“My great-great-uncle Myril Hoag, played baseball for 13 years and got to play with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig,” said Kane County Cougars (the Oakland Athletics single A affiliate) catcher Max Stassi.
“My dad played professional baseball, my grandfather, my great-grandfather, so it’s kind of a family tradition. We’ve had a lot of fun talking baseball with them, I’m a third generation catcher too,” Stassi continued.
Additionally, he has two brothers currently playing pro ball. And the strength of that one-of-a-kind family tree has given Stassi a lot of natural gifts for the game. He’s rated the 4th best prospect in Oakland’s system and was once described by Athletics Scouting Director Eric Kubota as “the best high school catcher I’ve ever scouted.”
By Paul M. Banks
The 5’10”, 187 pound, nineteen year-old catcher turned down a scholarship offer from UCLA to collect the richest ever signing bonus for a fourth rounder. Entering the draft, he was rated the 30th best player available by Baseball America, but dropped a couple rounds due to “signability issues.”
So who was Stassi’s favorite team when he was growing up in Woodland, California?
“A’s and Giants actually, there you can like both, unlike here. So it’s pretty awesome to get picked up by the A’s,” he answered.
Woodland is also the hometown of Stassi’s idol, 2008 American League MVP Dustin Pedroia.
“I like the way he goes about his business, plays the game hard. I met him this offseason- a great guy and I talked to him a couple times throughout the season. He’s been very helpful,” Stassi responded when I asked him who his baseball role model is.
I also asked Stassi, who’s rated the best defensive catcher in the Oakland system what he’s been working on to get himself up to the next level.
“Having consistent ABs everyday, you know it’s a grind. There’s a lot more struggle than succes going on in this game- if you make out 7/10 and get a hit 3/10 you’re an awesome hitter, but I’ve been working on getting consistent at bats and managing the pitching staff effectively,” he responded.