The Hawaii Baseball Report made its 2025 debut in Sunday’s Sports section, keeping readers up to date on professional baseball players with Hawaii ties. Coming out of spring training, there is always plenty of news on player movement, whether between franchises or levels.
I enjoy tracking players who played their high school or college ball here, and here are the storylines I’ll be following most closely this season:
Can Kirby Yates become the second to reach the century mark in saves?
More than two decades ago, ‘Iolani graduate Mike Fetters became the first pitcher to come out of Hawaii to reach 100 career major league saves. Kauai graduate Kirby Yates is five from matching him. The Dodgers are using Tanner Scott as their primary closer so far, and the defending World Series champs have plenty of options in the bullpen, but I’m confident Yates will get the save opportunities he needs to reach the benchmark this season.
On a personal note, I missed Fetters getting his 70th save against my Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park by one night in September 1996, though my wife-to-be Jenni and I were “fortunate” enough to see UH alumnus Scott Karl notch the only shutout of his six-year career a night earlier in a 6-0 win. Among the Red Sox pitchers that night was Pat Mahomes, who surely had no idea that his son Patrick, not quite a year old yet, would someday surpass him as the greatest athlete in the family.
Can Hawaii’s imprint on the Guardians’ bullpen grow?
Former University of Hawaii hurler Cade Smith showed the potential in a dominant rookie season to surpass Fetters and Yates someday, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First things first: Can he show 2024 was no fluke and maybe even improve? It’s a tall order. Last season, Smith struck out 12.3 batters per nine innings pitched. According to BaseballReference.com, he faced 289 batters and allowed only one home run. Batters hit only .190 against him with a .526 OPS.
Kailua graduate Joey Cantillo joins Smith in the Cleveland bullpen this year after mostly starting games in the minors. In just nine major league appearances last season, Cantillo showed a proclivity for the Three True Outcomes, with about 40% of the 163 batters he faced either striking out (44), walking (15) or hitting a home run (6). If he can reduce the rate of those last two, his ability to miss bats (10.2 strikeouts per nine innings last season) might land him some high-leverage opportunities.
Can any batter from Hawaii make the leap to join Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Josh Rojas in the majors?
There are currently no Hawaii-connected batters in Triple-A, so that’d be the first step. Mid-Pacific alumnus Wyatt Young and Aiea graduate Kobe Kato have made cameos in AAA, but the infielders are back in Double-A to start this season — Young still in the Mets system and Kato now with the Braves after the Mariners saved him from Partner League purgatory last season.
Outfielders Shane Sasaki (‘Iolani, Marlins) and Kala‘i Rosario (Waiakea, Twins) had their progress impeded by injuries last season and are back in AA ball, so this will be a pivotal season for both. The Braves have catcher Austin Machado skipping High A with a move from the Class A Augusta GreenJackets to the Double-A Columbus Clingstones this season. The strike-zone command Machado showed in one season as a Rainbow translated well to the 12 pro games he played last season (.490 on-base percentage), and he also showed he can keep the run game in check, throwing out eight of 25 hopeful base stealers. If he can keep those numbers going, he could continue the quick climb.
Speaking of promotions to Triple-A, what will it take for Aaron Davenport to get one?
The Hawaii alum spent all of 2024 with the Guardians’ Double-A Akron RubberDucks, leading the Eastern League in ERA (2.85) and piling up quality starts, even winning a playoff game. But he’s back in the Buckeye State to start 2025. USA Today did name him one of five RubberDucks who could make his way to the majors before the season is over, so there’s that.
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Reach Sjarif Goldstein at sgoldstein@staradvertiser.com.
