LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas is a city traditionally known as a gambling and tourist town, but its reputation is going through a metamorphosis.
Sure, people still gamble in Las Vegas, but it's becoming a sports town. Though some might say it's already a sports town — specifically, a baseball town.
That's partly because of the rich tradition of Minor League Baseball here, but it's also because Las Vegas has been a breeding ground for some of the most well-known Major League Baseball stars of the past couple of decades.
That list includes Bryce Harper, the Vegas native who famously graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as a 16-year-old baseball phenom who the magazine dubbed the "chosen one."
Harper fast-tracked his way to the big leagues and he has not disappointed. In his 12 years in the bigs, he's blasted over 300 home runs and accumulated nearly 900 RBI.
Former big leaguer Bill Madlock, a Las Vegas Valley resident who trains baseball and softball players, used to work with Harper on his hitting before he became a star.
"He used to work so hard at hitting and his concentration," Madlock says.
Don Logan, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Aviators, the Oakland A's Triple A farm team, says Harper is just one of many talented players from Southern Nevada.
"All you got to do is look at the number of guys from Vegas, from the high school programs here, from CSN and from UNLV," Logan says. "There are so many guys playing professionally, playing in the minors and in the big leagues. There are dozens."
It appears the A's will likely move to Las Vegas — the team's plan still needs approval from Major League Baseball owners, though that could happen in November or December — and the addition of a major league franchise will likely only bolster the city's reputation as a baseball town.
Other than Harper, the most well-known player to come from Las Vegas is Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, who won 355 games and struck out over nearly 3,400 batters as a starting pitcher in the majors.
Maddux was born in Texas, but his Air Force father eventually settled his family in Las Vegas. Maddux graduated from Valley High School in 1984 before going on to frustrate hitters to the tune of four National League Cy Young Awards during an illustrious career.
"Greg sort of was the big-name guy, one of the greatest pitchers of all time," says Nick Garritano, head baseball coach at College of Southern Nevada.
Then there's Bonanza High School product Kris Bryant, the sweet-swinging slugger who helped lead the Chicago Cubs to a World Series title in 2016.
Tanner McDougal is a minor league pitcher with the Chicago White Sox organization. The Silverado High grad is ranked by MLB.com as the 23rd best prospect in the White Sox farm system.
"I think there's a lot of big town, big talent in Las Vegas," McDougal says. "It was good to be around high-level baseball people with high-level baseball minds. I think it helped in my development."
The A's hope to begin playing in a new Las Vegas ballpark by 2028. The team could find itself playing in Las Vegas much sooner than that, though.
It's expected that the A's will honor their 2024 lease at their longtime stadium in Oakland, but they would likely have to find a new home after that.
That means the A's could find themselves playing in the same facility — Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin — as soon as 2025.
If the A's come to Las Vegas, what they'll find is a city that is already awash in baseball talent. Being home to a big league team will likely only strengthen the baseball community in Southern Nevada.
"Having the (A's) here will help the community, help the young players here, in every way," Madlock says. "I'm from the Midwest, but I used to always come to Las Vegas in the offseason, then I decided I wanted to live here when I retired. There's probably over 100 current and formers (MLB) players who live out here today."
That's a list that includes former players from Madlock — who won multiple National League batting titles during his time in the bigs in the 1970s and 1980s — to former MVP Jose Canseco and current MLB Network personality Dexter Fowler.
"I think Vegas is ready for a baseball team," Canseco says. "I can't wait to see the A's. I'm going to love watching Major League Baseball here."
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