May 22, 2025 By Chris Dugan 3 min read

Caleb McNeely’s time in the Frontier League seems to be over.

That’s good news for the reigning Frontier League Most Valuable Player, but it also leaves a big hole at the top of the Wild Things’ lineup.

Washington announced Thursday that McNeely, a multi-position player who is the regular center fielder for Washington, had his contract purchased by the Minnesota Twins organization. The move is pending McNeely passing a physical by the Twins.

Also Thursday, former Wild Things pitcher Dariel Fregio was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Tigers. Fregio had spent the spring in Florida to complete college course work and was expected to return to the Wild Things at some point this season.

It will be the first experience in affiliated ball for McNeely, who was in his third season with the Wild Things. Washington signed McNeely out of West Virginia University in 2023. He had one season of eligibility remaining with the Mountaineers when he made the leap to pro ball.

After hitting .323 in 17 games for Washington as a rookie, the Lexington, Ky., native had a big season last year that netted him the Frontier League’s MVP award. McNeely batted .297 with 18 doubles, six triples and 23 home runs along with 28 stolen bases. He was the first 20-20 player (home runs and stolen bases) in Wild Things history.

“It’s a great day for the Wild Things organization,” manager Tom Vaeth said. “We are so pleased to announce the signing of league MVP Caleb McNeely by the Minnesota Twins. Caleb was a dominant force from the time he showed up and was a big part of our success last year. Giving players an opportunity to showcase their abilities and helping them move on in their careers is a big part of what we do here in Washington, and we are so happy Caleb is getting his first opportunity with an affiliated organization. We loved having Caleb, really enjoyed watching him play and we wish him all the best.”

This season, McNeely was batting .286 with two home runs through nine games with the Wild Things. He did not play in the first two games of the series at Joliet this week. The series finale Thursday night ended too late to be included in this edition.

McNeely became the 50th Wild Things player sold directly to a major league organization and the second this week to go to the Twins. On Tuesday, Washington announced that rookie pitcher Brent Francisco had his contract purchased. The 6-7 Francisco, who had a 12-1 record and 1.91 ERA last year at East Stroudsburg University, pitched in three games with Washington, all in relief, and did not give up a run over five innings.

Fregio played two years with the Wild Things as a starting pitcher and compiled a 13-6 record. He was 9-4 last year when the Wild Things won a division title and advanced to the league championship series.

The Wild Things currently have two former players in the major leagues. Spencer Bivens is a relief pitcher for the San Francisco Giants and reliever Isaac Mattson was promoted to the majors this week from Class AAA Indianapolis by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Wild Things begin a three-game series tonight at home against the Florence Y’alls.