER OF THE SOX: Melton led the Sox in homers in each season between 1968 and 1971. At the time he joined Zeke Bonura (1934-1937) and Carl Reynolds (1929-1931) as the only players to lead the Sox in homers at least three seasons in a row
*MR. HOT CORNER: Melton ended his Sox career second to Willie Kamm (1,160) with 869 games at third base. He currently ranks third behind Robin Ventura (1,221) and Kamm. … Melton left the Sox with a franchise-record 134 homers while playing third base. He currently second to Ventura (170). … Melton ranks third among Sox third baseman behind Ventura and Kamm in at bats, runs, hits, singles and RBI.
*BUTTING IN: Melton claimed ownership of the cigarette dangling from Dick Allen’s lip from the iconic Sports illustrated cover of June 12, 1972.
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Melton finally equalled his cigarette when appeared on a Sports Illustrated cover on March 12, 1973.
*FOR OPENERS … : Melton was the first White Sox third baseman to homer on Opening Day. His blast on April 7, 1971 helped the Sox prevail 6-5 in Oakland in the first game of the last scheduled doubleheader on Opening Day.
*MORE OPENING DAY: Melton is third in Sox history behind Kamm (9) and Ventura (8) with seven Opening Day starts at third base.
Melton slashed .320/.414/.520 with a homer and three RBI while hitting safely in six and reaching safely in each of his seven Sox openers.
*COVER BOY: Melton appeared with the great Nancy Faust and Wilbur Wood on one of the great magazine covers ever.
Nancy discusses it on the Sox In The Basement pod linked above.
*SLINGS AND ARROWS: Melton’s later years with the Sox were marked by frequent criticism from broadcaster Harry Caray.
The barbs took such a foothold that Melton’s family started getting booed at team functions. Melton revealed this on a SoxTalk podcast in 2017.
The situation got so dire, Melton requested a trade.
*THE DEPARTURE: Hemond dealt Melton to the Angels in a trade that netted the Sox Jim Spencer after the 1975 campaign.
Melton played two seasons with the Angels and two with Cleveland before calling it quits. Melton’s final at bat was a strikeout at Comiskey Park on Aug. 30, 1977 for Cleveland.
*THE BALLOT BOX: Melton finished 13th in the 1971 American League Most Valuable Player voting … He did not receive any votes in his first of eligibility for the Hall of Fane and was dropped from the ballot.
*POST PLAYING DAYS: After his MLB career ended, Melton …
*was a businessman and real estate broker
*served as a White Sox ambassador and part-time scout
*was Michael Jordan’s hitting coach as the NBA legend worked toward a baseball career in the winter between the 1993 and 1994 seasons
*worked extensively as a White Sox broadcaster. He was part of game broadcasts as well as serving as an analyst on pre- and post-game shows.
*Chuck Garfein did a wonderful podcast on Melton. Here’s the link …
*A GEM: Bill was a nice, friendly, gregarious man who had time for everyone.
The tributes from every precinct of Sox nation have been so genuine and heartfelt.
The best may have come from long-time Sox fan and retired Chicago Tribune sports writer Ed Sherman, who counted Melton as his first favorite player.
His public Facebook post is here …
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GRfSo4eM7/?
*CONNECTION: Melton was 0-for-4 with a run and an RBI batting fourth and playing right field in the first big league game I ever attended on Aug. 29, 1970 at Comiskey Park.
He scored the final tally in an eight-run sixth that gave the Sox the lead for good in a 13-9 win on a Saturday afternoon before 6,032 at 35th and Shields.
Here’s my blog on the impact that game had on me …
*PICTURE PERFECT: Bill was also an early hero of mine as this picture drawn by 6-year old me demonstrates …
