Stafford Native Jimmy Titus Traded To New York Mets Organization

STAFFORD, CT — Jimmy Titus, a 2-time Gatorade state baseball player of the year at East Catholic High School drafted in 2019 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been traded to the New York Mets organization.

A Stafford native, Titus has reported to the Mets' training facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla. It is uncertain whether he will stay with the Low-A team there, or advance to the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones.

Over the weekend, Titus, 23, wrote on Twitter, "Thank you to the Dodgers for drafting me and giving me the opportunity to start my professional career. I’m very excited to announce that I’ve been acquired by the New York Mets. Looking forward to getting started!"

A 22nd-round selection of the Dodgers in the 2019 draft, Titus played his initial professional season in Ogden, Utah in the Pioneer League. In 40 games with the Raptors, he batted .296 with six home runs, 23 runs batted in and 27 runs scored. A shortstop at Bryant University, he started 17 games at third base, five at shortstop and four at second base.

Minor league baseball was shut down in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and will operate under a radically revamped player development structure beginning this spring.

At East Catholic, Titus was the first player to win Gatorade state player of the year honors twice. At the time of his selection as a junior in 2015, he was batting .458 with four home runs, 14 RBI and a .917 slugging percentage. He improved those numbers in his senior campaign, with a .648 batting average, six homers, 27 RBI and a 1.185 slugging percentage.

During his tenure, the Eagles posted a 68-23 record for a .747 winning percentage, making the Class M semifinals in 2015. He also was an excellent student, maintaining a grade point average above 3.9, and volunteered as a youth baseball coach and assisting disabled persons with MARC Inc. of Manchester.

Titus batted .296 with eight homers and 42 RBI in 53 games as a freshman at Bryant, but suffered a knee injury early in the 2018 season which caused him to be redshirted. He came back strong in 2019, batting .343 with 12 homers and 63 RBI in 59 games. He was a 2-time All-Northeast Conference first team selection, ending his college career with a .319 average, 20 home runs and 105 RBI in 114 games.

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