(Photo by Brian Westerholt/Four Seam Images)
What could be a bigger thrill for a six-years-old than getting to stand on the field of a Major League Baseball stadium and getting to meet your favorite players?
What could be a bigger thrill for a baseball player than getting to participate in the World Baseball Classic in front a sold-out crowd in Japan?
New Hyde Park-native and Herricks HS grad Alex Katz was fortunate to experience both things. The former was the virtue of luck by winning a contest at a shoe store that he was entered in. The latter was the virtue of many years of hard work, success and persistence.
The hard-throwing southpaw grew up a die-hard Met fan in New Hyde Park and he remembers going to games at Shea Stadium hoping to grab the attention of his idols, Billy Wagner and Johan Santana, and getting their signature.
While he emulated them because of the obvious similarities of being a hard-throwing left-handed pitcher he also noted that he appreciated their relationship with the fans.
“I also liked how they were super fan-friendly and as a kid I always wanted to interact with them,” he said.
Now-a-days, Katz is on the other side of that.
After getting drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 27th round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of St. John’s University, the southpaw is now in his fourth minor league season. He is currently with the Baltimore Orioles after getting traded last season. He has compiled an ERA of 3.85 through 145.0 IP with 151 strikeouts.
He noted that pitching at a premier collegiate program like St. John’s has prepared him for the rigors of minor league baseball.
“I think playing at the college level in general prepares you better for professional baseball,” he said. “There is a huge adjustment from high school to the next level. I always tell kids that college taught me how to manage my time and how to multi-task,” he added.
He played for some very talented teams at St. John’s–winning the Big East tournament during his tenure. He got to experience some great moments–including combining on a no-hitter for nine innings against nationally-ranked Oregon along with Thomas Hackimer.
Katz noted that he initially fell in love with the program in April 2009. In the days leading up to the opening of Citi Field, St. John’s took on rival Georgetown in front of the seventh-largest crowd to ever watch an NCAA baseball game.
“I was sitting next to some of the families of the players and I knew from that moment that I wanted to go there,” he said.
Despite the fact that he was only 14-years-old, he was able to make that dream come true by showcasing his power fastball during summer tournaments and tryouts for the Area Code Games, before meeting with Coach Ed Blankmeyer at the school and committing the next day.
It almost didn’t happen, as his 94 MPH fastball was gaining attention from the MLB scouts during his senior year of HS. He went All-County and All-Long Island, but wound up attending St. John’s.
Katz does not regret the decision. He noted that he remains close friends with most of his teammates from St. John’s and he was rewarded for his strong season by hearing his name on draft day.
Well technically, he didn’t actually “hear his name”.
“I remember it being a really stressful day,” he said. “I was told a lot of different things and at one point, I didn’t think I would get drafted at all. I walked outside after the 25th round for a little and I remember hearing all my family cheering inside and then I got a call from the scout that drafted me and I was able to take a sigh of relief,” he added.
During his four-year professional career he noted that the biggest thrill remains playing in the World Baseball Classic.
He was fortunate enough to pitch in four of Israel’s six games; including twice against Netherlands, once against Korea and Japan. He faced current big leaguers Didi Gregorious, Jonathan Schoop and Xander Bogaerts.
That experience was nothing compared to pitching in Japan and Korea, which he described as a “100 percent different culture than us”.
“It’s quiet when they are on defense, but when they are batting they have a band that plays music for each individual hitter throughout the entire at bat,” said Katz. He noted that that despite the noise–which he called “white noise”– it is not as difficult as pitching in the minor leagues and hearing a single heckler’s voice.
The event was a huge success for the sport, as it garnered huge ratings with Team USA capturing the title for the first time in the history of the event which began in 2006.
The 2018 season just began for Katz, he is currently in A-ball with a chance to get promoted to Double-A in the next month. The hard-throwing left-handed pitcher has a chance to become the latest Long Island native to pitch in the minor leagues.
