South Pasadenan Makes the Big Leagues | Casey Slattery Drafted for the NY Mets

Casey Slattery, who grew up and still lives in South Pasadena, was recently selected by the NY Mets in the MLB Draft this year

PHOTO: Glendale Vaqueros | SouthPasadenan.com News | South Pasadena resident, Casey Slattery, will have the option to play for the NY Mets after being drafted by the team

Casey Slattery says it “was the best feeling in the world” after being drafted in the 38th round by the New York Mets in the recent Major League Baseball draft.

Slattery, who grew up and still lives in South Pasadena with his father, Tom, is coming off of a solid season at Glendale Community College, where he hit .325 with a team best 45 runs batted in and eight home runs. He also won a golden glove with the Vaqueros.

“I was already happy of course for my teammate, Kevin Holcomb, who got taken by the Astros in the 13th round earlier in the day, and the day got even better once I heard my name,” said Slattery, a 6’-4”, 235-pound first basemen selected 1,138th overall by the Mets.

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“I’m just thankful for Glendale College and the coaching staff and my teammates for making it such a great year and allowing me to be in this position.”

Slattery, who hits and throws left-handed, was groomed for the big leagues after playing Little League in South Pasadena from 2006-2011. “It was always such a hometown, community-type league where you played baseball against your friends and the kids you went to school with,” said Casey’s father. “He was lucky and fortunate to have great coaches and leaders in the community to look up to and learn from.”

His son said South Pasadena Little League will continue to have a lasting impact on him. “The fact that we live in a small town where everyone knows each other has been really good,” said Casey, who also played baseball at Harvard-Westlake starting as a 7th grader and throughout his high school years “mostly as a result of having played through their feeder club, Pacific Baseball Academy, and getting familiar with their coaching staff,” explained his father. “He had a very tough decision when it came time for 7th grade, whether to stay in South Pasadena and continue on at the middle school or to transfer to Harvard-Westlake. I was surprised how resolute he was in deciding to transfer, but he had baseball on his mind. He was quite focused.”

Slattery has another tough decision facing him – sign with the Mets or return to college. “He still has a lot of college eligibility left, so he’s not sure,” said Tom. “He’s not in any rush to decide, since the signing deadline is still weeks away. He’s loved playing at Glendale, his coaches, and his teammates there.”

Following some standout years on the baseball diamond at Harvard-Westlake, Slattery played at University of California Berkeley before transferring to Glendale. He redshirted his first year, “so he was technically a redshirt freshman this past season,” explained his dad.

Casey’s major accomplishment of being drafted by an MLB club hasn’t gone unnoticed as he’s now hearing from some of his South Pasadena Little League buddies, noting: “People who I played with back in the day have reached out and have told me how proud they are of me, and it’s a very good feeling when I get that because it reminds me of where it all started.”