Similar to Nicky Lopez, recent White Sox acquisition Paul DeJong is a player I have researched in my role as graphics coordinator in the club’s scoreboard department.
Here is a sample of the information I have displayed on the scoreboard when DeJong visited Guaranteed Rate Field:
*Graduated from Antioch (IL) Community High School … Majored in biochemistry and pre-med while playing three seasons at Illinois State
*Only Albert Pujols (415) reached 100 Cardinal homers in fewer games than his 572
*Graduated Cum Laude from Antioch (IL) High School and was a member of the National Honor Roll in 2011
*Missouri Valley Conference home run leader at Illinois State in 2015 after starting his career as a walkon
*Tied Illinois State record with three homers in a game on March 31, 2015 at Eastern Illinois
*Set Cardinals record for shortstops with 30 homers in 2019
*Only Cardinals’ shortstop to post consecutive seasons of 19-or-more homers (2017-2019)
*First Cardinals’ shortstop to hit three homers in a game (July 24, 2019)
*Topps Futures Star Card notes his work with world-renowned scientist Dr. Lawrence Rocks on the study of heat effects on a baseball
Some additional nuggets …
*All-time leader among Illinois State products with 116 homers, 120 doubles, 344 RBI and 23 steals
*DeJong will be the first ISU product to play for the Sox since Neal Cotts in 2009
*He will join Cotts (2003-2009) and Clark Griffith (1901-1902) as the only ISU Redbirds to play for the Sox
*DeJong has worn No. 11 his entire MLB career. He will have to find another as 11 is retired for Hall-of-Fame shortstop Luis Aparicio (unless “Little Looie” gives DeJong permission to wear it as he did for fellow Venezuelan Omar Vizquel in 2010 and 2011)
*DeJong is the Cardinals’ career leader among shortstops with 115 homers
*DeJong owns four of the top five spots on the Cardinals single-season home run list for shortstops
Much of the reasoning behind why I used some of these nuggets on the scoreboard are described in my blog on Lopez (link) https://soxnerd.wordpress.com/2023/11/23/a-look-at-lopez-analyzing-naperville-nicky-soxnerd-style/
Here’s a Sox posting on the DeJong signing https://www.mlb.com/video/paul-dejong-on-joining-white-sox?affiliateId=mlbapp-ios_Team%20Home%20:%20More%20Videos_video-share