
Mike Nickeas made his major league debut last September, six years after the Texas Rangers chose him in the fifth round of the 2004 amateur draft.
Nickeas was born in Vancouver, Canada, while his father was playing for the Vancouver Whitecaps of the North American Soccer League. He grew up in California, graduating from Westlake High School in Westlake Village.
The Rangers dealt Nickeas to the Mets in the summer of 2006 for outfielder Victor Diaz, who had been compared to Manny Ramirez. (Diaz never lived up to those lofty expectations, though perhaps Chicago Cubs fans might disagree.)
Nickeas spent four years in the minors for the Mets before earning a September callup last year to provide some catching depth. He made his major league debut on Sept. 4th, catching Jenrry Mejia in his first major league start. He came on as a defensive replacement two days later, but didn’t really get another shot until the last week of the season.