The Ohio State Buckeyes have produced some very good baseball players in recent years. Now one of them is getting a chance in the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs.
According to MLB Pipeline, the Cubs made the decision to call up relief pitcher Jack Neely on Tuesday after parting ways with veteran relief pitcher Hector Neris.
The @Boy They are reportedly calling up their most promising young player, Jack Neely, for his MLB debut.
Neely, a 6-foot-8 right-hander signed by the Yankees at the deadline, has a 2.42 ERA this season: https://t.co/u2ZQ82fHFa pic.twitter.com/oPurAd8nOF
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) 20 August 2024
As mentioned above, Neely was the 18th best prospect in Chicago’s farm system.
Before the MLB trade deadline, the Cubs acquired Neely in a trade with the New York Yankees. Chicago sent experienced reliever Mark Leiter Jr. to the Yankees in return.
Neely spent the 2021 season with the Buckeyes, appearing in 12 games, striking out 62 batters and issuing 24 walks in 41.1 innings. He will be the third former Ohio State player to make his MLB debut this season.
In addition to Neely, both catchers Dillon Dingler and Zach Dezenzo made their major league debuts this year.
Currently, five Ohio State players play in the major leagues. The other four are Dingler, Dezenzo, Dominic Canzone and Ryan Feltner.
Hopefully Neely can make some sort of impression for the Cubs in his first major league appearance. He certainly looked like a potential impact pitcher during his minor league career.
As always, Buckeyes fans will be cheering on one of their own as he prepares to make his first Major League appearance with Chicago.
