Talking with … Padres right-hander Dylan Cease

In March 2024, the Padres acquired ace right-hander Dylan Cease from the White Sox in a marquee trade that happened shortly before the team boarded a flight to South Korea.

Cease, who finished second in Cy Young Award voting in 2022 and fourth in 2024, quickly established himself as a cornerstone of San Diego’s starting rotation. He delivered one of last season’s most memorable performances by throwing the franchise’s second no-hitter, a dominant 114-pitch outing against the Nationals in Washington D.C. Cease has struggled with inconsistency this year but remains optimistic that his best pitching is still to come. He has a fraternal twin, Alec, whom he grew up playing baseball with in Georgia.

The Union-Tribune talked to Cease about his baseball journey, working through his struggles — and his many eclectic hobbies and interests.

You’re a minute older than your twin brother Alec. Would you say you two are a lot alike?

A:  I’ve been told we sound very similar. Personality-wise, relatively similar. I think we have some similar interests, but there’s definitely a lot that’s different about us as well.

I understand he’s training to be a pilot. Have you ever flown with him? 

A:  One time.

And how was that?

A:  It was good. It was kind of scary, because the plane was from like 1945 and it had holes in it. It was sketchy. And then they didn’t tell us that they had switched from the auxiliary fuel tank to the main tank, so we free-falledfor a couple seconds. But it was all normal. I mean, it was a little sketchy, but I guess it was fine. Storm off in the distance. Yeah, a little sketchy.

Sounds like quite the adventure. Your uncle played in the Washington Senators system and your grandmother, Betty Cease, played professional baseball in the 1940s. That’s pretty cool. What do you know about it?

A:  Honestly, I don’t know too much about it. I think it was like the Blue Devils or something like that. I’ve seen her patches and some pictures, but no one’s ever told me anything about it really.

You grew up in Milton, Ga., where you played shortstop. You were a good hitter, too. But then there’s the velocity; you were throwing 94, 95, even 98 mph in high school. Was that pure natural talent, or were there backyard sessions with your dad and a radar gun?

A:  I think a lot of that is genetics. I just hit a growth spurt and I went from throwing 80 to 95 (mph). … I remember at tryouts, my coach pulled me aside and he was like, ‘Man, (the rival high school) is gonna think that we’re recruiting.’ You know, because it came out of nowhere. It was definitely surprising.

Do you ever miss hitting? 

A:  Yeah, I do. Hitting is the funnest part about baseball, let’s be honest. I always wanted to be a power-hitting shortstop.

When media and fans aren’t here, do you ever get to take some swings?

A:  No, not at all. Not at all.

I was hoping you would say yes. OK, you were a top prospect out of high school, projected to go in the first round, but then elbow soreness eventually led to Tommy John surgery. Do you remember feeling disappointed at the time about slipping in the draft and not going as high as expected?

A:  I remember just being a little anxious because I didn’t know if I was going to go draft or college. It kind of felt like my draft chances were done. I just tried to enjoy my senior year. But I was definitely a little bit anxious.

You had committed to Vanderbilt. Were you giving serious consideration to college?

A:  Oh yeah. I thought that’s what was going to happen, to be honest. Obviously being hurt, I assumed, “All right, we’re going to have to go to college.”

Instead, the Cubs drafted you in the sixth round. They gave you an above-slot bonus, rehabbed you, helped you get better mechanically and mentally, all to then trade you across town to the White Sox while you were still a minor-leaguer. Were you blindsided at the time?

A:  No, not really. I’d been scratched from a couple starts in a row and it was kind of like a running joke that I was getting traded. But they didn’t tell me anything. I just got the call at around 10 a.m., and I packed up my stuff and drove from Indiana down to South Carolina and met my new team. … Just pieces on a chessboard, you know.

Was that your first, “Hey, baseball is a business” moment?

A:  No. I knew baseball is a business from the start, really.

You’ve had a lot of success in your career. Cy Young considerations, a no-hitter, several standout seasons. You’ve had some challenging years as well. What do you think has contributed most to your development to this point?

A:  Getting to work with (White Sox pitching coach) Ethan Katz originally was really big for me. That was, I guess, 2021. Last year was big. You know, getting traded, coming off of a down year (in 2023) and then having a pretty good year, and (pitching) the no-hitter and all that. I mean, any big league experience, good or bad, makes you tougher and makes you learn things. So really, it’s all important. But those moments stick out.

You haven’t been as consistent as you’d like so far this season. How do you handle challenges now compared to when you were starting out in your career?

A:  I’ve had success now, where early on when I came up, I really didn’t know if I was good enough or not. So now I know I can do it. It’s just a matter of, “OK, what do we do?” And then, I mean, it’s the mental side of it, obviously — handling failure and struggling and all — that is not easy. But it’s honestly just a part of it. So that’s what I try to remind myself is, you just got to keep with it. It can be challenging at times, it can be frustrating, but really, all you can do is keep working at it.

Even when you’re having a rough outing, you keep your composure on the mound. I think that’s a skill. And afterward, you tend to express optimism that you’re close to where you want to be. Can it be difficult to do that in tough moments?

A:  Yeah, it can. For me, I think it’s kind of just a conscious choice at the end of the day. I try to find things that give me the feeling of optimism, whether it’s a mechanical thing or a focus thing, whatever I’m going to work on. And I try to tell myself from there that it’s going to be a good comeback story or a good this or a good that. I don’t ever give up. I put in the work. And with baseball, all it takes is one feel, one pitch, and everything can change. That’s what we fight for.

How do you diagnose the problem? How do you get back to the feeling that you know is in there?

A:  It’s tough. For me, I feel like it’s always historically been kind of mechanical. I’m a “feel” pitcher and when the feel is there, it’s automatic, and when it’s not, it’s kind of a struggle. So I really just keep trying things until something works. It can be frustrating at times, but ultimately, I’ve always gotten to a point where I’ve made improvements at least.

You enter free agency at the end of this season. Your name has also been thrown around in trade talks since last offseason. Does that affect you at all, even subconsciously?

A: I don’t really think about it, to be honest. Maybe subconsciously. But I’m more just focused on executing here, you know? I would say I actually do a pretty good job of not really obsessing over it.

Many of your pitching metrics are good, despite the results. Do you think you’ve gotten unlucky in some instances?

A: Maybe a little unlucky, but really, I don’t think I’ve executed exceptionally well. So it’s hard for me to say that. It’s a little bit unlucky. But I think mostly just my execution hasn’t been great. And there’s been a lot of inconsistent execution. So it’s like, some good, some bad. I still haven’t pitched great, to be honest.

You wear number 84 on your jersey. Is that because of the 84 yoga asanas?

A:  It’s just a shout out to Sadhguru, who’s a yogi (and prominent spiritual teacher).

You’ve met Sadhguru and learned under him at his institute in Tennessee. Why did you gravitate toward him?

A: I stumbled across him (on YouTube) a while ago, and I just liked it. I vibed with it, I guess.

Is it a quieting of the mind for you?

A:  I guess maybe a little bit. You just learn the kriyas (deeds). It’s almost more like transcending the mind, I guess. I don’t know if I would consider it quieting. I’m not an expert at it either. I’m not an enlightened person or anything like that. But (the practice) makes me feel good. It makes me feel good about life.

Baseball can be a hypercompetitive, aggressive, alpha-male type of environment, and your practice is inquisitive, compassionate and introspective. Do those worlds complement each other, or do you separate them completely?

A:  I’d like to think complement. If I’m struggling, I usually rely pretty heavily on turning inward and on his practices and stuff like that. So I’d like to think that the more I’m conscious and have control of how I am within myself, the better I’m going to do (on the mound).

Do you practice meditation and breathing exercises? Has that helped you?

A:  Yes. It definitely helps me feel like I’m heading in the right direction, anyways.

Do you practice physical yoga?

A: In the offseason. Not as much during the season. The one I do is called angamardana, which means mastering your limbs. It’s very difficult.

You’re a naturally curious person. How important is personal growth and having interests outside of baseball? 

A: It’s definitely important. I mean, it’s a long season. We don’t have a lot of time off, so sometimes I like to kind of just escape by learning things and adventuring and all that. I’m curious about things and if something interests me, I want to learn about it.

You co-own disc golf courses. How did you get involved in that?

A: My twin brother got me into it right before COVID. It’s just really enjoyable. I think the mechanical aspect of trying to figure out the throw and all that, and then going outside and hiking and being outdoors, it was just a good combination. And then I became friends with Discraft, which is a disc manufacturer. From there, I met Paul McBeth, who is kind of like the Tiger Woods of disc golf. We’ve collaborated on some stuff. I’m kind of trying to grow an empire in disc golf.

Does pitching help you with disc golf or vice versa?

A: Anytime I play disc golf, I have a 10-strikeout game after. It’s hilarious.

You’re also an artist, you write poetry, you began beekeeping and harvesting honey with your dad during COVID, and you love cats. What else are you interested in these days?

A: I like history. And I have kind of a collectibles company that I started with a military buddy of mine. We’re at the very beginning of that, so who knows what that’s going to turn into? But I like stuff like that. What else? I mean, most things are interesting, really.

What YouTube rabbit holes have you gone down lately?

A: Nothing too crazy lately. I watched some historical stuff about every president’s most difficult decision. That was kind of cool. It really depends what day you catch me on. I can be in a lot of different rabbit holes. … I’m watching One Piece (a Japanese anime television series). That’s the one thing I’m doing lately.

So you’re into anime too?

A: I give it a chance. I like One Piece. I feel like it’s very hit or miss. There’s some that I really don’t like. Every once in a while, they’re entertaining.

Are you into things like “Star Wars”?

A: I like “Star Wars.” It’s okay. I’m not a die-hard “Star Wars” fan. I like “Lord of the Rings.” I like medieval stuff a lot. I’m just not as obsessed with it, but I’ll give any medieval thing a chance, for sure.

What’s on your bucket list?

A: I think I would like to go to India, to Sadhguru’s ashram in India. I’d like to do some bigger things in disc golf. Other than that, I haven’t even really thought about my bucket list too much.

Your song on start days is “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits, a track about people who think success comes easily. Is there any deeper meaning or symbolism for you in choosing that song?

A: No, I just like the buildup of it, to be honest. I think it sounds cool.

How would you spend an ideal off day?

A: It depends where in the season we’re at. Some days, just staying in my house all day would be nice. If I’m on the road, going to an art museum or somewhere cool, or hanging out with people. It really depends.