Michael James Nickeas (born February 13, 1983) is a former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the cat ...

. Nickeas played four seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...

and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. Nickeas also represented

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

internationally.

Early years

Nickeas was born in Vancouver, while his father played for the

Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...

of the NASL. His father,

Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

, is from England, and his mother is American. He grew up in California and graduated from Westlake High School in

Westlake Village, California Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County on its western border with Ventura County. The City of Westlake Village incorporated in 1981 becoming the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks Westlake Vil ...

. 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.

College career

Nickeas played three years for the

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

baseball team Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

. In 2002, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

. 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. In 2007, he switched his allegiance to

and played for the team in the

2007 European Baseball Championship The 2007 European Baseball Championship was an international baseball tournament held from September 7 to 16, between national baseball teams of the Confederation of European Baseball. The tournament was held in Barcelona, Spain and served as th ...

. 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 The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Colo ...

of the

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Basebal ...

. He batted .288 with 10 HRs and 55

RBIs A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

for Spokane. In 2005, he played for the Rangers' Double-A affiliate,

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Frisco, Texas, and are named for the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regi ...

. He batted for a .202 average with five home runs and 24 runs-batted-in in 68 games, but ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

'' 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 The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mirab ...

and in 2008, he split time between Binghamton and the Triple-A

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

. Nickeas earned his first promotion to the major leagues on September 2, 2010. 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 The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago ...

. On September 29, he got his first two major league hits against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

. He hit his first major league home run April 21, 2011, off

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

pitcher J. A. Happ. On May 1, 2011 he was sent down to the minors as

Ronny Paulino Ronny Leonel Paulino (born April 21, 1981) is a Dominican former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins, New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles. Career Pittsburgh Pirate ...

came up to the Mets. For the beginning of the 2012 Mets season, Nickeas played as a backup catcher for

Josh Thole Joshua Michael Thole (pronounced toll-EE) (born October 28, 1986) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays. Early years Thole grew up in Breese, Il ...

. On May 26, 2012, Nickeas hit a grand slam at

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City, United States. It opened in 2009 and is the home field of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent ...

, scoring

Ike Davis Isaac Benjamin Davis (born March 22, 1987) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. From 2010 through 2016, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Oakland Athletics, and New Y ...

, Vinny Rottino, and

Kirk Nieuwenhuis Kirk Robert Nieuwenhuis, (born August 7, 1987) is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Milwaukee Brewers. He currently is the head ...

. 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.

Toronto Blue Jays

On December 17, 2012, the Mets traded Nickeas,

R. A. Dickey Robert Allen Dickey (born October 29, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Bra ...

, and

to the

for Travis d'Arnaud, Noah Syndergaard, John Buck, and Wuilmer Becerra. He was assigned to the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen F ...

, the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate, for whom Nickeas had previously played, when it had been the Mets' Triple-A affiliate. 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. 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. Nickeas made only one appearance with the Blue Jays in 2013, coming in as a defensive replacement against the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ...

on September 10. He did not make a plate appearance, and was outrighted to Buffalo on October 4. Nickeas was invited to 2014 spring training, and sent to minor league camp on March 24, 2014. He spent the entire 2014 season with the Buffalo Bisons, batting .207 in 49 games. On March 9, 2015, it was reported that Nickeas had retired from baseball and gone back to school at Georgia Tech.

International Career

Nickeas was selected by the Great Britain national baseball team for the

, winning a silver medal.

Coaching career

Nickeas returned to Georgia Tech to complete his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

in 2015. In 2016 and 2017, he served as a volunteer coach and in 2017 was promoted to assistant coach.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nickeas, Mike 1983 births Living people American people of English descent Arizona League Rangers players Bakersfield Blaze players Baseball people from British Columbia Baseball players at the 2003 Pan American Games Binghamton Mets players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Canadian people of American descent Canadian people of English descent Canadian emigrants to the United States Frisco RoughRiders players Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball players Major League Baseball catchers Major League Baseball players from Canada New Orleans Zephyrs players New York Mets players Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Spokane Indians players St. Lucie Mets players Sportspeople from Ventura County, California Sportspeople from Vancouver Toronto Blue Jays players United States national baseball team players Great Britain national baseball team players Wareham Gatemen players Medalists at the 2003 Pan American Games Canadian expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Estrellas Orientales players Grand Canyon Rafters players Scottsdale Scorpions players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets baseball coaches