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Mack sees his goal just across the bay
Former USC star is starting his journey to the Yankees in Staten Island
DeAngelo Mack watches the first of his two home runs sail over the right field wall on Saturday.
Rich Glickstein/rglickstein@thestate.com
CommentsWhen D’Angelo Mack was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 13th round last month, he had hopes the Big Apple would be his ultimate baseball destination.
But the former USC outfielder is already close in his first minor league assignment. In fact, he’s just a short boat ride away.
Playing for the Staten Island Yankees, Mack resides in the borough that’s separated from the city by New York Bay and plays in a ballpark that features the skyline and the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop. The Staten Island Ferry isn’t far from the team’s Ballpark at St. George, and Mack has used it to make his way into the city a few times to check out the sights and sounds of places like Times Square.
“It’s totally different from Columbia, South Carolina,” Mack said. “It’s huge, and it’s hard to get to see all of it.”
His new job is keeping him pretty busy, too. An All-SEC second-team performer as a redshirt junior, Mack is gradually making the adjustment to professional baseball. He is hitting .278 with eight doubles, one homer and nine RBIs in 22 games, and his numbers have improved as he has begun to adjust to wooden bats.
“When I first got here, I was evolving my swing and working on it. The first couple of games, I wasn’t getting anything to show for it,” he said. “I’m starting to come along. The ball is starting to fall for me.”
Mack also is running across many former teammates and opponents from his SEC and Cape Cod League days. The Single-A New York-Penn League is where many teams send college draftees to start their careers.
When he stepped into the batter’s box against the Aberdeen IronBirds, a Baltimore Orioles affiliate, the catcher was former USC teammate Justin Dalles.
“We had a conversation, it was kind of funny. The ump asked, ‘What’s going on?’ ”
At this stage, Mack is trying to stay focused on finishing strong through the month of August. He’s not sure about his fall plans, but he would like to return to USC and start making headway on the final 12 hours toward his marketing and finance degree.
That means he’s not ready to be converted to a year-round Yankee — in more ways than one.
“It’s nice here, but Columbia’s home,” he said.
Hogan’s a hero. Former Clemson catcher Doug Hogan went on a power surge in the past week. Hogan hit four homers with six RBIs in a six-game span between July 8-14. The hot streak coincided with his return from a month on the disabled list, a stint that kept him from participating in the South Atlantic League All-Star Game last month.
The offensive outburst upped his season totals to 11 homers with 30 RBIs for Single-A Hickory, a Rangers affiliate. A former Irmo High standout who’s batting .248 with the Crawdads, Hogan is in his second season of professional baseball after being an 18th round selection by Texas in 2008.
A time and a place. Jason Place, the former Wren High star who was a first-round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2006, made his first appearance in Double-A this week when he got the call to Portland (Maine) of the Eastern League. Place, who was a USC signee before accepting a $1.3 million bonus from the Red Sox, hit .252 with four homers and 48 RBI with Salem (Va.) in the Single-A Carolina League to start the season.
No runs allowed. Former USC reliever Alex Farotto, a 34th round pick last month with the White Sox, is off to a good start with Bristol (Tenn.) in the rookie Appalachian League.
In 5ð innings over five appearances, the lefty has not allowed a run and struck out 11 while recording a pair of saves.
Fishing for success. Former Coastal Carolina shortstop Tyler Bortnick, who played for the Columbia Blowfish the past two summers, is off to a solid start with Hudson Valley of the Single-A New York-Penn League after being chosen in the 16th round by the Tampa Bay Rays last month. He’s hitting .273 with three homers and five RBIs in 20 games.
Like father, like son. Former Clemson standout Kris Harvey, the son of former major league pitcher Bryan Harvey, is making the transition to the mound full-time after spending his first four professional seasons as an outfielder. The right-hander, a second-round pick of the Marlins in 2005, is 6-4 with a 3.25 ERA in 52ð innings with Jupiter in the Single-A Florida State League.
Keeping up with the Joneses. Former Citadel catcher Richard Jones, a Sumter native, was promoted to the short-season Single-A Boise (Idaho) Hawks and got off to a hot start, driving in four runs with a 2-for-6 performance in his debut. The ninth-round pick of the Cubs this summer got the call after hitting .319 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 12 games for the Cubs’ rookie Arizona League team.
Reach White at (803) 771-8643.
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