This Day In Sox History...January 12

[Lip Man 1]

January 12, 1982 - In the January phase of the amateur draft that no longer exists today, the White Sox unearthed the unlikeliest of success stories. 

John Cangelosi was selected with the No. 433 overall pick, befitting a 5´8´´ fireplug of a player. He played at Miami Dade College. Three years later, Cangelosi made his Major League debut in Chicago, and in 1986 he leapfrogged the more highly-touted Daryl Boston to make the Opening Day roster as Chicago’s center fielder and leadoff hitter. He swiped 39 bases by the All-Star break, but then was benched rather curiously by midseason manager replacement Jim Fregosi.

His best hitting game with the Sox came early in that same 1986 season when he banged out four hits in a 4-3 loss to Milwaukee at Comiskey Park on April 9.

Traded to Pittsburgh after the 1986 season, Cangelosi would play 11 more years in the big leagues, winning a World Series with the 1997 Florida Marlins. 

 

January 12, 2000 - Sox G.M. Ron Schueler made amends for some of his worst moves by shipping disgruntled pitcher Jamie Navarro to Milwaukee as part of a four-player deal.

In exchange he got long ball hitting shortstop Jose Valentin and pitcher Cal Eldred. Both would play a large part in the unexpected divisional championship in 2000. Eldred went 10-2 in 20 starts for the team that season before an elbow injury basically ended his White Sox career in July. Valentin played five years on the South Side averaging 120 hits, 27 home runs and 76 RBI's in those years and he was a Cub-killer.

One of the highlights in Jose's White Sox stint was a very rare accomplishment, a ‘natural’ cycle which took place against the Orioles on April 27, 2000. He singled in the first, doubled in the second, tripled in the third and homered in the eighth inning in a 13-4 win.

For the day he went 4 for 5 with five RBI’s and two runs scored.