Why MLB insider thinks it's ‘very unlikely' Roman Anthony will be Rookie of the Year
Roman Anthony has played just two games in MLB after being called up by the Boston Red Sox earlier this week.
But it hasn't stopped fans and analysts from talking about his chances at being named the American League Rookie of the Year.
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But if you ask FanSided's Robert Murray, he thinks it's a long shot because of Athletics rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson.
'At this point, we have to call it like it is: It's very unlikely that Anthony wins AL Rookie of the Year considering 1. How well Wilson has played and 2. That Anthony was called up two months into the season,' the MLB insider wrote.
In 64 games for the A's, Wilson is batting .366 with eight home runs and 38 RBI. The 23-year-old has been out of the lineup for the past two games with hamstring due to hamstring tightness. It's unclear how much time he'll miss.
As for Anthony, he collected his first MLB hit — a two-run double — on Tuesday in Boston's win against the Tampa Bay Rays.
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And while it will be difficult, Murray mapped out one way it's possible Anthony could at least be in the discussion.
'If he plays every day, and has the type of impact the Red Sox believe he can, then anything is possible, and I could see Anthony warranting some consideration,' Murray wrote.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained this week that Anthony might not play every day because he wants to sit him against left-handed pitching even though baseball's No. 1 prospect hit .361 average with one home run, four doubles and a .955 OPS against lefties in Triple-A this season.
'The lefties here are real lefties,' Cora said. 'There's stuff here. Especially the guys in the bullpen. I truly believe that if you've got stuff, you're going to be here, you're not going to be in Triple-A or Double-A. So what they see here is different.
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'I think the gap is big. It's very big. When you play a team six times a week and you're constantly moving guys up and down, the good ones are here,' he continued. 'It gets to a point down there — I'm not saying it's what they did, I think they're very talented and they've earned the right to be in the big leagues — but there's a big gap.'
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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
MLB's best catcher Cal Raleigh smashes records. His biggest fan? The GOAT backstop.
MLB's best catcher Cal Raleigh smashes records. His biggest fan? The GOAT backstop. Show Caption Hide Caption Seattle Mariners' newest player shares promotion with family Cole Young announces his move to the big leagues playing for Seattle Mariners during an emotional phone call with his family. PHOENIX — They met for the first time last November, and now 3,229 miles away, Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench can't keep his eyes off him. He watches him on TV. He scours the boxscores looking for his name. He checks out the latest stats. Bench, considered the greatest all-around catcher in baseball history with his 14 All-Star appearances, 10 Gold Gloves, two MVPs and two World Series championships, is mesmerized days by a young man in Seattle who could become the next, well, Johnny Bench. He is a modern-day combination of Hall of Famer catcher Mike Piazza (427 homers) and future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina (nine Gold Gloves, four Platinum Gloves). The name is Cal Raleigh, the Seattle Mariners' switch-hitting catcher. He's not only the greatest power-hitting catcher in the game today, tied for the major-league lead with 26 homers entering June 15, but also is the game's greatest defensive catcher. Raleigh, who has produced the most home runs by a catcher in their first four seasons in baseball history, also won the Gold Glove and the Platinum Gold award last year as the greatest defensive player in the American League, regardless of position. Raleigh, 28, has taken the torch from 35-year-old Kansas City Royals star Salvador Perez (5-time Gold Glove winner, five-time Silver Slugger) as the game's finest all-around catcher. He already is on his way to carving a spot in the record books. He became the first catcher to hit 20 homers before June 1, and is just two homers behind Bench for producing the most homers hit by a catcher before the All-Star break (28 in 1970). He's on pace to smash Perez's record of 48 homers for a catcher. He'll soon join Piazza, Bench and Roy Campanella as the only catchers to hit 30 or more homers in three consecutive years. 'Believe me, I'm paying close attention," Bench tells USA TODAY Sports from his Jupiter, Florida home. 'I love watching him hit, seeing him go the other way while trying to get guys in from second and third. I love watching him throw, and unlike some guys you see, he's not afraid to throw. I love watching him call a game. I love watching him drive in runs. 'I love watching everything he does, it's just so impressive." Bench started closely following Raleigh when they met at the Rawlings Gold Glove dinner in New York last November. They sat at the same table. And they talked. And talked. Raleigh listened. And Bench talked some more. 'He's such a nice young man," Bench says, 'and for him to win his first Gold Glove will just give him more confidence. I call it inner-conceit. You're better than the situation. You're better than the opposing pitcher you're facing. You're better than the batter you're trying to get out. 'Guys like him have come along maybe 14, 15 times in the history of the game." Raleigh, who has been in the big leagues for 3 ½ years, breaks into a smile hearing Bench's praise. You kidding? Johnny Bench is raving about him? He still can't believe he got to sit next to Bench during the luncheon, stunned the legend even knew who he was, and blown away by the advice he provided. 'That was so cool, he's definitely one of a kind," Raleigh says. 'He was awesome. Old school. Knows baseball. Loves to talk about it. 'There were a lot of stories. He was really adamant about as you get older, taking care of yourself as a catcher. So he was giving me stuff on that. But then the big thing was runners in scoring position, what he was trying to do as a hitter, telling me he was taught to get runs in, and be an RBI guy. Those are the two things that stuck with me, slowing it down, not trying to do too much, and just getting those runs in. He was big on those two things." Now, Raleigh has Bench beaming with pride. Raleigh has played in all but one Mariners game this season. He would be perhaps be the MVP favorite if not for Yankees Aaron Judge's ridiculous year. 'I don't know about that," Raleigh says. 'I'm a huge fan of [Kansas City Royals shortstop] Bobby Witt. I think he's one of the best players in baseball. What he can do, how he can impact the game, the guy is unbelievable." Then again, what Raleigh is doing deserves the same hype. He has 26 homers and 53 RBIs, to go along with 44 runs, 11 doubles, seven stolen bases, a .376 on-base percentage and .998 OPS. He has hit 13 of his homers and 40 RBI with runners on base. 'That's what [former Mariners third baseman] Kyle Seager always told me, too," Raleigh says. 'He was really a big RBI guy. That's an important thing that people don't realize. Can you drive in runs? That's a huge part of the game. Walks are great, but driving in runs win games." Says Mariners All-Star center fielder Julio Rodriguez: 'When he's getting his pitches, he's not missing them. Whenever someone throws a fastball, and he's looking for it, it's gone. It's pretty amazing what he's doing." And, then, there's the Gold Glove defense, throwing out the most runners trying to steal in back-to-back years for the first time since Hall of Famer Gary Carter in 1982-83, and a mastermind behind the plate. 'It's cool to see the progression because coming out of college," Mariners backup catcher Mitch Garver Says, 'he was really more at a bat-first catcher, and really revamped his whole catching style over the last few years. We saw the rewards last year with the way he was able to receive the ball better. I think it improved his blocking and his throwing as well. 'Here he is, close to 30 homers already, still catching five or six times a week, and is able to do what he does with the staff and produce offensively is just amazing to see. We're playing in a ballpark that's not easy to hit in, and he's making it look easy. He's hitting balls above his head, hitting balls that are almost about to bounce, and staying locked in behind the plate." Says Mariners veteran starter Luis Castillo: 'He's so very good for us, just having that confidence that we have in him. He does so much for us helping the team win defensively, offensively, everything. But the big thing for the pitchers is the confidence for us to throw the pitch that we want, but also the confidence in him to throw the pitcher that he wants, too." Raleigh is hardly satisfied with just becoming the greatest hitting catcher in the game. He also wants to be the best behind the plate. 'What kid didn't love Yadi (Molina) coming up?" Raleigh says. 'You wanted to be him. You wanted to be that guy. He was so good in every aspect of the game. Calling a game, blocking, receiving, throwing guys out, back-picking, everything. He was amazing. When he was back there, it was a whole different game. It was special. It was different." Raleigh is getting those same rave reviews as Molina, not only what he does on the field night after night, behind the plate and at the plate, but also in the clubhouse. 'He's a very smart player, very understanding, very professional," Mariners first baseman Rowdy Tellez says, 'but I don't think people give him the credit for being a great leader and what he does for everyone in this clubhouse. He's a true superstar. He's putting up numbers nobody else is doing. If he did this anywhere else in the country, people would be blown away. 'Oh yeah, and he's got good hair, too." Raleigh couldn't care less about appearing in commercials. He doesn't need fans hanging out for hours outside the team hotel on the road for pictures and autographs. He doesn't even need MLB officials to beg him to be in their Home Run Derby, with Raleigh already volunteering. He's still waiting on the call. 'I think the last time I did a Home Run Derby was in the High-A Cal League,'' Raleigh said. 'I don't think I made it out of the first round. But if they invite me, why wouldn't you want to do something like that? It'd be pretty cool to do something like that one day." Who knows, maybe the Derby will let everyone know that MLB's best catcher plays in Seattle. He received a six-year, $105 million extension this spring, hopefully long enough to be the one to help lead the Mariners to where they've never gone before: the World Series. 'This city is amazing," Raleigh said. 'The people are amazing. The Mariners fans are amazing. It's the only place I've ever known, and it's hopefully the only place I've ever known. I just look really forward to what's to come, and hopefully get these guys in the World Series because these last two seasons have been extremely disappointing.'' The Mariners, 34-34, have been to the postseason just once since 2001, and those who are still in the organization – like Mariners manager Dan Wilson – can tell you just how electric the city became when the Mariners reached the postseason in 1995. They were in the playoffs four times in seven years with future Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. Edgar Martinez, Ichiro Suzuki and Randy Johnson. 'For Cal, it comes from in here with him," Wilson says, tapping his chest. 'He's got a lot of heart, a lot of desire, and a lot of determination. He wants to win in the worst way. He wants to be out there every day and compete. His at-bats are just so good, the way he receives, the way he blocks, the way he throws, the way he handles our pitching staff. He just does it all, but what really shines through is his desire to win." Says Mariners hitting coach Kevin Seitzer: 'He's very intense, very focused, quiet, soft-spoken, but he's not afraid to share his mind. The stuff that comes out of his mouth is really rock solid. What can you say, he's a freakin' pro." It's why the Mariners didn't hesitate investing $105 million in him before he was eligible for arbitration. Who knows, he could wind up on the Mariners' Mount Rushmore one day, already hitting more home runs than any Mariner but Griffey this quickly in his career. 'Nothing really changes, but it's nice to know that you're going to e somewhere for a long period of time," Raleigh says, 'especially where you want to be. It probably did ease my mind a little bit in these sense that I know can just go out and lay, enjoy it, and win as many games as we can, and get us to October. 'That's what you play for. That's what you constantly remind yourself. We're playing for something bigger come October, something that you'll never forget. Something the city will never forget." Something like the night of Sept. 30, 2022, when it was his ninth-inning, walk-off homer that finally ended the Mariners' 21-year playoff drought. 'That's what I want more than anything," he says. Raleigh pauses, takes a deep breath, and says: 'Only this time, in October." Around the basepaths – The Arizona Diamondbacks, who could be the epicenter of the trade deadline, are getting swarmed with calls from rival GMs with hopes they can land the piece to get them into October. The D-backs have starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, power-hitting third baseman Eugenio Suarez and first baseman Josh Naylor, along with relievers Shelby Miller and Jalen Beeks, all pending free agents who could be available. The Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants are keeping a close eye on those power hitters, while virtually every contender is looking at their pitching. One little problem. The D-backs (35-34) still are contenders. As long as the D-backs still have a legitimate shot, they are making it clear they are not interested in breaking up the band. – GMs who have spoken to Atlanta recently are convinced that Alex Anthopoulos has zero interest in giving up players for prospects at the trade deadline. – The Chicago White Sox were thrilled getting veteran starter Aaron Civale from the Milwaukee Brewers for first baseman Andrew Vaughn, who had been demoted to the minors a month ago. Still, they won't have Civale in uniform long. They plan to trade him at the July 31 deadline, believing they could get at least a couple of mid-tier prospects in return. – Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara is starting to look like himself again after undergoing Tommy John surgery, with his fastball (97.6-mph) and command returning just in time to get traded. Alcantara, who's yielding a 1.50 ERA in his last two starts compared to 8.47 in his first 11 starts, should be the No. 1 trade piece on the market. The Dodgers, who have plenty of prospects, are one of the teams lurking. – The Pirates believe they could get a healthy return for veteran starter Andrew Heaney at the trade deadline. Heaney, 3-5, 3.33 ERA, has made every starts this season and has pitched at least five innings in 12 of his 14 starts, going into the seventh inning six times. – If the Brewers become convinced that newly acquired Andrew Vaughn could return to being an everyday first baseman, veteran Rhys Hoskins could be a valuable chip at the trade deadline. – The Dodgers are encouraged, and awfully tempted, but aren't planning to use Shohei Ohtani as a pitcher until after the All-Star break. – The Rockies could shop reliever Jake Bird, who should be their All-Star representative with his 2.06 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 39⅓ innings, and even nine-year veteran infielder Ryan McMahon at the trade deadline. – You think the Phillies would love to find a center fielder at the deadline? Their center fielders have a .609 OPS, which would rank the lowest at the position in franchise history. – MLB is hosting the Draft Combine once again in Phoenix this week while teams are cruelly reminded that nothing is ever guaranteed in the draft. All you have to do is look at this past week: The Houston Astros dumped Forrest Whitley, the 17th pick of the 2016 Draft, while the Chicago White Sox gave up on first baseman Andrew Vaughn, the third pick in 2019. – Paul Skenes has made 15 starts this season. He has given up 19 earned runs for a 1.78 ERA. He has only four victories. He is the first pitcher in MLB history to have a sub-1.80 ERA over a 15-game stretch and have fewer than five victories, according to Codify Baseball. In Skenes' career, spanning 38 starts, he has given up just 48 earned runs for a 1.89 ERA. – When San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb (6-5, 2.58 ERA) suffocated the Los Angeles Dodgers' powerful offense on Friday night, it was his seventh start this season of at least seven innings. The entire Dodgers rotation has two starts of seven innings. Webb, in fact, has already tied the franchise record with at least three starts of 10 or more strikeouts and no walks, and it's still June. – It may be a century later, but the Boston Red Sox at least are getting a little payback from selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees. The Yankees traded minor-league catcher Carlos Navarez during the winter to Boston for pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz. Navarez, who spent nine years in the Yankees organization but had only six games of big-league experience, was a long shot to even make the opening-day roster. Today, he is their everyday catcher, not only exhibiting fabulous defense, but hitting .280 with six homers. He was the hero with his walk-off Friday night against the Yankees. 'He's been a revelation,' Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet told reporters. 'You talk to him and you forget that he's still classified as a rookie. It's really special, he really calls games like he's been doing it for 10 years in the show and his at bats at the plate late in crunch time, he just never gives in.' – The Chicago Cubs bullpen has four players who are older than 36 years old and five who weren't on their opening day roster. It's also the same bullpen that has yielded a major-league leading 0.90 ERA since May 14, according to Fangraphs. – Atlanta rookie Drake Baldwin not only is on the verge of becoming the first African-American everyday catcher since Charles Johnson, but just could be the best hockey player in baseball. Baldwin, who grew up in Madison, Wisconsin was also a hockey star in high school, leading the state with 43 goals as a junior and was a finalist for the Wisconsin Player of the Year as a senior. – Kudos to Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, who is already telling everyone that he plans to retire after the 2027 season to spend time with his family. – Just how dominant is Tarik Skubal? He has thrown 90.1 innings this season, and hasn't permitted a run in 79 of them, yielding a 1.99 ERA and a 0.808 WHIP. He's on pace to become the first pitcher to win consecutive Cy Young awards since Pedro Martinez in 1999-2000. Oh, and he's a free agent after the 2026 season, too. – The best free agent signing of the winter may be Griffin Canning of the Mets. The Mets didn't even bother making an offer for Corbin Burnes ($210 million) or Blake Snell ($182 million), but believed in Canning, signing him to a one-year, $4.25 million contract. He is now having the best season of his career, going 6-2 with a 3.22 ERA after going 6-13 with a 5.19 ERA last year with the Angels, giving up the most runs (99) by any AL pitcher. Meanwhile, Burnes is out for this year and most of next season undergoing Tommy John surgery. And Snell has made only two starts. – The Yankees have four 1-0 victories this season, already their most since 1976, according to research extraordinaire Bill Chuck. – The Yankees are bidding to become the first playoff team since the 2006 Mets to have two starting infielders at the age of 36 or older (Paul Goldschmidt and DJ LeMahieu), according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. – The A's will have their official groundbreaking ceremony June 23 in Las Vegas as the former Tropicana Hotel site. The ceremony will be at 8 a.m. before temperatures hit 105 by noon. – Don Kelly certainly is showing why the Boston Red Sox nearly hired him as manager a few years ago. He took over a Pirates' team that was 12-26, and they since have gone 17-16 entering Saturday. – Yes, those are the Rays, who revolutionized using openers, who have still used only five starters this entire season, throwing the most innings with the most quality starts. They lead the major leagues in innings, averaging 5.2 innings per start, throwing at least five innings in 88% of their starts. – The Angels are hanging in the AL West race, but if things change, starting pitcher Tyler Anderson and closer Kenley Jansen will attract plenty of interest. – Don't look now, but Yankees castoff Gleyber Torres of the Detroit Tigers could be the American League's staring second baseman at the All-Star Game. He's hitting .271 with a .778 OPS, best among AL second basemen. – The Red Sox's seven walk-off victories this season already has equalled their franchise with 3 ½ months left to play. – Torii Hunter, the 9-time Gold Glove outfielder, came up with a nickname for Athletics center fielder Denzel Clarke after his unreal catch to rob Nolan Schanuel of the Angels of a home run by elevating his body over the left-field fence. 'Elastic man," Hunter says. 'The way he climbed that wall and stretched and caught that ball, you got to have some rubber in you.' – The Texas Rangers' offense is starting to surge with the hiring of hitting coach Bret Boone. They scored five or more runs in just eight of their first 35 games before Boone's arrival. Since the hiring of Boone, they have scored five or more runs in 13 of the 36 games. The Rangers (35-36) still remain quite dangerous in the AL West. – The Los Angeles Angels can never be accused of not giving their minor leaguers or young players a fair shot. They just called up second baseman Christian Moore, their first round pick of a year ago, who played only 79 minor league games. The Angels now have eight of their former first-round picks on their active roster, none who spent more than 100 games in the minors, and all 25 or younger. – Do you realize the Cleveland Guardians have not lost a game since 2023 when leading after 8 innings, going 112-0. They are the only team to remain undefeated since opening day of the 2024 season, according to Codify Baseball. – The Savannah Bananas may look like all fun and games, but apparently it can be a bit dangerous. Former All-Star first baseman Sean Casey tore his hamstring running the bases in a Bananas' game, and former 20-game winner Adam Wainwright injured his arm training to pitch in one of the games. Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Nebraska alumnus Alex Gordon inducted into the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame
Nebraska alumnus Alex Gordon inducted into the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame A former Husker celebrated being inducted into an MLB team's hall of fame on Friday night. The Kansas City Royals inducted left fielder Alex Gordon into the Royals Hall of Fame. The Royals inducted Gordon at Kauffman Stadium ahead of their game against the Athletics. The A's won 6-4. Gordon is the 20th player to be inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame, 20 years after being drafted second overall in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft. He won eight Gold Gloves and two Platinum Gloves with the Royals. At the plate, he hit .257 while earning a .338 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of .410. He ranks in the top 10 in franchise history in multiple categories. He played in 1,753 games (6th), delivered 1,643 hits (6th), earned 749 RBIs (7th), struck 190 home runs (5th), hit 357 doubles (5th) and walked 684 times (3rd). Gordon also helped the Royals to a World Series title in 2015, hitting a game-tying ninth-inning home run in Game 1 against the New York Mets to force extra innings. Kansas City won the game in 14 innings before taking the series in five. Prior to the MLB, Gordon put together one of the greatest careers in Nebraska history. He finished with a .355 career batting average, hitting 189 RBIs and 44 home runs. He capped off his Husker career by winning the 2005 National Player of the Year and leading Nebraska to a Big 12 regular-season and tournament title and a trip to the College World Series. Gordon also got his jersey retired by the Huskers, becoming one of three players in program history to receive the honor, joining Darin Erstad and Shane Komine. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
For MLB's second generation players, love of game tops genetics
For MLB's second generation players, love of game tops genetics – and science agrees In Father's Day nature vs. nurture debate, MLB's Sons know it's not just their genes. Show Caption Hide Caption Seattle Mariners' newest player shares promotion with family Cole Young announces his move to the big leagues playing for Seattle Mariners during an emotional phone call with his family. Jackson Holliday has read the scouting reports and heard the buzz about his own skills and those of his younger brother, Ethan, for most of his young life. And it rarely takes more than a sentence or two before talk turns from their work ethics or their gorgeous swings or power potential to the tie that ostensibly binds them to predictive greatness. Bloodlines. It's both the most obvious and yet oversimplified evaluation a baseball scout can make – a recognizable name leaping off the page, a player profile to dream on based on how far their father made it in the game. And ostensibly, the Holliday family justifies those dreams: For the second time in four years, a Holliday lad will be picked at or near the very top of Major League Baseball's draft when Ethan is selected somewhere in the first five or so picks at the July 13 selection party. Jackson, still just 21, is in his second year as a Baltimore Oriole and perhaps already on his way to his first All-Star Game. Ethan, while having to conquer several levels of minor league ball to join his older brother in a major league middle infield, could be a bigger and more powerful version of Jackson. Both are carrying the legacy of their father Matt, a seven-time All-Star, a batting champion, a World Series winner who slugged 316 home runs over 15 years in the major leagues. Genes to dream on, for certain. Yet the story of baseball bloodlines will forever be a classic nature vs. nurture equation, and despite inherent advantages of growing up Holliday or Clemens or Bellinger, countless environmental factors will determine if the child's most important adult acronym, say, is OPS or CPA. 'It's nice to have the genes – my dad's a big guy and played baseball a long time,' says Holliday, on pace for a 20-homer, 20-steal season in his first full season in the majors. 'But I don't look like him and I just have the last name and he happens to be my dad. 'I think a lot of it has to do with growing up in the game and watching someone you want to be like, and that's what they do. So, that's essentially what me and my brothers wanted to do.' Indeed, the Holliday patriarch is built like an NFL linebacker – at 6-4, 240 pounds, he had both speed and power and at 45 still cuts an imposing figure when he's around a major league batting cage. While Holliday was a slugging left fielder, his eldest sons are cut from a different template: Jackson is 6 feet and 185 pounds, while Ethan is already 6-4, about 200 pounds and projected to stick at shortstop long term. Not exactly daddy duplicates from a physical standpoint. 'Yeah, it's nice having good genetics,' says Kody Clemens, youngest son of seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, and a versatile reserve for the Minnesota Twins. 'But the exposure is probably more important.' The scientific community generally agrees. 'Biology is really good at mixing things up' It's been nearly a decade since Alejandro Lucia collaborated with renowned genomic professor Claude Bouchard - regarded as a godfather of genetics and exercise – on a 2016 study exploring the responses and adaptations of the body to exercise. Lucia, a professor and researcher at European University of Madrid, worked with human patients and animals and extensively explored how genetics influence the body. 'We found, basically, nothing,' says Lucia. That's not to say genetics don't affect body types. Lucia says there is an 'undeniable genetic influence' that he pegs at around 50% that determines whether a person's phenotype is better suited toward respiratory fitness or muscular makeup. Humans, at their core, are endurance animals, he says. Yet what makes athletes great are almost exclusively influenced by environment, be it the preponderance of elite East African distance runners or, say, an elite travel baseball team from Texas. 'Is it the genes you have inherited from your father? Or is it the influence, the atmosphere?' says Lucia. 'In the case of sports performance, we're not talking about a single phenotype. It's the combination of many phenotypes. What makes you a good basketball player? Is it strength? Is it skill? Is it motivation? It's many different things. 'It is probably the combination of too many factors. We tend to blame our genetics on too many things.' Certainly, genetics play some role in getting a child into the game. Stephen M. Roth, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Maryland, has studied genetics and elements of skeletal muscle and athletic performance for more than 20 years. Loosely, he pegs the chances of bestowing athletic genes on offspring at about 50%, though some factors have a higher likelihood of inheritance. Height, for instance, has closer to 80% inheritability. 'Most of these traits are remarkably complex. It's not just a single gene that's contributing and you either have it or you don't,' says Roth. 'It's going to be a lot of different genes, all contributing and the likelihood that at least some of those are passed down is probably pretty good. But certainly not all of them, in the exact pattern that either parent has. 'Biology is really good at mixing things up, and purposefully doing so.' Roth says certain psychological factors – competitiveness, say – have about a 20-30% likelihood of inheritability. Yet it's almost impossible for genetics to outkick an athlete's surroundings. 'When you see a given geographic group or set of families who are especially successful in a given sport, instead of thinking of genes I will think of the special environment of this particular geographic reason or this particular family' says Lucia. 'The example, the inspiration they get from their parents. 'I will never be a great baseball player. But maybe my genetic makeup is not that different from the best baseball player in the U.S.' 'The Clay Stare' And sometimes the next generation quickly exceeds its predecessors. Cody Bellinger didn't need much time to push the label 'son of ex-Yankee Cody Bellinger' into the background. He hit 20 home runs in his first 51 major league games, and doubled his father's career total of 12 in his first 57. No, Cody wasn't inheriting Babe Ruth's genetic profile. Yet growing up Bellinger – Clay was part of World Series-winning Yankees teams in 1999 and 2000 – was pivotal. 'You're in the batting cage, you're picking up baseballs, you're going out to batting practice and you just fall in love with it,' says Bellinger, who won the 2019 NL MVP award and has a .760 OPS this season for the Yankees. 'Moreso than other kids who don't have that opportunity. A huge blessing. 'I think just being around it, you just appreciate it and you love it and it's not forced. For me, I loved it.' That's one trait that can't be underestimated. The pressure of following in a famous father's footsteps can be immense. With no ceiling on travel ball and many ballplayer families residing in warm-weather climes, the potential for burnout is immense. 'It's almost like going into the family business. You have this, maybe stated, but unstated expectation that you could, or maybe should, be following in this person's footsteps,' says Roth, the Maryland professor. 'You have this unique opportunity to go into this particular business. I think the concern is, how many of these kids actually feel pressure to do it, but don't realize they may not want to do it? 'They may be good at it, but is this how they want to spend their lives? That can be really hard to disentangle. We see that following in the family business, too, where someone says, 'No, actually, I don't want to be a butcher.'' The second-gen kids who made the big leagues tended to steer into it. Craig Biggio, the Hall of Fame second baseman for the Houston Astros, was already retired by the time his son Cavan was in high school. So the elder Biggio took the coaching reins at Houston's St. Thomas High School, giving Cavan a potential double-whammy: A legacy to look up to, and the stigma that can come by being The Coach's Son. Yet it turns out his teammates thought it was nifty having a coach who was two years from having a bust in Cooperstown. 'Because everybody loved having him, having a Hall of Fame guy,' says Cavan, who is in his seventh major league season. 'It was a professional environment from a high school level, which was really rare and cool. 'So when I eventually got to pro ball, it was already things I was doing from a young age.' Not that Dad can't be hard on the kid. Clay Bellinger also coached some of Cody's teams, preaching lessons Cody relies upon to this day, and also saying so much by saying virtually nothing. 'I was lucky enough that my dad was the coach,' says Bellinger, drafted in the fourth round by the Dodgers in 2013, 'but me and my friends had a little joke – if you didn't do something well, you'd get the 'Clay Stare.' 'He'd stare at you and you'd feel it. That you did something wrong. That was always something that we joked around with and that stuck with me – play the game hard.' 'This was going to be for me' Of course, having a ballplayer dad means having lots of famous uncles. Matt Holliday played long enough that Jackson can remember kibitzing in the clubhouse and on the field with the likes of Nolan Arenado and Aaron Judge. Biggio recalls catcher Brad Ausmus as a 'funny, witty guy,' and appreciates the respect he was afforded from Astros such as Morgan Ensberg, Lance Berkman and Willy Taveras. Josh Barfield, a four-year major leaguer and now the assistant general manager of the White Sox and son of Blue Jays legend Jesse Barfield, counted Rickey Henderson and Ken Griffey Jr. as de facto family members thanks to his father's longtime friendships with both. As little kids and adolescents, they didn't go through the grind. But they got an up-close view of what it took to survive it. 'You watch the work every day – and go out and try to replicate what I watched for so long,' says Jackson Holliday. Sometimes, it's the only life they know. 'Kasey and I always talk about how we really didn't understand what there was in life besides being a baseball fan or baseball player,' says Kody Clemens of his older brother. 'Growing up, we knew we wanted to be the players. 'When (Roger Clemens) was in New York and in the tail end of his career in Houston - that was when I realized how good he was, why these people were coming to the stadium, why we were going to the stadium. From 5 to 10 years old was when I realized what was going on.' While some of the legacy ballplayers become elite – like Bellinger and Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – or are burgeoning stars like the Hollidays, others are determined to stick. Clemens has never played in more than 56 games since his 2022 debut and at 29 is enjoying his first taste of extended success with Minnesota, slugging six homers in 36 games after Philadelphia designated him for assignment in April. Biggio is currently at Class AAA with Kansas City, after making the club out of spring training; he's with his fourth organization in the past two seasons. It's plenty of time to ponder who makes it, who stays, and why. 'I think athleticism has a ton to do with it, but everybody in pro ball is athletic, even college baseball,' says Biggio. 'I more credit being around it as a young kid. For me, it developed a passion and a love and a want for what this was going to be for me.' Or, as Maryland's Roth puts it, 'baseball is always in the environment. You have this almost constant presence. That's going to lead to expectations and opportunities for these kids.' And the cycle rolls along. As Bellinger glances about the Yankees clubhouse, a pair of young boys, baseball gloves in hand, tail behind assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes, like ducklings following their mother to the pond. 'There you go,' he says as elementary-school aged Kash and Jett head out to the field, perhaps taking the tiniest steps toward draft day 2036. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
