Pivetta and Real continue on MLB trail

Nick Pivetta

After only two seasons of HarbourCats baseball, the franchise has already produced a pair of professional ballplayers and that figure that will surely climb with each passing year. To keep track of things, we have created a permanent page on the blog that lists the HarbourCats alumni that have gone on to play professionally and shows their progress as they climb the ladder towards the big leagues. It has been a while since we last checked in on ex-HarbourCats Nick Pivetta and Alex Real, so let’s get you caught up on their respective summers.

Pivetta, a Victoria native, was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the fourth round of the 2013 draft and he followed up a successful professional debut with a very solid 2014 season. He spent the entire year in the South Atlantic League (‘A’ ball) with the Hagerstown (Maryland) Suns and was the ace of the pitching staff, leading the team in wins, starts and innings pitched. Pivetta's regular-season highlights included being named to the South Atlantic League (SAL) All-Star team and winning SAL Pitcher of the Week honours on June 23rd. Earlier tonight, he had the privilege of starting the first game of the SAL Championship Series against the mighty Asheville Tourists, but Pivetta didn't get the result he was looking for, giving up six hits and four earned runs in 2 ⅓ innings. There was no shame in that performance, because not only are the Tourists the best hitting team in the history of the South Atlantic League, but Asheville went on to score 16 runs in a lopsided affair.

Pivetta went 13-8 in the regular season with a 4.22 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. Although those numbers were slightly less impressive than what he posted in Rookie and Short Season ‘A’ ball in 2013, he did improve upon his control (from 3.4 to 2.7 walks per nine innings), while continuing to strike out batters at a reasonable pace (6.7 K’s per nine innings). With those numbers, I wouldn't be surprised to see the 21-year-old start the 2015 season with the Potomac Nationals in the Carolina League (Advanced ‘A’ ball).

Alex Real

Alex Real was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in June of this year after his junior season at the University of New Mexico. Real, who wasn't drafted until the 24th round, surprised many onlookers when he chose to sign with the Twins instead of completing his senior year with the Lobos. The highly-skilled catcher was named a semifinalist this spring for the prestigious Johnny Bench Award and he seemed destined to become an All-American with the University of New Mexico, but he was clearly eager to get his professional career started.

Real was assigned to the Elizabethon (Tenessee) Twins in the Appalachian League shortly after signing and he put up unremarkable numbers in Rookie ball after starring with the Lobos in the tough Mountain West Conference. Real posted a .284 batting average and .323 on-base percentage to go along with one homer and 11 runs batted for Elizabethon, although he only had 88 at-bats in his 28 games played. The most troubling aspect of his numbers was a big drop-off in plate discipline, as Real walked just four times and struck out on 23 occasions in those 88 at-bats. This uncharacteristic lack of strike-zone judgement can likely be chalked up to an overeagerness to succeed at the professional level, and I wouldn't be surprised to see those numbers return to normal levels (for him) in 2015. He is only 21 years old, so he has time to get back on the fast track to the big leagues.

The new Victoria coaching staff, led by Graig Merritt and Alec Adame, have been busy recruiting the next crop of HarbourCats players. You can be sure that next year’s Victoria squad -- and almost every visiting team at Royal Athletic Park -- will include a number of future pro players, so you’ll be getting your money’s worth when you plunk down your hard-earned cash for a HarbourCats ticket. Only 270 days until Opening Day...