Campbell Professional Athletes

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.

Campbell Alumni Are Making Noise in Late August

Two Camels are turning heads as the MLB regular season winds toward its final stretch — and both are doing it in ways that matter well beyond the box score.

Zach Neto, SS — Los Angeles Angels

Neto's week started with a bang. On Sunday, August 23, the Angels shortstop went 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI, and a run scored against Texas — a performance that punctuated what's been a legitimate breakout stretch for the Campbell product. Then, on Wednesday against Cleveland, he added another hit with an RBI and a run scored as the Angels escaped with a 6-5 win. By Saturday against Philadelphia, Neto wasn't hitting but he was still impacting the game, drawing two walks and scoring a run in a 3-1 Angels victory.

The bigger story, though, may be what happens this winter. FanSided reported that Neto was one of the most intriguing names circling the MLB trade deadline earlier this month, and his recent production has only amplified the offseason conversation around him. The Angels, stuck in rebuilding limbo, could see a market of contenders lining up for a shortstop of Neto's caliber — and the late-August résumé isn't hurting his trade value one bit.

Cedric Mullins, CF — Tampa Bay Rays

Meanwhile, Mullins has been quietly productive in a Rays uniform. His signature moment of the week came Friday, August 28, when he went deep against San Diego — part of a 9-4 Tampa Bay rout over the Padres — finishing the night with a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Sportsnet's highlights confirmed Mullins and Yandy Díaz both went deep as the Rays handled business emphatically.

The production didn't stop there. On Wednesday against Detroit, Mullins went 1-for-3 with an RBI as Tampa Bay shut out the Tigers 3-0. On Saturday, he added another hit, a walk, and a run scored to close out the week. Mullins is hitting .206 on the season, but his recent contributions — especially the multi-RBI Friday — show he's capable of putting up damage when his bat heats up.

The Campbell Connection

It's not every school-size program that produces two MLB regulars playing meaningful September-adjacent baseball simultaneously. Neto and Mullins represent the high-water mark of Campbell's big-league pipeline, and both are making their presence felt — one with his glove and bat drawing trade interest, the other providing pop off the bench for a Rays squad still finding its footing.

For Campbell fans tracking the alumni box scores this week, there was plenty to celebrate out of Buies Creek.

Campbell's week in MLB belonged almost entirely to one player — and Zach Neto made sure nobody forgot it.

The Angels shortstop authored the signature performance of his career on Friday, Aug. 21, going 5-for-6 with a three-run homer, a career-high seven RBIs, and two runs scored in an 18-3 obliteration of the Houston Astros. The blast — his 21st of the season — came in the fifth inning and blew the game open in a performance that had Angels fans reaching for superlatives. It was the kind of night that shifts narratives: Neto isn't just a glove-first shortstop anymore.

The blowout was the exclamation point on a three-game series sweep of Houston. Two days earlier, Neto had gone 2-for-4 with an RBI in a tidy 3-1 Angels win, part of a consistent stretch that has him batting .235 on the season. He carried that momentum into the weekend, recording three hits and two runs scored against the Rangers on Saturday. Over the full week, Neto was one of the most productive middle infielders in the American League.

The Rest of the Camels

Beyond Neto's eruption, two other Campbell alumni logged notable activity during the period.

Cedric Mullins continued to grind through a difficult season for the Rays. The veteran center fielder posted hits in multiple games this week — including an RBI and a run scored Tuesday against the Blue Jays — but his .208 average tells the story of a year that hasn't gone as planned. Mullins has remained in Tampa Bay's lineup, drawing walks and contributing where he can, but the power and burst that made him a breakout star years ago have been elusive in 2026.

Seth Johnson made a brief appearance out of the Athletics' bullpen Monday against the Royals, working one inning but allowing two earned runs to push his ERA to 7.29. The right-hander has had a rough go in Oakland this season, and the outing did little to reverse the trend.

Thomas Harrington (Pirates), Spencer Packard (Mariners), Bryce Arnold (Guardians), Ryan Thompson (Diamondbacks), and Allan Winans (Yankees) had no stats recorded during the period.

Campbell's Week in Review

The headline writes itself: a small private school in Buies Creek, North Carolina, produced one of the most jaw-dropping individual performances in the AL this week. Neto's seven-RBI night is the kind of output that gets replayed on highlight loops and remembered come award season. For Campbell alums tracking their former Camels in the bigs, this was a week to bookmark.

Zach Neto: Campbell's Brightest Star

Campbell's most prominent MLB alumnus had a week worth talking about — both on the field and in the rumor mill.

Zach Neto delivered the key blow in the Angels' 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on August 12, ripping an RBI single to ignite a three-run third inning and end Los Angeles's three-game losing streak. Neto also scored in that rally, providing the offensive spine of a win that kept the Angels relevant in a tightening AL Wild Card race. The shortstop carried his production into the weekend, adding another hit, RBI, and a walk in a Saturday contest against the Royals, closing the week at a .225 batting average.

The on-field performance, however, was only half the story. Neto's name circulated heavily at the trade deadline as a coveted asset, with the Minnesota Twins among the teams identified as having interest in the Campbell product. Ultimately, a deal never materialized — the Sporting News reported the Twins passed — but the buzz underscored how Neto has positioned himself as one of the more attractive young shortstops in the game. Staying put in Anaheim, he wasted no time refocusing, putting together one of his better stretches of the week right after the deadline passed.

Cedric Mullins: Steady in Tampa

Cedric Mullins, another Campbell product, was a consistent presence in the Rays' lineup throughout the week. The center fielder logged hits in four of the five games he appeared in during the period — including a multi-hit effort against the Athletics on August 12 — and contributed RBIs on three separate occasions. Mullins hit 1-for-3 with an RBI on Sunday against the Mariners to open the stretch, then closed the week Saturday against Baltimore with another hit and RBI. He sits at a .208 average on the season, a figure that understates his recent activity level.

Seth Johnson: Rough Stretch on the Mound

Not every Campbell alumnus had a week to celebrate. Athletics reliever Seth Johnson was tagged for four earned runs in a Tuesday outing against the Rays, watching his ERA balloon to 7.11 before a shorter, slightly cleaner appearance Wednesday brought it down to 6.75. Johnson is clearly working through a difficult stretch, and the Athletics' staff situation offers little cushion for extended struggles.

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The week was a microcosm of where Campbell's MLB pipeline stands heading into the late-season stretch: Neto is a legitimate building block drawing contender interest, Mullins is a dependable veteran finding his footing, and Johnson is fighting to hold his roster spot. For a mid-sized program out of Buies Creek, North Carolina, that kind of league-wide representation is no small thing.