Mike Caruso

Michael John Caruso

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 172 lb.
• High School M. Stoneman Douglas High School
• Debut March 31, 1998
• Final Game August 9, 2002
• Born May 27, 1977 in Queens, NY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Mike Caruso had a brief career in the major leagues. He hit .306 as a 21 year old, but only played parts of two more seasons.

Caruso was born in Queens and went to high school in Florida. He was a 2nd round draft pick by the San Francisco Giants in 1996. In Bellingham of the Northwest League that year, he posted pretty good numbers: .292/~.331/.359, earning All-Star honors at shortstop. In 1997, he was doing rather well at San Jose of the California League, hitting .333/~.390/.451, when he was included in the White Flag Trade by the Chicago White Sox. Eight players changed teams, including Keith Foulke, Bobby Howry, Caruso and A. Coupleofothers going to Chicago for veteran pitchers Wilson Alvarez, Danny Darwin and Roberto Hernández. Caruso was named the California League All-Star shortstop for his play there, finishing less impressively with 28 games for Winston-Salem of the Carolina League, where he hit .227/~.258/.286. The major leagues were now waiting.

The White Sox had used 33-year-old Ozzie Guillén at shortstop in '97, and he batted but .245/.275/.337. Never much of a hitter, Ozzie had been a premier defensive shortstop until his range factor fell off after injuries. Guillén was a free agent now, so the White Sox were looking for a new shortstop. In 1998, Caruso made the team out of spring training, even though he had never played above A ball. In 133 games with the White Sox, he hit .306/.331/.390 with 6 triples and 5 home runs and stole 22 bases in 28 attempts. In 1999, his batting line fell precipitously to .250/.280/.297, and he stole only 12 bases in 26 attempts. It was a time of big sluggers (Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were putting on their annual home run show) and Caruso was not a home run hitter or a player who drew many walks. His range, which had been above average in 1998, dipped in 1999 too.

The White Sox went with Jose Valentin at shortstop in 2000, the year they won the division with youngsters such as Carlos Lee, Paul Konerko, and Magglio Ordóñez, along with veteran Frank Thomas. Caruso, who was a year younger than Lee and Konerko and three years younger than Ordóñez, found himself in Triple A for the first time in his career. At Charlotte of the International League, he hit .246/.301/.314, with a batting average lower than what he put up in the two previous major league seasons. The White Sox waived him after the season, and he was picked up by the Seattle Mariners, who let him go a week later to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Rays sent him to Durham in the International League and his numbers improved to .292/~.335/.364. At this point, he was 24, no longer a young phenom compared to other players in the league. A free agent once more, in 2002 the Cincinnati Reds signed him. He played only 3 games for their Double A affiliate Chattanooga, getting 5 hits, when the Kansas City Royals tabbed him for their Triple A team in Omaha. He hit well, .306/.350/ .379, but when called up in late 2002, hit only .100 in his final 20 big league at-bats. Mike was out of professional baseball in 2003. In 2004, he played with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, hitting .299/.329/.343. In 2007, he began a comeback as a member of the South Georgia Peanuts in the independent South Coast League. Caruso batted .362 while primarily playing third base and batting third. He also played independent ball in 2008 and 2009, after which he hung up his spikes for good.

Notable Achievements

• 1998 Topps All-Star Rookie Team

Related Sites

• BR Minors page