Standing 6’4” and weighing in at 240 pounds, Lyle Mouton looked like he could form a fearsome one-two punch with Big Frank Thomas. Then, for a moment, he almost even hit like Thomas. And then he was gone.
Mouton was a 54th round selection out of LSU by the Royals in 1990, but didn’t sign. Fellow former White Sox pitcher Kelly Wunsch was also picked that round (and also didn’t sign). Shortstop (and future 14-year NBA Veteran) Vernell “Bimbo” Coles was selected by the Angels in that round too. Not bad for the 54th round of a draft.
Mouton did sign after being selected by the Yankees in the 5th round the following year. In April 1995 he was the player to be named later in the Jack McDowell trade which was made the previous December. In early June he was called to the Majors, taking the spot of the recently-retired John Kruk.
The 26-year old Mouton hit .188 (3 for 16) in 7 games before being sent back to Nashville, but he returned to the White Sox in late July and through the end of the season he hit .313/.372/.485 with 4 home runs. In total, he hit .302/.373/.475 with 5 longballs in his first taste of Major League action. He spent 1996 backing up Danny Tartabull and struggled early on before catching fire to hit .318/.373/.453 with 5 HR after June 1.
1997 was the opposite. Mouton started strong (.321/.359/.458 through 40 games) but finished in a lengthy slump (.207/.246/.261 in final 48 games). Along the way Mouton made a bit of Chicago history. On June 16, 1997 – the first ever regular season White Sox game against the Cubs, Mouton hit the only home run of the game, giving him the distinction of hitting the first Crosstown homer.
Lyle was off to Japan for 1998; his contract purchased shortly after the 1997 season by the Yakult Swallows, where he lasted until July. He then made stops in the Baltimore, Milwaukee, Florida, Detroit, Houston, Montreal, New York (for the Mets), Philadelphia and Cleveland organizations, playing 95 combined Major League games for the Orioles, Brewers & Marlins along the way.
We almost had a second Big Hurt. OK maybe not, but for a minute, if you squinted, it seemed possible. It’s fun to take a look back and think about what could have been. But Lyle Mouton will always have that first ever White Sox home run against the Cubs.