Dylan Cease was one of my interview targets when the San Diego Padres visited Fenway Park last weekend, and as part of my preparation I looked back at what I’d previously written about him here at FanGraphs. What I found were three articles partially derived from conversations I had with the right-hander when he was in the Chicago White Sox organization. One, from 2020, was on how he was trying to remove unwanted cut from his fastball. A second, from 2019, was on how he’d learned and developed his curveball. The third, from 2018, included Cease’s citing “body awareness and putting your hand and arm in the right spot” as keys to his executing pitches consistently. And then there was something from November 2017 that didn’t include quotes from the hurler himself. Rather, it featured plaudits for his performances down on the farm. In a piece titled Broadcaster’s View: Who Were the Top Players in the Midwest League, Cease was mentioned several times. Chris Vosters, who was then calling games for the Great Lakes Loons and more recently was the voice of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, described a high-90s fastball, a quality curveball, and an ability to mix his pitches well. Jesse Goldberg-Strassler (Lansing Lugnuts) and Dan Hasty (West Michigan Whitecaps) were others impressed by the then-promising prospect’s potential. With that article in mind, I went off the beaten path and asked Cease about something that flies well under the radar of most fans: What is the relationship between players and broadcasters, particularly in the minor leagues? “Obviously, the minors is a much more low-key scenario,” Cease replied. “It’s not the big stage, so it’s more homey. It’s not that the guys up here don’t feel like they’re part of the team — they do — but in the minor leagues it’s closer-knit. You might have 2,000 fans, so it’s more of a shared experience between you and [the broadcasters] whereas in the big leagues you might have a million people watching and listening. That’s more like a shared experience with everybody.” Which doesn’t mean there isn’t a certain amount of bonding at baseball’s highest level. Big-league broadcasters might not have the same array of interactions with players as their multi-tasking minor-league brethren, but friendships are nonetheless formed. “I was fortunate in Chicago,” said Cease. “I think Jason Benetti is one of the best in the game. I got to be around him for a couple years and it was cool to build a relationship with him. Of course, the guys here in San Diego are obviously great as well. There is a reason why fans like… Read More
Cease visits museums when he travels to various cities. New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art are among his favorites So too is the Art Institute of Chicago, which he has visited with former teammate Lucas Giolito. Cease enjoys a variety of genres, and as is the case for most museum-goers, his appreciation for individual works and artists tends to be visceral. “I’m not into French Impressionism as much as, say, modern abstract,” explained Cease. “That’s one that I like, but I wouldn’t say I’m pigeonholed into one genre. I’ll see something and be, ‘Man, I really like that,’ or maybe it’s, ‘I think that’s a little overrated.’ I guess that’s just like any of us when it comes to art.” Abstract-art luminaries that Cease respects but wouldn’t rank among his favorites include Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. As for artists who especially resonate with him, he listed a half dozen. “I like [Joan] Miró a lot,” said Cease. “I like [Jean-Michel) Basquiat and [Vincent] Van Gogh a lot. I really like [Wassily] Kandinsky. I like some of [René] Magritte’s stuff. Gustaf Klimt is great, I mean, there is a wide variety that I like, and again, in different genres. There is a lot of great art out there to enjoy.” ——— RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS Jim Bottomley went 13 for 21 against Mule Watson. Bob Watson went 10 for 22 against Bill Hands. Bob Horner went 9…
