Former Northview student, Jason Delay, makes his MLB debut

Michael Reeves, Special

Mekayla Upton, Social Media Editor

Every child has a dream; Jason Delay's was baseball. He played every position growing up. Ever since he was 4 years old, Delay stuck to baseball. At Northview, his positions have included catcher, infield, and third base. However, he started to narrow his focus.

“As [the] competition got better and a little bit more serious, I focused on being a catcher,” Delay said.

During his time at Northview, he played varsity for coaches Mike Dixon, Josh Bartlett, and Chan English. Throughout his years in baseball, he worked with many great players and took inspiration from everyone he crossed.

“He was a freshman who was able to walk onto a varsity field,” Dixon said. “Senior year, [Delay] became [the] kind of leader that led by a big lead.”

During his time at Northview, Delay was able to balance taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes and pursuing his baseball career. One of the AP classes the former student took was AP United States History, which was taught by Mark Anderson.

“[Jason was] very hard working. No matter what we did, he did what he was supposed to,” Anderson said. “Secretly, he was becoming an awesome baseball player.”

After spending all four years on Northview’s varsity baseball team, Delay continued his baseball career at Vanderbilt University. In college, Delay started and continued to play as a catcher, while helping his team win the College World Series.

Towards the end of Delay’s college career, Delay was picked in the MLB draft twice. The first time Delay was an 11th-round pick for the San Francisco Giants. After deciding not to sign, he returned to Vanderbilt to continue studying economics. The second time around Delay was a fourth-round draft to the Pittsburgh Pirates and signed with them.

“At every level, I want to do my best. I feel like I personally tend to take things more seriously,” Delay said. “I look back, and I wish that I [could go] back and enjoy it more.”

In 2020, Delay returned to Northview for its annual Hall of Fame inauguration. Due to this event, Delay now has a place in the Northview Hall of Fame, near the gym. At this event, he was able to see his former coaches and meet current coaches. 

Once drafted to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Delay played on their minor team, Double-A Altoona. For some time, Delay considered quitting baseball. Delay played for Double-A Altoona until June 14, 2022. On that day, Delay made his major league debut.

“They told me about an hour before the game that I was going to be an active player,” Delay said. “My parents flew out to the game; it was an emotional thing.”

In Delay's first game, he got to meet and play against his idols; he was even on first base next to Yadier Molina. Before one of his games, Delay was also able to witness history as he watched Roberto Clemente Jr. and Roberto Clemente III throw the first pitch on Roberto Clemente Day. Although he made his debut due to COVID-19, Delay has continued to play since June 2022. 

“In my debut, one of the coolest things that I will never forget is when Yadier Molina and Albert Pujols came up to play,” Delay said. “They both congratulated me on my debut.”

Since the start of his major league career, Delay has played in 46 games.  Delay is currently also working towards his MBA at Johns Hopkins University.