Jeff Torborg was the perfect manager at the perfect time for the Chicago White Sox.
The Sox skipper from 1989 to 1991 passed away Sunday in Westfield, N.J. He was 83 years old.
The zenith of Torborg’s stint with the White Sox was the renaissance 1990 campaign. He molded a young core sprinkled with some with needed veterans and kept them in contention well into September.
That glorious season was the perfect storm: an exciting team with emerging stars and a legend in Carlton Fisk celebrating the life of Comiskey Park, which was in its final season.
The Sox went 94-68, a 25-game improvement from 1989, in finishing second to powerhouse Oakland in the American League West. That breakout performance earned Torborg the A.L. Manager of the Year Award.
In listening to his players, Torborg was more than a manager. He was a leader, a mentor, a friend, a father figure, a coach and more.
“I am heartbroken,” Ozzie Guillen posted on X. “My mentor and my friend has passed away. (He was) someone who truly understood me and gave me a chance to lead, to be a captain. So much of my way of managing and being in a clubhouse came from him.
“To his entire family, my deepest sympathy. Jeff, I will miss you.”
This clip from the documentary “Last Comiskey” pays tribute to the impact Torborg had on the franchise.
https://twitter.com/LastComiskey/status/1861601453200031878
Torborg was so well respected as Frank Thomas, Cheryl Raye Stout, Chuck Swirsky, Todd Frazier, Bob Nightengale, Howie Rose and others posted tributes on X and other platforms.
Perhaps Torborg’s most important qualities were his affability and his availability and they were connected.
Educated and articulate, Torborg was fantastic with the media. He had a presence on camera and was positive, enthusiastic, confident and direct.
His weekly Saturday spot on WGN Radio – THE CUBS’ FLAGSHIP – played an underrated role in increasing the footprint of that fun 1990 team and ultimately the franchise, which was coming out of a dark period both on and off the field.
Torborg was a tremendous front man for the organization during the delicate transition from old to new Comiskey Park.
Above everything else, he was a kind and engaging human being. In my circles we called him “Gentleman Jeff.”
I experienced this twice, once while interviewing him in 1991 for a scoreboard feature and once at Cooperstown where we had a spirited discussion on how he presented his Master’s thesis at Rutgers University. Torborg told me upon turning in the paper on platooning, his professor dropped it on his dais and said, “Defend it,” which he did successfully.
What a class act.
RIP, Jeff Torborg and thank you for your invaluable service to our White Sox.