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.
