Alex Katz

Alexander Benjamin Katz

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 195 lb.
• School St. John's University
• High School Herricks High School

• Born October 12, 1994 in Manhasset, NY USA

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Alex Katz has pitched in the minors.

Katz was 1-3 with a save and a 5.33 ERA as a college freshman, 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA as a sophomore. As a junior, he posted a 3-1, 3.40 record. The Chicago White Sox took him in the 27th round of the 2015 amateur draft; the scout was Joel Grampietro. He split his first summer as a pro between the Great Falls Voyagers (0-1, 3 Sv, 1.52 in 12 G, 31 K in 23 2/3 IP) and AZL White Sox (0-1, Sv, 4.00 in 6 G).

In 2016, he pitched for the Kannapolis Intimidators (0-1, sv, 3.44 in 30 G) and Winston-Salem Dash (2 Sv, 1.69 in 4 G); he had 57 whiffs in 55 innings. He was on the Israeli national team roster for the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers but was one of six unused pitchers on the team as they won a spot in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He was again with the team for the 2020 Olympics (which were pushed back to 2021 by the COVID-19 pandemic) and the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

In civilian life, he is the founder of Stadium Custom Kicks, a company that designs and manufactures custom-made cleats for baseball players and other collectors. The gig grew from his hobby of buying and selling collectible sneakers on the internet. One of his first custom designs was the pair he wore at the 2017 WBC, and from there he developed a client base that has grown to over 1,000. He used the business classes he took at St. John's University to help him set up a workable business model. Among his first customers were New York Yankees teammates Rob Refsnyder and Aaron Judge, who were impressed by pictures of his first custom designs. As of 2023, he had some thirty artists working for the company.

Sources

• 2016 White Sox Media Guide
• St. John's bio
• World Baseball Classic

Further Reading

• Jessica Camerato: "'Shoe Guy' goes global: Katz's custom cleats hit Classic", mlb.com, March 9, 2023. [1]