St. John's University Athletics
Alex Katz to Participate in World Baseball Classic Qualifier
9/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
World Baseball Classic Release
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's product Alex Katz will have the opportunity to add another line to his already impressive baseball resume this weekend in Brooklyn, playing for Israel as they pursue the last spot in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Four teams (Israel, Brazil, Great Britain and Pakistan) will vie for the 16th and final spot in the 2017 WBC, competing in a modified double elimination format to select the last participant to the world's most prestigious international baseball tournament. The qualifier will be held locally at MCU Park in Coney Island, the home of the Class A Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York-Penn League.
Israel's first game of the qualifier is slated to begin tomorrow night at 7 p.m., as they take on Great Britain. Israel's next game, regardless of outcome, will start the following day at noon.
Katz will be one of 20 MLB-affiliated players on the Israeli roster, which includes former MLB All-Star Jason Marquis, former Mets infielders John Satin and Ike Davis, and 2013 World Series Champion Craig Breslow.
Katz, a 27th round pick of the Chicago White Sox in the 2015 MLB Draft, earned a promotion to Class A Advanced at the end of the 2016 season, playing four games with the Winston-Salem Dash of the Carolina League. In those four appearances, Katz compiled a 1.69 ERA, allowing just two hits and one run over 5.1 innings and registering a save. The New Hyde Park, N.Y., native played a majority of the 2016 season with the Kannapolis Intimidators of the South Atlantic League, pitching 49.2 innings in 30 appearances. Over that stretch, Katz tallied 50 strikeouts and just 19 walks while picking up a save in his lone opportunity.
As a junior in 2015, Katz helped the Red Storm win its BIG EAST record eighth conference title, compiling a 3-1 record in 19 appearances, six of which were starts, while ranking seventh in the league with 52 strikeouts.
For his St. John's career, Katz struck out 112 batters in 124.2 innings of work.
