Mike Nickeas
| Mike Nickeas | |
|---|---|
 Nickeas with the Buffalo Bisons in 2013 | |
| Toronto Blue Jays | |
| Catcher | |
|
Born: February 13, 1983 Vancouver, British Columbia | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 4, 2010 for the New York Mets | |
| Career statistics (through 2013 season) | |
| Batting average | .180 |
| Home runs | 2 |
| Runs batted in | 19 |
| Teams | |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | ||
Competitor for  United States
| ||
| Pan American Games | ||
| Silver | Santo Domingo 2003 | Team |
Michael James Nickeas (born February 13, 1983) is a Canadian professional baseball catcher in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Nickeas previously played in parts of 3 seasons with the New York Mets.
Early years
Nickeas was born in Vancouver, while his father played for the Vancouver Whitecaps of the NASL. His father, Mark, is from England, and his mother is American. He grew up in California and graduated from Westlake High School in Westlake Village, California. Nickeas led his high school team to the Mamonte League Championship in 2000 and 2001 and was the MVP his senior year of high school in 2001.[1]
College career
Nickeas played three years for the Georgia Tech baseball team. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 5th round of the 2004 draft. He played for the USA youth team, junior national team and the USA National team, becoming only the second player in USA baseball history to play on 3 teams.[citation needed] In 2007 he switched his allegiance to Great Britain and played for the team in the 2007 European Baseball Championship. He was voted to the tournament's all-star team as the British team finished as silver medalists.
Professional career
Texas Rangers
Nickeas started his pro career with the Spokane Indians of the Northwest League. He batted .288 with 10 HRs and 55 RBIs for Spokane. In 2005, he played for the Rangers' Double-A affiliate, Frisco RoughRiders. He batted for a .202 average with five home runs and 24 runs-batted-in in 68 games, but Baseball America named Nickeas the best defensive catcher in the Rangers minor league system.
New York Mets
On August 30, 2006, he was traded to the New York Mets for outfielder Víctor Díaz. In 2007 he split time between the "High A" St. Lucie Mets and Double-A Binghamton Mets and in 2008, he split time between Binghamton and the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs.
Nickeas earned his first promotion to the major leagues on September 2, 2010.[2] He made his major league debut the same day on Jenrry Mejía's first major league start on September 4, 2010 as he was the Mets catcher against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. On September 29, he got his first two major league hits against the Milwaukee Brewers. He hit his first major league home run April 21, 2011, off Houston Astros pitcher J.A. Happ.
On May 1, 2011 he was sent down to the minors as Ronny Paulino came up to the Mets.
For the beginning of the 2012 Mets season, Nickeas played as a backup catcher for Josh Thole. On May 26, 2012, Nickeas hit a grand slam at Citi Field, scoring Ike Davis, Vinny Rottino, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis. On July 25, Nickeas was once again sent down to the minors as Rob Johnson came up to the Mets. He was recalled on September 1 due to rosters expanding.
On November 9, Nickeas signed a minor league deal with the Mets with an invitation to spring training. He had elected free agency after being outrighted off the 40-man roster.[3]
Toronto Blue Jays
On December 17, 2012, the Mets traded Nickeas, R.A. Dickey, and Josh Thole to the Toronto Blue Jays for Travis d'Arnaud, Noah Syndergaard, John Buck, and Wuilmer Becerra.[4] For the fifth straight season, Nickeas has been assigned to the Buffalo Bisons, formerly the Mets, and now the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate.[5] On August 8, 2013, it was reported that Nickeas has been hit with a pitch, resulting in a non-displaced hairline fracture on his forearm.[6] Up to his injury, Nickeas had played 49 games for the Bisons, and batted just .166 with 1 home run and 11 RBI. His contract was selected by the Blue Jays on September 3 after the Bisons season ended, and the major league rosters expanded.[7] Nickeas made only one appearance with the Blue Jays in 2013, coming in as a defensive replacement against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on September 10. He did not make a plate appearance. Nickeas was outrighted to the Buffalo Bisons on October 4.
References
- ↑ "Mike Nickeas Bio". Mets.com. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
- ↑ Martino, Andy (September 3, 2010). "Mike Nickeas finally reaches the major leagues as September call-up catcher for New York Mets". Daily News (New York).
- ↑ McCullough, Andy (November 9, 2012). "Mets backup catcher Mike Nickeas agrees to minor-league deal". The Star-Ledger.
- ↑ "Dickey trade to Blue Jays official". foxsports.com. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ↑ "Bisons start with experienced roster". The Buffalo News. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
- ↑ "Buffalo Bisons Banter: Bisons grab lead of wild-card, Mike Nickeas fractures arm". BlueBirdBanter.com. August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
- ↑ Lott, John (September 2, 2013). "Blue Jays call up Ricky Romero, Kyle Drabek and three others for September". National Post. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
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