GLENDALE, Ariz. -- When Paul Konerko joined the White Sox for the 1999 season as a 23-year-old, he was thrown into a clubhouse full of young players who, like him, were still learning how to succeed in the major leagues.
The White Sox had the youngest group of position players in the American League in 1999 (average age: 25.9 years old) and the second youngest pitching staff (26.4 years old). Only two regulars were over the age of 30 -- a 31-year-old Frank Thomas and a 32-year-old Jaime Navarro -- so for the most part, that team's growing pains were a shared experience.