Campbell Professional Athletes

Campbell University doesn't show up often in MLB conversations, but this September, the small school in Buies Creek, N.C., commanded the league's attention — not for what its alumni did between the lines, but for who they are off the field.

Cedric Mullins (Rays) and Zach Neto (Angels) were both named their respective teams' nominees for the Roberto Clemente Award this week, one of the sport's most meaningful honors, recognizing players who exemplify community leadership and humanitarian commitment. Having two alumni from the same program nominated in the same season is a remarkable distinction for any school. For a mid-major like Campbell, it's extraordinary.

Neto, who plays shortstop for Los Angeles, received the news on the same night he scored two runs in an Angels win. His reaction was immediate and unguarded. "It means the world," he said, calling it an incredible honor. Meanwhile, Mullins — now with Tampa Bay after his long run with Baltimore — was recognized by Sports Illustrated as a rightful nominee, underscoring that his community involvement wasn't ceremonial but substantive.

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On the Field

Neither player had a quiet week statistically, either.

Neto was the more productive of the two at the plate, racking up contributions across four appearances. He homered and scored twice in a Sunday loss to Washington on Sept. 13, went 2-for-the-game with an RBI and two runs in a Tuesday win over Seattle, added two more hits and a run Thursday, and drew a walk Friday and Saturday in a pair of Angels games. He enters the final stretch of the season hitting .241 — a respectable mark for a shortstop who's clearly evolved into one of the more complete players in the AL West.

Mullins had a quieter week offensively but contributed where it mattered. He scored in a lopsided 10-1 Rays win over Oakland on Thursday and added a hit Saturday in a tight 2-1 Tampa Bay victory over Boston. His average sits at .202 — a down year by his standards — but the Clemente nomination is a reminder that his value extends well beyond the stat line.

Seth Johnson, the Athletics' right-handed reliever, logged time out of the Oakland bullpen twice this week. He struck out four across 2.1 innings in a Wednesday outing — a solid showing — before giving up a run in one inning Friday. His ERA sits at 6.35, and with Oakland's season long since faded from relevance, these are developmental reps at the big-league level.

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The Bigger Picture

The Clemente Award nominations are the story here, full stop. The Roberto Clemente Award is voted on by fans, players, and commissioners, and the winner is announced at the World Series. Whether Mullins or Neto advances beyond their respective team nominations, the fact that Campbell produced two nominees in the same year is the kind of alumni moment that resonates far beyond any single box score.

For a program that continues to punch well above its weight in MLB player development, this week was something different — proof that the Camels are raising players of character, not just talent.

Zach Neto Is Making the Angels' Front Office Sweat

Zach Neto is doing his best to talk himself out of a trade — or at least make one impossibly complicated.

The Campbell-bred shortstop went absolutely nuclear against the Boston Red Sox this week, putting together one of the more eye-catching back-to-back performances of any player in baseball. On Tuesday, Sept. 8, Neto went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in an Angels win. He followed that with a two-hit, three-RBI outing on Wednesday, capped by a three-run blast over Fenway's Green Monster to hand Los Angeles the series. In a two-game stretch against one of the American League's better pitching staffs, Neto collected six hits, five RBI, and two home runs — the kind of numbers that don't just pop in a box score, they dominate a highlight reel.

And yet, even as Neto bats .244 with genuine power on display, the Angels are fielding trade calls.

The Trade Specter Hanging Over Anaheim

It's not new noise. The Angels — perennial non-contenders who haven't sniffed the playoffs in over a decade — have been listening on Neto for a while, according to multiple reports. What's changed is the specificity. Heavy Sports reports that the Angels have been mapping out what a Neto trade might actually look like, while Sports Illustrated detailed a hypothetical framework involving the Red Sox — ironically, the team Neto just dismantled — offering a package headlined by catcher Adley Rutschman.

The Sporting News made the cautionary case bluntly: trading Neto could kneecap any legitimate hope for 2027. At just 24 years old and posting elite-caliber production in the season's final weeks, he profiles as exactly the kind of homegrown cornerstone that rebuilding franchises are supposed to hold onto — not the asset they flip for prospects. The counterargument, of course, is that rebuilds need fuel, and Neto's value may never be higher.

There's no resolution yet, but every multi-hit game Neto logs makes the conversation louder on both sides.

Elsewhere in the Campbell Alumni Network

Cedric Mullins, the former Campbell outfielder now with the Tampa Bay Rays, picked up a hit and an RBI in the Rays' 3-2 win over Houston on Wednesday. The veteran center fielder is batting .202 on the season — a down year by his standards — but has stayed in the lineup as Tampa Bay navigates its own late-season picture.

Seth Johnson made a brief appearance out of the Oakland bullpen on Sunday, Sept. 6, tossing two innings and striking out four against the Mariners. His ERA sits at 6.65 on the year, but the strikeout rate in that outing suggests the raw stuff remains present for the 2021 first-round pick still finding his footing at the major league level.

For Campbell fans, though, this week belongs to Neto. The kid from Buies Creek, NC has made it clear he's no longer just a promising name — he's a national conversation. Whether he's wearing an Angels uniform by spring is the only thing left to settle.

Zach Neto Is the Most Talked-About Shortstop on the Market

The Angels may be going nowhere in 2026, but Zach Neto is going somewhere — and several contenders want to be the ones to take him there.

The Campbell-bred shortstop has emerged as one of the offseason's most coveted trade targets, with the Red Sox and Phillies among at least four teams circling the Angels for his services, per The Sporting News. For an Angels franchise in the midst of a long rebuild, moving a controllable, defensively gifted shortstop could reshape their roster construction heading into 2027. For whoever lands him, it's a plug-and-play upgrade up the middle.

Neto is doing his part to drive the asking price up. In the week spanning Aug. 30–Sep. 5, he was one of the hotter bats in the Campbell alumni group. He homered against the Phillies on Sunday, Aug. 30, drove in runs and scored across multiple games in a series against the Yankees, and then went 3-for-the-day with an RBI and a run scored against the Pirates on Saturday, Sep. 5 — bumping his average to .238. It's the kind of late-season audition that front offices across the league are watching closely.

Mullins Grinds Through the Stretch Run in Tampa

While Neto dominates the headlines, Cedric Mullins has been doing the quiet, professional work of a veteran outfielder fighting through a tough season in Tampa Bay.

Mullins is hitting .205 on the year, a number that reflects a difficult 2026 campaign, but he's remained in the Rays' everyday lineup and continued to contribute in situational spots. During the week, he drew two walks against the Rangers on Friday, knocked in a run and scored in a win over the Mets on Wednesday, Sep. 2, and capped the stretch with an RBI and a walk in the Rays' 7–6 win over Texas on Saturday, Sep. 5. He isn't lighting up the stat sheet, but he's logging plate appearances and doing damage where he can.

The Rays, perpetual models of roster efficiency, have continued to deploy Mullins in center field as the season winds toward its conclusion.

The Rest of the Campbell Alumni Report

On the pitching side, the news for Campbell's Ryan Thompson wasn't quite as upbeat. The Diamondbacks transferred the right-hander to the 60-day injured list on Sep. 1 to clear a 40-man roster spot as rosters expanded, effectively ending his 2026 season. Thompson had been a reliable bullpen piece for Arizona, and his absence is a notable loss as the D-backs push through September.

The rest of Campbell's MLB contingent — Bryce Arnold (Guardians), Thomas Harrington (Pirates), Seth Johnson (Athletics), Spencer Packard (Mariners), and Allan Winans (Yankees) — didn't generate notable headlines during the period.

The bigger picture for Campbell fans: their school has quietly built a legitimate MLB pipeline, and Neto is fast becoming its marquee name. If a blockbuster trade materializes this winter, Buies Creek will be paying very close attention.