Virginia Professional Athletes

Jake McCarthy Is Making Colorado Believers

The Rockies aren't exactly must-see TV in 2026, but Jake McCarthy is giving Virginia fans every reason to tune in. The former Cavalier outfielder went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored Saturday against Seattle, pushing his season average to .298 — a career-best mark that no longer looks like a fluke.

McCarthy's week was a clinic in consistency: two hits and two RBIs Tuesday against San Diego, two more hits Wednesday, another hit and a run scored Thursday. Over the course of this stretch, he's been one of three Colorado qualifiers posting an OPS above .800, a feat the Rockies haven't pulled off since their 2019 core. For a franchise still searching for reasons to be optimistic, McCarthy has become one of the more legitimate ones.

Sports Illustrated framed it plainly: this isn't a hot week, it's a breakout campaign. The numbers back that up.

Connelly Early's Debut Saga Takes More Twists

The most tortured storyline involving a Virginia alum this week didn't happen on the field — it happened in Washington's front office. Left-hander Connelly Early has been on the doorstep of his MLB debut with the Nationals, but the road there has been anything but smooth.

A planned start was canceled, forcing Washington to get creative to keep Early stretched out and ready. The Nationals responded with a rehab assignment to get him his necessary work, and president of baseball operations Paul Toboni subsequently confirmed that Early will make his big-league debut before the season ends. After stints in the Red Sox system and a long rehab journey, the former Hoo is finally within reach of the moment he's been working toward.

No date was locked in publicly, but the framing from the organization is clear: it's a matter of when, not if.

Around the Rest of the Alumni Roster

Ernie Clement had a mixed week in Toronto. The Blue Jays scratched him from the lineup ahead of their series opener against Detroit — a decision that carried some weight with the Jays still chasing playoff positioning — before bringing him back into the fold later in the series. He finished the week with a .265 average, contributing an RBI and a run scored Wednesday in a 5-1 Toronto win over Detroit.

Zack Gelof kept his bat alive for Oakland despite the A's long-since-concluded season. He homered Friday against Cleveland with three RBIs to go along with a multi-hit Saturday, closing the week at .249. His most explosive game came Sunday the 13th — two hits, a homer, two RBIs, and three runs scored against Seattle.

Pavin Smith returned to Arizona's active roster as the Diamondbacks scrambled to address struggles against right-handed pitching. He managed a homer and an RBI against Miami on Thursday but is hitting just .163 on the season — his roster spot more a reflection of Arizona's need than his production.

Kyle Teel had a quiet week behind the plate for the rebuilding White Sox, though he drove in two runs Monday against Cleveland in a 7-3 Chicago win. Mike Vasil, also on Chicago's roster, made news of a different kind: his teammates gathered to watch him throw for the first time since Tommy John surgery — a milestone moment for the young righty's road back.

For UVA fans, the week's headline belongs to McCarthy. But the one to watch next week is Early — his debut, when it comes, will be a long time coming.

Two Virginia Cavaliers alumni headlined a wild week in MLB — one driving a playoff push with his bat, the other stopping one cold with a catch that will be on highlight reels for years.

Ernie Clement Is Carrying Toronto's Wildcard Hopes

The Blue Jays' second baseman has gone from roster bubble question to clubhouse pulse. Clement, a former Cavalier, posted multi-hit, multi-RBI performances in Toronto's decisive series wins over the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals last week, finishing the stretch with a .276 batting average and clear momentum.

The signature moment came Saturday in a 9-2 demolition of the Royals, when Clement went 2-for-4 with two RBIs — including a first-inning RBI double that staked Toronto to a 4-0 lead before Kansas City could blink. Combined with contributions from George Springer and Alejandro Kirk, the Blue Jays flexed like a team that's remembered what it looks like to win.

Clement hasn't just been producing — he's been talking. After Toronto clawed back to .500, he delivered what Sports Illustrated described as a "fiery message," and separately praised the impact of teammate Brett Bateman on the group's chemistry. His Sportsnet interview this week touched on the Blue Jays' resilience and what it's taken to crawl back into wildcard contention.

There was one hiccup: the Blue Jays briefly dropped Clement from the lineup during the Royals series before reinstating him, a decision Heavy Sports flagged as notable given his recent production. Whatever the reason for the scratch, the outcome speaks for itself.

Virginia's Daniel Lynch IV was on the wrong side of that Blue Jays eruption — the Royals lefty allowed five earned runs over five innings in Saturday's 9-2 loss, nudging his ERA to 3.51.

Colton Cowser Commits Grand Larceny in Colorado

Meanwhile, across the diamond, Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser turned in what Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz called "the best play I've ever seen." In the bottom of the ninth inning against the Rockies, Cowser robbed fellow Cavalier Jake McCarthy of a walk-off home run with a full-sprint, full-extension catch into the wall.

Defector's account captures why this wasn't just a good catch: Cowser had no time to set, was at a dead sprint toward the wall, and hauled in what would have been a game-winner with his legs scissored outward and his momentum carrying him backward. "Barely controlled ballet," as Defector put it. The play saved the game for Baltimore.

McCarthy, for his part, had quietly been one of Virginia's steadiest contributors all week — the Rockies outfielder hit a home run Sunday against the Braves, went 2-for-4 with an RBI Wednesday against the Orioles, and finished the period hitting .289. He just had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of his former Cavalier teammate's greatest career moment.

Zack Gelof Keeps Swinging in Oakland

Athletics third baseman Zack Gelof continued his steady offensive week, homering in back-to-back games Friday and Saturday against the Mariners while hitting .260 on the week. He also went deep Wednesday against the Rangers and was part of back-to-back blasts with Henry Bolte off the Orioles earlier in the stretch. Gelof's power consistency has been a quiet bright spot in an otherwise turbulent Oakland season.

This content is AI-generated by FanDaily.