In 1997, I was announcing baseball for the Bakersfield Blaze, one of two San Francisco Giant affiliates in the California League.

Just 20 years old, Mike Caruso was playing shortstop for the other Giant affiliate, the San Jose Giants. In the field, he made a number of outstanding plays including one in which he threw out a runner with a jump toss to first from deep in the hole at shortstop. At the plate, he had outstanding bat control. With former teammate Brian Manning playing at moderate depth in right field, Caruso dunked one in front of him for a single. In his following at bat with Manning playing him shallow, Caruso lofted one over his head for a triple.

A trade at the end of July sent him to the White Sox with five other talented young minor leaguers including the aforementioned Manning.

The next season, still 20 years old, Mike Caruso was the starting shortstop for the White Sox and went on to bat .306.

» Dale Parsons is currently calling play-by-play for the University of California Riverside basketball team after five years of minor league baseball play-by-play.

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