Conversations with the Herd: Michael Stefanic

By: Brian Frank

Bisons manager Casey Candaele is delighted with what Michael Stefanic has brought to the Bisons this season. Stefanic signed with the Blue Jays organization in the offseason after spending parts of the last three seasons in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Angels. He’s a natural second baseman, who’s stepped in to play shortstop for the Herd this season due to injuries to Leo Jimenez and Josh Kasevich.

“Leadership, a veteran presence, experience, knowledge,” Candaele said when asked what Stefanic brings to the team. “He plays the game the right way. I don’t think he’s played much shortstop for the last six years. So just to be able to step into that and do a great job up to this point has been impressive. He was willing to do it because we needed help. We had a couple injuries. He stepped in and has done a fine job.”

Stefanic has been a fixture at short for the Herd. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

Stefanic grew up playing baseball in Boise, Idaho.

“Playing little league and the Cal Ripken tournaments growing up,” Stefanic said when asked some of his earliest baseball memories. “I had a great time doing that. Playing all summer. The biggest thing for me was I played multiple sports. By the time baseball season came around I just couldn’t wait to play again.”

After graduating from Timberline High School in Boise, Stefanic attended Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, to major in economics and business.

“I had a family friend who kind of advised me through the college recruiting process and he recommended that I went out to the Stanford baseball camp one summer,” Stefanic remembered. “Luckily enough, my college coach ended up being my coach at Stanford. They break you up into teams and what not. I lucked out, had a good week and they offered me a walk-on spot – and I made the most of it.”

Stefanic dominated on the baseball field at Westmont, which was a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school at the time. He led the team in hitting his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons, hitting .352, .371, and .392 respectively. He also set numerous school records, including career hits (275), doubles (50), total bases (357), and runs scored (157).

“Some of my best friends are from college and I still talk to a lot of those guys today,” he said. “I think just having that camaraderie. It’s a little different from professional baseball. In the minor leagues you’re not necessarily always concerned with the wins and losses, it’s more about the development. But, in college we’re all pulling on the same side of the rope and we’re trying to win this game whatever it takes.”

Opening Day at Sahlen Field. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

He went undrafted in the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft and didn’t immediately get signed. Instead, he sent a resume and highlight video to all 30 major-league teams in an attempt to pique their interest in him.

“It was really mentally taxing on me,” he recalled. “I kind of put all my eggs in the baseball basket per se and things weren’t working out. I ended up signing in July. But I was interviewing for jobs and had just actually gotten back from a job interview with a law firm and had an offer from them that I was going to go start work. I get home from that interview and I get a call from a random number – and it’s hey this is so and so from the Angels and we’d like to sign you. How soon can you come out to Arizona? I said I can be there tomorrow. So, I basically packed up my car and drove out to Arizona and started the pro-ball journey.”

He hit .393 in nine games in the Arizona Complex League before reporting to play for the Orem Owlz in the Pioneer League, where he played five games to finish the season.

“It was an adjustment,” he said “Everything was different. Everything was about the development as opposed to necessarily winning the game. But ultimately I was able to make that adjustment and it was really good.”

In 2019, after a brief stop at Burlington in the Midwest League, Stefanic spent most of the season at High-A Inland Empire in the California League. After the 2020 minor-league season was cancelled due to the pandemic, he only played 21 games at Double-A Rocket City before being promoted to Triple-A Salt Lake, where he hit .334 with 16 home runs and a .913 OPS in 104 games.

“I think it was kind of a perfect storm of events,” he said of his rapid rise through the Angels system. “I was in a great organization in the Angels that was willing to move guys quickly if you performed. We didn’t necessarily have the most talented farm system, so they were looking for guys who were performing that could go up. Right place, right time. I hit well to start that Double-A season and I just kept it rolling through that entire year and was just fortunate to be where I was at.”

Taking his lead off third. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

He began the 2022 season at Salt Lake, where he continued to put up big numbers, slashing .314/.422/.425 in 77 games. In July, he learned he was being called up to the Angels to make his major-league debut. In just his second big-league game, he collected his first major-league hit off Marlins reliever Tanner Scott (who’s now in the Dodgers’ bullpen).

“It was a pinch-hit in the eighth inning in Miami,” he remembered. “I was up in the cage drinking Cuban coffee. Apparently, that’s the recipe to get your first hit is Cuban coffee in the cage before a pinch-hit. It was a 2-and-0 slider that I just fileted the other way. I remember, I probably could have gotten to second on that ball, but we were down at the time so I held at first. It was a good feeling for sure.”

Over three seasons, Stefanic played 90 games for the Angels, even hitting leadoff for a stretch in 2022. During his time with the Halos, he had a front row seat to watch perhaps the two greatest players of his generation, Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.

“It was definitely special,” he said of playing with Ohtani and Trout. “The way they go about their business and the way they work is incredible. I like to tell this to people who ask about these guys – that they’re just two completely normal guys that just happen to be really rich and are really good at baseball. My interactions with both of them were great. I’m able to have conversations about literally anything from fantasy football to anime Netflix shows on TV. It’s cool to be able to interact with some of the greats while they’re playing.”

Unfortunately, the 2024 season got off to a rough start when Stefanic suffered a strained left quadricep injury during spring training and was unable to return to games until mid-May. He ended up splitting the season between Salt Lake and Los Angeles.

“It was really unfortunate that I got injured to start the season – in the first spring training game. I was really disappointed with that. I had a chance to break with the club if I was healthy and playing well. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. And I just didn’t play well enough last year to stick where I was at. Ultimately, I’m very thankful to the Blue Jays organization for giving me a chance to continue the baseball career and I still feel like I have a lot of good baseball left in me.”

This season started much differently for Stefanic. He drilled a key two-run double on Opening Day at Sahlen Field to contribute to a Bisons win over Rochester.

“I didn’t have a single extra-base hit in spring training, so it was nice to get that one out of the way early,” he chuckled. “But it’s awesome just getting to know this new group of guys and coaching staff and kind of just a different organizational philosophy. But everything’s been great and I can’t say enough about the way the Blue Jays have treated us. It’s been awesome.”

He’s been one of the top hitters for the Herd during the young season, currently slashing .327/.414/367, and playing solid defense at shortstop.

Stefanic is currently hitting .327. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

As an undrafted player out of an NAIA school, who ended up signing late, Stefanic’s already played in three seasons in the big-league games and continues to defy expectations.

“It’s similar to what I did,” his new manager, Casey Candaele said. “I was not drafted myself. To me it shows that baseball is not all just numbers. It has a lot to do with what is inside of a person and what they’re willing to sacrifice, and what adversity they’re willing to go through. The things they’re willing to do to be a team player and to help the team win – which means a lot and is valued still. So, I think it’s just a credit to him for doing that.”

The fact he continues to beat the odds is something that’s not lost on Stefanic.

“That’s something my dad really preaches to me is sometimes you just have to slow down and reflect on perspective and how would you feel when you were 22 and unsigned, if I had told you that at 29 you had played 90 games in the show,” Stefanic said. “It’s great. I’m one of those people who’s always so locked in on the moment, I never truly get to appreciate what’s going on around me because I’m always in my mind going – What’s next? How can I help this team? How can I win this game? How can we do things better? So, it’s nice, and sometimes I have to pause myself in the locker room or in the hotel or at my place after the game and just be like – you do some pretty cool stuff for being an undrafted kid out of Westmont College.”