White Sox: The Mount Rushmore of utility players
So far we’ve put 44 players’ faces on the side of a Mount Rushmore for their position with the Chicago White Sox. The series wraps up with the four best players who may not have had just one position, but were contributors from various spots.
We salute the utility men. Most of the players on the list below were regulars at one spot or another, but we were looking to combine some longevity with the franchise with versatility.
There were 25 players who met the qualifying standard for consideration, which were slightly different from the other positions. A player needed to have 1,500 plate appearances with the White Sox while also logging at least 50 games at a minimum of three different positions.
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Here are the qualifiers and their positions:
- Alan Bannister, SS-LF-2B (1976-80)
- Bill Barrett, RF-LF-SS-2B (1923-29)
- Ken Berry, CF-LF-RF (1962-70)
- Ping Bodie, CF-LF-RF (1911-14)
- Ivan Calderon, RF-LF-DH (1986-90, 1993)
- Jimmy Callahan, LF-3B-P (1901-05, 1911-13)
- Shano Collins, RF-1B-CF-LF (1910-20)
- Jimmy Dykes, 3B-2B-1B (1933-39)
- Scott Fletcher, 2B-SS-3B (1983-85, 1989-91)
- Leury Garcia, CF-RF-LF (2013-20)
- Jerry Hairston, LF-DH-RF (1973-77, 1981-89)
- Ralph Hodgin, LF-3B-RF (1943-44, 1946-48)
- Bob Kennedy, 3B-LF-RF (1939-42, 1946-48, 1955-56, 1957)
- Ron Kittle, LF-1B-DH (1982-86, 1989-90, 1991)
- Steve Lyons, 3B-1B-2B (1986-90)
- Carlos May, LF-1B-DH (1968-76)
- Tommy McCraw, 1B-LF-RF-CF (1963-70)
- Alex Metzler, CF-LF-RF (1927-30)
- Cass Michaels, 3B-SS-2B (1943-50, 1954)
- Jorge Orta, 2B-DH-LF (1972-79)
- Dan Pasqua, LF-RF-1B (1988-94)
- Dave Philley, CF-RF-LF-1B (1941, 1946-51, 1956-57)
- Jim Rivera, CF-RF-LF (1952-61)
- Al Smith, LF-RF-3B (1958-62)
- Juan Uribe, SS-2B-3B (2004-08)
Mount Rushmore of White Sox utility players: Ivan Calderon
Ivan Calderon played at least 50 games at both corner outfield spots as well as the designated hitter during parts of six seasons with the Chicago White Sox. He also played some first base along the way.
The White Sox got Calderon as the player to be named later in a June 1986 deal that sent Scott Bradley to the Seattle Mariners. Calderon came to Chicago four days later on July 1, 1986.
He played more for the Sox Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo than he did with the big club, but in 1987 emerged as a regular in right field, hitting .293 with a career-best 28 home runs.
In December 1990, the White Sox traded Calderon to the Montreal Expos what would be a five-player trade, with future Hall of Famer Tim Raines the big piece coming back.
In August 1993, Calderon, released two weeks earlier by the Boston Red Sox, returned to the White Sox and played nine games at DH over the final month as Chicago won the AL West. He was left off the postseason roster and became a free agent at season’s end.
Calderon retired to Puerto Rico, where he got involved in cock fighting and worked as an informal bondsman. It was the latter pastime that likely contributed to his murder in December 2003 near his home. The case has never been solved, but it was initially believed Calderon had been killed by a man to whom he loaned money for bail. He was just 41 years old at the time.
With the White Sox, Calderon hit .273 with a .783 OPS in 554 games and 2,313 plate appearances, with 134 doubles, 70 home runs and 284 RBI. He scored 305 runs and stole 53 bases.
In 1990, Calderon became just the second player in MLB history to pull off an odd statistical combination, recording at least 30 stolen bases while grounding into at least 25 double plays. It’s been done just one more time since, by Brandon Phillips of the Cincinnati Reds in 2007.
Mount Rushmore of White Sox utility players: Carlos May
Carlos May could flat out rake, but he was a man without a position during much of his time with the Chicago White Sox because he had difficulty fielding.
In 644 games in left field, May committed 18 errors. The White Sox also gave him a look at first base, but in just 207 games, May had 27 errors. There was no designated hitter rule early in his career, though he did take advantage of it when it arrived in 1973.
The White Sox took May with the 18th overall pick in the first round of the 1966 draft as a high school player from Birmingham, Alabama. He got a cup of coffee with the White Sox in 1968, playing 17 games after rosters expanded, and was an All-Star in his official rookie season of 1969.
May was injured in August of that season and missed the remainder of the season. While serving his two weeks of active duty in the Marine Corps Reserve, May lost the top of his right thumb in an accident while cleaning a mortar tube. Despite being limited to 100 games, May still finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting.
He didn’t miss a beat at the plate and was an All-Star for the second time in 1972 and posted career highs of 20 homers and 96 RBI as Chicago’s primary DH in 1973.
In May 1976, May was traded to the New York Yankees, with left-hander Ken Brett coming back to Chicago along with journeyman outfielder Rich Coggins.
He also played with the California Angels but after the 1977 season, May signed to play with the Nankai Hawks in Japan, where he spent four seasons.
In parts of nine seasons with the White Sox, May hit .275 with a .758 OPS in 1,002 games and 4,164 plate appearances. He had 143 doubles, 85 homers and drove in 479 runs. He scored 486 times.
Mount Rushmore of White Sox utility players: Alex Metzler
For a brief time in the late 1920s, Alex Metzler gave the Chicago White Sox some pop in the batting order while filling in anywhere in the outfield the club needed that day. A regular for just three seasons, Metzler did the bulk of the work in center field in 1927, moved over to left field in 1928 and bounced between the two in 1929, while also spending considerable time in right.
The White Sox purchased Metzler’s contract from Wichita Falls in the Texas League early in the 1927 season and he surpassed expectations by hitting .319 with an .826 OPS with 29 doubles and 11 triples in 134 games.
The 5-foot-9 outfielder had a solid 1928 as well, topping the .300 and .800 marks again with 14 triples and 18 doubles. He slipped to .275 in 1929 and then, at age 27, his production cratered in 1930. Hitting just .177 as a part-time player, his contract was sold to the St. Louis Browns in July.
After the season, the Browns traded Metzler to Milwaukee of the American Association and he played five more years in the minors before retiring.
Metzler had originally signed with the Chicago Cubs and briefly appeared for them in 1925 before he was sold to Wichita Falls. The Philadelphia Athletics acquired him in a trade from Wichita Falls in August 1926, but returned him to the minor-league club in April 1927.
In parts of four seasons with the White Sox, Metzler hit .293 with a .782 OPS in 475 games and 1,944 plate appearances. He hit eight homers with 170 RBI and scored 250 runs, adding 74 doubles and 38 triples.
Mount Rushmore of White Sox utility players: Al Smith
During his time with the Chicago White Sox, Al Smith played every outfield position and was a semi-regular at third base at the same time. The White Sox got Smith along with Early Wynn from the Cleveland Indians in December 1957, with fan favorite and franchise icon Minnie Minoso going the other way.
Smith helped the White Sox win the American League pennant in 1959, slugging 17 home runs, and hit .250 in the World Series. In 1960, Smith hit a career-high .315 and was named to both All-Star games that season.
In 1961, he had his best power numbers, belting 28 homers with 93 RBI.
Arriving in a big-name trade, Smith left Chicago the same way, going with Luis Aparicio to the Baltimore Orioles in January 1963 for four players, including Hoyt Wilhelm.
In five seasons with the White Sox, Smith hit .276 with a .789 OPS in 699 games and 2,843 plate appearances. He hit 85 homers, drove in 360 runs and scored 356.
He signed as a free agent with the Indians in July 1948, signed from the Cleveland Buckeyes of the Negro American League along with pitcher Sam Jones. He debuted with the Indians in July 1953 and was an All-Star in 1955, leading the league with 123 runs scored while earning an All-Star berth.
Smith went back to Cleveland in a December 1963 trade. He was released in August 1964 and signed with the Boston Red Sox, who cut him loose in October.
After he retired from baseball, Smith managed the city of Chicago park district baseball program until 1981. He also was supervisor of recreation at Ogden Park on the South Side and a part-time community relations rep for the White Sox.
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Smith died after a heart attack in January 2002 at the age of 73.