Name: Ivan Calderon
Rank: 42
Position: RF/LF
Years With White Sox: 1986-1990, 1993
Acquired from the Mariners as the player to be named later from an earlier trade for Scott Bradley, Ivan Calderon joined the White Sox on July 1, 1986. After spending some time in Triple A Buffalo, Calderon was called up to the big leagues, appearing in 13 games and hitting .303.
Taking over as the every day right fielder in 1987, Calderon put up impressive offensive numbers. He hit .293 with a career high 28 home runs and .888 OPS. He made one of the defensive plays of the year on July 27 at Tiger Stadium. Playing left field, he jumped on top of the mini scoreboard at the bottom of the fence to rob Alan Trammel of a home run.
An injured shoulder cut short Calderon’s season in 1988, as he was placed on the disabled list on August 1 and missed the remainder of the year. Appearing in only 73 games, he managed to hit only 14 home runs while his average dropped to .212.
A healthy Calderon returned in 1989, but the shoulder injury seemed to have sapped him of much of his power. He appeared in 157 games and totaled 622 at bats, but managed to only hit 14 home runs, equaling his total from the injury shortened season the year before and falling well below his career high in 1987. 1990 was more of the same, with the third straight season of 14 home runs, but he did manage a career high 44 doubles.
Following the season, he was traded, along with Barry Jones, to the Expos for future Hall of Famer Tim Raines, Jeff Carter, and a player to be named later. He returned to the White Sox on August 31, 1993 as a free agent. He appeared in only 9 games over the final month of the season, hitting an anemic .115 no home runs and 3 RBIs. He was left off the playoff roster and, after the season came to an end, he decided to retire at the age of 31.
Sadly, 10 years later, on December 27, 2003, he was murdered in a bar in his native Puerto Rico.
Calderon’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
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