Since leading Catalina High School to its first state championship in 44 years in 2011, Nicco Blank has been on his own personal baseball road show.
Success will do that for you.
After pit stops in Coolidge, Tennessee and New York, the diminutive right-hander is working his way up the New York Mets’ organizational ladder in South Carolina. Blank’s 2016 minor league season is off to a solid start for the Columbia Fireflies, with a 2.45 ERA and eight strikeouts in six relief appearances for the Mets’ Single-A affiliate.
Here’s a glance at a handful of the 40 former local stars who, like Blank, are working their way to the majors.
HELLO, NEWMAN
Here’s the least surprising news of the young 2016 season: Kevin Newman is raking. The two-time Arizona Wildcats All-American ranks third in the Florida State League with a .361 batting average. He’s playing shortstop for the Bradenton Marauders, the High-A ball club in the Pirates farm system. Newman hit over .300 in each of his three UA seasons and won a pair of Cape Cod League batting titles.
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DEALIN’ McCOY SIDELINED
Pat McCoy’s journey back to the majors was derailed — at least temporarily — last week when the Buffalo Bisons placed him on the 7-day disabled list. The 2007 Sahuaro High grad was pitching well for the Blue Jays’ Triple-A club, posting a 1.42 ERA in seven appearances. McCoy, a 6-foot-4-inch lefty, got a taste of the majors in 2014 in two separate call-ups to the Detroit Tigers.
DANDY BANDY
Oops. The Reno Aces intentionally walked a batter Saturday night in order to pitch to ex-UA standout and Salt Lake Bees catcher Jett Bandy late in a tie game. Bandy promptly roped a double into the left field corner for the go-ahead runs in a 5-3 win. Bandy, who made his major-league debut with the parent Angels last year, has thrown out 11 of 20 base runners this year in Triple-A.
BATS MISSING A BAT
The first 22 games of Seth Mejias-Brean’s Triple-A career have been, in a word, forgettable. The Cienega High product and UA 2012 World Series champion is batting .162 with one extra-base hit for the Louisville Bats in the Reds’ system. His former UA teammate, Steve Selsky, is having a better time with the Bats; he has five multi-hit games in his last 11.
STOFFEL SEEKS STABILITY
Jason Stoffel’s name is still littered throughout the UA record book as the Wildcats’ all-time leader in saves (29) and games pitched (99), but his time as a pro has been less steady since being drafted in 2009. He started the year in Triple-A in Baltimore’s farm system — his third franchise in six years — but was quickly sent to the Double-A Bowie Baysox. Stoffel, a hard-throwing righty, has six saves in seven opportunities but has allowed a run in four of his last five outings.
