Kade Scivicque, the Southwest Mississippi Community College catcher for 2012 and 2013 and Minor League Baseball player, was traded from the Detroit Tigers organization to the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.
The Braves also acquired infielder Mike Aviles, while shortstop Erick Aybar went to the Tigers.
The Tigers selected Scivicque, who played for LSU in 2014 and 2015, in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. He was playing for the Lakeland Flying Tigers — a High A team for Detroit — in Lakeland, Fla., and is playing for the Carolina Mudcats, which the Braves’ High A team in Zebulon, N.C.
Scivicque was preparing to play for the Flying Tigers Tuesday night on the road against the Brevard County Manatees — the Milwaukee Brewers High A team in Viera, Fla. — when he learned about the trade.
“I was getting ready to head out to the field for a game,” he said. “I was actually about to get ready to play a game with the Lakeland Flying Tigers, and then the manager (Dave Huppert) told me, ‘Hey, you’ve been scratched from the lineup.’ He said, ‘Hey, just hang out by me in the dugout tonight.’ Then a few minutes later he brought me his phone with our head guy of player development (Dave Littlefield). He talked to me on the phone, and he was like, ‘Hey, we thank you for everything you’ve done for us, but you’ve been part of a trade to the Braves.’ ”
Scivicque said personnel from the Tigers organization gave his phone number to management from the Braves to call him afterward. He added his former teammates with the Lakeland Flying Tigers congratulated him, he called friends and family, packed his things and met the Mudcats in Roanoke, Va., to play the Salem Red Sox — the High A Boston Red Sox team in Virginia.
Scivicque was a designated hitter in his first game in a 5-1 loss Wednesday and went 0-3. He played catcher the next night. He had a .282 batting average, six homers, two triples and 19 doubles this season prior to the trade.
SMCC head baseball coach Ken Jackson was an assistant when Scivicque played for the Bears. Jackson talked to Scivicque the night of the trade.
“The first thing he said was he was little bit in shock,” Jackson said. “Obviously, the first time being traded you try to find out exactly what’s going on. After looking at it and analyzing it a little bit he thought it could be a really good move for him.”
Jackson said the trade made sense because the Tigers drafted a catcher in the first four rounds in the past four years. He also said the Braves were looking to bring shortstop Dansby Swanson up to the Major League roster and trading Aybar made room for him.
As a coach at SMCC, having too many catchers is not an unfamiliar problem for Jackson. He said when Scivicque was with the Bears, the coaches worked him out at third base because there were a couple of other catchers on the roster.
“We try to recruit, obviously, by position, but sometimes you have good athletes that you just have to take because they’re too good to pass up,” Jackson said. “I think that could have been the situation (with the Tigers drafting many catchers).”
Scivicque agreed the trade could benefit his career.
“I feel alright about it,” he said. “I feel like I got another opportunity and someone is giving me an opportunity. It’s another team with the same goal and same stuff to do — same position and all that. I appreciate their interest in me and wanting me. It’s big for me.”
Scivicque is one level away from playing for the Mississippi Braves — the Braves AA organization in Jackson. He is from Maurepas, La., which is a little more than two hours from Jackson.
“I did mention that to him,” Jackson said. “He said, yes, obviously that’s a thought because right now Lakeland, Fla., and up in the Northeast part of the United States is where Detroit’s minor league systems are.”
AAA baseball is the level above AA. The Braves’ AAA team is the Gwinnett Braves in Gwinnett, Ga.
