A major league dream came true for two former stars of the Chattanooga area’s baseball scene on the final day of spring training for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Cooper Kinney, a 20-year-old infielder who was a first-round pick in the amateur draft not long after graduating from Baylor School two years ago, and Logan Workman, who prepped at Soddy-Daisy, then played at nearby Lee University before also being drafted in 2021, are both prospects in the Rays’ minor league system.
But on March 27 in Tampa, Florida, both Cooper and Workman impressed for the big league club. Playing in front of more than 10,000 fans at Steinbrenner Field, the Grapefruit League home of the New York Yankees, the duo got a taste of what they hope is their future.
The 24-year-old Workman started the game and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out DJ LeMahieu and Jose Trevino swinging on a pair of nasty changeups. Workman also threw a 98.9 mph fastball to Anthony Rizzo that was fouled off, and he made another unforgettable memory by getting Giancarlo Stanton to ground into a double play to end the first inning.
“The adrenaline for Giancarlo’s at-bat was really at an all-time high,” Workman said. “Once I got through LeMahieu’s at-bat, everything started to settle in. Pitching to those guys was a dream come true. I went out there with the mentality I am a minor league guy, but I can strike out big league hitters.”
Lee University photo / Logan Workman, shown during his time as pitcher for Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn., played high school baseball at Soddy-Daisy.Kinney, a left-handed hitter, had four at-bats in the game and reached base three times — on an error, a hit and a walk. His 101.4 mph single to center field off Clarke Schmidt in the top of the fifth drove in a run to make the score 2-2.
The Yankees wound up winning 8-4, but the final score wasn’t the most important thing on this day.
“Getting to play against the infamous Yankees and their fans was a dream come true for me,” Kinney said. “I reached first base my first at-bat, and there I am standing next to Anthony Rizzo, which I thought was freaking cool. I said what’s up to him and got a head nod.
“It was really cool sharing the field with guys like Stanton, Rizzo and LeMahieu. I was enjoying every second of it.”
The early taste of the big leagues will serve as motivation for both Cooper and Kinney to move their way up through the minors in hope of one day making their Major League Baseball debut in a regular-season game for Tampa Bay.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Workman has been one of the top pitchers in the Rays’ farm system since being picked in the seventh round in 2021. The right-hander has a career record of 7-3 in the minors with a 2.76 ERA over 124 innings in which he has allowed 104 hits and 34 walks with 129 strikeouts.
Workman was Tampa Bay’s MiLB pitcher of the month in April 2022. He also threw five hitless innings and struck out seven batters in the opening game of the South Atlantic League semifinals against the Rome Braves, helping Bowling Green win its second straight SAL championship in High-A.
This season he could have the chance to return home to face the Chattanooga Lookouts while playing for the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits, the team he broke camp with as spring training ended. Opening day in the majors was last Thursday, and the Biscuits start their season this Friday.
“I want to make my family and friends proud that have stuck with me through the entire process,” Workman said. “The journey is not over. Hopefully one day we are talking in another sense of getting the call up to the big league level.”
Staff photo by Robin Rudd / Baylor’s Cooper Kinney smiles at coach Greg Elie as he rounds third base after hitting a home run during a Spring Fling state tournament game against McCallie in May 2021.Kinney is thankful for a clean bill of health after sustaining a shoulder injury while sliding into second base in his first spring training last season. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder is ranked the No. 24 prospect in the organization and hit .286 with 10 walks and nine strikeouts in his rookie league debut in 2021. He will start this season in Low-A with the Charleston Riverdogs, who open Thursday.
“Getting that hit in the big league game was a big confidence boost for me to know that I have got this,” said Kinney, who was the 34th overall pick in the amateur draft two years ago. “This year feels like a fresh start. I am so pumped to play some baseball and just have fun and go out there and compete.”
Kinney and Workman are not the only former area prep stars with the Rays.
Cole Wilcox, who starred at Heritage before staying in state for college with the Georgia Bulldogs, is set to make his return from Tommy John surgery this season. The 6-foot-5 righty is Tampa Bay’s No. 9 prospect and has a 2.54 ERA with 76 strikeouts and just two home runs allowed in 60 1/3 minor league innings.
“Cole looks great and is throwing very well,” Workman said. “We worked out together all offseason at Peak Kinetic Performance. We have great pitching in our organization, and I am excited about the future. It was fun to have a locker on the same side as Cooper this spring training, too. This past month has been a grind, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.