Legendary Gatemen shortstop inducted into Cape League Hall of Fame

One of the great Gatemen will be immortalized in Yarmouth.

Kevin Nicholson, who won the Pat Sorenti MVP Award during his 1996 season as the Wareham Gatemen’s shortstop, has been inducted into the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame.

He is one of five class of 2026 members who will be inducted during a ceremony at Wequassett Resort in Harwich on Sunday, Nov. 15. 

In his lone season with the Gatemen, Nicholson, a switch-hitter, maintained a batting average of .315 and hit three home runs and 23 runs batted in. He also hit 18 doubles that season, which led the league in 1996. That total is still tied for the second-most doubles in a season by a Cape League batter.

“Kevin’s 1996 season is one of the greatest summers in Gatemen history, and this honor is long overdue,” said Gatemen President Matt Merrick in a statement.

Nicholson won conference player of the year in 1997 while playing at Stetson University. He was drafted 27th overall by the San Diego Padres later that year. This made the British Columbia native the first Canadian chosen in the first round of the MLB draft.

He played 37 games in a Padres uniform during the 2000 season. Following his MLB career, he represented Team Canada in the 2001 Baseball World Cup, the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Nicholson is the 28th Wareham Gatemen player to be inducted into the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame. He joins current Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and former Red Sox first baseman Mo Vaughn, among other players, managers and executives.