On Aug. 10, Steven Souza Jr., a Cascade High School alumnus, had his plaque hung on the Syracuse Chiefs’ Wall of Fame to recognize his performance with the former Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The New York Mets purchased the Chiefs in 2017, and it has since been rebranded as the Syracuse Mets.
Souza Jr.’s plaque lists several accomplishments:
— 2014 International League Most Valuable Player and 2014 International League Rookie of the Year
— Put together one of the most impressive seasons in franchise history while leading the team to the 2014 International League North Division title
— Set the single-season franchise record with a .350 batting average while ranking top five with .432 on-base and .590 slugging percentages
— 2014 International League Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star.
— 2014 International League batting champion while leading the league in both on-base and slugging percentages.
— Sixth Syracuse player to win International League Most Valuable Player honors and the first since Chad Mottola in 2000.
According to a press release, Souza Jr. is the seventh International League Rookie of the Year in Chiefs history and the first since Shawn Green in 1994. He also is the first All-Star outfielder for Syracuse since Corey Brown in 2012 and the first Chiefs player to ever win both MVP and Rookie of the Year the same season. Souza Jr. played in 91 games with the Chiefs, ending his stint with 23 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, 70 RBI, 49 walks and 24 stolen bases.
Steven Souza Jr. stands under a sign that reads, “Syracuse Baseball Wall of Fame Day Aug. 10, 2024.” Souza Jr. played in 91 games with the Chiefs, ending his stint with 23 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, 70 RBI, 49 walks and 24 stolen bases. He was inducted on Aug. 10, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Steven Souza Sr.)
The Washington Nationals selected Souza Jr. in the third round of the 2007 MLB Draft as the 100th overall pick, making Everett history as one of two players all-time from Cascade to make the MLB; Grady Sizemore was the first.
Souza Jr. spent more than a dozen years in the professional baseball scene, serving as a designated hitter, first baseman, shortstop, third baseman and left, right and center outfielder. He made his MLB debut for the Washington Nationals in 2014 and spent the next years with the Tampa Bay Rays (2015-17), Arizona Diamondbacks (2018-19), Chicago Cubs (2020) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2021). In 2022, the year of his retirement, he came back to his home state where his baseball-career aspirations were ignited and finished with the Seattle Mariners.
Souza Jr. was also named The Herald’s Sports Man of the Year in 2018 after becoming the third Snohomish County player to hit 30 home runs in an MLB season; he accomplished the feat in 2017 when he played for the Rays.
His entire professional baseball career includes 1,669 at-bats, 223 runs, 383 hits, 72 home runs, 207 RBI and 42 stolen bases.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
