Comet teammates Vincent and Hoyt come full circle
Back in 2006 pitchers Nick Vincent and James Hoyt came to Palomar College with high hopes for the future. While Hoyt redshirted his freshman year, Vincent, a Ramona alum, got right to work and played the 2006-07 seasons for the Comets before transferring to Long Beach State University. Hoyt played the 2007-08 seasons before transferring to Centenary College of Louisiana.
Vincent was drafted in the 18th round of the 2008 draft by the San Diego Padres. He was the 555th overall pick.
He was called up from the minors to the Padres in 2012. He stayed with the team until the end of the 2015 season when he was traded to the Seattle Mariners, where he had an impressive 2017 season. Following the 2018 season, Vincent was then traded to the San Francisco Giants. Battling an injury, Vincent was sent to the rookie-level AZL Giants Black on a rehab assignment and then split time between the Giants Black, Class A Advanced San Jose and Triple-A Sacramento. Before his injury, Vincent recorded 30.2 innings of work, the most of any Giants reliever and third-most in the National League.
After being released by the San Francisco, Vincent was signed by Philadelphia as a minor league free agent.
After playing in the NABL for three years, Hoyt began his career in the Atlanta Braves organization in 2013. Hoyt was called up to the big league in 2016 for the Houston Astros. He stayed for three total seasons, including the 2017 World Series win. In the 2017 season, Hoyt had 43 appearances in which he recorded one win and seven holds. He allowed 51 hits, 24 hits and seven home runs on 850 pitches while striking out 66 batters.
He then moved to Cleveland to play for the Indians after spending a majority of the season in AAA Columbus following right knee and elbow surgeries. Last season, Hoyt appeared in eight games. He allowed two runs on six hits and gave up two home runs.
The two pitchers once again have found themselves wearing the same uniform. Vincent agreed to terms as a non-active roster invitee with Miami Marlins in late June. Hoyt was then acquired by the Marlins on Aug. 1 for cash considerations. In his first appearance on Aug. 5, he pitched 1.1 innings. Throwing 11 pitches, Vincent walked one batter and allowed no hits. Making his debut in a Marlin uniform on Aug. 4, Hoyt pitched one inning allowing one hit and striking out two on 16 pitches.
The 5-1 Marlins are scheduled to begin their series against the New York Mets on Friday, Aug 7 on the road.
Additional Active Comets in the Big Leagues:
Tim Hill (Granite Hills) ('10) – San Diego Padres
Tyler Saladino (University City) ('09) – Korean Baseball League
Jeff Ibarra (Murrieta Valley) ('07) – Mexican Major League
Carter Johnson (La Costa Canyon) ('16) – Independent Baseball
Grant Buck (Carlsbad) ('17) – Independent Baseball
Brett Lockwood (Murrieta Valley) ('18) – Cincinnati Reds Minor League