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Former Kentucky Mr. Baseball returns to state as member of Hot Rods
Easton McGee took the mound for the Bowling Green Hot Rods in 2019 where he went 7-5 with a 3.67 ERA in 22 starts. It was a homecoming of sorts for Easton who played high school baseball in Hopkinsville, Ky. just over an hour away from Bowling Green. (Photo: Steve Roberts/Bowling Green Hot Rods)

Former Kentucky Mr. Baseball returns to state as member of Hot Rods

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (BVM) — A former Kentucky baseball great is back where he came from. 

Easton McGee, the state’s 2016 Mr. Baseball, is currently a pitcher for the Bowling Green Hot Rods, the Class-A minor league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. McGee, who was drafted out of high school by the Rays with the 120th pick in the 2016 MLB draft, played high school baseball in the state as a member of the Hopkinsville Tigers, who play just over an hour away from Bowling Green.

As a senior on the Tigers, McGee pitched in 68 innings with a 1.24 ERA. He surrendered just 12 earned runs, won seven games and struck out 100 batters while only walking seven. As a top-flight recruit, McGee’s high school experience was a unique one.

“It was pretty crazy,” McGee said. “There were a lot of scouts coming to my high school games my senior year and it just all worked out in the draft and I was able to sign. … (The Kentucky Mr. Baseball) means a lot. It’s very cool to get that award and I’m really proud of that.”

For McGee, he had known about the Hot Rods, but didn’t realize the team was part of the pipeline for the Rays. McGee found out he was going to Bowling Green at the conclusion of spring training in 2019, giving him an opportunity to return to his home state.

“I was pretty excited to hopefully get to play there. It was definitely exciting to see my name go to Bowling Green and be that close to home,” McGee said.

When he found out the decision, McGee called his family and his fiancée, who was attending Western Kentucky University located in Bowling Green, and they were excited about the news.

“They were all very happy,” McGee said. “My parents were there all the time. It was very cool.”

McGee originally came to the Hot Rods as an arm out of the bullpen, but before the season began, an injury allowed him to take the mound as a starting pitcher. In his first season with the Hot Rods, McGee went 7-5 with a 3.67 ERA in 22 starts. He pitched 125 innings, giving up 51 earned runs while striking out 95 batters and only walking 25. This was McGee’s first full season for a Rays affiliate as he had only played for teams in short season structures before.

“I felt really good,” McGee said. “I was really happy to finally get a full season under my belt. It is a lot different than playing a short season. It was a lot of fun.”

McGee said his parents went to 99% of the games he pitched in for the Hot Rods and they weren’t alone in cheering on the state star’s return. Many of McGee’s friends were also able to come out and enjoy watching him pitch for the first time since he repped a Tigers jersey for Hopkinsville. McGee said being close to home was a benefit that he had not been able to have at some of his other professional stops.

“It’s just nice to be that close to home especially if you’re pitching bad or something or going through a slump to go home and see your family and kind of get your mind off of baseball for a little bit, to kind of help you get back in and get your mind right,” McGee said. “It was really good having my fiancée there. She was finishing up school at Western Kentucky University the same time I was playing for the Hot Rods so that worked out pretty good.”

The Hot Rods’ 2019 season ended in a 7-4 loss to the South Bend Cubs in the Midwest League Eastern Division Quarterfinals after going 81-58 during the season.

McGee was popular with fans during his first season with the Hot Rods not only because of his status as a starting pitcher for the team, but also as a Kentucky native. (Photo: Steve Roberts/Bowling Green Hot Rods)

Although the rest of the MiLB season was cancelled due to the impact of COVID-19, McGee is still looking to improve moving forward. When he returns to the mound, McGee has the goal to keep his ERA under three and get as many wins as he can. With these performances, he hopes to force the Rays’ hand to move him up in their system.

“I really just want to focus on getting better every year,” McGee said. “Just trying to move up every year and just try to keep improving all the time and force them to move me up kind of. My main goal is to go out there and give up as few runs as I possibly can. Just try to give the team any kind of chance. That’s all I am really worried about.”