Jeff Calderone played two seasons, later coached for Croatia

-
Jeff Calderone 1990 Burlington Braves card
Jeff Calderone was 18 years removed from his last minor league pitch in 2008, but he was still throwing.

After his brief minor league career ended, Calderone found a baseball home for himself in Europe, playing in the Netherlands and later coaching in Croatia.

"It would not shock me a bit if I pitch some in this tournament," Calderone told The Prince George Citizen in December 2008 as his Croatian team won a spot in Canada's 2009 World Baseball Challenge. "I'm mid-80s (for speed), a slider guy, changeup. I fill the plate up with strikes, and I pitch inside."

Calderone's career in baseball began in 1989, signed by the Braves as an undrafted free agent out of his home state of Texas.

He played his first season between rookie Pulaski and single-A Sumter. Between them, he got 28 outings, with a 4.64 ERA. He also saved two games.

Calderone moved to single-A Burlington in 1990. In 46 relief outings there, he posted an ERA of 3.38 with three saves.

By then, he also had a nickname, "Psycho," as evidenced by his glove in his ProCards card. The nickname was for his intimidating nature on the mound, he told The Citizen.

Going into 1991, Calderone hoped to be promoted to AA Greenville, according to The Galveston Daily News. That February, he appeared in a hometown baseball tournament, signing autographs for fans.

"As ballplayers, we put back in the community what they give to us," Calderone told The Daily News at the event. "Signing autographs and doing fundraisers in the cities where we play encourages the fans to come out and brag, 'Hey, I've met him' to their friends.''

Calderone, though, didn't return for a third season. By 1992, he was in Europe playing Hoofdklasse Honkbal in the Netherlands. In 2000, according to Bullpen, he went 11-0. He continued playing there through 2005. He then played for the Croatian team and turned coach.
1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,489
Made the Majors: 746 - 50.1%
Never Made Majors: 743-49.9%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 325
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 192

Browse By:

-Player Name
-Player Team
-Date Featured

Players A to Z

Popular posts from this blog

Jermaine Swinton followed heart to decade-plus in pros

-
Image
Taken in the second round of the 1989 draft by the Astros, it took 16-yea-old New York City high schooler Jermaine Swinton until that September to sign, Newsday wrote . The delay in choosing between college and the pros meant he missed the 1989 season, first hitting the field in 1990. "I would have been happy either way," Swinton told Newsday in July 1990 of his decision. "But it turned out to be a good decision ... I just followed my heart to play pro ball." Swinton's pro career ended up spanning more than a decade . He spent more than half of that in independent ball. He topped out in the minors at high-A. Swinton's career began that year in 1989, taken by the Astros 42nd overall out of Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn. After his selection in 1989, his coach spoke to Newsday . "It didn't surprise me at all," Fort Hamilton coach Jim Apicella told Newsday . "He has good speed and some tremendous power." Swinton started for t...
Read more

Wally Heckel helped St. John's, made two pro seasons

-
Image
St. John's University was looking to advance in the 1988 Big East Tournament and Wally Heckel helped them do that, according to The Associated Press . Hitting against Seton Hall, Heckel picked up three hits, including a home run, helping his team to a 6-2 victory . Heckel's performance that year got the notice of scouts for the Blue Jays , the team taking him way down in the 65th round of the draft that year. Heckel instead stayed in school, but the Blue Jays didn't forget him. A year later, Heckel had improved his draft stock considerably, the Blue Jays taking him in the 12th round . Heckel is also credited by his full name, Walter Heckel. As a pro, though, Heckel couldn't show that same improvement. His professional career ended up consisting of just two seasons . Heckel's efforts at St. John's in 1988 earned him selection to that year's All-Tournament Team. In 1989, he also won First Team All-Conference honors . In summer of 1988, Heckel h...
Read more

Jimmy White showed patience, saw 7 pro seasons, made AA

-
Image
Astros farmhand Jimmy White assessed his progress in 1994 to his hometown Tampa Tribune . When he started four years earlier, he didn't know anything. He just went up and hit, he told The Tribune . "Now you look over how the pitcher pitched you last time. You go up there more prepared," he told The Tribune . "Things are a lot different. I'm more patient and confident." White made AA for the first time that season. In a career that spanned seven seasons , he didn't make it higher. White's career began in 1990, taken by the Astros in the sixth round of the draft out of Brandon High School in Florida. Ahead of the draft, The Tribune spoke to scouts to gauge his prospects. "He's an interesting project," one scout told The Tribune . "He reminds me of a young colt. He needs to grow and develop, but he has all the tools you like to see in a major-league prospect." White started with the Astros in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He...
Read more

Fionel Nieves struggled with control, saw 2 pro seasons

-
Image
In previewing the 1991 season, The Asheville Citizen-Times highlighted two of the team's pitchers as control pitchers, then two others, including Fionel Nieves , as having good fastballs. As it soon turned out, would soon show he was not the former .  Control issues would soon mean he would see only three starts. That season, his second as a pro , would also be his last. He topped out at single-A. Nieves' career began in 1990, signed by the Astros two years earlier as a free agent out of his native Dominican Republic . Nieves started with the Astros in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He got 10 outings, 7 starts. He went 2-3, with a 5.52 ERA in 31 innings.  Nieves then moved on to Asheville to start 1991. In his first start in mid-April, he threw three first-inning wild pitches and took the loss. He went 3.1 and gave up four earned in his second start. He then walked six and was pulled in the second inning in his third. By the end of April, Nieves had been sent back to ex...
Read more

Steve Boatman went from high school to two pro seasons

-
Image
Texas' Coppell High School lost the game and lost the pitcher The Fort Worth Star-Telegram described as the team's ace, Steve Boatman , then 13-2. Coppell's opponent Carroll High saw three players hit doubles in the 7-2 win, "but the biggest blow" came with a single lined off Boatman's foot, forcing him from the game and possibly braking his ankle, The Star-Telegram wrote . However serious the injury was, Boatman came back and soon turned pro. His pro career ultimately lasted two seasons. He played both in rookie ball. Coppell's career began in 1989, taken by the Astros in the 42nd round of the draft out of Coppell High. At Coppell, Boatman also played on the football team  in 1988. In May 1989 in baseball, Boatman gave up just one hit in a win.  Though drafted in 1989, Coppell didn't hit the field for the Astros until 1990, in the rookie Gulf Coast League . He got into 13 games, starting 10. He went 3-4, with a 3.12 ERA. He then returned tp the GCL...
Read more

Features from the 1990 minor league sets (By Date)

-
Image
What happened to your favorite minor league team in 1990? Find out here. Since late 2009, the players of 1990 have been featured at Greatest21Days.com, one at a time. Here, they've been ordered here by the date published, newest first.  Every player has a story. With the help of contemporaneous newspaper articles, find that story here. Most recent players added Dec. 1 ,  2024 Features in order of when the y appeared: February 2025  -  Doug Bair  did his job in major leagues over 15 seasons , 2/23/25  -  Nick Belmonte  played, managed, broadcast Florida games , 2/22/25  -  Mark Brewer  amassed coaching experience over long career , 2/21/25  -  Dan Shwam  had long independent league managerial career , 2/15/25  -  Jim Schifman  dreamed of pros, made it for eight games , 2/11/25  -  Steve Keighley  worked to hit over 4 seasons, made high-A , 2/9/25  -  Jim Doyle  helped Sal...
Read more

Scott Taylor was Winston-Salem's best catcher in 1990; He briefly made AAA, but not the bigs

-
Image
Winston-Salem superfan Mildred Reich, 86, who had hardly missed a game in 35 years, didn't get friendly with players, she told The Greensboro News and Record in July 1990. But she did send a card to Winston-Salem catcher Scott Taylor , she admitted to The News and Record , after he'd  broken his ankle in a brawl the previous week. "That was awful," Reich told The News and Record , after just giving her candid thoughts on umpires in general. "He was our best catcher, and the umpires simply let that situation get out of hand if you want to know what I think about it." That year marked Taylor's fourth season as a pro. He went on to play in two more. He briefly made AAA, but he never made the majors . Taylor's career began in 1987, taken by the Cubs in the 19th round of the draft out of Waukegan East High School in Illinois. At Waukegan, Taylor as a sophomore was part of a young team in 1985 that made it to the sectional title game. His coa...
Read more