Sandpoint native sees son make it to 'The Show'

SANDPOINT — While most fathers watching their sons play Little League baseball may dream of one day seeing them don a Major League Baseball uniform, the odds of it actually coming true are around one in 10,000 — roughly the same odds a thief would have of guessing the correct pin number on a stolen ATM card.

But for Sandpoint native Mike Hagadone, who was born and raised in Sandpoint and taught school and coached at SHS, the dream came true when son Nick Hagadone was called up to the majors by the Cleveland Indians last week.

Mike was on hand at Safeco Field in Seattle last week to watch his son pitch in the majors for the first time, and as one might expect, he felt a flood of emotions.

“It’s something you never think of in your wildest dreams, getting to see your child run out on a professional stage,” said Hagadone, who was unable to make any games in Cleveland last fall when Nick got his first brief call up to the majors. “I was excited to see him get a chance in front of his family. It was a payoff for all of the hard work.”

Nick was born in Sandpoint, before moving to Sumner, Wash., when he was 3 after his dad got a job at White River High School.

He grew up watching games in the King Dome, where he always wanted to hit like Ken Griffey Jr. and pitch like Randy Johnson. The latter goal isn’t such a stretch.

At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds and just 24-years-old, Nick represents one of the most coveted assets in baseball: a left-handed power pitcher. He features a plus fast ball that tops out in the mid-to-high 90s, and a nasty slider, much like the aforementioned Big Unit.

Hagadone, who stayed close to home and played in college at the University of Washington, is one of the Indians’ prized pitching prospects, and was part of the trade that sent Victor Martinez to the Red Sox two seasons ago. In 14 innings of work at the major league level, Hagadone has allowed only six hits and seven walks, to go along with 15 strikeouts — numbers most major league closers would take in a heartbeat.

He was optioned back to AAA Columbus last Monday, after three appearances, then recalled by the Indians on Thursday, where he will be in the bullpen against the Angels and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. At the AAA level, he’s posted a 1.52 ERA in 23 innings of work, striking out 25 and walking just eight. The future is always tough to predict, but it’s not a stretch to think he could one day close for the Tribe.

Part of the athletic genes come from Nick’s mom, formerly Allison Foster, who was a standout three-sport athlete at SHS before playing volleyball at Montana State.

Mike Hagadone was also born and raised in Sandpoint, and still has a host of cousins, aunts and uncles living in the area. He taught at SHS from 1980 to 1990, and was the head football coach in the late ’80s when Nick was born. Along with his brother Ron and uncle Dwight Church, Hagadone helped bring back American Legion baseball to the area in the late ’80s, although he admits baseball was always a secondary sport to him.

Last year Mike was named the High School Principal of the Year by the Association of Washington Principals. Even though he’s more than two decades removed from living in Sandpoint, his hometown still holds a soft spot in his heart.

“Those are some real fond memories growing up there,” said Hagadone, who watches all of his son’s games on television. “It’s a fun place for kids and they really support kids and athletes. Sandpoint is part of who Nick is as a person.”