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Local baseball products inching closer to reaching the big leagues

mike bires
·6 min read

Four former Beaver County area baseball stars have been assigned to minor-league rosters. They all hope to play in the Major Leagues someday.

Another former local standout who has played in the majors must sit out this season due to injury.

Here’s an update on their status now that the 2023 baseball season is underway:

BRENDAN McKAY

Brendan McKay has not pitched in the Major Leagues since 2019. And he won’t pitch this season. He’s rehabbing after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September.

McKay, a 2014 Blackhawk High School graduate, was released in November by Tampa Bay as the Rays cleared space on their 40-man roster. But as expected, he was re-signed in December to a two-year minor-league contract.

Unfortunately for McKay, he’s battled injury issues for much of his pro career.

Shoulder surgery in 2020. An elbow issue in 2021 resulted in thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. While rehabbing last August, he sustained a ligament tear that led to Tommy John surgery.

Former Blackhawk star Brendan McKay fires a pitch to home plate during a game in 2019 with the Rays.
Former Blackhawk star Brendan McKay fires a pitch to home plate during a game in 2019 with the Rays.

A highly touted two-way player at the University of Louisville, McKay was drafted by the Rays with the fourth overall pick of the 2017 MLB draft.

The winner of the highly coveted Golden Spikes award, given to the top amateur player in the country, McKay received a $7 million signing bonus with the Rays.

On June 29, 2019, he made his major-league debut against the Texas Rangers and took a perfect game into the sixth inning. He pitched six innings that day and only allowed a bloop single and a walk.

McKay hit his first Major League home run against the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 22, 2019.

McKay finished the 2019 season by appearing in 13 games with 11 starts and compiled a 2-4 record.

His health issues started at the beginning of the 2020 season after he tested positive for COVID-19. But when he resumed working out in August of 2020, he was shut down due to shoulder tightness. Shortly after that, the Rays announced that McKay required left shoulder surgery and would miss the entire 2020 season.

Obviously, McKay, who's 27 years old, hopes to pitch again in 2024.

MICHAEL TURCONI

A 2018 Blackhawk grad who's 23 years old, Turconi currently plays shortstop and bats in the lead-off spot for the Vancouver Canadians, the Toronto Blue Jays’ High Class-A minor league team.

After starring at Wake Forest University, Turconi was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 15th round of the 2022 MLB draft.

Toronto Blue Jays prospect Michael Turconi is a member of the Vancouver Canadians.
Toronto Blue Jays prospect Michael Turconi is a member of the Vancouver Canadians.

Last year, Turconi started the season with Toronto’s Class A team in Dunedin, Fla., where he played in 17 games and hit .278 with one home run and 13 RBIs. He was then promoted to Vancouver where he hit .281 with no HRs with one RBI in 11 games.

Toronto Blue Jays prospect Michael Turconi, a Blackhawk grad, rounds third base after hitting a home run.
Toronto Blue Jays prospect Michael Turconi, a Blackhawk grad, rounds third base after hitting a home run.

So far this season for Vancouver, Turconi, who’s also been used as a designated hitter, has played in four games and is hitting .286 with two home runs and two RBIs.

Both of those home runs came during an April 13 game when he hit a pair of solo round-trippers.

JOE ROCK

At least for a few more days, Joe Rock will spend time on the Hartford Yard Goats’ seven-day injury list.

A 6-foot-6 left-handed pitcher who graduated from Hopewell in 2018 and played college baseball at Ohio University, Rock was selected by the Colorado Rockies with the 68th overall pick of the 2021 MLB draft. He signed for a slot bonus of $953,100.

Colorado Rockies prospect Joe Rock, a Hopewell graduate, as a member of the Hartford Yard Goats.
Colorado Rockies prospect Joe Rock, a Hopewell graduate, as a member of the Hartford Yard Goats.

Rock, who’s 22, pitched in one game so far this season for the Yard Goats, the Rockies’ farm team in the Class AA Eastern League. On April 8, he started and lasted 3 and 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits while striking out five.

But less than a week later, Rock was placed on the seven-day injury list for an undisclosed injury.

After he was drafted, Rock pitched for the ACL Rockies in the Arizona Complex League, a rookie-level minor league.

Hopewell graduate and Ohio University product Joe Rock pitching for Class AA Spokane last year.
Hopewell graduate and Ohio University product Joe Rock pitching for Class AA Spokane last year.

Last year, he spent most of the season with the Spokane Indians, the Rockies’ High Class A team. He then spent one week in September in Hartford.

In Spokane, he started 20 games and totaled 107.2 innings of work. He compiled a 7-8 record and a 4.43 earned run average with 109 strikeouts.

AUSTIN HENDRICK

While it would be premature to say that 2023 will be a make-or-break season for Austin Hendrick, the former West Allegheny star definitely needs to improve on his first two pro seasons.

A left-handed, power hitting outfielder, Hendrick was selected 12th overall by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2020 MLB draft shortly after graduating from high school. But he has yet to tap into the potential that the Reds saw in him when they signed him with a $4 million bonus.

West Allegheny graduate Austin Hendrick hit 7 home runs last summer in his first season at the professional level with the Reds Single-A affiliate Daytona Tortugas.
West Allegheny graduate Austin Hendrick hit 7 home runs last summer in his first season at the professional level with the Reds Single-A affiliate Daytona Tortugas.

Hendrick, who's only 21 years old, has tremendous power when he makes contact.

In 2021, he played for the Daytona Tortugas, the Reds’ Low Class-A minor-league team. In 266 plate appearances, he hit .218 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs. He walked 51 times but struck out 100 times.

Cincinnati Reds farmhand Austin Hendrick rounds third base after hitting a home run in a game in 2021 when he played for the Daytona Tortugas.
Cincinnati Reds farmhand Austin Hendrick rounds third base after hitting a home run in a game in 2021 when he played for the Daytona Tortugas.

Last year, Hendrick started the season with Daytona but then was promoted to the Reds’ High Class A team, the Dayton Dragons. Combined, in 444 plate appearances, he hit .217 with 21 HRs and 69 RBIs. He walked 43 times but struck out 165 times. That’s striking out 37 percent of his at-bats.

Right now, Hendrick is currently in Dayton but could be bumped up to Double-A Chattanooga sometime this season.

Through nine games so far this season, he’s hitting .212 with no HRs and three RBIs. In 37 at-bats, he’s struck out 12 times.

Perhaps his bright spot so far this season happened in a Reds’ spring training game on March 8 when he blasted a two-run homer for Cincinnati.

JOE CAMPAGNA

Blackhawk grad and current Colorado Rockies prospect Joe Campagna poses in his Rockies uniform during Spring Training.
Blackhawk grad and current Colorado Rockies prospect Joe Campagna poses in his Rockies uniform during Spring Training.

After four years at Blackhawk High School, four seasons at Slippery Rock University and four seasons of independent baseball in the Frontier League, Joey Campagna is now playing in the Colorado Rockies' organization.

On Jan. 30, the Rockies signed Campagna to a minor-league contract. A day later, they assigned him to the ACL Rockies, the Rockies’ team in the Arizona Complex League.

The ACL is a rookie-level minor league that operates in and around Phoenix, AZ. The league season starts in early June.

Joe Campagna, a former standout at Blackhawk and Slippery Rock, throws the ball across the diamond during a game with Tri-City in 2022. Campagna had his contract with Tri-City purchased by the Colorado Rockies on Jan. 20.
Joe Campagna, a former standout at Blackhawk and Slippery Rock, throws the ball across the diamond during a game with Tri-City in 2022. Campagna had his contract with Tri-City purchased by the Colorado Rockies on Jan. 20.

Right now, however, Campagna has left the Rockies’ spring training site in Scottsdale and returned to Beaver County. He’s rehabbing a deep-bruise arm injury suffered during a recent workout while catching.

Campagna, 26, is listed as a shortstop on the ACL Rockies’ roster, but he’s the consummate utility man. He’s been used in both middle infielder positions, in the outfield (in center) and behind the plate.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Local baseball products inching closer to reaching the big leagues