Larry Himes

Lawrence Austin Himes (born October 7, 1940 in Riverside, California, United States) was a general manager for two Major League Baseball teams: the Chicago White Sox (from 1986 until 1990) and the Chicago Cubs (from 1991 until 1994). He is best known for trading for Sammy Sosa during each tenure. Prior to becoming a general manager, he was the California Angels scouting director from 1981 through 1986. During his nine-year playing career (1961–69), Himes was a catcher in minor league baseball, batting .249 in 725 games played.

Himes was hired by White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to succeed Ken "Hawk" Harrelson in 1986. Harrelson, a longtime broadcaster for the White Sox, had a tenure of just under a season, and Himes was charged with rebuilding the franchise.

Himes as a rookie general manager generated controversy among players. Himes established and enforced rules requiring socks be worn into the clubhouse, and banning the bringing of beer into the Sox clubhouse.

Outside the clubhouse, Himes built the White Sox farm system, drafting All-Stars Jack McDowell, Robin Ventura, Frank Thomas and Alex Fernandez in the first round in consecutive years (from 1987 until 1990). By late 1990, all four were integral parts of the White Sox.

Himes also traded one of the Sox franchise's most popular players, Harold Baines, in July 1989. With the White Sox so far out of the pennant race, Baines and second baseman Fred Manrique were sent to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Scott Fletcher, pitcher Wilson Alvarez and a 20-year-old player named Sammy Sosa. Baines' bat wasn't enough to lift the Rangers to an American League West title, and Fletcher and Sosa found starting jobs with the White Sox in 1990. Alvarez made his Major League debut in 1991, no-hitting the Baltimore Orioles in his first start. He later became a key member of the White Sox' staff. Sosa blossomed into a star several years later, causing then-Rangers managing partner George W. Bush to muse that his approval of the trade was one of the worst mistakes he ever made.

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