FRONTIER LEAGUE MVP CALEB MCNEELY SIGNS NEW CONTRACT WITH WILD THINGS
WASHINGTON, PA – The Washington Wild Things have announced outfielder Caleb McNeely has signed a new contract with the club, turning his option year into a new deal. McNeely is coming off a Frontier League MVP season, which was his first full season in Washington after debuting at the latter end of the 2023 campaign.
The Kentucky native finished in the top ranks of multiple offensive and defensive categories as the primary centerfielder for the Wild Things in the record-setting 67-win regular season. He slashed .298/.377/.578 with 18 doubles, six triples, 23 home runs and 74 RBI. He also stole 28 bases, making him the first to have a 20-20 season in Wild Things history, a feat that's only been accomplished a small number of times in league history.
At the time of votes being due for the MVP award, McNeely was one of 15 Frontier League players with 100+ hits, tied for second in triples, third in home runs and tied for second in RBI. He was 13th in stolen bases, second in slugging percentage and was one of only seven players with a 1.000 fielding percentage.
McNeely finished tied for second in triples, tied for third in homers, tied for second in RBI and third in slugging percentage across 89 games played during the season. He finished without an error and 18 assists, a few of which came from the outfield. The midseason and postseason All Star outfielder nabbed the would-be tying run in the league's All-Star Game, played in Québec City in July after participating in the Home Run Derby the night prior.
Caleb appeared in 17 games in 2023 for Washington after signing with the team to make his pro debut. In those games, he slashed .323/.405/.523 with three homers, two doubles, a triple and eight RBI. He also stole eight bases that season.
McNeely appeared in 17 games for the Black Bears (West Virginia) in the MLB Draft League in 2023 and posted a slash line of .264/.443/.472 with six doubles, a homer and four RBI. His final collegiate season was with the West Virginia Mountaineers in 2023. There he hit .296/.412/.569 with 14 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs and 49 RBI. He was 16-for-19 trying to steal bases and scored 48 runs for the Mountaineers, who earned a share of the Big 12 conference championship and competed in the NCAA Tournament.
