Nathan Rode Portfolio

THE RISE OF MACKENZIE GORE

In terms of the 2017 MLB Draft, LHP MacKenzie Gore (Whiteville HS, NC) was a riser, a prospect with helium that climbed the rankings as the season wore on. For Gore, and those that know him best, it was simply the next step.

“After last summer, my goal was to be the best player in the country and I knew I wasn’t at that point,” he said. “So I had a lot of work to do and that’s what got me going in the offseason.”

The work was put in. The stuff came out. Gore’s entire arsenal took a step forward and with that came everything else—the scouts, the stats and the accolades. While leading Whiteville to its fourth state championship in six years, Gore dominated opposing hitters and put up numbers reserved for video games. He went 11-0 with a 0.19 ERA in 74.1 innings, striking out 158 and walking just five. Also a force in the Wolfpack lineup, Gore hit more home runs (seven) himself than he allowed walks, and hit .478.

His ability and upside made him the third overall pick by the San Diego Padres. The numbers make him the Prep Baseball Report Player of the Year.

Whether it’s live at the field or on video, there is one thing about Gore that doesn’t go unnoticed when someone sees him for the first time.

“The first thing you notice is the organic leg kick, the uniqueness of his delivery,” Nick Brannon, area scout for the Padres, said.

“I always remember him having that leg kick,” said Brett Harwood, head coach at Whiteville. “I don’t think anybody can take credit for the leg kick.”

Gore’s delivery is unorthodox, pronounced and deceptive. He employs an extremely high leg kick and brings his hands above his hands at his balance point. His athleticism and strength allows him to repeat the delivery without losing anything on his stuff.

“I remember, we had a fall workout and I see this kid and I see this leg kick,” Fielding Hammond said. “I certainly wouldn’t teach anything like that, but the ball came out of his hand so easy I thought, I’m not touching that.”

Hammond started as Whiteville’s pitching coach when Gore was a freshman. Then, he was a fastball-changeup pitcher. The curveball was still a work-in-progress and the slider wasn’t even a thought. As good as the stuff was, and would become, the mental side always stood out for anyone watching Gore.

“You could tell at an early age that he was competitive, whether it be at our camp with a home run derby or watching him play—he was a couple years younger than my oldest son—he always competed with those kids,” Harwood said.

Each year, Gore saw marked improvements in his stuff. His fastball went from the low 80s to the mid 80s and it wasn’t long before he broke 90 mph. His curveball started to get sharper. He also made an early verbal commitment to East Carolina. By the summer before his senior year, he had added a slider. All the while, Gore didn’t lose sight of what he thought was most important and what eventually made him stand apart from others.

“I’ve always been pitch first and velocity will come,” Gore said. “A lot of people today, it’s velocity and then we’ll teach you how to pitch. I want to learn how to pitch and then the velocity will come as I get older.”

Whiteville always shuts down its pitchers after the summer and Gore did the same, focusing his efforts on getting stronger. Scouts had taken notice to the skinny kid—some that saw him as an underclassman and others on the showcase circuit—and by the end of the offseason, the work he put in was apparent.

“I met with him in December and you could tell he put on some weight,” Brannon said. “It was pretty noticeable from the time I saw him in August. He was a little bit taller, but you could tell he put on about 10 or 15 pounds.

“It’s a testament to the kid, going out and doing the work, wanting to be the guy.”

With some scouts on hand, Gore faced Topsail HS (NC) in a scrimmage that may have been a defining moment, at least for the spring.

“You go and watch his first outing, preseason, they’re playing Topsail,” Brannon said. “Immediately, it was 92-95. There was a definite velo jump. The changeup looked good. The breaking ball looked like the curveball came around a little bit. The slider was good. You could just tell he put in his work. It was just like a process and you saw the kid get better.”

Gore quickly stepped into a new category. After the summer, he was certainly a top prospect, among the top 25 high schoolers in the country, but there was still a chance he could make it to East Carolina. Now, he was a first-round prospect and high-level scouts started showing up to his games—general managers, special assistants. It didn’t faze him, nor did it surprise his coaches.

“I look at it as his next step,” Harwood said. “And I think there’s more there.”

“I go last summer and I’m watching him, he’s just pitching and the stuff has jumped up a notch,” Hammond said. “I went and watched him at LakePoint and the slider was just unhittable. And he was 89-92 and I’m like, he’s going to be a first rounder. I didn’t know No. 3, but I said he’s going to be a first-round pick.”

Hammond has dated Gore’s older sister for three years now and he got an early peek at the southpaw’s dedication to his craft, one of the first times he was at the family’s house. Gore’s room is the only room upstairs and Hammond heard thumping coming from above.

“I’m like, ‘Meredith, what is he doing?’”

“Oh, he’s practicing his windup,” she said. “He’s in the mirror, practicing his windup.”

The low-90s fastball. The feel for his offspeed stuff. The command. All of that stands out for scouts and factored into him being the third overall pick, but Gore’s desire to get better and the approach he takes on the field is the separator.

“You watch him work and he’s a serious guy,” Brannon said. “He’s serious about his trade. He wants to be good. He competes in all aspects. He was really competing with his bullpen, really talking to his coaches about, ‘Hey man, did that look like it was running?’ He was interacting with his catcher. Like advanced stuff from a high school kid. Most kids are like, let me go ahead and rip off these 20-25 pitches. Let me go hit up my Twitter or whatever. He was a pro. He warms up like a pro. He threw his bullpen like a pro.”

Gore trusts the process and the next step for him is unlocking his full potential on the mound. Part of that will come from putting away the bat. He hit in the middle of the order for Whiteville and when he wasn’t on the mound, he played the field and he played it hard.

“I’m all over the place out there on the field,” Gore said. “Playing different positions, I’m diving, stealing bases. I play the game hard. There were times on the mound I was a little gassed and I’m sure that’ll help.”

Gore also wants to become a better leader, something he’s already well on his way to being. At a banquet for Gore, players got up to speak about their teammate. It’s supposed to be a roast. Instead, most were emotional.

“We’ve won four state championships the last six years,” Harwood said. “All those teams were good and had really good players, but I think for a program that makes a run like that there’s usually one player that really you just have to have that makes you great and makes your program great and he’s been that guy. And it’s not just been on the field, it’s been off the field. He made every kid around him, whether they were playing or had a role on the bench, he made every teammate feel like a part of it.”

Gore is confident, but humble. He wanted to be the best and he put himself in the conversation. Draft night was exciting, but he’s not done.

“It’s kind of like all the work builds up to this and now you kind of start over,” he said. “You’re at the bottom again and you’ve gotta work your way up. All the work I did in high school and when I was young has paid off. I was on the top. Now I’m about to be back on the bottom and just have to work harder than I ever have before.”

Rivals On The Field, Best Friends off

By Nathan Rode

Being in the same conference, both strong contenders to win the Oklahoma 6-A state championship and participants in the same spring break tournament, Owasso and Broken Arrow High will probably go head-to-head a few times during the 2011 season. And it is likely that on more than one occasion, righthanders Archie Bradley and Dylan Bundy will toe the rubber, on opposite sides, staring each other down.

Both fierce competitors and among the best arms in the country, the two should put on a show that is hardly seen at the varsity level. But don't be fooled by their hunger to win a state title and one-up each other. Bradley and Bundy are two brothers bound by the bonds of baseball. They have been best friends, teammates and workout partners for several years. They have lived together, pushed each other to the limit, fought like brothers and still constantly push each other's buttons.

"When you talk to Dylan, be sure to remind him that I've got four or five inches on him," Bradley said. "Bring it up, over and over and over."

"Archie says he's 6-foot-5," Bundy responded. "He ain't no 6-5."

Going to rival high schools, Bundy at Owasso and Bradley at Broken Arrow, you would expect and understand if these two had a mutual respect for each other's talents, but deep down wanted no part of a relationship. But these two are inseparable. They are almost identical. Both possess a powerful arsenal and are considered to be two of the best righthanders in this year's draft class. They each have a strong workout regiment that keeps them in peak physical condition. The only difference is height.

IDEALISM IN THE FLESH

Bradley stands about 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. Scouts love his frame and the projection it oozes. He works with a fastball that gets up to 95-96 mph. He also throws a knuckle-curve and is working on improving a circle changeup.

"I'm a front of the rotation guy," Bradley said. "I'll come after you and throw the fastball at any time. People get away from the fastball too much."

Bradley's raw stuff is more than enough to get excited about, but he also has a mental toughness that stems from being a highly-touted quarterback. He is committed to Oklahoma and chose the Sooners because of their interest in him as a quarterback and pitcher. Most schools wanted him for one sport or the other, but the decision seemed easy when Oklahoma was prepared to let him be a two-sport guy. It is undetermined whether Bradley will continue his football career, but he knows there has been more than just a physical benefit to playing on the gridiron.

"Football has helped me tremendously, especially on the mental side," Bradley said. "I have to understand what everyone on the field is doing. Everything is in your hands. It really taught me how to slow down the game and keep everything under control."

Broken Arrow head coach Shannon Dobson has had plenty of talent come through Broken Arrow, but is yet to see a pitcher like Bradley.

"He's definitely a competitor," Dobson said. "Everything works off that fastball. He's worked hard to develop the changeup and his command has gotten better. The thing for him is going to be command of all three pitchers."

GOOD THINGS, SMALLER PACKAGE

While Bundy doesn't turn heads with his 6-foot-1, 200-pound frame, he does bring plenty of stuff to the table. He also works with a fastball that has reached 95-96 mph, as well as a breaking ball that is a hard, swing-and-miss pitch. For scouts that haven't seen Bundy and hear he's a tick over six feet tall, they ask about his max effort delivery. But he doesn't have one.

Bundy, a Texas signee, delivers his arsenal from an easy, balanced delivery. Natural talent is partly responsible for this rare commodity, but Bundy's workout habits certainly are a factor. As a freshman, Bundy and his brother Bobby—now a righthander in the Orioles' farm system—posted a YouTube video of a routine they use to strengthen their rotator cuff.

Using a punching bag, Bundy goes through a series of exercises in which he delivers short, quick punches in a variety of angles and cadences.

"It came from Dave Franklin, my brother's adviser," Bundy said. "He came up with it six to eight years ago and hasn't had a pitcher get hurt. Knock on wood. It develops the back side of your shoulder, which is crucial."

He completes this workout twice a week during the offseason and does it once a week when in season. Bradley recently started the workout himself and is now encouraging his teammates to try it, including righthander Mason Hope, who is also committed to Oklahoma and among the Top 100 High School Prospects.

"I've never been around anyone with Dylan's work ethic," Owasso head coach Larry Turner said. "When he came to us there were concerns that he was a prima donna, but he's been the most pleasant person to coach. The kids feed off him and get better. He's up and working out at 5:30 a.m. and he's in there again after practice."

SPRING RIVALS, SUMMER ROOMMATES

During the summer circuit the last two years, Bradley and Bundy have lived together in Dallas and provided a strong one-two punch in the D-Bat Mustangs' rotation. Just days before the Aflac All-America Game, Bundy and Bradley made a second straight trip to the Connie Mack World Series. On his 18th birthday, Bradley struck out the first nine hitters in a start against the Strike Zone Cardinals and finished with 16 strikeouts in an easy Mustangs win.

"By far that was the greatest time of my life," Bradley said. "I pitched the best of my life on my birthday, then flew to San Diego to play on a big league field."

The series is double elimination and Bundy pitched well in the finals against the Midland Redskins to force a decisive game. The Redskins prevailed 4-3, giving the Mustangs a runner-up finish.

Bradley and Bundy immediately left Farmington for San Diego to play in the Aflac Game. Bradley pitched two innings, striking out four of the six batters he faced, while Bundy only hit since he didn't have the necessary amount of rest.

While they fell short of a world series win, the two righthanders will reap the benefits of the summer they spent together and the competition they faced.

"We've lived together the last two years in Dallas," Bradley said. "It's one of the best things we could have done. We both put in the same amount of work. We pushed each other. We understand what it takes to get to the next level. We learn from each other and pick each other's brains."

TITLE ON THE LINE

Bradley and Bundy are fully aware of what their future holds. Barring unforeseen elements that make stocks drop, both are slated to go in the first round of this year's draft and both have a commitment to a top-notch baseball program to fall back on.

"They're both big-time guys," a National League area scout said. "Dylan's got maybe a little better now stuff, but Archie projects to be pretty good—maybe better. Some people like one guy, some like the other."

But those events will be a factor after the Oklahoma state tournament. It's rare for two pitchers with such elite status to be members of the same conference, but it's even less common for them to be at schools that are likely to be the top two in the entire state. Broken Arrow last won a title in 1991—before there was a 6-A classification. Owasso has won 11 state titles in its history, eight between 1998-2009.

It's clear where the tradition lies, but Dobson is confident in what he thinks is his most talented team ever. He has Bradley and Hope on the mound as well as Dylan Delso, an Arizona State signee, behind the plate. Owasso has Bundy, a second D-I pitcher in Philip Wilson (Oral Roberts) and a D-I catcher as well with Drew Stiner (Oklahoma State).

"Owasso is expected to be the state champs every year," Bundy said. "We don't always have the best talent, but the coaches make us so much better. The Broken Arrow game is going to be amazing. Archie is hungry for a win against me and I want to defend my win against him. It should be really fun."

With the prospect of seeing two first-round arms go against each other while facing challenging lineups, the pro franchises are likely to be represented by at least two or three of their scouts. But they'll be easily outnumbered by the fans.

"It's going to be a blast," Bradley said. "When we play each other, it's the only time you see a student section in baseball. They come out and support us. It's a war. We want to beat them as bad as we can. It's time to end the Owasso saga."

For The Cecchinis, Baseball is a Family Affair

If you attend a game that features a player named Cecchini, chances are he isn't the only one in attendance bearing that name. You could scan the crowd for a boisterous parent, but unless it's a professional game, you are better off looking in the dugout first. That is the likeliest place to find Glenn or Raissa Cecchini, a husband and wife that have been coaching high school players—including their sons, Garin and Gavin—since 1987.

The Cecchinis (pronounced Chick-key-knee) are well-known and respected in the baseball industry. Glenn and Raissa have helped build one of the country's best high school programs at Barbe High in St. Charles, La., while Garin is a third baseman in the Red Sox organization and Gavin heads into his senior year as one of the top shortstops in the 2012 draft class. They have been teased that they would make great subjects for a reality show, which is probably true. Between Glenn's energetic and high-volume approach to coaching and Raissa's calm, collected, but stern demeanor, they are a sight to be seen. Add in that their sons are top prospects and have charismatic features as well, and you get a story that should top anything spoiled housewives have to offer.

The Under Armor All-America Game powered by Baseball Factory will see Gavin playing shortstop, just like his brother did two years prior, but this time Glenn will step into the national spotlight too, as a member of the American team. It's just another episode in the Cecchinis' story, but this one carries the weight of a final season premier. It won't be the first time, nor the last, that Glenn has coached one of his sons outside of the spring season, but at historic Wrigley Field and on national television, it's unlike any experience they have had before.

"I wasn't a big leaguer," Glenn said. "To be on a major league field that Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Fergie Jenkins, so many great players played on, it's a pretty cool thing.You're thankful, grateful and humbled. It's going to be special."

———

Garin and Gavin have worked tirelessly to improve their game and compete at a high level, but they also had the benefit of good genes as Glenn and Raissa have their own athletic backgrounds. Glenn was an outfielder from Camarillo (Calif.) High, the same school that produced Delmon Young and Joe Borchard. He played two seasons at Moore Park CC (Calif.) before making his way to the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now known as Louisiana-Lafayette. Playing for the Ragin' Cajuns allowed Glenn to meet Raissa, an athlete from Sulphur, La., about an 80-mile trip from Lafayette on Interstate 10. She played basketball and participated in rodeo events.

"I rode calves and roped steers," Raissa said. "I had been doing it my whole life."

Turns out she was good at it too, going to the high school and college national finals and boasting a hefty collection of medals, trophies and belts.

When they finished at Southwestern Louisiana, Glenn and Raissa got jobs at Barbe. The spring of 1987 was Glenn's first season as the head coach of the Bucs and he made a proposal to Raissa, one that started arguably the best part of this story. He told her that they could build a dynasty at Barbe, but it would take a full effort from both of them. That's when Raissa got into coaching baseball and brought a deeper meaning to a phrase shared among many in baseball. Ask any coach that has experienced any level of success and he'll likely say this: "Behind every good baseball man, there's an even better woman."

"It would be hard for me to believe that anyone helped build a program like she has," Glenn said. "It's unbelievable the work she's put in. From painting signs to haircuts to throwing BP."

Even people outside of the Cecchini family will rave about Raissa's batting practice sessions. Garin jokes with his Red Sox coaches that his mom is better and Garin still prefers standing in against her. Jesse Cassard, a former assistant at Barbe, concedes to her skills.

"I can throw some BP, but she throws it pretty stiff," he said.

Raissa admits it was awkward at first, being a female coaching at a level dominated by her male counterparts, but it didn't take long for her to be accepted and respected. She took pride in learning more about the game, attending clinics and picking the brains of coaches and scouts.

"You didn't see her as a female," Cassard said. "She knows what she's talking about. You don't really think about it. Whenever you're there, living it, you don't notice it. She's a true student of the game."

———

Married in 1988, Glenn and Raissa saw their first child—Garin—born in 1991 while Gavin came two-and-a-half years later, just a few days before Christmas, in 1993. Over the last 20 years the family has helped shape Barbe into a national power, leading the Bucs to five state championships and 17 district titles since 1993. During that time Garin and Gavin have been shaped into top level athletes with bright futures on the diamond.

Garin played shortstop in high school, just across the bag from Gavin, but moved to third base after signing a professional contract with the Boston Red Sox in 2010. Before having his wrist broken by a 94 mph fastball, he was hitting .298/.398/.500 through 114 at-bats with the short season Lowell Spinners. Garin's name is atop several offensive categories for season records at Barbe, but it is noticeably absent from career marks. Just 15 games into his senior season, one in which he was supposed to prove himself as a potential first-round pick, Garin tore his right ACL trying to get back first base on a pickoff attempt. With his season over, Garin encouraged the team to press on. He promised them the season wouldn't be about his injury and took on supporting role, watching the remaining games from the dugout and cheering on his teammates.

Garin's injury was especially hard on Gavin as he looked up to his older brother and knew he wouldn't be playing alongside him anymore. Raissa, ever the coach and mother, turned it into a teaching moment.

"With Garin getting hurt, I reminded Gavin that baseball can be taken away from you anytime," she said. "You're fortunate to be where you are."

That season, as a sophomore, Gavin set a school record by hitting 24 doubles. As he heads into his senior year, Gavin is now the focus at the amateur level. While he projects as a first-round talent like his brother, there are several differences between the infield duo. Garin is a corner infielder, showing pop from the left side thanks to a strong 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame. Gavin is more wiry and swings a righthanded bat.

"I have better range and I'm faster," Gavin said. "He's a corner guy because he's bigger. He has a sweet swing and some pop."

"Gavin is a lot faster than me," Garin said. "He squares the ball up really well. He's a smooth defender and I think he can stay at shortstop. He can be a game changer in defense, running and hitting."

Both are gifted athletes, but were taught to work hard from a young age, which has helped them get to this point. They spent countless hours at Barbe's field, helping to turn the field from a cow pasture into a stadium that can bring in 2,000 fans for a big game while putting in plenty of time taking ground balls and batting practice.

"To say they're naturally talented, yea they're talented, but they've worked," Cassard said. "Nothing has ever been given to them. For people that know them, they still don't know how much time they put in."

———

Whether Gavin signs a pro contract or fulfills his commitment to Ole Miss remains to be seen, but Glenn and Raissa will continue to shape young athletes, even if Raissa isn't officially a coach anymore. Disgruntled parents took issue with the tandem several years ago, but Raissa "took the hatchet" and stepped down as a coach. Rene Gayo, now the international scouting director for the Pirates, has been good friends with the Cecchinis since he was an area scout in the early 1990s. Raissa credits Gayo as a strong influence on her passion for baseball and he offers his own praise.

"I don't think everybody appreciated what they were seeing," Gayo said. "She's an unbelievable woman. When Raissa had to stop working, that really hurt Glenn. But that's just the way it is. In this modern age, when others are too successful, others don't like it. Once upon a time, we loved that.

"If I had a boy, I'd want him to play for Glenn. His job is predicated on being able to get the guy that can't play. In high school you're a victim of who shows up. The thing that makes him a monster is he can take a kid that can't play and get him a scholarship. His success has been pillared on bringing it out of the kids."

Raissa still plays an important role at Barbe, helping behind the scenes. She isn't bitter about what transpired, but was disappointed she didn't get to coach her sons during their springs. But she has gotten the opportunity to do that during the summers, as the Cecchinis traveled with the Southeast Texas Sun Devils, a travel team that pulls players from Texas and Louisiana. Glenn and Raissa help coach the team while Chip Ferguson—who they are quick to thank and praise—covers the finances for the team's expenses.

The Cecchini adults have one final tour coaching a son with Gavin less than a year from graduation. This was the first summer where all four weren't together, but baseball is a way of life for them and they don't figure to slow down anytime soon.

"They love the game and the game loves them," Gayo said. "It's a classic example of what high school baseball should be. You're not going to see many like them."

USA Baseball National Training Complex Opening Ceremony in Cary, N.C.

USA and Major League Baseball took another big step in their relationship and the development of young athletes as the doors to a national training facility were opened in Cary, N.C. A ribbon cutting by USA Baseball President Mike Gaski and Cary Mayor Ernie McAlister and the commencement of the 2007 Tournament of Stars highlighted the ceremony.

Cary won the bid to be the home for the training center and then put forth incredible resources to get the project completed in time for this summer's events.

"When somebody does something for you that you didn't expect, you're taken aback," Paul Seiler, executive director of USA Baseball said as he addressed the fans, players and scouts. "Thank you falls short. Thank you really doesn't scratch the surface with how we feel with this community."

The ribbon cutting marked the opening of an $11 million facility that will be utilized by some of the best baseball programs in the country and possibly world. Executive Vice President of Operations for MLB Jimmy Lee Solomon was in attendance and expressed the importance of amateur baseball, stating that it is the "lifeblood of Major League Baseball."

"This has been a fantastic endeavor to watch this stadium come out of the ground," Solomon added.

Great baseball for a great location

The facility is located on the west side of Cary, approximately 20 miles outside of Raleigh, North Carolina's state capital. It includes a main stadium with three auxiliary fields. The playing surface and appearance is spectacular. Gaski was quick to point out its prestige and said the athletes deserve it.

"It's big league," he said. "These kids are big league prospects and they need to be on this type of playing environment."

Right now, housing and points of interest are scattered about the area, but the amount of construction on the drive to the park shows how much development is in the future. Roads are being widened and interstate loops are being extended further away from the main drag. The Town of Cary carries a population of over 121,000, but is just a short drive from other large cities, baseball venues like the historic Durham Bulls and universities including Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State. Cary Mayor Ernie McAlister was excited over the opening and is looking forward to the growth of the baseball programs and relationship with his town. "It's an opportunity for us to develop more of a relationship with USA Baseball and with Major League Baseball," McAlister said. "The economic development opportunity for us is huge. As you can see today, people from all over the nation came in here for this tournament."

Mayor McAlister also noted a couple times the importance of having a committee that knows the benefits and also enjoys baseball. "What you have in Cary is a committed council that understands the value of having first class facilities and is willing to make that investment," he said. "It's an exciting time for us. It brings a national spotlight to Cary."

Looking to the future

The game of baseball has seen a lot of growth in recent years. The addition of the World Baseball Classic created an even bigger international stage and representatives are doing everything they can to prepare for fighting for inclusion in the Olympics. Members of USA Baseball and MLB see this opening only a first, but important, step. "This facility as you can see is second to none," Solomon said. "Our relationship with USA Baseball, we feel, will further allow USA baseball to spread its tentacles all across the country and ultimately in competition around the world. We want to put our best foot forward on our junior teams, national teams, Olympic teams and any other teams that go into other countries to play and I think this is a tremendous start."

The next vote for Olympic involvement comes in 2009 and Seiler says these organizations are working to better educate the committees on baseball's potential.

Also down the road is potential for more tournaments and competition. The Tournament of Stars is just a hint of what could be hosted. Planners are looking into having national amateur championships, college tournaments and even professional events. Gaski added comments to the maximum potential of the facility.

"You're going to see more programming, more and more events," he said. "I think you're going to see national championships being played here for different youth groups. I think you're going to see college tournaments here. I've already talked to a couple of college coaches about in February and March hosting some college tournaments as well. You're going to see some international events and you're going to see big leaguers here eventually. As our relationship with MLB continues to change and we get big leaguers playing in more and more events this will be a training center for them to bring the team together. You have to bring them somewhere and why not here."

Images featured in Instagram reels were taken by Alycat Photo & Video Services. Copy was written by Nathan Rode.

The Rode Show was a video series and podcast I hosted at Prep Baseball Report. All copy on the Instagram page was written by me and I captured and edited most of the video content. My Twitter/X content was much more active and relevant to work prior to August 2022. Once I was hired by the New York Mets, information became proprietary and my feed more personal.