Cal Joseph Towey (born February 6, 1990) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Miami Marlins organizations.

Cal Towey
Towey with the Salt Lake Bees in 2014
Third baseman / Outfielder
Born: (1990-02-06) February 6, 1990 (age 34)
Kirkland, Washington
Bats: Left
Throws: Right

Playing career

edit

Amateur

edit

Towey attended Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish, Washington. He played shortstop for the school's baseball team.[1] Towey was selected by The Seattle Times as First Team All-Metro League in his junior year,[2] and an All-Seattle metropolitan area selection after his senior year.[3]

Coaches for the Baylor Bears baseball team noticed Towey in a tournament in Florida. On their urging, he enrolled at Baylor University to play college baseball for the Bears as a walk-on.[1][4] He played as a right fielder in his first two years at Baylor, and as a third baseman in his final two years.[5] In 2011, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[6] In 2013, Towey was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Houston College Classic.[7] That year, he was also a Second Team All-Big 12 Conference selection.[4]

Los Angeles Angels

edit

After his senior year at Baylor, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim selected Towey in the 17th round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He signed and spent 2013 with the rookie–level Orem Owlz where he batted .317 with eight home runs and 53 RBI in 70 games.[4] In 2014, he played for the High–A Inland Empire 66ers and batted .279 with ten home runs and 63 RBI in 128 games. That same season, the Angels also attempted to convert him into a catcher.[5] After the 2014 season, the Angels assigned Towey to the Arizona Fall League.[8] In 2015, he played for the Double–A Arkansas Travelers where he compiled a .215 batting average with two home runs and 49 RBI in 101 games, and in 2016, he played for both Arkansas and the Triple–A Salt Lake Bees where he slashed a combined .264/.376/.436 with 13 home runs and 49 RBI in 135 total games.

On December 8, 2016, at the Winter Meetings, the Miami Marlins selected Towey from the Angels in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft.[9] He spent 2017 with both the Double–A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and Triple–A New Orleans Baby Cakes, posting a combined .222 batting average with five home runs and 35 RBI in 102 total games between the two clubs.[10] He was released from the Marlins organization on March 22, 2018.

Kansas City T-Bones

edit

On March 30, 2018, Towey signed with the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. In 23 games for the club, he batted .341/.417/.565 with three home runs and 18 RBI. Towey was released on March 6, 2019.

Post-playing career

edit

In November 2021, Towey joined the Detroit Tigers organization as a Northwestern Area scout.[11]

Personal life

edit

Towey's father, Curt, and uncle, Steve, both played in Minor League Baseball.[4] Curt coached Cal's team at Eastside Catholic.[2]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Change only constant for Baylor baseball's Towey". WacoTrib.com. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Sports - Baseball - 2007 all-league teams - Seattle Times Newspaper". Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  3. ^ "High School Sports - Star Times - Baseball all-area team - Seattle Times Newspaper". Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d Kenny Bristow (July 13, 2013). "Cal Towey streaking with a hot first half of July". DeseretNews.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "66ers' Cal Towey making progress behind the plate". April 10, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  6. ^ "#23 Cal Towey - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  7. ^ "All-tournament team named at Astros Foundation College Classic". MLB.com. March 3, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  8. ^ "Angels Announce Arizona Fall League Roster". Yahoo Sports. August 27, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
  9. ^ "2016 Rule 5 Draft results". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  10. ^ "Cal Towey Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  11. ^ "Breaking down Detroit Tigers' picks in Rounds 3-10 of 2023 MLB draft". freep.com. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
edit