WAREHAM, Mass. — In today’s game, true two-way players are a rare breed — but Caden McDonald is out to prove he belongs in that elite category on Cape Cod.
McDonald pitched most of his redshirt freshman season, but since arriving on the Cape, he has taken on a heavier hitting role.
“It’s been a little interesting,” McDonald said. “definitely tough. Not seeing live pitching for that long and then jumping in against the best arms out here every day has been a challenge. But I’m up for it. I still love hitting, and I’m excited to see how much progress I can make.”
Progress is something McDonald continues to emphasize. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in November 2023, he missed his true freshman season. He knows there’s still work to do, but he’s determined to keep improving.
At Florida, McDonald posted a perfect 4-0 record across 20 games and 28 innings. Still, stats aren’t his main focus.
“I’m not worrying as much about the stats,” he said. “I’m really just focused on working on my craft. It’s a different environment here with wood bats, so the pitching approach changes. I’m throwing more and trusting my fastball a lot more because it’s tougher to hit with wood. Honestly, I didn’t have the season I wanted, but I’m using my time here on the Cape to put myself in the best position for next year.”
The Tampa, Florida, native was heavily recruited and personally recommended to the Wareham Gatemen by their second-year pitching coach, Eric Luksis, who also coached McDonald at Sickles High School.
“To this day, he’s one of the best players I’ve ever coached,” Luksis said. “On both sides of the ball, I’ve seen firsthand what he’s capable of — both offensively and on the mound. He’s a fierce competitor, and he played a huge role in helping us win a state championship.”
Luksis said he knew right away that McDonald would be a perfect fit for Wareham this summer and sees immense potential in his former star.
“He came here as a true two-way player, and his coaches at Florida see him that way, too. Last fall, he had the opportunity to do both, but he’s still recovering from Tommy John surgery and working to get fully healthy. For a while, he had to shut down offensively to focus on pitching. Now, they want him swinging the bat again. He has the potential to be a two-way player here. Florida has done a great job managing two-way players over the years — Jac Caglione is the most recent example who excelled at both. Hopefully, Caden can follow in his footsteps.”
Luksis isn’t the only familiar face McDonald sees in Wareham every day.
“We played together all through high school and continued playing together in college,” said Gatemen and Florida Gators outfielder Hayden Yost. “It’s been pretty cool to have that connection both in high school and now at the college level. This is a different baseball environment, but it’s really fun. Being able to share this experience with my teammates makes it even better.”
Yost and McDonald both played under Luksis at Sickles High School in Tampa, Florida.
“It almost feels like I have my sons out here,” Luksis said.
After excelling as a two-way player throughout high school, McDonald wanted to continue that role in college.
“I had a successful high school career doing both,” McDonald said. “And I still wanted to keep that going at the next level. I could never really pick one — some days I was a better pitcher, and other days I was a better hitter. It always balanced out, and since I had success with both, I just wanted to keep doing it.”
Through McDonald’s 21 games at Florida, he had only one plate appearance. Yet since arriving on Cape Cod, he’s had 11 at-bats, tallying five walks and three hits, including a home run.
On the mound in Wareham, McDonald has worked out of the bullpen in three appearances, posting a 1-1 record and earning a save in a 2-1 win over the Brewster Whitecaps on June 27.
McDonald has shown he’s even capable of doing both at once during the same game.
“In my senior year regional quarterfinal, I went two for three with a double and a three-run homer, and pitched a complete-game shutout with 17 strikeouts.”
The talent and potential McDonald holds hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” Yost said. “Obviously, he’s both a pitcher and a hitter, and hopefully the Cape is a good opportunity for him to show that.”
McDonald will be draft eligible next summer. Through his time on Cape Cod this summer, he hopes to learn how to compete at the highest level and prepare for both his next season with the Gators — and possibly the MLB Draft.
“I’m just trying to embrace the competition up here,” McDonald said. “It’s a tough pill to swallow at times, but it’s also a really cool experience knowing you’re going up against some of the best competition out there. I’m focused on putting myself in a position to become a better overall player heading into the school year, so I can help the Florida Gators in any way I can.”
McDonald may have the opportunity to play both sides of the ball at the highest level — but that path isn’t always easy or guaranteed. So what role will he ultimately play?
“TBD,” McDonald said with a smirk.
