Marist Alum’s First Month in the Majors
17 students from the Marist baseball team have been drafted by Major League Baseball (MLB), but Kevin McCarthy is the first to make his major league debut. McCarthy was used in a relief pitching appearance in the eighth inning of the Royals’ Sept. 9 game against the Chicago White Sox.
In his first full month in the majors, McCarthy played in 10 games for the Royals, picking up a win in 8.1 innings. He struck out seven batters and yielded a 6.48 earned run average (ERA). More of his professional statistics are found on McCarthy’s page on the MLB website.
McCarthy was a member of Chris Tracz’s first full recruiting class and pitched for the Marist Red Foxes from 2011 until 2013, when he left to join the Royals organization. A Long Island native, McCarthy was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 16th round of the 2013 MLB draft. For Coach Tracz, it came as no surprise. “We knew he’d be drafted,” Tracz said. “Of all the kids I have coached, he definitely had the best arm. He just needed time to develop.”
Known for his four-seam fastball, the six-foot three, right-handed McCarthy served several different roles on the team, whether it was as a starter or a closer. During his junior year, in 2013, he was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Co-Relief Pitcher of the Year, recording a team-high of eight saves, 62 strikeouts, and two complete games. In three seasons with the Red Foxes, he is ranked fourth in the baseball program’s all-time saves list with a total number of 12 saves.
“He’s an open book, a free spirit, and a fun loving guy,” Tracz said. “But when he gets on the mound, he completely flips the switch.” Tracz remained in contact with McCarthy once he began playing in the minor leagues but now talks to him regularly since he joined the majors. He was able to see him play in-person when he attended the Royals game against the Cleveland Indians, a team with a Marist alum on their coaching staff, Ricky Pacione.
Members of the Marist Athletic Department spoke about what it means for Marist baseball, including Mike Ferraro ’01, the Assistant Athletic Director and Sports Information Director.
“It’s an outstanding accomplishment for Kevin,” Ferraro said. “For us as an athletic department, I think it raises the profile of who we are and creates more awareness. Hearing the Marist name on a regional or national broadcast adds value to us as a department and institution.”
Ferraro learned that McCarthy had been called up on Sept. 6 through Twitter. “It was just before 4 pm when I was getting ready for a meeting when I saw a Royals media member tweet the news,” he said. “After my eyes opened really wide, I realized that we had to get the news out.” He tweeted the news through the Marist Athletics Twitter account and the Marist baseball contact, Sam Rathbun, wrote a story for the Athletics website.
“Over the last decade, we’ve seen some tremendous accomplishments by our student-athletes and teams, which have drawn positive attention to who we are,” Ferraro said.
For a lifelong Royals fan like Ferraro, seeing a player drafted to the team from his school meant something extra for him. “I’ve enjoyed following the careers of any of our athletes who make their way to the professional ranks,” he said. “But with Kevin playing in the organization of my favorite team, I was always intrigued by how he was doing, and if he would continue to progress to the big leagues.”
“To first see someone 17 years old on a high school pitching mound and how far he has come from high school to the major leagues is incredible,” Tracz said. “I just want him to do well.”
