John Cangelosi

John Anthony Cangelosi (born March 10, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York), is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1985–1990, 1992, and 1994–1999. He graduated from Miami Springs High School in Miami Springs, Florida.

Teams

Minor leagues

Cangelosi spent his minor league time with the Niagara Falls Sox, the Mexico City Red Devils, and the Buffalo Bisons.^[1]

Chicago White Sox 1985–1986

The 5'8" Cangelosi was the surprise of the White Sox' 1986 spring camp when he displaced Rudy Law and Daryl Boston to win the center field job. He stole 50 bases for the White Sox as a rookie in 1986, an American League rookie record at the time. On March 27, 1987, he was traded by the White Sox to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jim Winn.

Pittsburgh Pirates 1987–1990

Dealt to Pittsburgh in 1987, Cangelosi batted .275, mostly pinch hitting, and on September 15 he became the first Pirate in 21 years to steal home. He became the first hitter ever to face Randy Johnson on September 15, 1988.

Chicago White Sox/Milwaukee Brewers 1991

Cangelosi was a non-roster invitee to spring training for the Chicago White Sox in 1991. After a difficult decision (he batted over .400), he was one of the final cuts before the regular season. He was offered a minor league contract based on his impressive showing in spring training. On May 23, 1991, he was traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Milwaukee Brewers for Esteban Beltre.

Texas Rangers 1992

Cangelosi hit .247 in 85 games for the Rangers in 1992. He stole six bases, while being caught stealing five times.

New York Mets 1994

Signed with New York Mets as a free agent on November 17, 1993. John led the Mets in stolen bases with 5 in 1994. Cangelosi played 24 games in left field, 19 games in right field and 13 games in center field for the Mets in 1994. He was released by the club on July 8, 1994.

Houston Astros 1995–1996

Cangelosi stole 21 bases for the Astros in 1995, the most in his career since 1987 with the Pirates. He also stole 17 for the Astros in 1996.

Florida Marlins 1997–1998

On July 21, 1997, he became the first position player ever to pitch for the Florida Marlins.^[2] He was a member of the team that won the World Series in 1997.

Colorado Rockies 1999

He only played in 7 games for the Rockies. His only hit in 1999 was a double on September 17 against the Dodgers. It was John's last major league hit. His last game was on September 22, 1999 against the Diamondbacks.

Cangelosi Baseball

Cangelosi now operates the Cangelosi Baseball, located inside the Bo Jackson's Elite Sports Dome in Lockport, Illinois. The facility is state of the art with around 88,000 square feet (8,200 m²) under roof. There are two major league infields, a multi-purpose field, three lane sprint track, speed and agility area, and 8 batting cages along with 3 pitching mounds. Cangelosi and his business partners wanted to create a place for players in the Mid-West to come out and be able to train year round.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders

References

1. ↑ Bailey, Budd. This birthday in Buffalo sports history: John Cangelosi. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
2. ↑ "Marlins Provide Laughs For S.D. Padres". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1997-07-22. 

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Baseball Almanac