Former Viking Corey Ray Makes Major League DebutBy: Brandon Vickrey Chicago, Ill. – April 25, 2021 – Former Midwest Collegiate League player Corey Ray has reached the ultimate dream. Ray, who played for the Southland Vikings in 2013, made his Major League Baseball debut as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday afternoon in his hometown of Chicago. Ray, who was added to the active roster shortly before game time, came to the plate as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning of Saturday’s game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Ray battled from down 0-2 in the count to work a walk, and later came around to score a run. He remained in the game as the right fielder after the pinch-hit plate appearance, which contributed to a 4-3 win for the Brewers. The highest draft choice in MCL history, Ray was selected No. 5 overall by the Brewers in the first round of the 2016 MLB First-Year Player draft after a successful collegiate career at Louisville. While attending a Northwest Indiana Oilmen game as a spectator, Ray joined the Oilmen radio broadcast on AM 1230 WJOB in June 2016 shortly after being drafted. “I remember the talent and competition in the Midwest Collegiate League,” Ray said in the 2016 interview. “You had to bring your best every day. I felt like every game was close. I learned a lot from the players on my team. The college game is a lot faster than the high school game, and I think playing in this league got me acclimated to the speed of the game.” The Simeon High School product has played at every level of the Brewers organization since his professional debut in 2016. He started the 2021 campaign on the minor-league taxi squad before receiving the call to the show prior to Saturday’s game. Ray, a left-handed hitting outfielder, becomes the fourth MCL alum to play in the big leagues, joining Kevin Kaczmarski (New York Mets), Tony Cingrani (Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers) and MLB All-Star Paul DeJong (St. Louis Cardinals). Since the league was founded in 2010, the MCL has aided numerous players in their baseball development. The league has had 89 alumni go on to play professionally. Relevant Links MLB.com story on Ray’s big-league debut 2016 MCL story after Ray’s visit to Oil City Stadium |
Browse by Month »
August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 January 2023 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 December 2017 August 2017 June 2017 May 2017 January 2017 December 2016 June 2016 May 2016 January 2016 July 2015 June 2015 April 2015 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 November 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 October 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 May 2011 |