Sports

Calhoun baseball alumni drafted by MLB teams

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Jake Thomas and Alex Vargas, both 21, played baseball together in 2011 at Calhoun High School under legendary coach Joe Corea. In 2010, Thomas led the Colts squad that captured the Nassau County Class AA title. In 2012, Vargas played a critical role in the Colts’ victory at the Long Island Class AA championship.

Major League teams recently drafted them both.

“When you see Calhoun, two guys get drafted in the same year, it can be motivation to the players at Calhoun now,” Vargas said. “It shows that a lot of great players come through Merrick and Bellmore.”

Jake Thomas, true captain
The Toronto Blue Jays selected Thomas in the 27th round of the MLB draft. Thomas, who graduated from Calhoun in 2011 and earned a finance degree from Binghamton University this spring, was the 812th pick.

Thomas began playing Little League baseball at age 4 and went on to play school ball later on. He fell in love with the sport when he attended his first professional game at 7. Acclaimed New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada gave Thomas his bat.

With a strong arm, Corea said, Thomas became a catcher himself. He also has great speed and knows how to hit, according to the coach.

“He had probably one of the best swings I’ve ever seen,” Corea said. “He has just had that natural instinct to hit the ball. You can’t teach things like that.”
Thomas became the first player in school history to hit three home runs in a single game. He finished his high school career with 20 homers and 95 RBIs, making him the all-time leading home run hitter in Colts’ history.

When the Colts were down by seven runs in the sixth inning of the second game of the Nassau Class AA title in 2010, Thomas scored the go-ahead run, capping a furious comeback that he started with a walk earlier in the inning.

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