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2021 offered special moments in local sports (Part Two)

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This past year levied countless memories in the local sports scene — from shattered records and career achievements for individuals and teams, to several major events and showcases in the area.

Here is a look back at some of the moments in sports in 2021, from across Pasco and Hillsborough counties, in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

(This is Part Two of a two-part series.)

Bishop McLaughlin baseball coach brings major league pedigree
Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School tabbed a decorated big-leaguer to lead its pedigreed baseball program, back in August.

His name is Rob Ducey, and he spent parts of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1987 to 2001 — playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, California Angels, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos.

Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School has tabbed former major-leaguer Rob Ducey, pictured, to lead its baseball program. (File)

A left-handed hitting outfielder, Ducey played over 700 games in the majors, posting a .242 batting average, .331 on-base percentage, .396 slugging percentage, with 309 hits, 190 runs, 146 RBIs, 31 home runs and 22 stolen bases.

Ducey later served as a hitting coach in the minor leagues for the New York Yankees, Expos and Phillies; and was a talent scout for the Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays.

This baseball lifer status — and one of the very few Canadian big-leaguers — has Ducey enshrined into both the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame (2006) and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (2013).

All told, Ducey has been involved with professional baseball in some shape or form for over 37 years.

And now, the 56-year-old Tarpon Springs resident is taking his varied experiences to the Hurricanes varsity baseball program, which has won five district championships and two regional championships, and has made a pair of state final four appearances

Ducey has clear expectations for the area team he takes over.

“Obviously, I want the pitchers to throw strikes, I want the defenders to handle the baseball, and the hitters to be able to situational hit,” he said, in an exclusive interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

“We may not have the most ability on the field, but you’re going to know that you’ve got to fight, and if we do that every single day we come out and work improves in those areas, then it’ll be a successful year.”

Future NHL stars showcase skills in Wesley Chapel
For a few days, the National Hockey League’s (NHL) next generation of talent skated into Pasco County —  showing puck fans and pro scouts their skills in shot-making, blocking, toughness and teamwork.

AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel was the site of the 2021 NHL Prospect Showcase, held from Sept. 18 through Sept. 21.

Tampa Bay Lightning prospect, goalie Hugo Alnefelt, No. 60, blocks a shot by Carolina Hurricane prospect Blaker Murray, No. 85, during action at the 2021 Lightning Prospect Showcase at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel. (File)

Hosted by the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, the event also welcomed prospect teams from the Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators and Florida Panthers.

With it being the Lightning’s turn to coordinate the event, the Wesley Chapel-based facility provided an ideal locale.

The 150,000-square-foot complex — the largest ice sports facility in the southeastern United States — is known for having four full-sized ice rinks and a mini-rink housed under one roof.

Aside from sheets of ice, the facility was designed to meet various NHL specifications, all the way down to specific railings and glass around the boards.

The facility also features an on-site sports medicine clinic with an evaluation and treatment room; a fully equipped fitness center with over 2,000 square feet of space; and a 90-yard indoor track turf.

Those features, plus the accessibility to on-site hotels and restaurants, as well as nearby Saddlebrook Resort, were other selling factors for the Lightning and other franchises, officials said.

Each prospect team featured a couple players who’ll likely see time in the NHL this year, which only added to the event’s allure.

Twenty-year-old Panthers goalie Spencer Knight fit that description.

Last year, Knight became the first goaltender to ever have played both in the Stanley Cup playoffs and NCAA (at Boston College) in the same season.

Meantime, Lightning fans received a glimpse of the franchise’s wave of younger talent over the course of the four-day competition.

The Lightning’s 24-man prospect squad finished the tournament as the only team with a perfect 3-0 record. They never trailed in any of their three tournament wins against the Hurricanes, Panthers and Predators.

Zephyrhills football volunteers receive permanent honor
Greg First and Kerry Ryman have witnessed their fair share of Zephyrhills High School football games over the last 40 years or so.

They’ve played a notable role over that time, too, with First providing play-by-play as stadium announcer, and Ryman operating the clock and scoreboard.

In many ways, the friendly pair were synonymous with Zephyrhills High athletics.

Friends and family watch as Kerry Ryman and Greg First receive plaques and recognition for their 40 years of voluntary service providing play-by-play and scoreboard duties for the Zephyrhills High School Bulldogs football team. Here, principal Dr. Christina Stanley makes the honor official, during a pregame ceremony. (File)

Because of those varied efforts, the Zephyrhills High press box at Tom Fisher Field in Bulldog Stadium officially was named the First-Ryman Press Box — during a pregame ceremony in October.

The press box dons the volunteers’ names in large black font with an orange backdrop — the school’s signature colors; Zephyrhills students designed and painted the press box’s new look, as a show of gratitude.

Year in and year out, First and Ryman built their respective Friday nights in football season around Bulldog football.

First had to be locked in on all aspects of the game — taking cues from spotters and properly pronouncing players’ names on a particular offensive or defensive play, all while peppering in various school announcements and sponsorships throughout the game, as his voice was heard by everyone from the stadium’s booming sound speakers.

Ryman, meanwhile, had to pay rapt attention to the game’s head official, monitoring various starts and stoppages in action and other game situations, while simultaneously following specific clock and scoring procedures.

As a part of the action for so long, First and Ryman were in on many highs, some lows and countless unforgettable occurrences. “There’s so many memories over the years that you really could write a book,” First told The Laker/Lutz News.

The two men relinquished their press box volunteering duties this season, after serving for some four decades.

Their press box presence may be gone, but it won’t soon be forgotten.

Freedom High swimmer wins state title
Local athletes and teams performed well at the 2021 FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Swimming and Diving Championships.

But it was Freedom High senior Michelle Morgan who registered the best individual showing among all area swimmers.

The Division I University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill verbal commit took gold in the 3A 200-yard individual medley, clocking 2:01.06 to finish ahead of Gainesville High senior Katherine Sammy (2:01.90).

Morgan also won the event last year, posting a 2:00.92.

The Freedom High swimmer collected additional individual hardware in 2021, taking silver in the 3A 500-yard freestyle.

Her time of 4:53.78 trailed only Chiles High senior Stella Watts, who swam in 4:46.86 in the event.

Morgan also was a leg on the Patriots’ medal-earning 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relay teams, which finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Other Freedom relay members were seniors Carly Joerin and Alexa Valdez Velez, and freshman Alex LaBohn.

Altogether, Morgan helped pace Freedom to arguably its best showing in program history. The girls squad finished fifth at states, won its first-ever regional title, and also claimed district and conference crowns.

“We had a phenomenal season,” Freedom head swim coach John Olewski wrote in an email to The Laker/Lutz News. “Assistant Coach Catherine Wright and I are so proud of the Freedom swimmers and divers. The administration, faculty, staff and students of Freedom High School applaud the Freedom Swim & Dive team members and join them in celebrating their many successes this season.”

Lutz native Kevin Cash claims second-straight manager award
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash — a Lutz native and Gaither High product —  became the first American League (AL) manager to win Manager of the Year twice in a row, announced by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) in November.

The Freedom High School girls swimming and diving team finished in fifth place at the 3A state championships last month in Stuart. The squad collected seven medals, including the 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay. From left: freshman Alex LaBohn, senior Carly Joerin, senior Michelle Morgan and senior Alexa Valdez Velez. (File)

Also, Cash is only the second manager to win such a BBWAA Manager of the Year Award in back-to-back seasons — joining Bobby Cox, who did so with the National League’s Atlanta Braves in 2004 and 2005.

Cash was recognized for steering the Rays to a franchise-best 100-62 regular season mark in 2021. (However, the Rays playoff dreams ended sooner than expected, losing to the Red Sox in four games in the AL Division Series in October).

He did so under weighty circumstances, with one of the sport’s lowest payrolls, a bevy of injuries (33 different players being placed on the injured list) and a competitive division that featured three other teams that won 90-plus games (Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays).

Besides wins and losses, Cash receives high marks for his ever-changing batting orders, unconventional pitching usage, and ability to maintain a positive culture in the team clubhouse.

Locally, Cash grew up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood across from Lake Park in Lutz, along North Dale Mabry Highway.

His baseball notoriety began as a young boy.

Some three-plus decades ago, he was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series.

He later would star at Gaither High and Florida State University through the mid- and late- 1990s before enjoying an eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher.

Published January 05, 2022

Locals make impact during 2021 MLB season

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Looking back, the 2021 Major League Baseball (MLB) season brought some normalcy to the sports world, with a full spring training slate, the traditional 162-game regular season and fans once again allowed to return to the stadium stands.

There were lingering signs of the COVID-19 pandemic, however.

For instance, the Toronto Blue Jays began the season playing “home” games in Dunedin — and then Buffalo, New York — amid Canadian-U.S. border restrictions. They eventually returned to Toronto in late July.

Meanwhile, a coronavirus outbreak hampered the Boston Red Sox between parts of August and September, where a dozen players and two members of the team’s support staff tested positive.

Even so, there were just nine games postponed due to COVID-19 outbreaks across the league the entire season.

As the big league season went into full swing, several pro ballplayers with roots in The Laker/Lutz Newspaper coverage area made notable impacts in one way or another.

Here’s a rundown on those with local connections.

San Diego Padres pitcher Austin Adams is a Zephyrhills High product. (File)

Austin Adams, San Diego Padres, pitcher
Local tie: Zephyrhills High School

It was a tale of two seasons for Austin Adams.

Before the mid-July All-Star break, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound righty posted an impressive 1.71 ERA in 31.2 innings, but slumbered in the second half of the year, with a 7.71 ERA in 21 innings.

Adams, 30, completed the campaign with a collective 3-2 win-loss record, 4.10 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 76 strikeouts in 52.2 innings pitched, and pitching shutouts in 52 of his 65 appearances.

His late-season struggles represented a microcosm of the San Diego Padres, who went 79-83 after going 53-40 in the first half of the season and 26-43 in the second half.

Adams also made some interesting baseball history this season.

He set a new MLB record for the Live Ball Era (since 1920) for most hit-batsman in a season — with 24.

The reason for the plunks isn’t intentional, but rather due to his heavy-moving slider, which he throws about 87% of the time.

Besides his struggles of late, Adams earns praise for strong advanced metrics against opposing hitters, with elite marks in average exit velocity, barrel percentage, whiff percentage, hard hit percentage, strikeout percentage and fastball spin rate.

Adams grew up in Zephyrhills and played Little League at Sam Pasco Park.

He went on to earn four letters in baseball, as well as one in basketball, at Zephyrhills High School from 2006 to 2009.

Adams’ high school pedigree led to a baseball scholarship at the University of South Florida, before entering pro ball as an eighth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Angels in 2012 MLB Draft.

Minnesota Twins pitcher John Gant is a Wiregrass Ranch High product. (Courtesy of MLB Advanced Media/MLB.com)

John Gant, Minnesota Twins, pitcher
Local tie: Wiregrass Ranch High School

John Gant experienced a respectable 2021 campaign serving a variety of pitching roles between the St. Louis Cardinals and then the Minnesota Twins, who acquired him in a July 30 trade.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound righty had a 5-11 record, 4.09 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 92 strikeouts in 110 innings.

The season didn’t end as hoped for the 29-year-old Gant, however.

He went 1-5 with a 5.40 ERA over his last seven appearances, and ended the year on the 10-day injured list with a mild right groin strain — this, after he missed time with a left abdominal strain.

Although he ended the year on the injured list, he’s expected to be ready for the start of spring training in 2022.

Gant’s arsenal features as many as six different pitches, headlined by a sinker (37%) and changeup (21.4%), along with a cutter (19.6%), four-seam fastball (11.8%), curveball (5.6%) and slider (3.1%), according MLB.com’s Statcast metrics.

Gant starred on the Wiregrass Ranch High varsity baseball team from 2008 to 2011 — striking out over 200 batters and sustaining just three losses in four years.

He also was a member of the Wiregrass Ranch basketball and swimming teams. His father, John Sr., was a science teacher at the school and longtime varsity girls basketball coach.

In the past, Gant has spent the baseball offseason training in and around the Wesley Chapel area.

Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado is a Gaither High product (File)

Oscar Mercado, Cleveland Indians, outfielder
Local tie: Gaither High School

Oscar Mercado is still trying to live up to his strong rookie campaign in 2019.

After a substandard 2020 season  — .138 batting average in 36 games — Mercado bounced back to a more respectable showing this time around after earning a promotion from Triple-A Columbus in late June.

In 214 at-bats across 72 games, the 26-year-old Mercado posted a .224/.300/.369 slash line, with 18 extra-base hits (including six home runs), seven stolen bases, 19 RBIs, and 27 runs scored.

In earning regular playing time, the 6-foot-2, 197-pound Mercado also exhibited versatility, making starts in all three outfield spots — the majority in centerfield.

Some other positive signs of improvements included notably cutting his strikeout rate (17.6% in 2021, down from 29% in 2020) while upping his walk rate (8.8% in 2021, 5.4% in 2020).

A lingering question remains if Mercado will be on the Indians roster in 2022, as he’s out of minor league options, which would allow him to be sent to the minors without first being subjected to waivers.

A native of Colombia, Mercado and his family emigrated to the United States, and settled in the Tampa area when he was 7 years old.

He became a four-year starter at shortstop at Gaither High School from 2010 to 2013, leading the program to back-to-back district crowns and ranked among the nation’s top prep middle infielders.

Following high school, Mercado was picked by the St. Louis Cardinals in the second round (57th overall) in the 2013 MLB Draft.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Nate Pearson is an Odessa native and Bishop McLaughlin product. (File)

Nate Pearson, Toronto Blue Jays, pitcher
Local tie: Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School (Odessa native)

Nate Pearson spent the bulk of the season in the minor leagues, but became an integral member of the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen as a September call-up, as the team fell just short of a playoff berth in going 91-71.

He posted a 4.20 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in 15 innings. (This included a stellar 3.09 ERA in 11.2 innings across 10 appearances in September.)

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound righty is known for one of baseball’s highest-velocity fastballs, averaging 97.8 mph on his four-seamer, to go along with an 87-mph slider and seldom-used curveball and changeup.

Going forward, Pearson is expected to take on a larger multi-inning role with the team, contingent upon his status with a groin injury that set him back over the course of the 2021 campaign.

Expectations remain lofty on the 25-year-old flamethrower, as he entered the 2021 season as the Blue Jays top-ranked prospect and the sport’s No. 10 prospect overall, according to MLB.com.

Born and raised in Odessa, Pearson starred at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School, helping the program to the Class 3A state semifinals as a senior in 2015.

Pearson went on to play college baseball at Florida International University, then transferred to the College of Central Florida.

Pearson was taken by Toronto late in the first round (28th overall) in the 2017 MLB Draft.

Land O’ Lakes native Kevin Quackenbush made a brief appearance for the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Courtesy of MLB Advanced Media/MLB.com)

Kevin Quackenbush, Los Angeles Dodgers, pitcher
Local tie: Land O’ Lakes native

Kevin Quackenbush’s showing in the majors this season was very brief — appearing in one game and firing just a third of an inning in a Los Angeles Dodgers 8-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 8.

It represented the 32-year-old’s first MLB action since 2018.

Quackenbush since elected for free agency in early October, after being outrighted off the Dodgers 40-man roster.

Quackenbush was a staple of the San Diego Padres bullpen from 2014 to 2017, then bounced around to a few other clubs including the Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals.

Across a six-year major league career, he’s posted a 4.41 ERA, 1.341 WHIP and 187 strikeouts across 209 innings in 204 appearances.

Quackenbush brings the presence of a hard-nosed reliever, as a bearded, 6-foot-4, 235-pound athlete. His arsenal features three pitches — a four-seam fastball, curveball and slider.

A Land O’ Lakes native, Quackenbush attended Tampa Jesuit High School and the University of South Florida, where he was the team’s closer and a second team All-American. He was an eighth-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 2011.

Published October 27, 2021

Former big leaguer is Bishop McLaughlin’s new coach

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Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School has tapped a decorated big leaguer to lead its pedigreed baseball program.

Rob Ducey spent parts of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1987 to 2001 — playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, California Angels, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos. (He also played two professional seasons in Japan, for the Nippon Ham Fighters and another handful of seasons in the minor leagues.)

A left-handed hitting outfielder, Ducey played over 700 games in the majors, posting a .242 batting average, .331 on-base percentage, .396 slugging percentage, with 309 hits, 190 runs, 146 RBIs, 31 home runs and 22 stolen bases.

Ducey achieved another unique designation by the time he retired — the longest career of any Ontario position player since Jeff Heath played 14 seasons from 1935 to 1949.

New Bishop McLaughlin baseball coach Rob Ducey played parts of 13 seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1987 to 2001. The Cambridge, Ontario, native is enshrined in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. (Courtesy of Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame)

Ducey’s involvement in baseball doesn’t end there.

Following his professional playing days, Ducey competed for Canada at the 2004 Olympics, and served as a coach at the 2006 World Baseball Classic and 2008 Olympics.

He was a hitting coach in the minor leagues for the New York Yankees, Expos and Phillies. And was a talent scout for the Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays.

Ducey’s baseball lifer status — and one of the very few Canadian big leaguers — has him enshrined into both the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame (2006) and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (2013).

All told, Ducey has been involved with professional baseball in some shape or form for over 37 years.

“Baseball has been a unique staple of my life, almost my entire life,” Ducey told The Laker/Lutz News in an exclusive interview.

Big plans for Bishop
The 56-year-old Tarpon Springs resident is now tasked with leading the Bishop McLaughlin Hurricanes, which has won five district championships and two regional championships, and has made a pair of state final four appearances.

The program has produced several pro ballplayers of late, including Blue Jays big league pitcher Nate Pearson, Red Sox Double-A pitcher Frank German and San Francisco Giants Low-A pitcher Carson Ragsdale, to name a few.

“We are trying to build this program into the best program that it can be,” said Ducey, adding he has always had a desire to coach high school baseball.

“Every year there’s going to be an influx of different types of ability, and hopefully we can build and build and build. …And regardless of how good physically players are, they play the game the right way and bring respect to not only the game, but to the school.”

Ducey takes over for Marc Eskew, who coached the team the last two seasons. Eskew’s tenure included a 20-8 mark and Class 2A playoff appearance in 2021.

Ducey officially was announced as the new head coach in a news release sent last month from Bishop McLaughlin athletics director Jay Bowen.

The release also mentioned Kenneth Burroughs as the team’s assistant coach. Burroughs played in the minor leagues for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox and is a certified pitching coach with the National Pitching Association.

Bowen explained why Ducey was the top fit to steer the Hurricanes baseball program, in an email to The Laker.

“When we began the baseball search, we were looking for family men, professional, moral, ethical and knowledgeable,” Bowen wrote.

“We want great teammates in our family. We also wanted a good fit into our athletic philosophy of family first and promoting multiple sports athletes.

“A quote by coach Ducey that stuck with me in our very first meeting was the goal to, ‘be a part of a championship-quality family, and shape the youth of today in personal growth and development.’”

Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School has tabbed former major leaguer Rob Ducey, pictured, to lead its baseball program. (Courtesy of Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School athletics department)

Over the past few weeks, Ducey has been coordinating fall ball practices with a 32-member roster split across junior varsity and varsity.

It has given him a chance to learn the makeup of the Hurricanes program.

“It’s a huge time for me getting to know the kids, getting to understand their abilities,” Ducey said. “We don’t have a lot of upperclassmen, so the JV program is very, very important, and we’re trying to figure out exactly what we have and put processes in place for them to improve.”

Ducey has clear expectations.

“Obviously, I want the pitchers to throw strikes, I want the defenders to handle the baseball, and the hitters to be able to situational hit,” he said.

He added, “We may not have the most ability on the field, but you’re going to know that you’ve got to fight, and if we do that every single day we come out and work improves in those areas, then it’ll be a successful year.”

The former major leaguer emphasized that strikeouts will not be tolerated on offense.

This comes in the face of a shifting philosophy across the game — particularly in the pro ranks — which suggests all types of outs are the same, and strikeouts can be stomached if a particular team is hitting for power and drawing walks.

Take the hometown Rays, who have the best record in the American League, for example.

They rank sixth in MLB in home runs and seventh in walks, but also have accumulated second-most strikeouts among all 30 ballclubs.

The high school game is a little different, of course.

“Strikeouts, not OK,” Ducey said pointedly. “I’ve made that abundantly clear that strikeouts are not OK. We need to have a solid two-strike approach, and treat every at-bat like it’s gold, grind out every at-bat.”

Aside from instilling traditional fundamentals, Ducey and his staff will incorporate high-tech analytics and advanced video equipment.

This includes Blast Motion bat sensors to analyze hitters’ swings with raw data, like bat speed and attack angle, as well as plane, connection and rotation metrics.

The team also will have access to computerized baseballs to measure velocity and spin rates, among other details.

“I think that it’s important that if we do have new technology then we should utilize it,” Ducey said. “I think that goes a long way with the kids. I think that goes a long way with the school that has provided the technology for us. And, for recruiting purposes going forward for the kids, that’s what colleges want to have, those types of numbers, that’s how they see players now.”

Memorable moments
Ducey has been in a slew of historical moments, during the course of his lengthy career.

He was in the last-ever game pitched by Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, in 1993.

He was playing left field when Hall of Famer and Kansas City Royals great George Brett recorded his 3,000 career hit, in 1992.

In other baseball career footnotes, Ducey:

  • Played the first-ever game at Toronto’s SkyDome (now called Rogers Center) in 1989
  • Set an all-time record for pinch batting with the Phillies in 2000 (73 appearances)
  • Tied an all-time record in Japan in 1996 when he hit eight leadoff home runs
  • Was the final Rangers player to hit a home run in the old Arlington Stadium (1993) before the team moved to Globe Life Park in Arlington

In addition to a rare athletic skill set, Ducey credits a dependable work ethic and focused attitude for his staying power at the game’s top levels.

“I tried to be the best I could be every single day,” the retired pro said. “I felt that I was consistent as far as when I showed up to the ballpark, the manager knew when I walked in the door what effort was going to be made that day. …There wasn’t a question that I came to play, came to win every single day, regardless of who I was competing against, or, the amount of playing time I actually got.”

Published September 22, 2021

Local athletes ink pro baseball contracts

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First came the 2021 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft, then came the matter of signing the dotted line to become a professional baseball player — and officially make boyhood dreams become reality.

This was the scenario for several athletes with ties to The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

Five local ballplayers were taken in last month’s MLB first-year player draft, which spanned 20 rounds (and 612 picks).

All but one of the area selections inked contracts with respective baseball organizations by the Aug. 1 signing deadline.

Sunlake High/University of Florida right-handed pitcher Tommy Mace signed with the Cleveland Indians for $1.1 million. He was taken 69th overall (Compensation Round B) of the 2021 MLB Draft. (File)

Sunlake High alum Tommy Mace, a fourth-year junior from the University of Florida, was the highest selection and had the largest signing bonus, among locals.

Mace signed for $1.1 million with the Cleveland Indians, who took him 69th overall in Competitive Balance Round B between the second and third round.

The imposing 6-foot-6, 230-pound right-hander received well-above the recommended slot value for the lofty pick (slightly under $929,800). The announcement was made official on the team’s website July 24.

The 22-year-old is noted for a respectable four-pitch mix — fastball, slider, curveball and changeup — highlighted by a sinking two-seam fastball that touches 96 mph.

Mace very well could’ve turned pro last year, but returned to school with hopes of further improving his draft stock following the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

This past year at Florida he posted a 4.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 113 strikeouts in 90.1 innings pitched, along with a 6-2 record.

Across his four-year college career, Mace compiled a combined 4.37 ERA, 1.279 WHIP and 258 strikeouts in 269.2 total innings pitched, with a 22-7 mark.

The long-limbed pitcher has been highly regarded since his prep days at Sunlake, where he was a three-year varsity letter winner.

As a senior, Mace tallied a 1.29 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 77.2 innings, with an 8-2 record in 11 appearances — guiding the Seahawks to the Class 7A regional finals.

He won 19 games during his high school career, posting a combined 1.65 ERA and 196 strikeouts in 165.2 innings.

Mace previously was drafted out of high school in the 12th round (347th overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in 2017, but didn’t sign, in favor of college.

Gaither High shortstop A.J. Graham signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates for $125,000. He was taken in the 18th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. (Courtesy of Gaither High School athletics department)

Other area ballplayers selected later in the draft also agreed to contract terms with MLB franchises, for varying dollar figures.

Gaither High senior A.J. Graham signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates for $125,000 after being the first pick in the 18th round (523rd overall).

Graham has been assigned to the Pirates Florida Complex League. He was signed on July 30 by Pirates scout Nick Presto, according to a team news release.

The 6-3, 180-pound right-handed shortstop batted .346 with two homers, seven doubles, 18 runs scored, 14 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 78 at-bats across 23 games this season for Gaither.

Graham comes from an athletic family background.

His mother, Mindy, played volleyball at Ball State University and is a member of the Muncie, Indiana-based institution’s athletics Hall-of-Fame.

His father, Darrell, played defensive back in football at Syracuse University and Ball State University, respectively.

Also picked in the 18th round was Saint Leo University lefty pitcher Jimmy Burnette, landing 542nd overall to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Burnette signed with the club for $50,000 on July 21, according to the team’s website.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound redshirt senior led Saint Leo this season in innings pitched (45.0), wins (three) and strikeouts (53) to go along with a 5.80 ERA and 1.53 WHIP and a pair of complete games.

Burnette emerged in the inaugural MLB Draft League, a summer showcase for top draft-eligible prospects providing exposure to scouts, coaches and advanced baseball technologies.

Saint Leo University left-hander Jimmy Burnette signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for $25,000. He was taken in the 18th round (543rd overall) of the 2021 MLB Draft. (File)

Playing for the league’s Mahoning Valley Scrappers in Niles, Ohio, Burnette posted a 3.09 ERA, 1.4 WHIP and 44 strikeouts in 23.1 innings pitched.

The league’s advanced statistical metrics underscored Burnette’s standout secondary offerings, including his slider (32.8% chase rate, 41.5% called strike plus whiff rate) and changeup (29% chase rate, 10 inches induced vertical break, 16 inches horizontal break).

Meanwhile, league metrics show a fastball that touches 95 mph, from a quasi-sidearm release.

A Chicago native, Burnette transferred to Saint Leo from the University of Illinois this past season.

Gaither High/University of Texas third baseman Cam Williams signed for $25,000 with the Kansas City Royals after being taken in the 19th round (559th overall).

The signing became official on July 15, according to the club’s website.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Odessa native starred for a Longhorns squad that had a third-place appearance at the 2021 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

A fourth-year senior, Williams led Texas with 20 doubles and was second with 12 homers, along with a .295 average, 42 runs scored and 51 RBIs spread across 61 starts at third base.

Prior to college, Williams led Gaither to the 2016 7A state championship his senior year and was named Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American.

He originally was drafted out of high school in the 39th round by the Seattle Mariners, but didn’t sign, electing for Dallas Baptist University and San Jacinto College before transferring to Texas.

Gaither High/University of Texas third baseman Cam Williams signed with the Kansas City Royals for $25,000. He was taken in the 19th round (559th overall) of the 2021 MLB Draft. (File)

Williams joins a growing list of family members to play professional baseball.

His father, Reggie, played four MLB seasons with the Anaheim Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers throughout the 1990s.

Williams three older half-brothers all played professional baseball, too.

They include Reggie Williams Jr., who spent three years in the St. Louis Cardinals organization (2010-2012); J.D. Williams played five years in the Minnesota Twins minor league system (2010-2014); and Javier Reynoso spent two seasons in the Kansas City Royals’ organization (2013-2014).

Wharton High shortstop Zach Ehrhard was taken by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round (367th overall), but didn’t sign by the Aug. 1 deadline.

Ehrhard theoretically could’ve received a decent chunk of change — as teams can give up to $125,000 to players drafted in rounds 11 through 20 before tapping into their bonus pool allotments.

He instead will attend Division I powerhouse Oklahoma State University, which has made eight consecutive NCAA tournament appearances (the 2020 pandemic-shortened season notwithstanding).

Interestingly, Ehrhard was one of four Red Sox draftees that chose not to sign.

The others were second-round pick Jud Fabian (University of Florida), 15th- rounder selection Payton Green (North Carolina Pro5 Academy) and 20th-rounder Josh Hood (University of Pennsylvania).

Ehrhard was this year’s recipient of the Wade Boggs Athletic Achievement Award, which honors a high school baseball player in Hillsborough County on the basis of outstanding athletic, scholastic and community achievements.

The a 5-foot-11, 175-pound switch-hitter batted .438 this season for the Wildcats, with three homers, 12 doubles, 29 runs scored and 21 RBIs, along with 26 stolen bases.

Ehrhard’s older brother, Drew, was a recipient of the prestigious award in 2017 and went on to play baseball at the University of Tampa.

Though just outside of The Laker/Lutz News’ coverage area in Pasco, Fivay High School/University of Mississippi product Gunnar Hoglund signed with the Blue Jays for $3.25 million, after being picked in the first round at 19th overall.

The signing bonus fell slightly below the recommended slot value of $3.36 million.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander from Hudson was viewed as among the draft’s most polished arms, but slipped slightly after having Tommy John elbow surgery in May, meaning the 21-year-old likely will be out of action through at least summer 2022.

Locals from the 2021 MLB Draft

  • Sunlake High/University of Florida pitcher Tommy Mace— signed with Cleveland Indians for $1.1 million (drafted in Comp B, 69th overall)
  • Wharton High shortstop Zach Ehrhard — did not sign with Boston Red Sox (drafted in 13th round, 376th overall)
  • Gaither High shortstop A.J. Graham — signed with Pittsburgh Pirates for $125,000 (drafted in 18th round, 523rd overall)
  • Saint Leo University left-handed pitcher Jimmy Burnette — signed with Toronto Blue Jays for $50,000 (drafted in 18th round, 543rd overall)
  • Gaither High/University of Texas third baseman Cam Williams — signed with Kansas City Royals for $25,000 (19th round, 559th overall)

Published August 11, 2021

Several local athletes taken in 2021 MLB Draft

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Aspirations of playing professional baseball may soon become a reality for a handful of athletes from local high schools and colleges in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

The Major League Baseball (MLB) 2021 first-year player draft spanned 20 rounds (and 612 picks) from July 11 through July 13.

The draft is held every summer by conference call among the 30 Major League clubs.

The clubs take turns selecting players in reverse order of their won-lost records at the close of the previous regular season.

Generally, a player is eligible for selection if the player is a resident of the United States or Canada and the player has never before signed a Major League or Minor League contract. Residents of Puerto Rico and other territories of the United States also are eligible for the Draft.

The basic categories of players eligible to be drafted are:

  • High school players, if they have graduated from high school and have not yet attended college or junior college
  • College players, from four-year colleges who have either completed their junior or senior years or are at least 21 years old; and
  • Junior college players, regardless of how many years of school they have completed.

Representing the highest selection from the local community was Sunlake High alum Tommy Mace, now a fourth-year junior from the University of Florida.

Sunlake High product Tommy Mace has been an impactful right-handed pitcher for the Florida Gators baseball program the past four seasons. He was selected 69th overall by the Cleveland Indians in the 2021 MLB first-year player draft. (Courtesy of University of Florida athletics department)

The imposing 6-foot-6, 230-pound right-handed pitcher was taken 69th overall by the Cleveland Indians — in Competitive Balance Round B between the second and third round.

The recommended bonus slot value for that lofty pick is just under $1 million, at $929,800.

If and when Mace signs, he’ll join another local product in the Indians organization — Gaither High product Oscar Mercado, who earned a call-up with the big league club in June.

Mace, 22, very well could’ve turned pro last year, but opted to return to school with hopes of further improving his draft stock.

This past season at Florida he posted a 4.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 113 strikeouts in 90.1 innings pitched, along with a 6-2 record.

Across his four-year college career, Mace compiled a combined 4.37 ERA, 1.279 WHIP and 258 strikeouts in 269.2 total innings pitched, with a 22-7 mark.

Mace was ranked as the No. 45 draft prospect, according to MLB.com’s 2021 pre-draft rankings.

He exhibits a four-pitch mix — fastball, slider, curveball and changeup. This includes a sinking two-seam fastball that is viewed as his top offering, touching 96 mph with cutting action, according to various scouting reports, including MLB.com.

MLB.com’s draft profile on Mace otherwise states: “Mace has gotten a bit bigger physically, which could help with consistency of velocity and stuff. He’s always been good at throwing strikes, but has been more a contact, ground ball kind of pitcher, rather than one who misses tons of bats. He did increase his strikeout rate while continuing to fill up the strike zone in 2021.”

Mace has been highly-regarded since his prep days at Sunlake, where he was a three-year varsity letter winner.

As a senior, Mace tallied a 1.29 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 77.2 innings, with an 8-2 record in 11 appearances — guiding the Seahawks to the Class 7A regional finals.

He won 19 games during his high school career, posting a combined 1.65 ERA and 196 strikeouts in 165.2 innings.

Mace was rated as No. 72 prep player in the class of 2017 by Perfect Game and No. 15 overall prep player in all of Florida — including the fifth-ranked, right-handed pitcher in the state.

Wharton High senior baseball standout Zach Ehrhard, left, won Hillsborough County’s 2021 Wade Boggs Athletic Achievement Award on the basis of athletic, scholastic and community achievements. Ehrhard was picked by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Also pictured here is Boggs, middle, and Ehrhard’s older brother, Drew, who also won the award in 2017. (File)

Among other accolades, he was named MaxPreps Second Team All-American and National High School Coaches Association All-Southeast Team.

Mace previously was drafted out of high school in the 12th round (347th overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in 2017.

He, of course, didn’t sign with the Reds, instead opting to pitch for the Gators, which had then come off a 2017 College World Series crown — the first national championship in the program’s history.

Others drafted in later rounds
Mace was one several area players taken, albeit those in later rounds, on day three of the baseball draft.

Wharton High School senior Zach Ehrhard — an Oklahoma State University signee — was picked by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round (367th overall).

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound switch-hitting shortstop batted .438 this season for the Wildcats, with three homers, 12 doubles, 29 runs scored and 21 RBIs, along with 26 stolen bases.

Ehrhard was this year’s recipient of the Wade Boggs Athletic Achievement Award, which honors a high school baseball player in Hillsborough County on the basis of outstanding athletic, scholastic and community achievements.

Baseball talent runs in the Ehrhard family.

His older brother, Drew, received the same prestigious county award in 2017 and went on to play collegiate baseball at the University of Tampa.

Another area prep position player, Gaither High senior A.J. Graham, was taken with the first pick in the 18th round (523rd overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 6-3, 180-pound right-handed shortstop batted .346 with two homers, seven doubles, 18 runs scored, 14 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 78 at-bats across 23 games this season.

Also picked in the 18th round was Saint Leo University left-handed pitcher Jimmy Burnette, landing 542nd overall to the Toronto Blue Jays.

This season the 6-foot-2, 205-pound redshirt senior led the Lions in innings pitched (45.0), wins (three) and strikeouts (53) to go along with a 5.80 ERA and 1.53 WHIP and a pair of complete games.

Burnette appears to have emerged in the inaugural MLB Draft League, a summer showcase for top draft-eligible prospects providing exposures to scouts, coaches and advanced baseball technologies.

Gaither High/University of Texas third baseman Cam Williams was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. (Courtesy of University of Texas athletics department)

Playing for the league’s Mahoning Valley Scrappers in Niles, Ohio, Burnette posted a 3.09 ERA, 1.4 WHIP and 44 strikeouts in 23.1 innings pitched.

A Chicago native, Burnette transferred to Saint Leo from the University of Illinois this past season.

Gaither High/University of Texas third baseman Cam Williams was taken in the 19th round (559th overall) by the Kansas City Royals.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Odessa native starred for a Longhorns squad that had a third-place appearance at the 2021 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

The fourth-year senior led Texas with 20 doubles and was second with 12 homers, to go along with .295 average, 42 runs scored and 51 RBIs spread across 61 starts at third base.

Prior to college, Williams led Gaither to the 2016 7A state championship his senior year and was named Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American.

He was drafted out of high school in the 39th round by the Seattle Mariners, but didn’t sign, opting for Dallas Baptist University and San Jacinto College before transferring to Texas.

Williams’ father, Reggie, played four MLB seasons with the Anaheim Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers.

(Note: While slightly outside our coverage area, Fivay High/University of Mississippi product Gunnar Hoglund went in the first round (19th overall) to the Blue Jays. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander from Hudson was viewed as one of the draft’s most polished arms, but slipped slightly after having Tommy John elbow surgery in May.)

Robust draft history
It’s not uncommon for at least a few ballplayers from area high schools and colleges to be drafted each year.

In 2020, Steinbrenner High/Florida State University right-handed pitcher CJ Van Eyk went to the Blue Jays in the second round (42nd overall), and Wesley Chapel native/Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High/University of South Florida right-handed pitcher Carson Ragsdale went in the fourth round (116th overall) to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Saint Leo University left-handed pitcher Jimmy Burnette was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 18th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University athletics department)

(Though slightly outside our coverage area on the west side of Pasco, Trinity native/Mitchell High catcher Jackson Miller went in the second round (65th overall) to the Reds.)

The 2019 MLB Draft also yielded a trio of area selections.

Land O’ Lakes High/St. Petersburg College second baseman Dustin Harris was selected in the 11th round (344th overall) by the Oakland Athletics; Pasco-Hernando State College/University of Tampa pitcher Tyler Beck was selected in 30th round (899th overall) by the Minnesota Twins in the; and Steinbrenner High/Mississippi State University pitcher Cole Gordon was selected in the 32nd round (958th overall) by the New York Mets.

Prior drafts yielded several community picks as well, including four in 2018 and six in 2017, respectively.

Locals picked in the 2021 MLB Draft

  • Sunlake High/University of Florida pitcher Tommy Mace (Cleveland Indians, Comp B, 69th overall)
  • Wharton High shortstop Zach Ehrhard (Boston Red Sox, 13th round, 376th overall)
  • Gaither High shortstop A.J. Graham (Pittsburgh Pirates, 18th round, 523rd overall)
  • Saint Leo University left-handed pitcher Jimmy Burnette (Toronto Blue Jays, 18th round, 543rd overall)
  • Gaither High/University of Texas third baseman Cam Williams (Kansas City Royals, 19th round, 559th overall)

Published July 21, 2021

Watch these locals during 2021 MLB season

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The 2021 Major League Baseball (MLB) season is officially here —with more normalcy, to boot.

Following last year’s COVID-19 pandemic-delayed and shortened season that saw the World Series played at its first-ever neutral site in Arlington, Texas, America’s pastime has returned back to its traditional 162-game schedule on time, April 1 — with live fans allowed back in stadiums.

Sure, quirks remain.

For instance, the Toronto Blue Jays are starting off the season playing “home” games in Dunedin —amid Canadian-U.S. border restrictions.

For the most part, though, the peanuts and Cracker Jacks will be a flowing much like they were in simpler times.

As the big league season gets into full swing, there are several ballplayers, and a manager, that have their roots in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area — and are expected to make major contributions to the show.

Here’s a rundown on some of those, with local connections.

Zephyrhills High product Austin Adams is expected to play a major bullpen role for the San Diego Padres this season. (File)

Austin Adams, San Diego Padres, pitcher
Local tie: Zephyrhills High School
Austin Adams is seeking a more pronounced role in 2021 on a contending San Diego Padres squad after garnering limited action last year — where he posted a 4.50 ERA, 12.5 WHIP and seven strikeouts in four innings pitched following offseason knee surgery.

Some experts project the 29-year-old, 6-foot-3, 220-pound righty will have a breakout season, thanks to a high-spin rate fastball and slider, which generate plenty of swings and misses.

But, he’ll begin the season on the 10-day injured list with what’s described as a minor elbow issue, preventing him from making a spring appearance since March 7.

Adams grew up in Zephyrhills, playing little league at Sam Pasco Park. He went on to earn four letters in baseball (and one in basketball) at Zephyrhills High School from 2006 to 2009.

He posted a 2.43 ERA and 80 strikeouts in his Bulldog career.

Adams’ high school pedigree led to a baseball scholarship at the University of South Florida, a program that achieved its first Big East Championship final in 2012, during his junior year.

He then was drafted in the eighth round by the Los Angeles Angels in 2013. He also spent time with the Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners organizations.

His road to the big leagues was lengthy, having thrown more than 250 innings across five minor league seasons before making his MLB debut in 2017 with the Nationals (from where he was traded to by Los Angeles in late 2016).

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher John Gant, a Wiregrass Ranch High product

John Gant, St. Louis Cardinals, pitcher
Local tie: Wiregrass Ranch High School
Following several seasons of sustained solid output with the St. Louis Cardinals, John Gant has secured the organization’s fifth starter spot to begin the regular season.

The 28-year-old Gant exhibited enough in spring training, making four appearances (three starts) and posting a 4.40 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 14.1 innings.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound righty has held a variety of pitching roles entering his sixth big league campaign, including a mid- and late-inning bullpen arm in 2020, turning in a 2.40 ERA, 1.076 WHIP and 18 strikeouts across 15 innings.

Gant is known for having one of the more unique windups in all of baseball, whereby he takes a couple left-footed toe taps, then pauses before firing off a pitch.

Part of his repertoire is a changeup nicknamed “The Vulcan,” which involves gripping the ball between the middle and ring fingers. Its nicknamed after the Vulcan salute used by Spock in the Star Trek series.

Gant has other interesting baseball footnotes, too.

He earned 11 wins in relief in 2019, the most of any reliever that year and most by a Cardinals relief pitcher since Al Hrabosky had 13 in 1975. Also, in 2018, he became the only player in Major League history to have hit at least two home runs while never having reached base safely by any other means.

Gant starred on the Wiregrass Ranch High varsity baseball team from 2008 to 2011 — striking out over 200 batters and sustaining just three losses in four years.

He also was a member of the Wiregrass Ranch basketball and swimming teams. His father, John Sr., was a science teacher at the school and longtime varsity girls basketball coach.

The pitching standout signed with the New York Mets out of high school and spent five years in the minors before making his big league debut in 2016 with the Atlanta Braves, then was traded to the Cardinals that offseason.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Nate Pearson is an Odessa native and Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School product.

Nate Pearson, Toronto Blue Jays, pitcher
Local tie: Odessa native, Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School
Nate Pearson enters the 2021 season on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right groin suffered in spring training, but is expected to make substantial contributions to a Toronto Blue Jays poised for a second straight playoff berth — as he was all but penciled in to be the team’s No. 2 starter before multiple injury setbacks.

One of the game’s top-rated prospects, Pearson made his MLB debut last season, finishing the year with a 4.22 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 16 strikeouts in 10.2 innings.

The 24-year-old, 6-foot-6, 250-pound righty flamethrower is regarded for a fastball that regularly touches triple digits, plus a low-to-mid 90s slider and a developing changeup.

Born and raised in Odessa, Pearson starred at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School, helping the program to the Class 3A state semifinals as a senior in 2015. He wrapped up his prep career with a career 1.24 earned run average and 144 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched, with a 12-1 record.

Pearson went on to play college baseball at Miami’s Florida International University, then transferred to the College of Central Florida in Ocala. There, he was named the Rawlings/Perfect Game JUCO Pitcher of the Year, and subsequently selected by the Blue Jays in the first round (28th overall) of the 2017 MLB Draft, signing for a $2.45 million bonus.

Pearson has proceeded to shine at each level of the minors, boasting a combined 2.19 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 119 strikeouts across 123.1 innings from rookie ball through Triple-A.

Staying healthy and available will be key.

Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado is a Gaither High product.

Oscar Mercado, Cleveland Indians, outfielder
Local tie: Gaither High School
Oscar Mercado was one of the Cleveland Indians’ final spring training cuts and optioned to Triple-A Columbus, but expect to see the speedy centerfielder garner some action sometime this season if others get hurt or otherwise underwhelm over the course of the long-winded 162-game regular season.

Reports indicate the decision by the team’s front office and coaching staff was to help boost 26-year-old’s confidence following a subpar 2020 campaign where he hit a paltry .128 with a .348 OPS in 36 games.

His spring training numbers didn’t fare much better, batting .214 with a .527 OPS in 28 at-bats.

This is all a far cry from his breakout rookie season in 2019 where the 6-foot-2, 197-pound Mercado batted .269 with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs in 119 games, adding 70 runs scored, 25 doubles, three triples and 15 stolen bases.

Getting more reps on a hitting program out of the pressure and spotlight of the major league club should help Mercado’s cause going forward.

A native of Colombia, Mercado and his family emigrated to the United States, and settled in the Tampa area when he was 7 years old. He became a four-year starter at shortstop at Gaither High School from 2010 to 2013, leading the program to back-to-back district crowns and ranked among the nation’s top prep middle infielders.

Following high school, Mercado was picked by St. Louis Cardinals in the second round (57th overall) in the 2013 MLB Draft, signing with the club for a $1.5 million signing bonus. He spent nearly six years working through the Cardinals minor league system until he was traded to the Indians in July 2018.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, a Lutz native and Gaither High alum

Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays, manager
Local tie: Lutz native, Gaither High School
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash last year managed his hometown franchise to heights it never before reached — Game 6 of the World Series.

The seventh-year manager and his team are hoping for a similar historical encore, albeit with an altered roster that blends in plenty new faces, particularly on the pitching side, and already enters the season with a handful of key injuries.

But, the reigning American League Manager of the Year surely has myriad solutions in the way of ever-changing batting orders, openers, platoons, shifts, and mixing and matching the rotation and bullpen. His reputation for fostering a loose, welcoming clubhouse to settle players shouldn’t hurt, either.

The question is if the 43-year-old Cash and company can lead the Rays to a third straight playoff berth amid an AL East division that features a financially beefier New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays rosters, plus the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles.

The Rays are once again an underdog, as many media outlets peg them for a third- or even fourth-place finish in the division and winning fewer than 90 regular season contests.

The respected skipper is a key cog to proving naysayers wrong.

Cash spent his younger days growing up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood, situated across from Lake Park in Lutz.

He first hit the national scene in 1989 — then a 12-year-old second baseman for a Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series.
Cash later starred at Gaither High School, penning that into a successful college run at Florida State University and eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher mostly.

Cash is a baseball legacy of sort, as his father and uncle both played professionally, the latter reaching the big leagues in the 1970s.

Others to follow:

• Frank German, Boston Red Sox, pitcher: This Bishop McLaughlin product joined the Boston Red Sox in January, in a trade with the New York Yankees, who had selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of University of North Florida. The 23-year-old German was a non-roster invitee to Red Sox spring training, where he faced 14 batters across three innings before a reassignment. German has posted a 3.56 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 128 innings across 111.1 innings of the minors, between rookie ball and Single-A.

• Joe Hudson, Pittsburgh Pirates, catcher: This Odessa native who prepped at Tampa Jesuit (and college at Notre Dame) played in nine regular season games last season with the Seattle Mariners then signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason. The 29-year-old Hudson enjoyed a strong spring training as a Pirates non-roster invitee, collecting five hits (including a homer) in 13 at-bats across nine games, which may be credited to a revamped swing.

• CJ Van Eyk, Toronto Blue Jays, pitcher: The Lutz native and Steinbrenner product has yet to play in a minor league game since being drafted in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Florida State University. However, the well-rounded 22-year-old righty thrower could be a quick riser in the Toronto Blue Jays system, considering his college experience and limited action in spring training as a non-roster invitee.

Published April 07, 2021

2020 had shining moments in sports, despite COVID-19 (Part 2)

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New recreation facilities opened, prep teams competed for state titles and local athletes accomplished memorable achievements, despite challenges imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Here is a look at some of the top moments in sports, from across Pasco and Hillsborough counties, in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area. (This is part two of a two-part series.)

Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus ready for play
Spacious, bio-cushioned hardwood floors sparkled under the lights.

Multisport electronic scoreboards operated without a hitch.

Myriad ceiling-hung basketball goals and volleyball nets were mechanically lowered and raised in minutes.

Area youth and adults will have access to the field house during weekdays, with the opportunity to participate in recreation leagues, camps and clinics. (File)

Centralized cheerleading/dance springboard floor was square for stunts and tumbling.

Adjacent outdoor multi-use grass fields were manicured and marked up for soccer, lacrosse and other events.

The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County was officially game ready upon an Aug. 27 ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the site, at 3211 Lajuana Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

Featuring 98,000 square feet of indoor space, the complex is hyped as a destination for local youth, school teams and adult athletes, while also playing host to a diverse set of regional, national and international level sports tournaments year-round, primarily in basketball, volleyball and cheerleading.

Underscoring its scope: the multi-use sports complex is large enough to hold either 16 volleyball games or eight full-court basketball games at any given time.

Two 35,500-square-foot gyms are separated by a cheer/dance studio, athletic training center and second-level mezzanine, set below 37-foot-high ceilings.

Furthermore, spacious floors can be converted to accommodate other sports, such as pickleball (up to 16 courts), futsal (up to eight courts), as well as large-scale wrestling, mixed martial arts (MMA) or karate tournaments.

The $29 million field house is the centerpiece of a $44 million public-private project.

In time, it will be phased to include seven outdoor multi-use fields and a 128-room hotel situated on 80 acres of land donated by the Porter family, one of the area’s leading cattle ranchers who established Wiregrass Ranch in 1942.

The athletics campus is a public-private partnership between the county, who owns the land and facility, and RADD Sports, a private sports management company tasked with handling day-to-day programming, maintenance and operations.

The complex is open for public use and local leagues Monday through Thursday, while Friday through Sunday will generally be reserved for attracting out-of-area tournaments.

Zephyrhills celebrates tennis center grand opening
An Oct. 17 grand opening celebration of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center was serenaded in maybe the most Zephyrhills way possible — with a slew of skydiving parachute landings on the nearly 10-acre property, at 6585 Simons Road.

If the special event was any indication — even with the COVID-19 pandemic — the state-of-the art tennis complex may put the city on the map not unlike how the airborne extreme sport has for decades.

The new Sarah Vande Berg Wellness and Tennis Center hosted its grand opening celebration on Oct. 17. A gym, various wellness treatments, and opportunities for instruction are offered at the new facility, at 6585 Simons Road in Zephyrhills.

Over 400 mask-wearing visitors turned out to get a firsthand look at a finished product five years in the making — accomplished through myriad partnerships between city, state, and private investment and donations.

The $4.9 million tennis complex is labeled, “Tampa’s first boutique-style racquet sports and wellness club.”

It lives up to the billing through:

  • 11 regulation-sized outdoor tennis courts (nine clay surface, two hard surface)
  • Eight outdoor pickleball courts
  • Four outdoor padel courts
  • Outdoor multipurpose turf field
  • The nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor clubhouse, featuring a full-service restaurant/cafe, fitness center, salt room, yoga room, cryotherapy chamber and pro shop.

Though membership-based, guest users are encouraged to make court rentals and partake in other frills.

Besides being a public asset, the complex is expected to draw regional, national and international amateur and professional tournaments in tennis, pickleball and padel.

The facility is named in honor of Sarah Vande Berg, a former Zephyrhills High School district champion and three-time state qualifier who died in an automobile accident in South Carolina at the age of 21, on Oct. 11, 2015.

The tennis center venture is a public-private partnership between the City of Zephyrhills and Pascal Collard, a longtime tennis pro and instructor serving as the facility’s CEO.

The municipality owns the state-of-the-art tennis facility, but Collard is responsible for its day-to-day operations and programming.

Lutz native Kevin Cash manages Rays to World Series
Lutz native/Gaither High alum Kevin Cash came full circle with his baseball career when he managed the hometown Tampa Bay Rays to the sport’s grandest stage —the 2020 World Series.

The Rays did lose in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers in late October at Globe Life Field, in Arlington, Texas.

The feat was still monumental, nonetheless.

Lutz native/Gaither High alum Kevin Cash managed the Tampa Bay Rays to the 2020 World Series, in Arlington, Texas. He was also crowned 2020 American League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).

The Rays manager had done yeoman’s work in guiding the squad to its second and deepest World Series appearance in franchise history — the other coming in 2008, where the team lost in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Amid a logistically, emotionally taxing, pandemic-delayed, 60-game shortened season, Cash navigated historic feats out of a young, diverse team with a low payroll, dearth of superstars and household names that encountered a slew of injuries.

To place in perspective: Tampa Bay’s $28.3 million prorated payroll — third lowest in the Majors — paled in comparison to the $108.4 million sum of the Dodgers.

Also, the Rays had 15 different players serve a total of 20 injured-list stints. (On Sept. 1, they set a team-record-tying — not in a good way — 13 players unavailable for action.)

Weeks after guiding the Rays to the American League’s best regular season record (40-20) and the franchise’s second World Series berth in history, Cash deservedly was crowned 2020 AL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).

The 42-year-old Cash received 22 of 30 first-place votes and 126 total points in the BBWAA’s scoring to win over former Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria (61) and current Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo (47).

Cash’s ties to the local community run deep, meanwhile.

He grew up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood across from Lake Park in Lutz, along North Dale Mabry Highway.

He was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series.

He would later star at Gaither and Florida State University through the mid- and late- 1990s before enjoying an eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher.

Following his playing career, Cash became a scout for the Toronto Blue Jays (2012) and then bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians (2013-2014), before landing the Tampa Bay managerial gig in 2015.

Toronto Raptors hold training camp at Saint Leo
While the COVID-19 pandemic brought much angst to the sports world and beyond in 2020, it also led to some unique, if not positive, occurrences.

One of the most notable was the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Toronto Raptors hosting training camp at Saint Leo University’s Marion Bowman Activities Center, from Dec. 1 through Dec. 11.

Toronto Raptors veteran guard Fred VanVleet hones his jump shot inside Saint Leo University’s Marion Bowman Activities Center.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the franchise was unable to start the 2020-2021 regular season in Toronto due to Canada-U.S. border restrictions.

Needing a temporary home in the states, Raptors players voted that they preferred to begin their 2020-2021 season in Tampa over cities such as Buffalo, Fort Lauderdale, Louisville, Nashville and Newark.

As the franchise readied its temporary home at Channelside’s Amalie Arena and makeshift practice facility at JW Marriott Tampa Water Street, the Raptors needed someplace nearby to hold its two weeklong training camp.

That’s when some deep coaching ties came to assist.

Saint Leo men’s basketball coach Lance Randall has known Raptors head coach Nick Nurse for over 20 years — a relationship dating back to when the pair were coaching against each other in Europe.

It was sometime in mid-November when Randall received a random text message from Nurse, inquiring about the college’s basketball facilities as a possible camp site as the team made preparations for a move stateside.

Randall subsequently went into recruiting pitch mode, self-assured the Bowman Center would be a slam dunk for the Raptors.

The Bowman Center has 10 basketball hoops, two-full sized courts and a 4,444 square-foot weight room.

The facility also has a balcony overlooking the practice gym, which allowed team scouts and management to get a bird’s-eye view of all the action.

Add to that a serene setting devoid of distractions in rural East Pasco County off State Road 52, some 35 miles north of the team’s downtown Tampa hotel stay.

Multiple in-person visits by Raptors officials to campus sealed the deal, the amenities clearly to their liking.

For the duration of Raptors training camp, buses shuttled players, coaches and officials to Saint Leo, generally between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., each day.

As many as four shuttle buses could be seen parked at any one time next to the Bowman Center.
Raptors management strived to normalize the temporary setting, wrapping the university’s fitness center, end mats and other portions of the arena in team logos and its signature red and black color scheme.

On the whole, the Raptors came away quite pleased with the university’s athletic facilities and community welcoming.

“I think it’s been great,” Raptors all-star power forward Pascal Siakam said of the training camp experience at Saint Leo. “I would say we’ve been blessed to be able to have a facility like that. Definitely a shoutout to Saint Leo for letting us use the gym and be a part of what they have here.
“I think it’s been great just being here and having everything under one roof. I just know, obviously, we appreciate it as a team.”

Published December 30, 2020

Lutz native Kevin Cash named AL Manager of the Year

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Tampa Bay Rays manager and Lutz native/Gaither High School alum Kevin Cash notched yet another feather in his proverbial ball cap.

Weeks after guiding the Rays to the American League’s best regular season record (40-20) and the franchise’s second World Series berth in history, Cash was crowned 2020 AL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).

The 42-year-old Cash received 22 of 30 first-place votes and 126 total points in the BBWAA’s scoring to win over former Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria (61) and current Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo (47).

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash recently was named 2020 American League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. The Lutz native and Gaither High School alum guided the hometown franchise to a league-best 40-20 regular season mark and 2020 World Series appearance in Arlington, Texas. (Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rays Communications)

The Rays skipper also was a finalist the previous two seasons, becoming just the fifth AL manager to record three consecutive top-three finishes.

The regular season-based managerial award was announced on a national television broadcast Nov. 10.

Cash called the accolade “a huge honor,” at a Zoom media briefing later that evening, adding the recognition is meaningful coming from local and national baseball writers.

“When you’re being voted (on) and appreciated by people that don’t always agree with your opinion, and there can be some back and forth, I think it says a lot,” said Cash, who wrapped up his sixth season as Tampa Bay’s top coach.

Within minutes of the award’s official announcement, Cash volunteered that he’d received some 140 congratulatory text messages from peers throughout the sport’s industry: “It felt like a World Series win, or clinching the ALCS (American League Championship Series), that’s what it felt like. …It means a lot when your peers and your friends throughout the game reach out.”

Cash mostly deflected his role in the team’s success to the organization as a whole, crediting the leadership of Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg, team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman, and general manager Erik Neander, among others.

“It’s a really special group,” Cash said. “It’s a special place to work, led by Stu, Matt and Erik, Brian, everybody involved. …It certainly is a tremendous place to work.”

Cash, too, mentioned being “so lucky” to have a roster of ballplayers who are “very much team first” and embrace a “team-oriented approach.”

Hometown heroics
Cash becomes the fourth Tampa area product to win a Major League Baseball (MLB) Manager of the Year award — joining four-time winner Tony La Russa (St. Louis Cardinals in 2002; Oakland Athletics in 1988, 1992; Chicago White Sox in 1983), three-time winner Lou Piniella (Chicago Cubs in 2008; Seattle Mariners in 1995, 2001) and the one-time winner Al Lopez (Chicago White Sox in 1959, when the award was presented by the Associated Press).

La Russa was raised in West Tampa and graduated from Jefferson High School. Piniella likewise was raised in West Tampa, attending Jesuit High School and the University of Tampa. The late Lopez grew up in Ybor City and attended Jesuit High.

Cash, meanwhile, grew up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood across from Lake Park in Lutz, along North Dale Mabry Highway.
His baseball notoriety started young.

Some three decades ago, he was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series.

He would later star at Gaither High and Florida State University through the mid- and late- 1990s before enjoying an eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher. As a pro, he spent time on the then Devil Rays (in 2005), along with the Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox, respectively.

Upon the end of his playing career, Cash in became a scout for the Blue Jays (2012) and then bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians (2013-2014), before landing the Tampa Bay gig in 2015.

Success on a shoestring budget
Amid a logistically emotionally taxing, pandemic-delayed, 60-game shortened season, Cash navigated monumental feats out of a young, diverse team with a low payroll, and dearth of superstars and household names.

Consider: Tampa Bay’s $28.3 million prorated payroll — third lowest in the Majors — paled in comparison to the $108.4 million sum of the National League’s Los Angeles Dodgers, who the Rays ultimately lost to in six games in the Fall Classic.

Also consider: The Rays this season had 15 different players serve a total of 20 injured-list stints. On Sept. 1, they set a team-record-tying (not in a good way) 13 players unavailable for action.

Handling the team’s ballooning attrition rate was arguably the greatest challenge this year, Cash said.

“I think the injuries were up there, especially at the onset,” he said. “We all dealt with (COVID-19) protocols and we can’t talk about those enough, but I know that answer has gotten old. The injuries, for sure.”

On the whole, Cash is widely revered for putting players in position to prosper via ever-changing batting orders, increased bullpen usage, openers, platoons, positional versatility, defensive positioning and shifts, and more.

He’s likewise praised for cultivating a loose, welcoming clubhouse that features so many players from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. The team’s roster, in addition to players from all quadrants of the United States, was also represented by Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Japan and South Korea, respectively.

Some unique footnotes from the Rays 2020 season under Cash:
• 59 different lineups in 60 games (tied for most in MLB)
• Constructed the only all-lefty lineup in Major League history
• AL-best 20 come-from-behind wins
• MLB-best 14-5 mark in one-run games
• 12 different pitchers recorded a save (tied MLB record set by the 1973 Texas Rangers)
• Used 4.7 pitchers per game, more than the MLB average
• Used an AL-most 1.15 pinch-hitters per game

Cash’s essential managerial philosophy centers around openness and honesty with players regarding in-game and in-house decision-making. Keeping a level-headed approach in victory and defeat is crucial, too.

He observed of his role: “You’ve gotta make good decisions, there’s no doubt, but I think more times than not it’s being consistent and genuine, authentic with the people that you work with every day. It would be wrong of myself or any of our staff to change, depending on wins or losses. I don’t think you’re going to get players to really want to be in that environment, and our goal is to get them to want to be in that environment that we’re proud of, and I think you do that by consistency, and our staff is top-notch in that.”

The 2020 campaign represented a pinnacle of Cash’s run in Tampa Bay — as he now claims the franchise’s best all-time managerial winning percentage (.522).

The team had a losing record in Cash’s first three seasons, but has enjoyed three straight winning campaigns since, one better than the next.
The team won 90 regular season games (.556 winning percentage) in 2018, then 96 games (.592) in 2019 — marking the franchise’s first playoff berth in six years.

Extrapolating this year’s 40 wins (.667) to a traditional 162-game season, the Rays would’ve been on pace to collect 108 victories. Its 20 postseason games (including reaching Game 6 of the World Series) was the deepest playoff run in franchise history.

“We had some ups and downs over the last years,” Cash sad. “I mean this year, 40 (wins) and 20 (losses), you can’t have too many downs. A lot of things went well. We got to the World Series, a lot of things went well. But, there were tough moments in there, but we owe it to the players to stay as consistent as possible.”

Looking back, Cash is fortunate the 2020 baseball season was even able to get off the ground, considering countless COVID-19 hurdles and fragmented negotiations between team owners and players on salary structures, gameplay, health and safety protocols, and so on.

“I wasn’t overly confident that we were going to get this thing up and running (this season). I don’t know of anybody that was,” he said. “So, there’s been a lot of head scratching, a lot of moments that it was really, really special, and really, really impressive what our team and organization accomplished this year, and hopefully as time continues, we’ll be able to appreciate it that much more.”

Published November 18, 2020

Lutz native manages hometown Rays to World Series

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Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash has come full circle (err, diamond) with his baseball career.

The Lutz native and Gaither High School alum is managing his hometown pro ball club at the sport’s grandest stage, in the 2020 World Series.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash has led the franchise to the 2020 World Series in Arlington, Texas. Cash is a Lutz native and Gaither High School alum. (File)

He’s making other sorts of history, too.

The 42-year-old Cash is the first person to have played in the Little League Baseball World Series and manage a team to Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Fall Classic.

He was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series, which then consisted of the top four little league teams each — from both the United States and the world.

The North Tampa-based team fell in the quarterfinals to Eastview (California) Little League 12-5, though it was a team from Trumball, Connecticut, that took home the title in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Cash is hoping for a better outcome some three decades later against a much more distinguished California-based club in the Los Angeles Dodgers, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The best-of-seven World Series could run through Oct. 28.

Whatever the result, Cash has done yeoman’s work guiding the Rays to its second World Series appearance in franchise history — the other coming in 2008, where the team lost in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Pretty special feeling,” Cash said about reaching the World Series, during a recent postseason press conference. “I don’t think I’ve had many better, other than getting married and having three kids. This is right there below that. Can’t get much better than that. This is a special group to be a part of. It’s fun to see them win games and fun to be a part of it.”

Among baseball’s brightest
Amid a logistically, emotionally taxing, pandemic-delayed, 60-game shortened season, Cash navigated success for a young, diverse team with a low payroll, and dearth of superstars and household names.

Also consider: The Rays this season had 19 players serve 20 injured-list stints. On Sept. 1, they set a team-record-tying (not in a good way) 13 players unavailable for action.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash is the first person to have played in the Little League Baseball World Series and manage a team to Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Fall Classic. The Lutz native was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series. (File)

All that, though, didn’t stop Tampa Bay from finishing with an American League (AL)-best 40-20 regular season record and division title — then downing the Toronto Blue Jays, the large-pocket New York Yankees and the Houston Astros en route to the World Series in an expanded 16-team playoff format.

Cash, in his sixth year as Rays skipper, has consistently garnered high marks throughout the baseball industry as a steadying cog in the team’s accomplishments.

Last season he steered the team to 96 regular season wins and its first playoff berth in six years. He also holds the franchise’s best all-time managerial winning percentage (.522).

Sporting News already crowned him AL Manager of the Year, for a second-straight time. Other outlets are likely to follow.

Cash is revered for putting players in position to succeed via ever-changing batting orders, increased bullpen usage, openers, platoons, positional versatility, defensive positioning and shifts, and more.

He’s likewise praised for cultivating a loose, welcoming clubhouse that features so many players from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. The team’s World Series roster, in addition to players from all quadrants of the United States, also is represented by Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Japan and South Korea, respectively.

While some old-school baseball types scoff at some of the team’s myriad unconventional methods, Cash and other Rays coaches embrace it, with understandable assistance from the team’s front office and analytics department.

The organization’s philosophy as a whole facilitates free-thinking and considers all sorts of out-of-the-box ideas in trying to eke out games in any way fathomable against richer teams with pockets three or four times as great. The Rays $28.6 million payroll pales in comparison to the Dodgers’ $105.5 million, for instance.

Cash described the Rays’ approach this way: “We think what we’re doing is maximizing a roster and doing everything we can to make the best decisions and put the players in the right spot to succeed, and ultimately win as many games as possible.”

Such a collaborative working environment allowed Cash to grow and thrive when he became the game’s youngest manager back in December 2014.

“Well, personally for me, it’s helped me immensely, for somebody that had never managed six years ago, to be able to make some mistakes and learn from them. Try some things that people would use the word ‘different’ and it be OK and accepted, it’s been hugely beneficial,” said Cash. “We’ve listened to everybody, we’ve learned from everybody, and everybody’s opinions are valued here, and that’s how we think we can come up with what we think is the best decision on a given year, a given season, a given game, whatever it is, so it’s a pretty great situation to be a part of.”

Lutz roots
Besides leading the Rays to baseball’s promised land, Cash enjoyed a spirited playing career beyond his Little League days and growing up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood across from Lake Park, along North Dale Mabry Highway.

He recalled those early roots back in a 2016 interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

“I remember when my parents moved to the neighborhood in Lutz, it was like a one street cul-de-sac, and there were boys everywhere,” Cash said. “We had pickup football games, pickup basketball, baseball games every day. It was just a pretty cool neighborhood to grow up in, because there were so many kids our age that we could go out there and have a complete game with.”

Tampa Bay Rays’ Kevin Cash was an All-State baseball player at Gaither High School. He graduated in 1997. (Courtesy of Hillsborough County Schools)

Cash would later star at Gaither High School and Florida State University before enjoying an eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher, spending time on the then-Devil Rays (in 2005), along with the Blue Jays, Yankees, Astros and Boston Red Sox, respectively.

Once his playing career ended, Cash became a bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians, working under manager Terry Francona from 2013-2014, until landing the Tampa Bay gig.

Cash’s knack for getting the best out of his team was a learning process as he ascended through the sport’s ranks.

“I was really fortunate to be around a lot of good coaches, managers, just baseball people, teammates, and watched how people went about it different ways, and not every way works for individuals, and not every player responds to one way.

“I think Terry Francona was probably the biggest influence, in the way that he came to the ballpark, in watching the way he treated players one through 25 on the roster,” Cash explained.

As for the significance of delivering a baseball championship to the region where he was born and raised, it’s a question Cash hasn’t yet given much reflection.

“You know what, I’ve briefly thought about that, but I’m trying to avoid it,” Cash said. “You want to bring it back to the club that you work for. If you add another layer to it, it was similar to getting the job six years ago, but this is now more magnified than being a guy that was born and raised in the Bay Area. I think any city, I would appreciate it, any team in this position would appreciate it, (but) it just might make it a little sweeter if we’re able to do some special things here in Texas.”

Visit MLB.com for a full broadcast schedule and results of the 2020 World Series.

Published October 28, 2020

MLB playoffs are here, featuring these locals

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This rapid-fire 2020 Major League Baseball (MLB) season has been anything but ordinary — from the condensed 60-game slate to the implementation of novel rules, such as expanded rosters, universal designated hitter, seven-inning doubleheaders, and runner-on-second rule in extra innings.

That’s not even mentioning the myriad health and safety protocols pro baseball organizations have been forced to navigate amid the COVID-19 pandemic — which included all games being played in stadiums without fans.

Maybe one of the positive benefits of the new 16-team expanded playoffs format is more opportunity for several locals with ties to The Laker/Lutz News coverage area to showcase their skills and abilities in front of a national audience, with hopes of winning a World Series title this fall.

Here’s a closer look at the hometown products who may be seen this week and beyond throughout the postseason, which runs Sept. 29 through mid-October:

Zephyrhills High product Austin Adams is finding his groove after offseason knee surgery, for the San Diego Padres (Courtesy of MLB Advanced Media/MLB.com)

Austin Adams, San Diego Padres, pitcher
Local tie: Zephyrhills High School

Twenty-nine-year-old Austin Adams earned the benefit of being traded from the losing Seattle Mariners to the playoff-bound Padres (No. 4 seed National League) at the Aug. 31 trade deadline.

As it turned out, Adams’ first action in 2020 actually didn’t come until he put on a Padres uniform, as he was still nursing offseason knee surgery.

The righty looked reliable in his three late-season appearances with San Diego, posting a 4.50 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and seven strikeouts in 4 innings pitched, exhibiting top-level four-seam fastball velocity and spin rates, to go along with a signature slider.

Adams grew up in Zephyrhills, playing little league at Sam Pasco Park. He went on to earn four letters in baseball (and one in basketball) at Zephyrhills High School from 2006 to 2009. He posted a 2.43 ERA and 80 strikeouts in his Bulldog career.

Adams’ high school success led to a baseball scholarship at the University of South Florida, a program that had its first Big East Championship final in 2012, during his junior year.

Other MLB players hailing from the Zephyrhills area are Dave Eiland (1988-2000) and Domonic Brown (2010-2015).

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher John Gant, a Wiregrass Ranch High product (File)

John Gant, St. Louis Cardinals, pitcher
Local tie: Wiregrass Ranch High School

Twenty-eight-year-old John Gant presently is on the team’s 10-day injured list (right groin tightness) and likely won’t make an appearance unless the Cardinals make a deep postseason run.

However, he played an integral bullpen role as a late-inning reliever and setup man for a Cardinals (No. 5 seed, National League) organization forced to play 11 doubleheaders after a rash of COVID-19 cases forced them to miss 19 days of competition in July and August.

In 17 appearances, the fifth-year MLB vet went 0-3, but compiled a career-best 2.40 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, striking out 18 batters in 15 innings pitched.

Gant starred on the Wiregrass Ranch High varsity baseball team from 2008 to 2011 — striking out over 200 batters and suffering just three losses in four years. He also was a member of the Wiregrass Ranch basketball and swimming teams, and also served as scorekeeper for the girls basketball program, which was coached by his father, John Sr., then a science teacher at the school.

Gant signed with the New York Mets out of high school and spent five years in the minors before making his big league debut in 2016 (then for the Atlanta Braves).

Matt Joyce, Miami Marlins, outfielder
Local tie: New Tampa resident/business owner

New Tampa resident and business owner Matt Joyce is going strong at 36 years old, for the Miami Marlins. (Courtesy of MLB Advanced Media/MLB.com)

Thirty-six-year-old Matt Joyce has played a key leadership and mostly everyday role for a Marlins (No. 6 seed, National League) organization that not only clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2003, but also had to overcome an early season COVID-19 outbreak that had 18 players test positive — forcing the team to find reinforcements in its minor league system and free agent market.

The corner outfielder began the season on the injured list, but went on to post a .252/.351/.331 line with two homers and 14 RBIs in 46 games.

In the playoffs, expect Joyce to continue to get consistent playing time, particularly against right-handed pitching — which he’s made his lengthy career on.

Through born and raised in Brandon, the 12-year MLB veteran has since made New Tampa home, living in the Hunter’s Green area and recently opening an F45 Training fitness center chain at The Walk at Highwoods Preserve neighborhood shopping center.

Oscar Mercado, Cleveland Indians, outfielder
Local tie: Gaither High School

Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado is a Gaither High product (File)

Twenty-five-year-old Oscar Mercado has struggled mightily, offensively in his sophomore MLB season —posting a .128/.174/.174 line and just two extra-base hits in 86 at-bats across 36 games, as he dealt with swing mechanic issues all year long.

It’s a far cry from a showy rookie season in 2018 when he batted .269 with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs in 119 games, adding 70 runs scored, 25 doubles, three triples and 15 stolen bases.
Even with his struggles at the plate, Mercado has provided defensive value in the outfield and with his speed on the base paths — skills that could be put on display in the playoffs for the Indians (No. 4 seed, American League)
A native of Columbia, Mercado and his family emigrated to the United States and settled in the Tampa area when he was 7 years old. He became a four-year starter at shortstop at Gaither High School from 2010 to 2013, leading the program to back-to-back district crowns. Following a storied prep career, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals after being a second round draft pick in 2013.

Nate Pearson, Toronto Blue Jays, pitcher
Local tie: Odessa native, Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Nate Pearson is an Odessa native and Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School product (File)

Twenty-four-year-old Nate Pearson entered the season as one of the most prized prospects in baseball, thanks to a fastball that regularly touches triple digits combined with multiple refined breaking balls.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander missed over a month of the season because of elbow tightness, but seems ready for the postseason after picking up his first career win on Sept. 25 — firing 1.2 scoreless innings against the Baltimore Orioles and hitting 101.5 miles per hour on the radar gun. He finished the year with a 6.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 16 strikeouts in 18 innings.
The Odessa native starred at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School, helping the program to the Class 3A state semifinals as a senior in 2015. He wrapped up his prep career with a career 1.24 earned run average and 144 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched, with a 12-1 record. He later became a first round draft pick in 2017 out of Central College of Florida in Ocala.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, a Lutz native and Gaither High alumnus (File)

Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay Rays, manager
Local tie: Gaither High School

Kevin Cash, the 42-year-old skipper, seemingly has pulled all the right strings for a Rays (No. 1 seed, American League) club that went 40-20 despite a rash of injuries to its pitching staff (they had as many as 12 pitchers on the injured list at one point).

With that, Cash appears to be a front-runner for the AL Manager of the Year award, navigating a young, unheralded roster and putting players in position to succeed via unorthodox lineups, bullpens, platoons, defensive positioning and shifts, and more. The sixth-year manager also receives high marks for his leadership in galvanizing a clubhouse that features so many players from different countries, cultures and backgrounds.

Cash spent his younger days growing up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood, situated across from Lake Park in Lutz. He first hit the national scene in 1989 — then a 12-year-old second baseman for a Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series.
Cash later starred at Gaither High School, penning that into a successful college run at Florida State University and eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher mostly.

Visit MLB.com for updated playoff schedules, and how and when to see these locals in action.

Published September 30, 2020