NJ State Police trooper to play for Sussex County Miners to help local family in need

FRANKFORD − Miguel Hidalgo, a detective in the New Jersey State Police Major Crimes Unit, might be called on to stop a theft Thursday evening − or asked to steal himself.

Second base, that is.

Hidalgo, 34, a native of the Dominican Republic, will be on a one-day contract to play for the Sussex County Miners, probably at shortstop, in the second game of a double-header at Skylands Stadium.

Hidalgo will also play in the 4 p.m. first game which pits the New Jersey State Police softball team against a team of troopers from Pennsylvania.

The two games are sandwiched around a NJSP helicopter delivering the "first pitch ball" to NJSP commander Col. Patrick J. Callahan via a search/rescue team which will rappel down to the mound with the baseball.

The baseball game is scheduled for 7 p.m. with upper tickets priced at $20 and lower seats at $22. It is also Thirsty Thursday at the park with discounts on food and drink.

Some of the proceeds, and all of Hidalgo's salary and "bonuses", will go toward a modern wheelchair for Cash Klem, an 11-year-old Sussex County resident who needs the wheelchair because of cerebellar ataxia, a degenerative disease which attacks the central nervous system and affects the ability to walk, talk and use fine motor skills.

Miners general manager Vinnie Sangemino said Hidalgo's contract will be "incentive-based" on his performance at the plate and in the field.

"He's a pretty good player," the general manager said, adding that field manager Chris Widger has authority over how long Hidalgo stays in the lineup.

"We are part of the logjam for playoff spots so we can't forget that," he added of the Miners place in the Frontier League. Thursday's opponent is the New Jersey Jackals, currently in second place in the standings. The top six teams, which include the Miners, are within five games of each other in the standings.

The Miners are an "independent team," and not affiliated with any of the major league teams.

In addition to his one-day undisclosed salary which he is donating, Hidalgo's contract includes incentives for offensive numbers - walks and stolen bases will be worth $50 each; a run scored will be $100; a single $100; double $200; triple $300; and a home run $400. That money will also be donated.

Sangemino, Hidalgo and another trooper Anthony Wargo became friends when they attended Rutgers University and played on the school's baseball team. Earlier in his career as a trooper, Hidalgo worked out of the Hope (Warren County) station and sometimes overlapped on calls with troopers from the Augusta (Sussex) station. He has also worked major crime cases in the county.

During a get-together this past spring, Hidalgo mentioned he always wondered how he would do playing against aspiring professionals,

As a result of that conversation, Sangemino arranged for Hidalgo to work out with the team as his schedule allowed and the idea of him playing a real game grew.

"It seemed to take on a life of its own," the general manager said. "He plays with the troopers' softball team, so the idea of a game against Pennsylvania troopers came up. Then it was having the colonel throw out the first pitch then the helicopter got added."

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Excitement over the Hidalgo's chance also grew among the state police with the division committing to bring several trooper cars for youngsters to sit in before the games and troopers to answer questions in addition to the helicopter and Callahan's appearance.

As part of their springtime discussion, the trio had decided anything they did would have to benefit someone in the local community. The general manager said the idea of Hidalgo playing for the team fit naturally with the team's community outreach as well as the troopers' maxim of "taking care of each other and others."

Since then, Hidalgo, his one-day contract approved by the league, has spent time working out with the team, both at the plate and in the field.

"This has been a work in progress since early spring," said Hidalgo who came to the U.S. at age 12 and recalled one of his earliest memories of the U.S. was being in a car on the NJ Turnpike "and seeing a trooper in his uniform. That bad-ass sight stuck with me and became a dream, I just had to be a trooper."

He said "95% of the (home) country is baseball, with a little in volleyball." He continued playing baseball here and was on college teams at Felician University and Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, "but I wasn't scouted."

But of Thursday's challenge, Hidalgo said "I feel I can play. I feel in good shape. I feel loose about this."

But he does note that everything even at the Frontier League level "moves faster. The speed of pitching, the level of pitching, I mean the speed and movement."

He applied to be a state trooper when he was a senior in college and graduated from the State Police Academy in December, 2013.

He said he and the team reached out to the Augusta station lieutenant asking if they knew anybody who needed help and they were pointed to the Klem family.

He also noted that some of the money raised will also go to the Pennsylvania troopers, especially for the families of the troopers who were victims of a June 18 ambush.

Asked about his own expectations for the game, Hidalgo said, "Selfishly, I want to have a good game, absolutely. Realistically, we want to have a good event."

And on the baseball field?

Admitting the game is a lot quicker, even at that level, he forecast: "Get a hit, do something good at short. Put on a good show."

He paused, then added: "Just hit something solid."

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Sussex County Miners baseball to sign NJ state trooper