Few players have had quite the journey that Mitch Hickey has been on. The 2014 Live Oak High graduate was a 28th-round selection of the New York Mets in the recent Major League Baseball Draft, the latest milestone in a career filled with them. The amazing thing is, Hickey’s story is far from finished.
“I think a lot of guys that get drafted later definitely have a chip on their shoulder,” Hickey said. “This definitely gives it to me (if I didn’t have it already).”
Hickey, a recent University of California San Diego graduate, is coming off a terrific season after playing his first three years of college ball at Oregon State. Armed with a low to mid-90 mph fastball, changeup, curveball and a sharp slider, Hickey got the impression in his interaction with Major League Baseball scouts that he was going to get drafted a lot earlier than the 28th round.
The 6-foot, 184-pound right-hander got selected on the third day of the Draft, and by the time he received a call from one of the Mets representatives, he had stopped keeping track of the selections.
“I wasn’t watching at that point, he said. “I was getting calls the second and third day expecting to go early in those days, but things kept falling through. (It seemed like) my medical (history) started to come into play. Previous injuries that I didn’t think would be an issue were now an issue at this point.”
Hickey had Tommy John surgery in his junior year at Live Oak High and suffered a back injury in his sophomore season at Oregon State.
“I feel the injuries are a thing of the past,” he said.
Hickey has good reason to feel that way, as he went 7-3 with a 3.54 ERA and 83 strikeouts over 76 1/3 innings this past season for UCSD. Hickey made 15 appearances, including 13 starts. The Tritons advanced to the NCAA Division II College World Series, and Hickey was a key player in their arsenal.
Hickey was at his absolute best when it counted the most, lowering his ERA from 6.03 to 3.54 over his final nine outings. He earned All-California Collegiate Athletic Association honorable mention honors, capping off a college career that saw him experience the College World Series as a member at the Division I level with Oregon State and at the Division II level with UCSD.
“I’ve had some great experiences,” he said. “The team I was on this year was awesome. It was a really close group of guys, and it was cool I got to pitch Game 1 of the World Series. Hickey pitched six shutout innings to earn the win against Texas A&M Kingsville, the only UCSD victory in three World Series games.
Hickey made tremendous improvement this past season, especially on the mental side. He’s confident the things he learned will go a long way in his quest to make a Major League roster.
“The mental side of the game is probably the biggest difference, especially at the pro level,” he said. “Everyone has pretty good talent, so it’s the focus and mental aspects that set you apart. I definitely made an intentional effort to work and improve on the mental side.”
Hickey tapped into the resources at Oregon State and UCSD, as coaches gave players literature on the mental game and upon request players have access to a sports psychologist.
“There are a lot of resources available, mental game gurus who you can read on how they would attack situations in a game,” he said.
More than anything, Hickey realized there is no substitute for adversity.
“The greatest teacher is the game,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to figure out what you need to work on until things go bad. That is what this year was great for. I got a lot of innings and experience that I could learn from. You go into a game with a certain process, but everything changes if the first guy gets a hit or you walk him. Learning to react well within the game is the biggest help to yourself.”
Hickey’s path to a MLB Draft pick took years of hard work, resiliency and perseverance. Hickey underwent Tommy John surgery early in his junior year at Live Oak, sidelining him for the rest of that season and limiting his innings as a senior. Due to the injury, Hickey’s prospects for receiving a Division I offer waned, and a month after he graduated from high school he had made up his mind he was going to play for the College of San Mateo, a perennial community college power. After two solid seasons there, Hickey would do what many players from CSM do each season—transfer to a four-year program. However, not long after that things got downright surreal, as Oregon State coach Pat Casey called Hickey moments before the Beavers were set to play in the College World Series.
“I thought it was a prank call,” said Hickey, whose goal was to transfer to Oregon State all along. “I thought one of my friends was playing a joke on me.”
The person on the other line was in fact Casey, who later offered Hickey a spot to be on the team. Hickey had a terrific freshman season before a back injury in his sophomore year played a big part in preventing him from making an impact as a junior.
“In my junior year Oregon State had a really good team with elite pitchers,” he said. “It was hard to break back in (for regular playing time). That is why I decided to transfer to UCSD and get a new start. At UCSD, I had a bigger role and gained a lot of experience.”
Hickey has good reason to believe his best days are still ahead of him. He’s got a live arm, zip on his fastball and effective complementary pitches to keep hitters honest. Hickey knows he’ll have to reduce his walk numbers—he issued 42 bases on balls in 76 1/3 innings in his senior season—but stronger command could come in time.
One thing is for certain: Hickey has collected a couple of proverbial extra chips on his shoulder, courtesy of the Draft.
“I’m super pumped now that it’s over,” he said. “The entire Draft experience was not the most fun experience I would say. It was kind of a stressful few days for me, family and even a lot of friends.”
As a 28th-round selection, Hickey said he doesn’t have much leverage in terms of bargaining power. He’s set to meet with the Mets this week and expects to sign soon, starting his journey to make a MLB roster. Hickey didn’t need any more motivation in trying to make the Big Show; however, he’s got plenty of chips on his shoulder now that he went later than expected.
That will serve Hickey well going forward.
