Arizona
Tracking former Southern Arizona & Arizona Wildcats baseball players in pros (7/13) | ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com
NOTE: This is a compilation of stats involving players from Southern Arizona and the Arizona Wildcats’ program in MLB-sanctioned leagues (MLB and minor leagues). The list does not include players in foreign leagues or independent leagues in the US.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS (LAST 14 DAYS)
Friday, July 12
Kobe Kato – Assigned to ACL Mariners (Rk) (Seattle Mariners)
Kobe Kato – Signed to minor league contract (Seattle Mariners)
Wednesday, July 10
Matthew Dyer- IL-60 Injured (undisclosed) (Tampa Bay Rays)
Wednesday, July 3
Matthew Dyer- IL-7 Injured (undisclosed) (Tampa Bay Rays)
Sunday, June 30
Tylor Megill – Assigned to Syracuse Mets (AAA) (New York Mets)
Former Arizona second baseman Kobe Kato — who was playing independent baseball for York (Pa.) of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Clubs — was signed Friday to a minor-league contract by the Seattle Mariners and was assigned the Mariners’ Arizona Complex League for rookies in Phoenix, it was announced today by club officials.
The Hawaii native signed with York before the start of spring training after beginning his third pro season in the Houston Astros organization at Double-A Corpus Christi. The left-handed hitter was originally a 13th-round draft pick of the Astros in 2021 following a standout career at Arizona.
Kato 25, batted .255 with seven home runs, 14 doubles, two triples, and 27 RBIs in 64 games with York this season. He ranked fourth in the league with 46 walks contributing to a .385 on-base percentage. He was also among league leaders in stolen bases, going a franchise-record 27 consecutive stolen base attempts without being caught.
He had an early-season 21-game on-base streak and he reached safely in each of his final 32 home games at WellSpan Park while batting .339 with a .497 on-base percentage on that stretch.
Defensively, Kato posted a .974 fielding percentage in 64 starts at second base.
LOCAL BASEBALL PLAYERS IN THE PROS
Listing of local baseball players either from high school or Arizona currently playing in pro baseball.
*Barraza, Sahuarita graduate
*Romero, CDO graduate
*Salazar, Sahuaro graduate
| Player | Pos | Sch | Yrs | Team | Lvl | Org |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nate Baez | 1B | IRHS | 16-19 | Cedar Rapids | A+ | MIN |
| Christopher Barraza | P | UA* | 21-23 | Inland Empire | A | LAA |
| Branden Boissiere | 1B | UA | 19-21 | Wilmington | A+ | WAS |
| Tony Bullard | 3B | UA | 20-23 | Beloit | A+ | MIA |
| Alex Bustamante | P | CDO | 16-18 | Tampa | A | NYY |
| Demetrio Crisantes | SS | Nogales | 19-22 | Visalia | A | ARI |
| Bobby Dalbec | 1B | UA | 14-16 | Boston | AAA | BOS |
| Chase Davis | OF | UA | 21-23 | Palm Beach | A | STL |
| Jose Dicochea | P | Sahuarita | 16-19 | Stockton | A | OAK |
| Matthew Dyer | C | UA | 19-20 | Montgomery | AA | TB |
| German Fajardo | P | Nogales | 16-19 | Modesto | A | SEA |
| Michael Flynn | P | UA | 16-18 | Oklahoma City | AAA | LAD |
| Matt Fraizer | OF | UA | 17-19 | Indianapolis | AAA | PIT |
| Kevin Ginkel | P | UA | 16 | Arizona | MLB | ARI |
| Nick Gonzales | INF | Cienega | 14-17 | Pittsburgh | MLB | PIT |
| Darick Hall | 1B | Buena | 11-13 | Lehigh Valley | AAA | PHI |
| Garrett Irvin | P | UA | 20-22 | Lansing | A+ | OAK |
| Kobe Kato | 2B | UA | 19-21 | ACL Mariners | RK | SEA |
| Scott Kingery | 2B | UA | 13-15 | Lehigh Valley | AAA | PHI |
| Randy Labaut | P | UA | 17-19 | Columbus | AAA | CLE |
| Gil Luna | P | UA | 18-21 | Birmingham | AA | CHW |
| Nik McClaughry | 2B | UA | 20-23 | Fort Wayne | A+ | SD |
| Tylor Megill | P | UA | 17-19 | NY Mets | AAA | NYM |
| Ian Mejia | P | Sahuarita | 16-19 | Mississippi | AA | ATL |
| Andrew Nardi | P | UA | 19 | Miami | MLB | MIA |
| Kevin Newman | SS | UA | 13-15 | Arizona | MLB | ARI |
| Jared Oliva | OF | UA | 15-17 | Arkansas | AA | SEA |
| Tanner O’Tremba | OF | UA | 21-22 | Eugene | A+ | SF |
| Spencer Packard | OF | CDO | 13-16 | Tacoma | AAA | SEA |
| Rob Refsnyder | OF | UA | 10-12 | Boston | MLB | BOS |
| Alfonso Rivas | 1B | UA | 16-18 | Memphis | AAA | STL |
| Kiko Romero | 1B | UA* | 23 | Hudson Valley | A+ | NYY |
| Milo Rushford | CF | WGHS | 19-22 | ACL Royals | RK | KC |
| César Salazar | C | UA* | 16-18 | Houston | MLB | HOU |
| Chase Silseth | P | UA | 21 | Salt Lake | AAA | LAA |
| Austin Smith | P | UA | 21 | Mississippi | AA | ATL |
| Kevin Stevens | P | Cienega | 13-16 | Somerset | AA | NYY |
| Cal Stevenson | OF | UA | 17-18 | Lehigh Valley | AAA | PHI |
| Daniel Susac | C | UA | 21-22 | Midland | AA | OAK |
| Alex Verdugo | OF | Sahuaro | 11-14 | NY Yankees | MLB | NYY |
| Avery Weems | P | UA | 18-19 | Frisco | AA | TEX |
| Austin Wells | C | UA | 19-20 | NY Yankees | MLB | NYY |
| Donta’ Williams | OF | UA | 18-21 | Bowie | AA | BAL |
LOCAL BATTERS IN THE PROS
Through games of July 12
*Injuries
Boissiere (60-day/arm)
Oliva (7-day/leg)
Dyer (60-day/undisclosed)
| Player | Team | Lvl | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baez | MIN | A+ | 51 | 166 | 28 | 42 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 24 | 0 | .253 |
| *Boissiere | WAS | A+ | 33 | 112 | 11 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 0 | .214 |
| Bullard | MIA | A+ | 27 | 88 | 8 | 26 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 3 | .295 |
| Crisantes | ARI | A | 21 | 84 | 20 | 35 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 6 | .417 |
| Dalbec | BOS | AAA | 41 | 162 | 28 | 42 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 37 | 5 | .259 |
| Davis | STL | A | 66 | 231 | 33 | 51 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 41 | 5 | .221 |
| *Dyer | TB | AA | 39 | 118 | 17 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | .212 |
| Fraizer | PIT | AAA | 37 | 118 | 18 | 31 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 4 | .263 |
| Gonzales | PIT | MLB | 55 | 206 | 25 | 56 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 33 | 3 | .272 |
| Hall | PHI | AAA | 66 | 257 | 28 | 63 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 42 | 1 | .245 |
| Kato | SEA | RK | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Kingery | PHI | AAA | 75 | 266 | 44 | 67 | 8 | 2 | 17 | 45 | 15 | .251 |
| McClaughry | SD | A+ | 55 | 165 | 20 | 28 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 4 | .170 |
| Newman | ARI | MLB | 68 | 191 | 28 | 54 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 3 | .283 |
| O’Tremba | SF | A+ | 52 | 170 | 32 | 35 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 24 | 10 | .206 |
| *Oliva | SEA | AA | 42 | 113 | 23 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 18 | .212 |
| Packard | SEA | AAA | 19 | 71 | 13 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 0 | .338 |
| Refsnyder | BOS | MLB | 54 | 157 | 19 | 48 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 21 | 1 | .303 |
| Rivas | STL | AAA | 57 | 190 | 29 | 43 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 0 | .226 |
| Romero | NYY | A+ | 45 | 139 | 18 | 31 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 5 | .223 |
| Rushford | KC | RK | 10 | 34 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .176 |
| Salazar | HOU | MLB | 9 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | .318 |
| Stevenson | PHI | AAA | 76 | 233 | 47 | 70 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 32 | 22 | .300 |
| Susac | OAK | AA | 53 | 207 | 27 | 62 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 28 | 5 | .300 |
| Verdugo | NYY | MLB | 92 | 348 | 42 | 83 | 19 | 1 | 10 | 45 | 1 | .239 |
| Wells | NYY | MLB | 59 | 160 | 23 | 35 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 17 | 1 | .219 |
| Williams | BAL | AA | 38 | 109 | 9 | 19 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 9 | .174 |
FRIDAY’S HOME RUN
C Nate Baez (Ironwood Ridge), Twins A+, solo HR (10th HR at Single-A+ and overall this season)
FRIDAY’S STANDOUTS
1B Bobby Dalbec (Arizona), Red Sox AAA, 2-4, 3 RBIs, stolen base
RF-CF Matt Fraizer (Arizona), Pirates AAA, 2-3, run, double, RBI
1B Darick Hall (Buena), Phillies AAA, 2-3, RBI
CF-RF Cal Stevenson (Arizona), Phillies AAA, 2-4
C Daniel Susac (Arizona), Athletics AA, 2-4, run, double
C Nate Baez (Ironwood Ridge), Twins A+, 1-3, run, HR, RBI
3B Tony Bullard (Arizona), Marlins A+, 1-1, run, RBI
2B Nick Gonzales (Cienega), Pirates MLB, 1-4, run, double, RBI
2B Scott Kingery (Arizona), Phillies AAA, 1-4, 2 stolen bases
SS-3B Kevin Newman (Arizona), Diamondbacks MLB, 1-3, run, double, RBI
LF-1B Spencer Packard (CDO), Mariners AAA, 1-4, run, 2 RBIs
LOCAL PITCHERS IN THE PROS
Through games of July 12
*Injuries:
Bustamante (60-day/arm)
Weems (7-day/arm)
| Player | Team | Lvl | W-L | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barraza | LAA | A | 1-2 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 24 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 30 | 2.61 |
| *Bustamante | NYY | A | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Dicochea | OAK | A | 1-5 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 43.1 | 45 | 32 | 26 | 19 | 50 | 5.40 |
| Fajardo | SEA | A | 2-1 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 42.2 | 31 | 22 | 15 | 26 | 53 | 3.16 |
| Flynn | LAD | AAA | 1-1 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 33.1 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 15 | 47 | 5.40 |
| Ginkel | ARI | MLB | 6-1 | 40 | 0 | 5 | 40 | 36 | 16 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 2.48 |
| Irvin | OAK | A+ | 1-2 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 23.2 | 26 | 22 | 18 | 16 | 29 | 6.85 |
| Labaut | CLE | AAA | 2-6 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 37.2 | 34 | 27 | 21 | 27 | 35 | 5.02 |
| Luna | CHW | AA | 3-1 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 28.2 | 19 | 11 | 7 | 26 | 32 | 2.20 |
| Megill | NYM | AAA | 1-0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 17.2 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 26 | 3.06 |
| Mejia | ATL | AA | 7-1 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 76.2 | 58 | 23 | 22 | 29 | 85 | 2.40 |
| Nardi | MIA | MLB | 1-1 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 34.2 | 32 | 19 | 18 | 11 | 43 | 4.67 |
| Silseth | LAA | AAA | 0-3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 29 | 20 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 9.50 |
| Smith | ATL | AA | 0-1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 12.54 |
| Stevens | NYY | AA | 3-0 | 25 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 45 | 3.00 |
| *Weems | TEX | AA | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
FRIDAY’S STANDOUT
LHP Gil Luna (Arizona), White Sox AA, 1 IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 2K (no decision)
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator five years ago and is presently a special education teacher at Sunnyside High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
Arizona
San Jose State transfer OL Nate Hale committed to Arizona and broke down his decision
After taking official visits to UCLA and Arizona over the last week, San Jose State offensive line transfer Nate Hale is headed to Tuscon to play for the Wildcats.
Hale said his familiarity with the Wildcat staff, who initially recruited him to San Jose State played a big role.
“UCLA was great and they’re definitely building something there but I committed to Arizona on my trip,” Hale said. “A lot of the staff there is the same staff that was at San Jose State my freshman year and it was great to see so many familiar faces.
“I love coach B (Brent Brennan), he was one of the first coaches to offer me out of high school. I love his energy, authenticity and his belief in me and I can’t wait to play for him and go block for Noah (Fifita).”
UA OL coach Josh Oglesby played a big tole in his decision as well.
“It’s always impossible to say no to coach O,” Hale said. “I’m so excited to play for him again and I ahve a great connection with their OC Seth Doege as well.
“It was a tough decision but me and my family talked and prayed about it and we felt that Arizona was the best all around fit for me.”
Hale is a player we saw a lot of out of high school where he prepped for state power Orange Lutheran (Calif.). He signed with the Spartans as part of the class of 2023 and started 10 games as a right tackle this past season.
“I’m going to stay at tackle at Arizona as well,” Hale said. “They said they want me to come in to compete and contribute immediately.
“That was my first time in Tucson and I loved the campus and awesome facilities. I know I can develop on and off the field so I’m really excited about my decision.”
Hale will have two years of eligibility left and has the game experience and all around skill set to be a potential plug and play tackle and compete for a starting spot right away.
Arizona
Arizona State Adds Mid-Season Game Changer: Euro Juniors Champion Albane Cachot
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18-year-old Albane Cachot from Toulouse, France, has joined the Arizona State University women’s swimming and diving team mid-season. The Dauphins Toulouse OEC (the same club that produced Léon Marchand) product wasted no time adapting to short-course yards, winning the 50/100/200 free events in her first meet at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center.
Cachot made a name for herself in 2024, when she won the 50 free (25.45), 100 free (54.65), 200 free (1:59.18), and 50 fly (26.57) at the French Junior Championships in April. Two months later, she finaled in all four events at the French Elite Championships, placing 10th in the 50 free (25.43), 5th in the 100 free (54.61), 4th in the 200 free (2:00.34), and 7th in the 50 fly (26.95).
In 2025, she represented France at both the European Junior Championships in Šamorín, Slovakia, and the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. At Euro Juniors, she won gold in the women’s 100 free, clocking a lifetime-best 54.17. She also finished 7th in the 50 free (25.48) and 7th in the 200 free (2:00.46), and 5th in the 50 fly (26.51, a PB). Cachot swam on 3 of France’s relays at World Championships (women’s 4×100 free, mixed 4×100 free, and mixed 4×100 medley). She earned a bronze medal for her prelims role in France’s mixed 400 medley relay, and she joined Beryl Gastaldello, Marina Jehl, and Marie Wattel in the women’s 400 free relay final that placed 5th with a national record-breaking time of 3:34.62.
In her short-course yards debut on January 3 at the dual meet with Grand Canyon, Cachot put up a team-leading time in the 50 free (22.43). She ranks 3rd in the 200 free (1:46.38) behind Jordan Greber (1:45.14) and Grace Lindberg (1:45.43) and 4th in the 100 free (49.11) behind Greber (48.81), Shane Golland (48.98), and Gerda Szilagyi (49.05). Greber, Lindberg, and Golland achieved their times during the CSCAA Dual Challenges.
The CSCAA challenge meets was also where ASU notched their fastest relay times of the season so far. Without speculating as to what her flying start times might be, it is clear that even her flat start SCY times would have lowered the Sun Devils’ free relay times by a couple of tenths in the 4×50 and 4×100 and by 3 seconds in the 4×200. And her converted LCM times would have been of even greater value.
Best SCY times:
- 50 free – 22.43
- 100 free – 49.11
- 200 free – 1:46.38
Best LCM times (converted):
- 50 free – 25.31 (22.08)
- 100 free – 54.17 (47.36)
- 200 free – 1:59.18 (1:44.48)
- 50 fly – 26.51 (23.25)
Cachot is joining Arizona State’s class of 2029 with Alexia Sotomayor, Bella Scopel Tramontana, Cali Watts, Eleaunah Phillips, Jessie Carlson, Marley Lovick, and Ursula Ott. Avery Spade was also new this season, transferring in from Indiana.
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Arizona
Predicting Where Former Arizona State Star Lands
TEMPE — The Sam Leavitt saga has been one that has split the Arizona State fanbase.
While some have been steadfast in bringing up the contributions that the two-year star poured into the program, others have been emphatic in pointing out the optics of the exit appearing less-than-ideal in a point of critique.
Regardless, the Sun Devils have moved on – with Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley and Michigan transfer Mikey Keense being the two exterior options that were brought in to signify a new era.
Now, Leavitt continues to seek a new college home for what might be his last season of collegiate football – Arizona State on SI makes sense of it all below.
Confirmed Visits – LSU, Tennessee, Miami
Leavitt’s first visit came with Boley’s former school in Kentucky, but the Wildcats have seemingly moved on by signing Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey.
LSU has made sense as a destination in recent weeks, with the presence of Lane Kiffin and the ironic twist of Jayden Daniels going from Arizona State to winning a Heisman Trophy with the Tigers as points of focus. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Leavitt heavily consider the SEC power.
Tennessee reportedly attempted to pry Leavitt away from the Sun Devils last spring and failed. This time, they loom as a relative “sleeper” – the redshirt sophomore even spent two days in Knoxville. This is a situation that is “wait-and-see”, as the Volunteers are still waiting to see what comes of QB Joey Aguilar’s pitch to receive more eligibility.
Miami is another spot that has made sense, as senior Carson Beck will be playing his final game of his collegiate career on January 19. No state income tax, the allure of joining Cam Ward and Beck as potential major risers on NFL draft boards, and playing for a storied program are all major drawing points.
Expected Visit – Oregon
Oregon is the complicated potential landing spot.
There is still a bit of uncertainty surrounding what Oregon’s Dante Moore decided to do pertaining to entering the 2026 draft, so the Ducks must stand pat until a firm decision is made.
It’s simple to see why an Oregon native would be drawn to play for what has become a storied franchise that now has a phenomenal track record of developing quarterbacks.
Verdict: Leavitt Lands With Oregon
There’s absolutely nothing firm about this prediction, but Oregon makes the most sense – with the caveat that Moore decides to go pro.
Read more on why the Arizona State men’s basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the bright future of the football program isn’t dimmed by the loss to Arizona here.
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