Tony Campana

[Brandon Glick]

Tony Campana spent four seasons in Major League Baseball, including two as a fourth outfielder on the Chicago Cubs.

After starring in college for the Cincinnati Bearcats, the Cubs selected Campana in the 13th round of the 2008 MLB Draft. He broke out in his third professional season for the Tennessee Smokies, slashing .319/.378/.384 with 39 RBI in 131 games in 2010. After gradually ascending the minor league ranks, he finally made his MLB debut for the Cubs on May 17, 2011.

Campana spent a mostly unremarkable two seasons on the North Side of Chicago, accruing a very Nick Madrigal-esque .262/.306/.300 slash line (yes, his OBP was actually higher than his slugging percentage) in 347 plate appearances across 184 games. Still, he was worth 1.9 bWAR thanks to his speed (54 steals in 59 attempts) and defense in the outfield, and a fair share of his appearances in a Cubs uniform came either as a late-game pinch-runner or defensive substitute out in center field.

At just 5'8" and 170 pounds, Campana simply didn't generate any power in his swing. He totaled just thirteen extra-base hits in his entire career. In fact, his only home run was an inside-the-park home run that required Cincinnati Reds left fielder Yonder Alonso to run into the protruding left field foul wall and laughably misplay a slap hit. He was Nick Madrigal with even less power but more speed — if you can imagine Ichiro Suzuki functioning on 10% of his power, that was Campana.

Still, the outfielder was an integral part of a few bad Cubs teams. He was the ninth-most valuable position player on the 2011 squad that won 71 games, and somehow the seventh-most valuable hitter on the 2012 team. He never hit enough in the majors to make up for his lack of power, but he fit the Billy Hamilton mold of a quality defender with blazing speed. Unfortunately, the Cubs weren't a contending squad at that point, so they had less need for a utility/gadget player who only filled a niche role for a team that would often be winning late in ballgames. Campana was designated for assignment prior to spring training in 2013.

After being DFA'd, Campana was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for right-handed pitchers Jesus Castillo and Erick Leal. He spent parts of two seasons there before continuing his career as a journeyman, playing stints in a myriad of organizations, including the Angels, White Sox (twice), and Nationals. The diminutive outfielder also spent time in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball and Mexican League. He played in the Ed Bailey league in recent years, and also spends time working with cancer patients after undergoing treatment as a child for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

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