Iván Calderón

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IvanCalderon.jpg

Iván Calderón Pérez
(Iván The Terrible)

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 1", Weight 220 lb.

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Biographical Information[edit]

“You’d look at Iván with all the jewelry and picture a guy who was flashy and wouldn’t work, but it was the complete opposite... He was a tough out, a middle-of-the-lineup guy who played the game right.” - Greg Walker, to the Chicago Tribune, December 29, 2003

Outfielder Iván Calderón played for four clubs over the course of a decade in the majors, hitting .272 with 104 home runs.

Originally signed by Seattle Mariners scout Luis Rosa in 1979, Calderón reached the big leagues with the club in 1984 and was a contender for Rookie of the Year honors the following season, hitting .286 with 8 homers before his year was cut short by a hand injury in early August. After losing his starting job, Calderón was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Scott Bradley in the middle of the 1986 campaign. He became the team's regular right fielder the next summer, hitting .293 with 28 homers and finishing third in the American League with 28 doubles. After being slowed in 1988 by injuries, he bounced back in 1989, leading the Sox with 14 home runs and finishing fourth in the AL with 9 triples. The next year, he was third in the league with 44 doubles and seventh with 32 stolen bases.

Following the 1990 season, Calderón was traded to the Montreal Expos for Tim Raines. He had perhaps his finest season in the majors in 1991, hitting .300 and stealing 31 bases while making the All-Star Game; he started the game in left field in place of the injured Darryl Strawberry. He was slowed by injuries again after that season. After a stint with the Boston Red Sox, he returned briefly to the White Sox, with whom he played his last major league game. In 924 games, he slashed .272/.333/.442 with 104 bombs and 470 runs scored. The most similar player to him, based on the similarity scores method, is David Murphy, although Iván had an OPS+ of 113, compared to Murphy's 103.

Calderon was shot multiple times in the back and killed in a bar in Puerto Rico in 2003. To this day, his murder remains unsolved.

Notable Achievements[edit]

  • NL All-Star (1991)
  • 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1987)

Further Reading[edit]

Related Sites[edit]