Dunedin Blue Jays pitcher Austin Cates plays for his dad

DUNEDIN, Fla. - Dunedin Blue Jays pitcher Austin Cates enjoys the daily grind of being a professional athlete. This is his first season in the minor leagues. 

"I like being able to hang out with all the guys, doing what I love every day," Austin Cates said. "To get to call this a job is pretty awesome."

He's already turning some heads on the coaching staff. His 50 strikeouts are the third most on the team. He's proven to be a reliable arm for Dunedin. 

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"He is a very talented pitcher," Dunedin Blue Jays manager Gil Kim said. "He's a strike thrower with a good mix of stuff. He's enjoying success here. When I first observed who he was and how he was going about his business, I was absolutely blown away."

Cates credits his family for the success of his baseball career which allowed him to be picked by Toronto in the seventh round in 2024. 

"Having the support group I have is pretty awesome," Cates said. 

However, there is one key member from that support group who is gone. 

What they're saying:

"It is pretty much all for him," Cates said. "I miss him every day."

His Dad, Roger, died in 2022 while Austin was in college. 

"You can't prepare for that," Cates said. "It was pretty tough."

Roger was the one who drove Austin all over Nevada to all of his baseball tournaments. He might not have been able to record the best videos of Austin playing because his thumb would always cover the lens, but he was the perfect Dad for him.

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"He would stick by my side and give me some advice when I needed it and picked my spirits up when I needed it," Cates said. "Being able to have that relationship with him was great."

The backstory:

It was hard on Austin not having his No. 1 fan around anymore, but he mustered the strength to get back on the baseball field. In his first home game back at the College of Southern Nevada following his dad's passing, that father-son relationship took a step to an even bigger level.

Austin hit a home run - a rare occurrence as he was not a power hitter. He immediately felt his father's presence. 

"I hadn't felt like I had it a ball that hard in a long time," Cates said. "My first base coach back then was pretty close with my Dad. When I slapped his hand, he looked up and looked at him and all the eyes were on me, so it was pretty cool. It was a pretty key moment in my life."

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It's a moment Cates thinks about on a regular basis.

"When I go through a little tough spot, I look up and make sure he is there and looking up at the clouds to make sure he is supporting me," Cates said. 

He has reminders everywhere about his Dad. He has "4Rog" inscribed on his glove. He wrote "All For You 4Rog" inside his Blue Jays cap. He even has a tattoo on his forearm of his dad's heartbeat. Austin has kept old texts and voicemails from his dad as well. 

"I look down at my glove, at my hat, he's everywhere," Cates said. "It's pretty awesome to know he is watching me all the time."

Austin says he is not just watching - he's beaming with pride. 

"I think he's going to be proud of me no matter what," Cates said.

His dad is not the only one who is proud of the person Cates is becoming. 

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"Austin has a maturity that is a little bit different than most of the players at this level," Kim said. "He will continue to enjoy success here but the other things, the intangibles, those pieces of his personality and his character, what he has had to endure in his personal life and how that has made him stronger, those are the very things that are going to help him continue to progress. They are very evident in observing him."

And one thing is evident more than most - Austin will dedicate the rest of his baseball career and his life to his dad. 

"I know he is watching me up there," Cates said. "Still proud. It is pretty awesome to know he is always by me."

What's next:

Cates and the Dunedin Blue Jays continue their home series against the Bradenton Marauders throughout the weekend.