TWO VALLEYCATS SIGN WITH MLB ORGANIZATIONS

TROY, NY - The Tri-City ValleyCats are proud to announce that RHP Nick DeCarlo has been signed by the Milwaukee Brewers and C Miguel Useche has been signed with the Chicago Cubs. This from “The Joe” to “The Show” Update is presented by Curtis Lumber.

DeCarlo was in his second year with the ValleyCats. The Jackson, NJ native missed bats with his “rising” fastball and a sweeper that regularly exceeds 3,000 RPM. The 6-foot-6-inch, 220-pound right-hander threw an immaculate inning in New England in the eighth inning on August 14th, 2024. He also struck out 27 batters across 12.1 innings from August 10-24. The Felician University product made 22 appearances out of the bullpen across two seasons with the ‘Cats, compiling a 1-0 record over 38 frames, sporting a 4.03 ERA, and striking out 58 batters.

Useche made his professional debut this season with Tri-City. The Carcas, Venezuela native immigrated to the U.S. when he was five years old. In his final season at the University of New Orleans in 2024, the 6-foot, 200-pound backstop set single-season highs in nearly every offensive category, earning First Team All-Southland and Second Team All-Louisiana honors. Useche batted .333 in 14 games with Tri-City, driving in seven and five of his 15 hits went for extra bases. Behind the plate, the 24-year-old had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and threw out runners at a 38% clip (6-for-16).

The last player from the ValleyCats to be signed by a Major League team was Carson McCusker (‘21-’23). His contract was purchased by the Minnesota Twins on June 28th, 2023. McCusker made his MLB debut on May 18th, 2025, joining Kumar Rocker (‘22) and Andrew Bellatti (‘21) as the third Frontier League era ValleyCat to reach the bigs. Overall, 117 players have gone from “The Joe” to “The Show”. Tri-City now has 17 players who have been transferred to Major League organizations, dating back to 2021.

“We are thrilled to see Nick and Miguel get these well deserved opportunities.” said ValleyCats Vice President & General Manager, Matt Callahan. “The combination of hard work and talent has earned them a chance to play at the next level. We look forward to seeing their careers progress and appreciate their time in Tri-City.”