John Cangelosi is walking on the bubble again this spring, and this time it might pop.
Last spring was a dream come true for Cangelosi, the ultimate underdog, who came from nowhere to become the White Sox`s Opening-Day center-fielder. But the dream might be fleeting. Cangelosi is fighting to stay in the big leagues again, and like last year, the odds don`t look good.
”To be honest, he`s going to have to play very well to make the club,” manager Jim Fregosi said.
Cangelosi may ultimately get caught in a numbers` game. Fregosi intends to keep five outfielders. Definites include starters Harold Baines, Daryl Boston and Ivan Calderon, who is the odds-on favorite to open in left field. Fregosi probably will go with Reid Nichols and Jerry Hairston as reserves. Infielder Jerry Royster and catcher Carlton Fisk also can be used in the outfield.
It appears that Cangelosi might be the 25th man on a 24-man roster, and he naturally finds that kind of talk unsettling.
”I don`t even want to think about the possibility of being sent down,” said Cangelosi, who pinch-ran in the Sox`s 5-2 loss to Kansas City Wednesday. ”Last spring, I had nothing to lose. I was here for the meal money. I was the 100-to-1 shot. This year is different. I`ve got a year in the big leagues. I want to stay. I think my percentages of being here are good. I can do a lot of things for this club.”
Cangelosi represents the only basestealer on the Sox. He swiped 50 bases last year, setting an American League record for rookies. However, Fregosi doesn`t appear to have the luxury of keeping a player for pinch-running duties only.
Still, Cangelosi knows his speed is an asset.
”What if Jerry or Ron Hassey get a hit in the late innings? Who do they have to run for them?” Cangelosi asked. ”I can get a stolen base. I also can come in to play defense for someone in the late innings. If I can`t be a starter, I`m going to try to be the best utility outfielder there is.”
Cangelosi doesn`t care where he plays, as long as it`s in the big leagues. That was his attitude last year. Becoming a regular was a bonus.
He made the most of the opportunity early, when he became a favorite of Sox fans. However, he ran into rookie slumps during the second half and saw limited playing time behind Boston.
Still, he led the team with 71 walks, which, despite a .235 batting average, gave him a .349 on-base percentage, also tops on the Sox.
”I think I proved I could start at the major league level,” said Cangelosi, who started 117 games. ”If I played a full season, my stolen bases might go from 50 to 70 or 80, and my 70 walks turn into 100. I don`t think I did all that bad.”
He knows it could have been better. He was hitting .268 on June 22 before he went into a 0-for-31 tailspin. He never recovered, failing to hit over .200 during the last two months of the season.
”I ran into some rookie problems,” Cangelosi said. ”I think if I didn`t get into that 0-for-31, I would have been okay. Sometimes I found myself pressing too much. I was new to the league. It was my first year. I was trying to survive.”
He`s trying to survive again. He already knows the old adage. ”It`s easier to get there than to stay there,” he said.
Cangelosi hasn`t let the odds bother him in the past, and he won`t now. After all, with his size (”I`m really 5-8”), the odds always seem to be against him.
”Little guys always have to prove themselves,” he said. ”People are always judging them. But I can`t go out there thinking I have to prove myself. I go out there to work and try to win. I believe in myself. I think things will work out in the end.”
