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New York Times
7 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Chicago may be ‘the place quarterbacks go to die,' but Cubs pitcher Cade Horton is thriving
Cade Horton did not cross paths with Caleb Williams at the University of Oklahoma, where the future Chicago Cubs pitcher was once recruited by the football program and as a two-way baseball player. Horton, though, did hear the recent buzz about Da Bears, how Williams' father is quoted in a forthcoming book saying, 'Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die.' Advertisement Sitting at his Wrigley Field locker the other day, Horton laughed and understood the reference. Williams starred for the Sooners in 2021, the same year that Horton underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire baseball season. Williams then transferred to USC and won the 2022 Heisman Trophy, months after Horton led Oklahoma to the championship round of the College World Series, emerging as the No. 7 pick in the Major League Baseball Draft. How about Chicago for a pitching prospect? 'It is a really good environment,' Horton said. Indeed, the Cubs have made so much progress in several areas that the point is no longer up for debate. Before and after Horton made his major-league debut in New York last month, established pitchers such as Jameson Taillon and Justin Steele sent him text messages offering encouragement and support. Once acclimated, Horton observed how players follow their routines and listened to teammates share perspectives from their introductions to The Show. Cubs players enjoy talking ball and studying the little details within the game. This is not a clubhouse of 26 guys, 26 Ubers, to paraphrase Peter Gammons. The atmosphere is conducive to playing without the fear of making mistakes. Just throw strikes and Gold Glove defenders will run all over the field to make plays. When MVP candidates are stacked in the everyday lineup, giving up a couple of runs in the early innings isn't crushing. By early June, the Cubs had already notched 17 comeback victories and 12 wins that saw the offense score double-digit runs. 'If you're a young starter,' Taillon said, 'it does feel like a great spot.' Cubs manager Craig Counsell developed a strong reputation for handling young pitchers with the Milwaukee Brewers, taking a careful, open-minded approach that helped Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader land huge contracts as free agents. Tommy Hottovy, the longtime Cubs pitching coach, was a key behind-the-scenes coordinator for the 2016 World Series team. Hottovy later became an important figure in the merger of the organization's major- and minor-league pitching groups into a more unified program. The Cubs are 5-0 in Horton's five outings since he was promoted from Triple-A Iowa to replace All-Star pitcher Shota Imanaga, who remains on the injured list with a strained left hamstring. In order to keep playing into October, maintaining enough pitching depth is essential. Cade Horton has appeared in 5 games this season. The Cubs have won all of them. ✅NYM✅CWS✅MIA✅COL✅WSH — Chief Cub (@ChiefCub) June 4, 2025 While president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer would always be reluctant to give up the organization's highest-drafted pitcher in a generation, trading Horton ahead of the July 31 deadline becomes virtually impossible when he's a fully functional part of a first-place team. Counsell, a straight shooter who does not speak in hyperbole, gave Horton one of his highest compliments, describing the traits of a 'clear-headed competitor' who can put maximum focus on the moment, and then honestly assess each performance, separating the good from the bad. Advertisement 'He wants to be great,' Counsell said. 'Despite being this highly thought of prospect, he went through some big adversity last year. And I think that's a good thing. Growth comes from those places. But he's still new at this job — being a professional baseball player. You have to realize that and acknowledge that. In the long run, that's a good thing for us. There's a lot of room for growth left here.' That will come through repetition. Horton already has a solid foundation of athleticism and ability, but last year was largely a wasted season. The pain and discomfort he felt around his right shoulder due to a subscapularis muscle strain limited him to only 34 1/3 innings in the minors last season. The Cubs, however, are not putting a hard cap on his innings this year, believing that they can use data and insights from different departments to make collaborative decisions as the season unfolds. So far, Horton has covered 25 2/3 innings for the Cubs, posting three wins, a 4.21 ERA and only five walks against 108 major-league batters. It is a small sample, but it is also impressive given the gaps in his experience. The Cubs can afford to be patient. 'It's all about just slowing the game down and taking it one pitch at a time,' Horton said. 'It's just like anything else you do. The more you do it, the more comfortable you're going to feel. It comes from the preparation I put in. My bullpens, my routine, that's what gives me confidence to go out there and pitch.' Unless a 'Hard Knocks' camera crew gets access to the building, those types of moments are difficult to capture and appreciate. Ultimately, the Cubs, Bears and every other professional franchise will be judged by their record. But perception often matters, and players can tell when things are headed in the right direction. 'There's a winning culture,' Horton said. 'Everybody in here is pulling for each other. It's a special group.'
New York Times
29-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
Mason Neville, Oregon's home run king, has found joy in baseball once again
EUGENE, Ore. — Mason Neville wasn't sure what to expect when he entered the transfer portal in the summer of 2023. Thousands of athletes have gone to the portal after stellar individual seasons in search of more NIL money, higher-profile programs and the chance to chase trophies. Neville wasn't in that group, and he knew it. As a freshman outfielder at Arkansas in 2023, the Las Vegas native struck out 20 times in 33 plate appearances. Never mind that he was a top-100 national prospect coming out of high school and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. Advertisement One year of college baseball and Neville had, in his own words, no leverage. 'There were jumps I needed to make as a baseball player, and I knew that,' he said. 'But when you're not getting playing time, it makes you second-guess what you've done previously. I was asking myself, 'Am I not good?'' Two years and 2,000 miles later, the answer to that question has become clear. Neville is thriving in his second season at Oregon, hitting .293 with a 1.179 OPS and leading the country in home runs with 26. He's the centerpiece of an Oregon offense that has the Ducks positioned to make a run at their first College World Series appearance in school history. Oregon, the No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament, plays Utah Valley on Friday at 6 p.m. (PT) in the first game of the Eugene Regional. Neville is No. 26 in latest mock draft and No. 38 at Baseball America. There's a new single-season HR leader in @OregonBaseball history. He's Mason Neville, and here's his record-setting 1️⃣9️⃣th blast 👇#B1GBaseball — Big Ten Baseball (@B1Gbaseball) April 21, 2025 But more than confidence and an impressive stat line, Neville has something else that had gone missing in Fayetteville: Joy. That much is evident in the fun he has when little kids from the community crowd around him after games, begging for autographs and selfies. It's clear from the smile that creeps up whenever he blasts a shot over the fence and trots around the bases, a joy he can't fully describe because, 'I kinda blackout after home runs,' he said. Neville can barely talk about success — his and his team's — without breaking into a grin and marveling at how much better things are not just for him, but for them. Joy has become the foundation of this season, allowing him to take constructive criticism from his dad, a former college player, and his coaches, without it shaking his confidence. He's remembered not only that he's good at this game, but he loves it, too. And those things are true even when he's not playing it perfectly. When he watches film of his freshman year, Neville sees a kid desperate to prove himself, who thought the only way to do that was to bomb baseballs over the fence. He was in his own head too much. That was obvious to Mason's dad, Trevor, a former junior college player who first put a bat in Mason's hands, helped him become one of the best players in the country and then watched his confidence crumble at Arkansas. Advertisement 'If his confidence wasn't completely broken, it was cracking,' Trevor said. 'For athletes, that fear of failure is always there. It was tough. He was saying, 'Does anyone even want me?' I tried to remind him, 'You're a great ball player, and people recruited you for a reason. You are going to have options.'' Dad was right. Numerous schools reached out to Mason once they knew he wanted to transfer, with Oregon coach Mark Wasikowski one of the first to call. Trevor said the day after Wasikowski talked to Mason on the phone, the sixth-year coach was in the Nevilles' Las Vegas living room, telling Mason, 'We lost you once, we're not gonna lose you again.' Mason, a desert kid who loves sunshine and being outdoors, had concerns about playing in a cold, rainy climate where early-season games are often rescheduled because of downpours. But he also figured if he was successful in Eugene, he could be successful anywhere. 'I've grown to appreciate it a little bit. Those four-hour practices in the rain, it builds character,' he joked. He's excelled at Oregon partially because he's taken pressure off himself. Ducks hitting coach Jack Marder has stressed that hitting home runs is not the goal — getting on base is. He's harped to the entire team to cut down on strikeouts. In 2024, the Ducks totaled 531 strikeouts in 60 games; through 56 games this season, they've struck out just 407 times. He's told players that being good offensively is not only about how you're hitting the ball but 'how you're setting the table to create runs for other players.' Neville, Marder said, didn't necessarily need major mechanical changes. He just needed a different approach. 'He was a completely out-of-sync mover at Arkansas,' Marder said. 'His lower half and upper half didn't work together, which meant he had to be perfectly on time (to get a hit). That can really put negative thoughts in a player's head if they have to be perfect to be successful.' Advertisement More reps have helped, too. After battling an injury at the beginning of 2024, Neville settled into the Ducks' lineup late last season, starting Oregon's final 23 games and batting .318 (28-for-88) with 10 home runs in that stretch. He credits his success to the simplicity of routine. Neville's also come around to understanding the value of getting on base no matter how it happens. He set the single-season program record for walks in the finale of the Washington series and has walked 52 times in 53 games, tied for the 14th most in Division I. 'Being more disciplined at the plate is a big part of my success this season, and knowing when I get my pitch, I'm not missing it,' Neville said. Nothing beats the feeling he gets in the split second just before his bat connects with the ball. 'When you're on time and you get a pitch you can handle — you can usually tell based on how it comes out of a pitcher's hand, it looks a little different — when you know it's in your zone because you've done it over 1,000 times in BP, you know you're about to smash it.' Mason's season has been especially gratifying for Trevor to watch, even if he still occasionally gives feedback to his kid. When he strikes out, Mason might try to justify it to Trevor, telling Dad that in the big leagues, an ump would have never called that particular pitch a strike. Trevor won't have it. 'If the ump calls it a strike, it's a strike! You gotta swing at it!' It reminds them both of shouting matches they'd get into when Mason was younger and Trevor would throw batting practice. If a pitch sailed by and Mason didn't swing, Trevor would call it a strike, igniting an argument. Mason would claim the pitch was way out of the zone, while Trevor, incredulous, would tell his oldest, 'You do not argue with the person throwing BP!' Advertisement They laugh about it now. Mason described Trevor as 'my best friend,' the person who instilled confidence in him even as he struggled early in his college career. Trevor and his wife, Jessica, have made it to almost every single Oregon weekend series this season. Mason grudgingly admits that his dad has 'been right about pretty much everything.' When he's home in Vegas, he asks daily if they can go hit. When they're not in the cages, they're usually on the pickleball court or maybe the golf course. Mason and his younger sister Emma, a freshman beach volleyball player at Cal State Bakersfield, will team up against their mom and dad to play anything for hours. 'We lose every time,' Mason groaned. 'They smash us no matter what we're playing. They always find a way to beat us. It kills me.' Some parents see value in letting their kids win to boost their confidence. Trevor doesn't believe in that. Asked who the best pure athlete in the family is, he initially said if the Nevilles held some sort of sports decathlon, where they had to demonstrate skill from each of the major sports, 'I'd smoke 'em.' Later, he recalibrated. His kids are Division I athletes, a level he never reached. He should probably be realistic. But Mason loves the trash talk. Over the last few years, he has had three major goals: 1) Find joy in baseball again, 2) Help his team to Omaha, 3) Beat his dad in pickleball. He's one-for-three. He knows that in baseball, batting .333 is pretty good. But he's not satisfied yet. (Photo courtesy of Oregon Athletics)
Reuters
28-05-2025
- General
- Reuters
Pirates place C Joey Bart (concussion) on 7-day injured list
May 28 - The Pittsburgh Pirates placed catcher Joey Bart on the seven-day injured list on Wednesday because of a concussion. In a corresponding move, the Pirates reinstated catcher/first baseman Endy Rodriguez from the 10-day IL after recovering from a finger injury. Bart was hit on the back of the head on a backswing by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in the fourth inning of the Pirates' 9-6 road win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Bart exited the game after warming up Pittsburgh reliever Joey Wentz in the fifth and was replaced by Henry Davis. Bart, 28, is batting .240 with one home run and 11 RBIs in 44 games. He is a career .236 hitter with 25 homers and 94 RBIs in 286 games for the San Francisco Giants (2020-23) and Pirates (2024-present). San Francisco selected him with the second overall pick of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Georgia Tech. Rodriguez, who turned 25 on Monday, has not played since April 15, when he required stitches after taking a deflected pitch off his right index finger during a 10-3 home win against the Washington Nationals. He is batting .178 (8-for-45) with three doubles and two RBIs in 15 games this season. He has started nine games at first base and five games behind the plate. --Field Level Media
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Jac Caglianone adjusting to outfield in Triple A, pleased with Royals' development plan
OMAHA, Neb. — The clock is apparently ticking on Jac Caglianone's time in the minor leagues. But after a one-week power display in Triple A, the Kansas City Royals' top prospect is not itching for a call-up to the big leagues. Caglianone, the No. 6 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, was promoted to Omaha from Double-A Northwest Arkansas on May 18. He's hit five home runs in six games with the Triple-A Storm Chasers, including shots of 441 and 459 feet Friday and Sunday in Salt Lake City. Advertisement Exit velocities on all five of Caglianone's home runs in the past week were measured at 107 mph or faster. He hit nine homers in 175 plate appearances in Double A. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound former two-time All-American at Florida has driven in 53 runs in 56 games this season. 'It's been kind of a whirlwind, if you step back and take a look at it,' he said Tuesday ahead of his home Triple-A debut at Omaha's Werner Park against knuckle baller Cory Lewis of the Minnesota Twins' affiliate, the St. Paul Saints. JEFFREY ALAN CAGLIANONE 💪 — Omaha Storm Chasers (@OMAStormChasers) May 25, 2025 Caglianone's hot start in the minors has stoked excitement in Kansas City. The 22-year-old slugger has noticed. 'It makes me feel pretty good,' he said. 'I haven't even been there yet, and I can already feel the love from the people of Kansas City. So I'm super thankful for it. Hopefully it stays that way.' As for a likely summer promotion to K.C., Caglianone said he's not worried about the timing. 'It'll happen when it happens,' he said. Caglianone added that he appreciates the organizational leadership and Royals players like Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino. They reached out to Caglianone with words of encouragement when he was promoted. 'I do think they have my best interest at heart,' Caglianone said. 'It alleviates the pressure of the 'when.' I just take it day by day.' The Royals sent Rusty Kuntz, special assistant to the general manager, to Omaha to aid Caglianone in his development as an outfielder. After playing first base and pitching in college, Caglianone has worked at first this year while also getting time in left and right field. He could help Kansas City in the outfield this year. The Royals last week designated veteran outfielder Hunter Renfroe for assignment. Advertisement In 2010, Kuntz notably assisted Alex Gordon in his move from third base to left field, where he won eight Gold Gloves and helped Kansas City win the 2015 World Series. As Caglianone thrives in the minors, the Royals have struggled offensively despite a 29-26 start. They've hit 33 home runs, the fewest in the major leagues, and scored 3.3 runs per game, the third fewest. General manager J.J. Picollo told reporters Monday in Kansas City that the Royals will not rush Caglianone. 'It's not fair to any player, whether it's Jac Caglianone or whoever,' Picollo said, 'when a team is maybe scuffling offensively, to try to put it on him and hope he's going to come save the day. The best way to break any player into the major leagues is to try to bring them up when the team's hot offensively, scoring some runs.' Picollo said the Royals want to see Triple-A pitchers force Caglianone to make adjustments. 'I don't want to put a timetable on it, but we want to see him for a little bit,' Picollo said. 'This first week was great, but we certainly weren't saying when he went to Triple A, 'Have a good first week and we'll bring him to Kansas City.''
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
C. Notes: Brady Singer's Florida Gators reunion, what players do with giveaway items
A total of 61 scouts representing all 30 MLB teams were at the University of Florida's Perry Field for the showdown between the Gators' Brady Singer and Auburn University's Casey Mize in April 2018. Mize was the consensus No. 1 prospect in that year's draft and Singer was expected to go in the top 10. Advertisement Among those in attendance were Dick Williams and Chris Buckley, the two members of the Cincinnati Reds' front office who would decide which player the team would take with the fifth pick that year. At the time, Williams was the team's president of baseball operations and Buckley was the director of amateur scouting. Mize, who would indeed be taken No. 1 by the Detroit Tigers two months later, struck out 10 in seven innings, while Singer struck out eight in seven innings. But it was Jonathan India who would steal the show, hitting a two-run home run off of Mize in the first inning to lead the Gators to a 3-2 victory over the Tigers. 'Off his splitter, cutter, whatever it was, it was something soft,' India recalled this spring. 'Line drive to left. It was a good one.' Brady trying to put on a show, works a 1-2-3 first inning in front of the 6️⃣1️⃣ scouts we had check in for tonight's game. Lots of 👀👀 on this matchup. #MLBDraft — Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) April 26, 2018 India said he remembered seeing a row of radar guns behind the plate from his spot at third base, but he wasn't surprised. It may have been the most scouts he'd seen at the Gators' home field, but he was used to seeing a group of middle-aged men in polo shirts, khakis, hats and sunglasses pointing radar guns at the mound. 'They prepare you for that to begin with,' India said. 'Florida did a good job of disciplining you and telling you why they're doing it.' After the game, Williams and Buckley went out to get drinks and India and his family happened to be at the table next to theirs. The Reds' contingent talked with India and his parents that night, a bonus for their scouting report. That night, India went from a potential first-round pick to a player the Reds would take with the fifth pick in the draft. Singer would go to the Royals with the 18th pick that year. Advertisement The two Gators have remained friends over the years and Singer knew the Royals had interest in acquiring India the last few years, so there was a hope that the two would be teammates again. While India is now a Royal, Singer is a Red. The two friends were traded for each other last November. 'It's insane,' India said this spring. 'He was trying to get me over here. When they traded for me for him, he couldn't believe it.' The two friends will face off again Tuesday night in Kansas City. India has faced off against Singer six times, with a pair of singles, a walk and no strikeouts. Every time the Reds have a giveaway item, players will find two of the items on the chair in front of their locker when they come to the ballpark. So what do they do with them? 'When I got a bobblehead, I got a ton of them because my parents wanted them,' utilityman Spencer Steer said. 'My family wants all of that stuff.' Last year, the Reds gave away a Steer bobblehead, something everyone in his family wanted. 'It's weird, honestly,' Steer said. 'I dreamed of playing in the big leagues, but I never dreamed of having a bobblehead. It's kind of a weird moment, but cool for sure.' Steer's twin brother is a big Star Wars fan, so he made sure to give him one of the Clone Trooper bobbleheads the team gave away for Star Wars night earlier this month. Last year, the Reds also gave away replica jerseys with Steer's name and number. 'I just send a big box of that stuff home,' Steer said. 'It's like Christmas in summer.' Closer Emilio Pagán has an office at home and he likes to group the bobbleheads together from the six different teams he's played on. The rest of the giveaways go to family, friends or kids at church in Charlotte, N.C., where he lives in the offseason. Unlike Steer, Pagán has never had his own bobblehead. While he's closing games for the Reds this year, middle relievers rarely get honored with bobbleheads. Advertisement 'I've never had one. It'd be sick to have one,' Pagán said, 'but I'm not going to hold my breath on it.' Coming off a sweep of the Cleveland Guardians, the Reds dropped two of three in Pittsburgh against the last-place Pirates and lost two of three to the first-place Chicago Cubs after the bullpen couldn't hold on to late leads. The Reds bounced back with a holiday victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday. The Reds will finish their series in Kansas City on Wednesday before a day off Thursday, then a chance to gain ground against the Cubs in a weekend series at Wrigley Field. • OF Jake Fraley (left calf tenderness) started his rehab assignment Sunday with the Triple-A Louisville Bats. Fraley was 0 for 4 Saturday with a strikeout and 1 for 4 with a home run on Sunday. • IF Christian Encarnacion-Strand (low back inflammation) started his rehab assignment Sunday with Louisville, with a double and walk in four plate appearances. • IF Noelvi Marte (left oblique strain) was expected to have an MRI on Tuesday. Originally scheduled for next week, the MRI was moved up because of the progress he's made. • LHP Wade Miley (Tommy John surgery) gave up four runs on five innings, recording just two outs on 29 pitches. Last Tuesday, he threw a rain-shortened, five-inning shutout with two hits. • RHP Rhett Lowder (right forearm strain, left oblique strain) had his rehab assignment paused after injuring his oblique last week. Lowder has been shut down completely for a couple of weeks and said it was too early for any kind of timeline, but he would not return soon. Urbaez drives in CES to bring us within two! — Louisville Bats (@LouisvilleBats) May 25, 2025 • Triple-A Louisville (24-26): 2B Francisco Urbaez had two hits Sunday to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. Urbaez, 27, is hitting .323/.369/.457. Not only has he hit in 13 straight, he's had multiple hits in each of his last five games and in six of the last seven. • Double-A Chattanooga (22-22): RHP Chase Burns faced the Rocket City Trash Pandas twice last week, beating them both times. In both games, he went five innings and allowed a run. On Tuesday, he allowed two hits, one homer, and struck out seven with a walk. Sunday, he allowed three hits, struck out 10 and didn't walk a batter. Since being promoted to Chattanooga, Burns is 4-1 with a 1.86 ERA, 45 strikeouts and three walks over 29 innings over six starts. Advertisement • High-A Dayton (17-28): RHP Easton Sikorski is 2-1 with a 0.75 ERA in 12 appearances out of the bullpen, including five saves. Over his 24 innings, he's allowed just two earned runs (five total) with 36 strikeouts and five walks. • Class-A Daytona (20-25): RHP Cole Schoenwetter struck out eight in four innings in Sunday's win. A fourth-round pick in 2023, Schoenwetter is 0-3 with a 7.90; while he has struck out 30 batters in 24 2/3 innings, he's also walked 27. (Photo of Brady Singer: Denny Medley / Imagn Images)
