Contributed by Richard Cuicchi
I’ve used this blog in the past to publicize the prevalence of major-league players with family ties in the sport. Within the last two weeks that situation has never been more evident, and it has included some of baseball’s biggest names.
The promotion to the big leagues of a young player who has relatives in the game brings up the age-old debate of whether the player has benefitted from having good genes or being the product of a baseball environment in which they grew up. In my book Family Ties: A Comprehensive Collection of Facts and Trivia About Baseball’s Relatives, I quoted Phil Pote, a scout for the Seattle Mariners, who probably summed up the situation the best, “I think genes give the potential and the environment sets how close to the potential you might reach. A kid could be in Afghanistan and have great genes; I mean great quickness, the hand-eye coordination, balance, and agility, whatever. But if he doesn’t have the environment no one would ever know, including him.”
Several of the players from strong baseball backgrounds involving multiple family relationships recently received big-league promotions.
Mike Yastrzemski made his major-league debut on May 25 for the San Francisco Giants. The outfielder is the third generation of his family in the sport. His grandfather, Carl, is one of the most recognizable names in Boston Red Sox history and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame after 23 major-league seasons. Mike’s father, also named Mike, played five seasons in the minors, reaching the Triple-A level in the Chicago White Sox organization.
Cavan Biggio made his debut on May 24 for the Toronto Blue Jays. He made history when he and Blue Jays teammate Vlad Guerrero Jr. became the first pair of major-league teammates to have fathers in the Hall of Fame. The second baseman recorded his first big-league home run in his third major-league game. Cavan’s father, Craig, was a seven-time all-star in his 20 seasons for Houston Astros. He collected over 3,000 hits and 600 doubles during his career. Cavan’s brother, Conor, was selected by the Houston Astros in the 34th round of the 2015 MLB Draft, but did not sign.
Arizona Diamondback first baseman Kevin Cron made his debut on May 24. He had 21 home runs and 62 RBI in the minors this season before his call-up. Kevin’s father, Chris, played briefly in the majors in 1991 and 1992 for the California Angels and Chicago White Sox. Chris is in his 20th season as a minor-league manager and was managing Kevin with the Reno Aces at the time of his call-up. Kevin’s brother, C. J., is currently a major-leaguer with the Minnesota Twins. Kevin is in his sixth big-league season after being a first-round draft selection of the Los Angeles Angels.
In only his third pro season, pitcher Zach Plesac made his major-league debut with the Cleveland Indians on May 28. Zach is the nephew of former major-league pitcher Dan Plesac, who played 18 seasons for six different clubs. Zach’s father, Joe, played six seasons in the San Diego Padres organization following his second-round draft selection in 1982.
Two other recent big-league promotions involved players with brothers in pro baseball.
On May 24, Canadian-born Josh Naylor made his debut with the San Diego Padres. He was the first-round pick of the Florida Marlins in 2015. He is the brother of Bo Naylor, who was the first-round pick of the Cleveland Indians last year.
Mitch Keller made his debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 27. He struck out seven batters in four innings pitched, but took the loss against the Cincinnati Reds. He is the brother of Jon Keller, who pitched for five seasons the Baltimore Orioles minor-league system.
Earlier this year, Vlad Guerrero Jr. had the most anticipated major-league debut since Bryce Harper. Guerrero had been the Minor League Player of the Year in 2018 as a 19-year-old. He got his promotion on April 26 with the Toronto Blue Jays and has since showed his potential with six home runs. Guerrero Jr. is the son of recently elected Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr., the nephew of former major-leaguer Wilton Guerrero, and the cousin of 2018 major-leaguer Gabriel Guerrero.
Other players with family ties who made their MLB debuts earlier this season include:
Fernando Tatis Jr., shortstop with the San Diego Padres, is the son of 11-year veteran Fernando Tatis Sr., who hit 34 HRs and 107 RBIs in 1999.
Cal Quantrill, pitcher with the San Diego Padres, is the son of former major-league pitcher Paul Quantrill, a 14-year veteran who led the American League in appearances for four consecutive years
Josh Fuentes, infielder with the Colorado Rockies, made his debut in a game in which his cousin, all-star third baseman Nolan Arenado, also played.
Carter Kieboom, shortstop with the Washington Nationals, is the brother of major-league Spencer Kieboom, who also plays in the Nationals system.
Kyle Zimmer, pitcher with the Kansas City Royals, is the brother of major-leaguer Bradley Zimmer, who made his MLB debut in 2017.
Nate Lowe, first baseman with the Tampa Bay Rays, is the brother of minor-leaguer Josh Lowe, who also plays in the Rays organization and projects to be a future major-leaguer.
The Toronto Blue Jays have a potentially interesting situation developing in their organization. Already with three players with family ties on their big-league roster (Guerrero Jr., Biggio, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.), the Blue Jays also have Bo Bichette at the Triple-A level in their minor league system. Bichette is the son of Dante Bichette, former four-time all-star and 1995 National League MVP runner-up. When the younger Bichette is called up, the foursome will form a complete Blue Jays infield of players with baseball bloodlines.
Baseball's Relatives 