CHARLOTTE – The 2025 season of professional baseball is in full swing and the 9 Across The Chest is represented better than ever, with 17 Diamond Niners playing in minor league organizations and another seven playing one form of professional baseball or another.
Here’s how our record number of #ProNiners have been doing through the first two months of the baseball season:
Jake Cunningham • OF
Baltimore Orioles • High-A • Aberdeen IronBirds
Cunningham was called up to High-A last year and has spent all of 2025 at the same level with the Aberdeen IronBirds again. He has 23 hits this year with 15 RBIs and a pair of home runs. In May, Cunningham totaled 11 hits for 12 bases while driving in six runs and stealing as many bases. He had a hot stretch in the first half of the month, picking up two separate four-game hitting streaks while having a hit in nine out of a stretch of 11 games.
Ryan Degges • RHP
Philadelphia Phillies • Single-A • Clearwater Threshers
Degges was drafted by the Phillies last year and has gotten his professional career off to a blazing-hot start in Single-A with the Clearwater Threshers. Pitching as a reliever for the 49ers and in the first month of the season, Degges transitioned to a starter in May and posted a 0.78 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 23.0 innings in five starts for the Threshers. He only allowed two runs from a pair of solo home runs while only issuing 13 hits and 15 walks for a 1.22 WHIP in May. Overall, Degges has a 0.81 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 33.1 innings across nine outings for the lowest ERA in the Florida State League among pitchers with at least 30 innings pitched through the end of May.
Donye Evans • RHP
Detroit Tigers • Single-A • Lakeland Flying Tigers • Injured List
Evans landed on the injured list in June last year and was transferred to the full-season injured list ahead of the 2025 campaign. He posted a 2.16 ERA in 25.0 innings across 21 outings for the Tigers organization last year before the injury.
Cam Fisher • OF
Houston Astros • Single-A • Fayetteville Woodpeckers
Fisher began the year in Asheville in High-A but spent most of May in Single-A with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. He totaled 11 hits last month while driving in 10. Seven of his 11 knocks went for extra bases for a .455 slugging percentage in May, hitting three doubles, three home runs, and a triple. Overall this year, Fisher has 21 hits with four home runs and five doubles.
Nate Furman • INF
San Francisco Giants • Double-A • Richmond Flying Squirrels • Injured List
Furman landed on the injured list in June last year, shortly after being promoted from High-A to Double-A in the Cleveland Guardians organization. He was then traded to the San Francisco Giants in August and has remained on the injured list, starting the year on the 60-day IL.
Spencer Giesting • LHP
Arizona Diamondbacks • Triple-A • Reno Aces
Giesting was called up to Double-A last year and played the first two months of 2025 at that level before being called up to Triple-A with the Reno Aces at the beginning of June. Selected to participate in this year’s Spring Breakout Games during Spring Training, Giesting led the Sod Poodles with 59 strikeouts and a 3.67 ERA in 10 starts for the second-most strikeouts and the eighth-best ERA in all of the Texas League. In his five starts in May, Giesting posted a 3.41 ERA with 29 punchouts in 29.0 innings. He gave up 11 earned runs on 28 hits with only nine walks for a 1.28 WHIP last month. Giesting is currently ranked as the No. 18 prospect in the Diamondbacks organization.
Kaden Hopson • C
Los Angeles Angels • Rookie Complex League • ACL Angels
Hopson made his professional debut on May 8 with the ACL Angels in the Arizona Complex League after signing as a free agent with the Halos last year. He’s seen limited action, with only five games played, but has four hits in nine at bats for a .444 batting average. Two of those hits came in his last appearance on May 24 with a single and a double, to go along with a pair of walks, while driving in four runs during that game.
Wyatt Hudepohl • RHP
New York Mets • Single-A • St. Lucie Mets • Injured List
Hudepohl was placed on the Injured List for the St. Lucie Mets late in May last year and spent the rest of the season there. He has begun his 2025 the same way, beginning this year on the 60-day IL. Hudepohl only pitched in eight games last year, posting a 4.03 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 29.0 innings with one win.
Josh Maciejewski • LHP
Milwaukee Brewers • Triple-A • Nashville Sounds
Maciejewski was drafted by the New York Yankees and made his MLB debut for the Bronx Bombers last year before electing free agency in the offseason. He signed with the Milwaukee Brewers and began the year in Double-A with the Biloxi Shuckers before getting promoted to Triple-A with the Nashville Sounds at the end of May. He’s made two appearances for the Sounds so far and has one win, going 3.0 innings with a strikeout to get the win in his 2025 Triple-A debut, coming against his former team, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Maciejewski had a 4.73 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 13.1 innings in May and has a 4.33 ERA with 28 punchouts in 27.0 frames overall this year.
David McCabe • INF
Atlanta Braves • Double-A • Columbus Clingstones
McCabe spent all of 2024 in Double-A and has remained in that level throughout the first two months of 2025, playing for the newly renamed Columbus Clingstones. McCabe holds the distinction of hitting the first home run in Clingstone history when he left the yard on opening day. Also selected to participate in the Spring Breakout Games during this year’s Spring Training, McCabe leads the Clingstones with 10 doubles and is second on the team with a .245 batting average on the year while sitting tied for the fifth-most doubles in all of the Southern League. He collected 16 hits in May while driving in 11 and taking 13 walks, hitting four doubles, one triple, and a home run. McCabe is currently ranked as the No. 17 prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization.
Bryce McGowan • RHP
Colorado Rockies • Double-A • Hartford Yard Goats
McGowan spent all of 2024 in Double-A with the Hartford Yard Goats and is back in Hartford again in 2025. He made nine appearances in May for the Yard Goats, posting a 3.18 ERA with one win and one save in 11.1 innings of work. He had six scoreless outings and totaled seven strikeouts in the month, bringing his season total up to 13 Ks on the year. McGowan is currently having his best professional season so far, holding a 2.55 ERA over 17.2 innings across 15 outings to start 2025, improving his ERA by over 1.50 from last season’s total.
Aaron McKeithan • C
Pittsburgh Pirates • Double-A • Altoona Curve
McKeithan was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and spent the first four years of his professional career in the Cardinals organization before being selected by the Pirates this offseason in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 Draft. He’s spent the entire year in Double-A with the Altoona Curve and has five hits in 15 games played this season. He was on the Development List for the first two weeks of May before making his return to the Curve in the second half of the month, where he scored a pair of runs in the final two games of the month in a series against Portland.
Cole Reynolds • LHP
Chicago Cubs • Single-A • Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Reynolds signed with the Chicago Cubs in the offseason and made his professional debut this year in Single-A with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He’s made 12 appearances for the Pelicans with one start this year, holding a 5.67 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 27.0 innings of work. Just in May, Reynolds struck out 17 batters in 13.0 innings across five outings with a 4.15 ERA. May also featured his first professional start, going 3.0 innings while matching his career-high with five strikeouts on May 25 at the Hickory Crawdads. Reynolds and the Pelicans are in the 704 this week as they take on the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers on Tuesday through Sunday (June 3-8) before returning to K-Town again next month for a series July 8-13.
Tony Rossi • RHP
New York Yankees • High-A • Hudson Valley Renegades
Rossi signed with the New York Yankees as a free agent last summer and made his professional debut in Single-A this year before being called up to the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades after just five outings with the Tampa Tarpons. Rossi has yet to allow a run this year, throwing 17.2 shutout innings across the five leagues with 24 strikeouts and only five hits and four walks allowed for a 0.51 WHIP. Rossi pitched in seven games in May, throwing a full inning each time while allowing three hits and recording a pair of games without allowing a baserunner – two of six times he’s done that throughout the season.
Hale Sims • RHP
Chicago White Sox • Single-A • Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
Sims is back in the 704 with the Single-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers after spending most of last season in K-Town. He had a strong month of May, striking out 11 batters in 13.1 innings with a 3.38 ERA. He issued one walk last month to go with 12 hits for a 0.98 WHIP in May. That was his first and only walk issued this season after starting the year with eight consecutive outings without allowing a base on balls. Overall, Sims has a 4.91 ERA with 18 punchouts in 18.1 innings of work this year. The Ballers have two series at home this month, first hosting Cole Reynolds and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans this week from June 3-8 before returning to Atrium Health Ballpark in two weeks to host Charleston from June 17-22.
Paxton Thompson • RHP
Philadelphia Phillies • High-A • Jersey Shore BlueClaws
Thompson has begun 2025 in High-A with the Jersey Shore BlueClaws after being called up to the level in the middle of 2024. He has a 5.51 ERA in 14 appearances this year, striking out 17 batters in 16.1 innings with only six walks issued. Thompson pitched in seven games in May, only allowing three runs in 9.0 innings last month for a 3.00 ERA with eight strikeouts. He also picked up his second save of the season last month, finishing out the final innings against the Brooklyn Cyclones on May 25 to go 2-2 on save opportunities this year.
AJ Wilson • LHP
Philadelphia Phillies • Single-A • Clearwater Threshers
Wilson finished out the 2024 season in Single-A with the Clearwater Threshers after being drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies last summer and has begun the 2025 campaign in the same spot. He’s made 12 appearances this year and has a 3.57 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 17.2 innings. He’s only allowed nine walks and eight hits this year for a 0.96 WHIP and .138 opponent batting average. Wilson made seven appearances last month and collected his first win of the season, striking out 13 batters in 8.2 innings in May.
NON-AFFILIATED PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS
Trevor Anibal • RHP
Brockton Rox • Frontier League (Independent)
Anibal signed with the New England Knockouts in the Frontier League last year and stayed in the league this year with the Brockton Rox. He made seven appearances in the first month of the Frontier League’s season, going all of May without allowing an earned run. He fanned 12 batters in 8.0 innings of work last month and only gave up two walks and six hits with five unearned runs for a 0.00 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in the first month of the season.
Jackson Boss • RHP
Gastonia Ghost Peppers • Atlantic League (Independent)
Boss was taken by the nearby Gastonia Ghost Peppers with the 10th overall pick in the Atlantic League draft this spring for his first professional action. Playing for the first time since the 2022 season with the Niners, Boss made his professional debut on April 27 against the York Revolution. Boss has made four appearances this year, with three strikeouts in 2.2 innings.
Jack Dragum • INF
Lincoln Saltdogs • American Association (Independent)
Dragum is back in the American Association for his second season with the Lincoln Saltdogs. A 2024 All-Star Starter for the Saltdogs, Dragum has played in 19 of the team’s 21 games this year. He’s seventh on the team with a .226 batting average with 14 hits, two of which are doubles, and five runs driven in while taking 12 walks to 11 strikeouts. He had four multi-hit games in May, including picking up a pair of knocks in three of his first five games this year.
Aubrey Gillentine • RHP
Mississippi Mud Monsters • Frontier League (Independent)
Gillentine was announced as a signee with the Mississippi Mud Monsters this spring, a new team in the Frontier League. He has not seen any game action this year.
Quinton Martinez • LHP
Hagerstown Flying Boxcars • Atlantic League (Independent)
Martinez spent three years in the Los Angeles Angels organization before being released last summer. He was then taken with the first overall pick in this spring’s Atlantic League draft by the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars. Martinez has pitched in 12 games for the Boxcars this season and has 16 strikeouts in 13.2 innings of work. After a bit of a shaky start to the season he rebounded nicely at the end of May, tossing 8.1 consecutive innings without a run across six appearances, lowering his ERA by 11.13 during that stretch.
Rafi Vazquez • RHP
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs • Atlantic League (Independent)
Vazquez is in the Atlantic League this year with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs after spending the last two seasons splitting time between the Frontier and Pioneer Leagues. Vazquez is tied for the third-most appearances on the Blue Crabs this year and has 13 strikeouts in 13.2 innings of work with a 4.61 ERA. He logged two wins in May, throwing four innings of shutout baseball with only one hit allowed in those two outings.
Reece Hampton • OF
Party Animals • Banana Ball (Savannah Bananas)
Hampton was taken by the Detroit Tigers in the 2018 season and spent four years in the minors before joining Gastonia in 2021. He then signed on with the Savannah Bananas to play Banana Ball, a new type of baseball game invented by the former Collegiate Wood-Bat team with a focus on zany shenanigans and family fun. The Bananas now play Banana Ball full-time in a Harlem Globetrotters-esque setup, traveling the country playing against their rivals, the Party Animals – of which Hampton is a member, and the Firefighters and Texas Tailgaters. The Bananas are in Charlotte this weekend to take on Hampton and the Party Animals at Bank of America Stadium in a pair of sold-out contests on June 6 and 7.
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(via @zackystrong.pt/TT)
