Former Baseball Factory Players Trayce Thompson and Stephen Piscotty Off To Fast Starts In The Majors
Former Baseball Factory players Trayce Thompson and Stephen Piscotty have made immediate impacts on their respective teams since being called up to the major leagues for the first time in their careers.
Chicago White Sox outfielder Trayce Thompson comes from a star-studded family of athletes; his father, Mychal Thompson played seven seasons in the NBA and was a two-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers. His older brother, Klay plays for the Golden State Warriors, one-half of the dynamic “Splash Brothers” duo with NBA MVP Stephen Curry and won an NBA championship last season. Another brother, Mychal, plays in the NBA Developmental League for the Santa Cruz Warriors.
The youngest of the three, Trayce is now making a name for himself, carving out his own path as a baseball player, and it all began in June of 2007, playing in the Ryan Lemmon Sophomore Classic and an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout in San Diego in August 2008.
Graduating in 2009 from Santa Margarita Catholic High in Ladera Ranch, CA, all Thompson has done since being selected in the 2nd round of the 2009 draft by the Chicago White Sox is hit 101 career home runs in seven minor league seasons, steadily climbing the organization’s ladder.
At 24 years-old, Thompson is the 18,578th player in MLB history and the 6’3”, 210 pound outfielder has made quite the splash of his own since being called up on August 4th.
Since his debut, Trayce has 15 hits in his first 32 at-bats, with four doubles, a triple, two home runs and six RBI’s in 14 games. He became the fourth White Sox rookie in the last 40 years to single, double and triple in the same game, joining his manager and former White Sox great, Robin Ventura and two others, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Stephen Piscotty
Meanwhile out in the Midwest, Stephen Piscotty is also a 24-year-old outfielder making a name for himself, playing on a team with the best record in baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals.
Piscotty attended a National Tryout in San Jose back in September 2008 as a junior in high school.
Raised in Pleasanton, CA, Piscotty is a 2009 graduate from Amador Valley High School attending Stanford University soon after where the right-handed hitting outfielder hit .341 with 123 runs scored in 170 games over three seasons with the Cardinal baseball team.
Drafted 36th overall in the 2012 MLB Draft, Piscotty went from one Cardinal team to a Cardinal organization, immediately asserting himself as one of the top overall-hitting prospects in the Cardinals organization.
He hit .293 combined between High-A Palm Beach and Double-A Springfield in 2013. This season with Triple-A Memphis, Piscotty hit .272 with 28 doubles, 11 homers and 41 RBI in 87 games. With injuries to Cardinals outfielders Matt Holliday, Jon Jay and to former Baseball Factory alum, Randal Grichuk, Piscotty received his opportunity and hasn’t let go.
Piscotty is currently hitting .341 with 11 doubles, three triples, four homers and 23 RBI in 36 games. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny has maximized Piscotty’s talent as he’s played all three outfield positions and first base as well.
We congratulate former Baseball Factory alums Thompson and Piscotty for their hard work and continued success as they work to become household names in the majors.
