Casey Candaele
Encyclopedia
Casey Todd Candaele is a former Major League Baseball
player from 1986 to 1997 for the Montreal Expos
, Houston Astros
, and Cleveland Indians
. Candaele was known as a versatile utility player who could play many infield and outfield positions. His mother, Helen Callaghan St. Aubin
, played for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
, which was depicted in the movie A League of Their Own
, making them the only mother / son combination to have both played professional baseball.
was born in Lompoc, California
on January 12, 1961. After attending the University of Arizona
, where he played collegiate baseball for the Wildcats and was apart of the 1980 College World Series champion team, Candaele was signed by the Montreal Expos
on August 15, 1982, as an amateur free agent.
Candaele worked his way up through the Expos organization, splitting the 1983 season with the West Palm Beach Expos
of the Class A Florida State League
, where he batted .305 in 127 games, and played 5 games for the Memphis Chicks
of the Class AA Southern League
. He played the 1984 season with the Jacksonville Suns
, batting .273 in 132 games with the team. He played the next two seasons with the Class AAA Indianapolis Indians
of the American Association
, batting .259 in 302 games in 1985 and finishing the 1986 season with a .302 average in 119 games.
He made his major league debut for the Expos on June 5, 1986, pinch hitting for pitcher Dan Schatzeder
and striking out against Charles Hudson, in a game at Olympic Stadium
that the Expos lost by a score of 7–3 to the Philadelphia Phillies
. He finished the 1986 season with 24 hits in 104 bats, for a batting average of .231.
In 1987, his first full year in the major leagues, Candaele batted .272 for the season, hitting one home run and 23 RBI in 138 games. He struck out just 28 times in 495 plate appearances, while playing second base, shortstop, all three outfield positions, and first base. He came in fourth in balloting for the Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award in the National League
for the 1987 season, which was won by catcher Benito Santiago
of the San Diego Padres
. Candaele played the first half of the 1988 season with the Expos, batting .172 in 38 games, with 20 hits in 116 at bats. He played in 60 games for the Indianapolis Indians in 1988, batting .264 in 60 games.
The Expos traded Candaele on July 23, 1988, to the Houston Astros
in exchange for catcher Mark Bailey
. With the Astros that season, he played in 21 games, with his 5 hits in 31 at bats yielding a .161 batting average. He played in 17 games with the Tucson Toros
of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League
in the Astros organization, hitting for a .258 average. He played in 130 games for the Astros in 1990, hitting for a .286 average with 3 home runs. That season he also played in 7 games for the Toros, hitting for a .214 average. He played the entire 1991 season with the Astros, finishing the season with an average of .262, and having career highs with 151 games played and 4 home runs to go along with 7 triples, which placed him ninth in the National league in that category. His average dropped to .213 for the 1992 season, with Candaele playing in 135 games. Candaele split the 1993 season, playing 75 games with the Astros and hitting .240, with another 6 games played in Tucson, where he batted .296.
On October 4, 1993, he was granted free agency by the Astros, and he was signed on November 24 by the Cincinnati Reds
. He played the entire 1994 season with the Indianapolis Indians, by then the Reds' AAA affiliate, and hit for a .282 average in 131 games with the team.
He was released by the Reds on October 15, 1994 and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers
on February 1, 1995. He played for the Albuquerque Dukes
of the Pacific Coast League in the Dodgers organization, hitting .259 in 12 games.
The Dodgers released Candaele on April 26, 1995, and he was picked up as a free agent by the Cleveland Indians
on May 5. He played most of the 1995 season with the Buffalo Bisons
of the American Association, hitting for a .247 average in 97 games with the team. In 24 games for the Indians in 1996, he hit for a .250 average. His last major league season was in 1997, which he finished with a .308 average in 14 games. His final game was on July 13, 1997, against the Minnesota Twins
, in which Candaele came in the game in the seventh inning to replace Julio Franco
at second base, with his final at bat resulting in a fly out to left field in the ninth inning of a 12–5 win. He also played 79 games for the Bisons in the 1997 season, finishing with a .228 batting average. He played another three seasons shuffling around the minors, retiring after the 2000 season.
called Candaele the "Mighty Mite" for his aggressive play despite his diminutive size.
, whose PBS
documentary about the AAGPBL led to the creation of the 1992 film
A League of Their Own
directed by Penny Marshall
. His mother Helen Callaghan
, one of the best players in the league's history, won a batting title while collecting a .257 batting average and 354 stolen bases in her 388 game career over five seasons. Interestingly, Candaele's .250 career batting average was seven points lower than his mother's.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player from 1986 to 1997 for the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
, Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
, and Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
. Candaele was known as a versatile utility player who could play many infield and outfield positions. His mother, Helen Callaghan St. Aubin
Helen Callaghan
Helen Callaghan Candaele St. Aubin was a left-handed center fielder who appeared in five seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League , playing under the name Helen Callaghan.As a rookie with the Minneapolis Millerettes Callaghan hit a .287 average in 111...
, played for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...
, which was depicted in the movie A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
, making them the only mother / son combination to have both played professional baseball.
Baseball career
The 5' 9", 165 pounds (74.8 kg) switch hitterSwitch hitter
In baseball, a switch-hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed.-Baseball:Usually, right-handed batters hit better against left-handed pitchers and vice-versa. Most curveballs break away from batters hitting from the same side as the opposing pitcher. Such pitches are often...
was born in Lompoc, California
Lompoc, California
Lompoc is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The city was incorporated in 1888. The population was 42,434 at the 2010 census, up from 41,103 at the 2000 census....
on January 12, 1961. After attending the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, where he played collegiate baseball for the Wildcats and was apart of the 1980 College World Series champion team, Candaele was signed by the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
on August 15, 1982, as an amateur free agent.
Candaele worked his way up through the Expos organization, splitting the 1983 season with the West Palm Beach Expos
West Palm Beach Expos
The West Palm Beach Expos were a Florida State League minor league baseball team that existed from 1969 to 1997. Located in West Palm Beach, Florida, they were affiliated with the Montreal Expos and they played their home games at West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium. They were one of the longest...
of the Class A Florida State League
Florida State League
The Florida State League is a Class A-Advanced minor league baseball league operating in the state of Florida. They are one of three leagues currently operating in Class A-Advanced, the third highest of six classifications of minor leagues...
, where he batted .305 in 127 games, and played 5 games for the Memphis Chicks
Memphis Chicks
The Memphis Chicks were an American minor league baseball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Chicks were charter members of the Southern Association from 1901 until November 18, 1960, when the club folded and was transferred to Macon, Georgia for 1961.The Chicks suffered a...
of the Class AA Southern League
Southern League (baseball)
The Southern League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Southern United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The original league was formed in , and shut down in . A new league, the Southern Association, was formed in , consisting of twelve teams...
. He played the 1984 season with the Jacksonville Suns
Jacksonville Suns
The Jacksonville Suns are a minor league baseball team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The team is currently a member of the Southern League and is the class Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins Major League Baseball team...
, batting .273 in 132 games with the team. He played the next two seasons with the Class AAA Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians
The Indianapolis Indians are a minor league baseball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates major-league club. The Indians play at Victory Field, located in downtown Indianapolis...
of the American Association
American Association (20th century)
The American Association was a minor league baseball league at the Triple-A level of baseball in the United States from to and to . Together with the International League, it contested the Junior World Series which determined the championship team in minor league baseball, at least for the...
, batting .259 in 302 games in 1985 and finishing the 1986 season with a .302 average in 119 games.
He made his major league debut for the Expos on June 5, 1986, pinch hitting for pitcher Dan Schatzeder
Dan Schatzeder
Daniel Ernest Schatzeder is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the major leagues from - for nine different teams. Schatzeder played college baseball at the University of Denver...
and striking out against Charles Hudson, in a game at Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...
that the Expos lost by a score of 7–3 to the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. He finished the 1986 season with 24 hits in 104 bats, for a batting average of .231.
In 1987, his first full year in the major leagues, Candaele batted .272 for the season, hitting one home run and 23 RBI in 138 games. He struck out just 28 times in 495 plate appearances, while playing second base, shortstop, all three outfield positions, and first base. He came in fourth in balloting for the Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award in the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
for the 1987 season, which was won by catcher Benito Santiago
Benito Santiago
Benito Santiago Rivera is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player. He played for twenty seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from to , most notably for the San Diego Padres...
of the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
. Candaele played the first half of the 1988 season with the Expos, batting .172 in 38 games, with 20 hits in 116 at bats. He played in 60 games for the Indianapolis Indians in 1988, batting .264 in 60 games.
The Expos traded Candaele on July 23, 1988, to the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
in exchange for catcher Mark Bailey
Mark Bailey (baseball)
John Mark Bailey is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants.Bailey became a bullpen coach for the Astros in 2002.-Sources:...
. With the Astros that season, he played in 21 games, with his 5 hits in 31 at bats yielding a .161 batting average. He played in 17 games with the Tucson Toros
Tucson Toros
The Tucson Toros are a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. They are owned by Tucson Baseball, LLC with Jay Zucker as chairman of the board. Sean Smock is the team's general manager....
of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
in the Astros organization, hitting for a .258 average. He played in 130 games for the Astros in 1990, hitting for a .286 average with 3 home runs. That season he also played in 7 games for the Toros, hitting for a .214 average. He played the entire 1991 season with the Astros, finishing the season with an average of .262, and having career highs with 151 games played and 4 home runs to go along with 7 triples, which placed him ninth in the National league in that category. His average dropped to .213 for the 1992 season, with Candaele playing in 135 games. Candaele split the 1993 season, playing 75 games with the Astros and hitting .240, with another 6 games played in Tucson, where he batted .296.
On October 4, 1993, he was granted free agency by the Astros, and he was signed on November 24 by the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
. He played the entire 1994 season with the Indianapolis Indians, by then the Reds' AAA affiliate, and hit for a .282 average in 131 games with the team.
He was released by the Reds on October 15, 1994 and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
on February 1, 1995. He played for the Albuquerque Dukes
Albuquerque Dukes
The Albuquerque Dukes were a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.-History:The first Dukes team was formed in 1915 as part of the Class-D Rio Grande Association. The team finished in third place with a 32-25 record. Frank Huelman was the league leader in home runs,...
of the Pacific Coast League in the Dodgers organization, hitting .259 in 12 games.
The Dodgers released Candaele on April 26, 1995, and he was picked up as a free agent by the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
on May 5. He played most of the 1995 season with the Buffalo Bisons
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
of the American Association, hitting for a .247 average in 97 games with the team. In 24 games for the Indians in 1996, he hit for a .250 average. His last major league season was in 1997, which he finished with a .308 average in 14 games. His final game was on July 13, 1997, against the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, in which Candaele came in the game in the seventh inning to replace Julio Franco
Julio Franco
Julio César Robles Franco is a former Major League Baseball infielder and designated hitter. In , Franco was the oldest active player in the major leagues at the age of 49....
at second base, with his final at bat resulting in a fly out to left field in the ninth inning of a 12–5 win. He also played 79 games for the Bisons in the 1997 season, finishing with a .228 batting average. He played another three seasons shuffling around the minors, retiring after the 2000 season.
Nickname
Houston Astros Hall of Fame announcer Milo HamiltonMilo Hamilton
Leland Milo Hamilton is an American sportscaster, best known for calling play-by-play for seven different Major League Baseball teams since 1953...
called Candaele the "Mighty Mite" for his aggressive play despite his diminutive size.
Personal life
Casey's brother is filmmaker Kelly CandaeleKelly Candaele
Kelly Candaele is an American filmmaker and politician.He produced a PBS documentary in 1988 "A League Of Their Own" written by Kim Wilson and Kelly Candaele. The documentary is on the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League who his mother Helen Callaghan and aunt Marge Callaghan played...
, whose PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
documentary about the AAGPBL led to the creation of the 1992 film
1992 in film
The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
directed by Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...
. His mother Helen Callaghan
Helen Callaghan
Helen Callaghan Candaele St. Aubin was a left-handed center fielder who appeared in five seasons in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League , playing under the name Helen Callaghan.As a rookie with the Minneapolis Millerettes Callaghan hit a .287 average in 111...
, one of the best players in the league's history, won a batting title while collecting a .257 batting average and 354 stolen bases in her 388 game career over five seasons. Interestingly, Candaele's .250 career batting average was seven points lower than his mother's.