Former Knights Ready for 2015 World Series

When the first pitch of the 2015 World Series is thrown on Tuesday, October 27, the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals will take center stage. Both teams feature many young, talented players who have propelled their teams to the Fall Classic. While Yoenis Cespedes, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Daniel Murphy, Lorenzo Cain, Alex Gordon, and Johnny Cueto will certainly make headlines, there is one former Knights player (Addison Reed) currently set to play in his first postseason. There are a few others who have ties to the Knights.

RHP Addison Reed

Reed has proven to be a solid member of New York's bullpen since he was acquired by the club on August 30, 2015 from Arizona in exchange for two minor league pitchers (Miller Diaz & Matt Koch). The former Knights hurler posted a 1-1 record with a 1.17 ERA down the stretch for the Mets this year (17 games).

A native of Montclair, CA, Reed was originally drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 3rd round of the 2010 draft. The 6'4″, 230-pound reliever quickly made his way through Chicago's system. He made his professional debut in 2010 with Great Falls (Rookie League) and went 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 13 games with the Voyagers.

In 2011, Reed's rise through the system was quick. He began the year with Single-A Kannapolis and posted a 1.12 ERA in four games. Next, it was on to High-A Winston-Salem, where Reed went 2-0 with a 2.54 ERA in 15 games. He continued to jump classifications, going to Double-A Birmingham next, where he compiled a 0-1 record with a minuscule 0.87 ERA in 13 games. Was he done there? Not even close.

Reed was promoted to Triple-A in late July and was sharp as a member of Charlotte's bullpen. He struck-out four batters in two innings for his Triple-A debut on July 26 at Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, SC.

Appearing in 11 games with Charlotte that year, the San Diego State University product posted a 1.27 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 21.1 innings. It was his final test before a promotion to Chicago was in the cards.

On September 4, 2011, Reed made his major league debut with the White Sox against the Detroit Tigers (1.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO). On that day, his journey through the system that season came full circle. After beginning in Kannapolis, and continuing through Winston-Salem, Birmingham, and Charlotte, Reed was now a member of the White Sox at the young age of 22. He finished the season with a 0-0 record and a 3.68 ERA in six games with Chicago.

Overall in 43 games (combined between four teams) at the minor league level in 2011, Reed went 2-1 with a 1.26 ERA. He fanned a whopping 111 batters in 78.1 innings pitched.

Reed spent the next two seasons (2012-13) with the South Siders, saving 29 games in 2012 and a career-high 40 in 2013. On December 16, 2013, things changed for Reed. On that day, the Los Osos High School product was traded to the Diamondbacks for 3B Matt Davidson, who spent the past two seasons with the Knights (2014-15).

With the D'Backs, Reed went just 1-7 with a 4.25 ERA in 2014 (59.1 IP), his first of two seasons with the organization. Still, the talented righty saved 32 games for Arizona in his first season and struck-out 69 batters over that span. In 2015, he was back in Arizona's bullpen and went 2-2 with a 4.20 ERA with three saves in 38 games (40.2 IP). He also spent time in Triple-A Reno, where he went 1-1 with a 1.74 ERA in 11 games. With the 2015 season winding down and the Mets looking for bullpen help, the two teams worked out a trade to bring Reed to the Big Apple. Once he got there, he shined.

Reed played a key role in New York's bullpen in September. He compiled a 1.17 ERA in 17 games and was a big part of the team's success down the stretch. As a late-inning reliever, Reed was exactly what the Mets were looking for to help bridge the gap to closer Jeurys Familia.

Now, the 26-year-old reliever will look to continue his impact into the 2015 World Series. In four games combined in the playoffs this season with New York, Reed is 0-0 with a 2.70 ERA (3.1 IP).

Dave Eiland

Eiland pitched for the Charlotte Knights in 1993 and is now the pitching coach for the American League champion Royals. Originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the seventh round of the 1987 draft, the Florida native pitched in the majors for parts of 10 seasons.

In 1993, at the age of 26, Eiland appeared in eight games for the Charlotte Knights and compiled a 1-3 record with a 5.30 ERA. It was his only season in Cleveland's organization and he was traded in August of 1993 to the Rangers. Since retiring from the game, Eiland has served as a pitching coach since 2003 with a number of different teams.

From 2003 to 2010, Eiland worked as a pitching coach in the Yankees organization and cluimbed the organizational ladder from A-ball to the majors. He spent three seasons in the Bronx as New York's pitching coach from 2008-2010. After spending a year with the Tampa Bay Rays as their special assistant to the GM, Eiland joined the Royals in 2012 and has been the club's pitching coach ever since.

Others of note:

RHP Bartolo Colon

As a member of the Chicago White Sox in 2009, Bartolo Colon made two major league rehab appearances with the Charlotte Knights. Working his way back from injury, Colon made his Knights debut on July 9 (2009) and allowed just one run over five innings in a victory over the Norfolk Tides at Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, SC. He started for the Knights one more time and was the losing pitcher on July 19 after allowing four runs on eight hits over seven innings in Norfolk, VA against the Tides.

RHP Carlos Torres

Although he is not on the New York Mets postseason roster, former Charlotte Knights standout Carlos Torres is a member of the Mets. He has been since 2013.

Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 15th round of the 2004 draft, Torres has posted a 17-18 record with two saves and a 3.59 ERA in 241 innings with the Mets over three seasons (2013-2015). The Santa Cruz, CA native finished second on the team in appearances in 2014 with 73 and second this season with 59.

Torres posted a 10-4 record with a 2.39 ERA with the Knights in 2009 and was elected to the International League's Postseason All-Star Team that season. A year later, Torres represented the Knights and started the 2010 Triple-A All-Star Game fpr the IL squad. In all, Torres won 19 games for the Knights over that two-year stretch (2009-10).

Mike Jirschele

Kansas City third base coach Mike Jirschele never played for the Knights. He never coached or managed the team either. His link to the team is a different one.

Mike is the father of Justin Jirschele, who has appeared in 16 games for the Knights over parts of the past two seasons (2014-15). Justin was signed by the White Sox as an undrafted free agent in 2012.