Michael James (Mike) Nickeas... Graduated from Westlake (CA) High School in 2001... Won four letters and made the honour roll all four years in high school... Led his high school team to the Mamonte League Championship in 2000 and 2001... Spent the summer of 2001 with the USA Junior Pan-Am Team that captured the silver medal at the Junior Pan-Am Championship in Camaguey, Cuba... Named to the All-Tournament team... Attended Georgia Tech, was a management major... Was the team captain in 2004... Named second-team pre-season All-American by Baseball America... In 2003, he spent the summer months with the USA Baseball National Team, helping Team USA capture the silver medal at the Pan-American Games in the Dominican Republic... His father, Mark, a native of Southport, England, was an accomplished soccer player... His father played professionally for Liverpool, the Plymouth Argyle and Chester in the English Football League... Also played in the North American Soccer League with the Vancouver Whitecaps... Has American (mother), British (father) and Canadian citizenship (birth).
2013
Spent the season with Buffalo Bisons before being called up by TOR in Sept...Hit .166 on the year, his lowest mark since the 2009 season (.164)...Appeared in one game for the Blue Jays as a defensive replacement Sept. 10 vs. LAA…Did not have an at-bat.
2012
Made his second consecutive Opening Day roster... Had two separate stints with the Mets... Optioned to Buffalo (AAA) of
the International League on July 26 before returning on Sept. 1...Hit his first career grand slam, and the Mets' first since 2011, on May 26 vs. San Diego (Thayer)... Set a career best with
four RBI...Struck out a career-worst three times on May 15 vs. MIL...Hit .333 (8-24) with runners in scoring position... Went 8-62 (.129) at home...Finished with a 4.07 catcher's ERA (137 earned runs/303.0 innings) and threw out 25 percent of potential base stealers
(6-24).
2011
Had three separate stints with the Mets. ... Made his first Opening Day roster and appeared in eight games before being optioned to Buffalo (AAA) of the International League on April 29. ... Returned to the Mets on July 28. ... Made one start on August 2 and went 0-3 before the Mets optioned him to Buffalo (AAA) on August 5. ... Recalled for the third and final time on August 24. ... Appeared in 12 games and went 5-30 (.167) with three RBI. ... Made his second start of the season on April 9 vs. Washington and picked up his first hit of the season. ... Finished 1-3. ... Knocked in the first two runs of his major league career with a
second-inning double to the wall in left on April 14 vs. Colorado (Game Two). ... The double was also his first major league extra-base hit. ... Hit his first career home run on April 21 vs. Houston (off J.A. Happ). ... Threw out four of 13 runners (31 percent) attempting to steal. ... Pitchers had a 2.94 ERA (47 earned runs/143.2 innings) when he caught. ... In 60 games with Buffalo, he hit .214 (36-168) with two home runs
and 15 RBI. ... Threw out 39 percent (12-31) of runners attempting to steal at Buffalo.
2010
His contract was selected from Buffalo (AAA) of the International League
on September 2...Made his major league debut, starting at Chicago (NL) on September 4 after
appearing in 467 minor league games...Was 0-2 in his debut...Appeared in five games for New York, three starts...Went 2-4 and picked up
his first big league hit (a second-inning single against Yovani Gallardo) in the
first game of a doubleheader vs. the Brewers on September 29...Also started against Milwaukee on September 30...Was 0-3 throwing out base-runners with the Mets...Spent the majority of the season with Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern
League...Was on Buffalo (AAA) the International League's roster on Opening
Day but was transferred to Binghamton after one game...Named to the EL's mid-season All-Star Game...Placed on the Disabled List on May 24 with a right hamstring strain...
0Activated on May 2...Moved from Binghamton to Buffalo on August 25...Reached base in 24 consecutive games from May 24-July 2...Hit safely in nine straight games from June 10-June 25 (.400, 12-30)...Ranked third in the EL with a .355 (27-76) catchers caught-stealing
percentage...For the year, he had nine, two-hit games and six, three-hit games...Hit safely in five of his seven starts with Buffalo...Threw out three of the 11 runners who attempted to steal against him (27
percent) with the Bisons.
2009
His season was cut short due to injuries...Underwent surgery on July 28th to
remove a bone spur...Mets Medical Director Dr. David Altchek performed the
procedure...Played in only 20 games combined between Buffalo (AAA) of the
International League and Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League...Started the season at Buffalo and played two games before being transferred to the
B-Mets...Went on the Disabled List two times during the year, with a left oblique muscle
strain and a right elbow strain.
2008
Split the season between Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League and New
Orleans (AAA) of the Pacific Coast league...Missed time to a left oblique muscle strain.
2007
Spent the majority of the season with Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern
League...Played in 26 games with St. Lucie (A) of the Florida State League from
June 23rd-July 30th.
2006
Played in 60 games for three different teams: Bakersfield (A) of the California League; Frisco (AA) of the Texas League and Binghamton (AA) of the Eastern League...Acquired from the Rangers on Aug. 30...Hit safely in 13 of 17 games for Bakersfield...With Frisco, he had four games with two hits and three contests with three hits...Batted .394 (13-33) in 10 games in the Texas League in August...Started four games for Binghamton, Aug. 31-Sept. 4.
2005
Split the season between Frisco and the Arizona League Rangers...combined to bat .209 (55-263) with 8 doubles, 6 home runs and
30 RBI in 74 games...started season with Frisco, batting .202 (49-242) with 7 doubles, one triple, 5 home runs and 24 RBI in 68
games in full-season debut...batted .137 (10-73) in first 21 games...hit safely in 10 of 12 games from May 10-29 (G1) at .310 (13-
42) to raise average to .200...suffered a broken finger in the second game of the doubleheader on May 29 vs. Springfield and was
placed on the disabled list on May 30...rehabbed the injury with the AZL Rangers from July 6-13, batting .286 (6-21) with one home
run and 6 RBI in 6 games for the Rangers...activated by the RoughRiders on July 14...was 1-21 (.048) over first 6 games after returning
from the injury to lower average from .195 to .176...hit safely in 7 of 9 games from July 21-August 5 at .294 (10-34) to raise average
to .200...went 4-39 (.103) over next 11 games from August 7-23 to lower average to .182...batted .333 (11-33) over final 9 games
to finish with season-high .202 average...recorded season-high 3 hits in final game of the season, on September 3 vs. Midland...posted
season-high 4 RBI on July 24 vs. Midland...posted a .995 (3 E/574 TC) fielding percentage in 68 games behind the plate with
Frisco...participated in the Arizona Fall League, batting .425 (17-40) with one home run and 10 RBI in 14 games with the Grand
Canyon Rafters...was a non-roster invitee to major league spring training camp.
2004
Made his professional debut with Spokane (A) of the Northwest League...Named the Best Defensive Catcher in the Rangers' organization by
Baseball America...Was also rated among the publication's Top 20 Prospects in the AL...Finished third in the League in RBIs...Ranked among his team's leaders in: average (second), runs (third), home runs (third), walks (fourth), hits (fourth) and games played (fifth)...Went 3-5 with a home run in his first professional game, June 22 vs. Salem-Keizer...Named the League's Player of the Week, July 12-July 18...Selected to the Northwest League's All-Star Game, Aug. 3 at Spokane's Avista Stadium...Compiled a .991 fielding percentage (four errors/444 total chances) to lead NWL catchers in games, total chances and putouts.
