Spring has officially arrived, as has baseball. If you’re watching Major League Baseball games on television, you might see a local or two on the big stage.
Here is a look at the players and coaches from the Southwest Regional Publishing Coverage area.
Michael Massey; Brother Rice
The second baseman is in his fourth Major League Baseball season, all with the Kansas City Royals. Following a standout career at Illinois, he was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft. After playing 129 games in 2023, he only played 100 in 2024 due to a back injury that kept him out for much of March, April, and June. He did hit.259 with 45 runs, 17 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 45 RBI, and a.743 OPS in 356 plate appearances.
The Royals won 86 games and made it to the postseason. During the Wild Card and American League Division series, Massey hit in six of the Royals’ seven games, including a game-tying triple in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Yankees. This season, Massey is off to a slow start. However, on Opening Day, the Palos Park native went 1-for-3 with an RBI sacrifice fly and a single.
T.J. McFarland and Stagg
The left-handed reliever is in his 13th MLB season and in year two of his second stint with the Athletics, with a 4.16 career ERA in 439 games. He excelled in spring training with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024, but they traded him for cash shortly before the season. McFarland went on to pitch in 79 games for the A’s, striking out 39 batters and posting a league-leading 3.81 ERA.
A week after free agency began, the Athletics signed him to a one-year deal to bring him back in 2025. During spring training, he had a 2.16 ERA in 8 1/3 innings. McFarland has had a rough start, allowing six runs in his first three-and-a-third innings over six appearances.
Alek Thomas at Mount Carmel
The outfielder is in his fourth MLB season, all with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Thomas played only 39 Major League Baseball games last season due to a hamstring injury that kept him out of April, May, and June. The 24-year-old is hoping to rebound this season. He’s been slashing for his first ten games.323/.371/.515 with five runs, two doubles, a league-high two triples, and eight RBIs.
AJ Lewis, Mount Carmel
Lewis is in his first season as a staff assistant to Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell. Lewis played baseball at Missouri and John A. Logan College before being named first-team All-America as an Eastern Kentucky senior after batting.451. He signed a free-agent contract with the Colorado Rockies and eventually advanced to Triple-A in 2024, hitting.314 with the Albuquerque Isotopes.
John Mallee, Mount Carmel
Mallee is in his second season as the Chicago Cubs’ assistant hitting coach. This is his second stint with the Cubs, having served as hitting coach from 2015 to 2017. Since 2010, he has held similar positions with the Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Angels.
