Grayson McNelis is a natural with a baseball bat, so it’s no surprise to see him in Arizona baseball’s clubhouse from time to time.
He may be a bit wobbly on his feet, but he swings with no hesitation and gives it his all every time.
He can rally the team like no one else can, bringing joy and laughter to almost every moment together.
And at barely a year old, he might just be everyone’s favorite “member” of the Arizona baseball squad.
Grayson, also known as “Baby G,” is the son of Arizona outfielder Chaz McNelis, who often brings his son into the clubhouse, to practices and around the university’s campus.
“He loves it,” McNelis says. “At the clubhouse, he's got his food there. He's got some (toys), he's got his remotes there. (More on that later). He's got all his ‘uncles’ there. He's got his baseballs, his bats. He loves swinging the bats and throwing the balls.
Chaz McNelis, center, lifts up his son Grayson McNelis as his Arizona teammates look on during baseball media day on Jan. 22, 2026.
“So, he's got everything he loves and needs there. When he first gets there, he's a little bit shy every time because there's so many people there, so he'll freeze and stand still for, like, five to 10 minutes, just to take everything in. And then after that, he's chilling. He's running around the clubhouse and all around my teammates and everything. It's awesome.”
The elder McNelis has spent months documenting his and his son’s adventures in the clubhouse and around campus online.
The duo currently has over half a million followers on TikTok. One of their more popular videos has almost 40 million views and 6 million likes.
Now, Baby G is recognized almost everywhere he goes around town. He was even scheduled to throw out the first pitch at Saturday’s game against Fresno State.
“I swear, Baby G just was born ready,” McNelis says. “Because every time someone wants a picture with him, he knows what to do. He looks at the camera. He's ready. He poses and he's done. He's so calm about it.”
Chaz McNelis poses with his son Grayson McNelis, also known as "Baby G," during Arizona baseball media day on Jan. 20, 2026.
McNelis says he’s dreamed of being a YouTube influencer (and an MLB baseball player) since he was a kid. But now that he has a kid of his own, the vlogs also double as a memory bank of his growing son.
Baby G is 1 and two months, and his dad already has a whole year's worth of content to cherish for years to come.
“It honestly flew by so fast,” McNelis says. “Just how much I've grown is crazy. How much he's grown is absolutely insane. I can't believe I've watched a human grow from literally zero seconds old to now; it's actually insane. Watching him learn everything is super cool.”
While McNelis has a front row seat to watching Baby G grow up, he’s not the only one who gets to witness it firsthand.
His fellow Wildcats teammates, whom McNelis calls Baby G’s “uncs,” get to experience it, too. For many of these players, it’s their first time consistently being around a baby.
McNelis helps show them the ropes, like how to interact with Baby G and how to hold him.
"Baby G" poses with dad, Chaz McNelis, center, and some of the Arizona baseball team during UA baseball media day on Jan. 22, 2026.
“I feel like (having him there) it brings so much more happiness to the clubhouse. It brings a lot of joy. … We're all coming together to raise him and it's like we're raising a little baseball player,” McNelis says. “And also everyone is learning how to be great dads, too, for the future. So they're more prepared and they know a little more of what to expect. … But I think it brings a lot of chemistry, good chemistry, a lot of good vibes for the clubhouse all the time. And even the coaches, the training staff and the U of A staff in general, they all love him and accept him. He's like a superstar.”
It’s safe to say Baby G is everyone’s favorite, but the soon-to-be toddler has a few favorites of his own in the clubhouse.
When visiting, he gravitates toward players Matthew Martinez, Sean Barta, Smith Bailey, Mason Russell, Tyler Russell and Maclain Roberts, and, of course, his dad.
“They couldn't believe how cute he was. And it was a little shocked, too, because, like I said before, some of them have never even held or seen a baby that close before,” McNelis says. “But they all loved him and they're all open-minded (about) holding him and learning more and everything. So, now we're here and they just all love him and they’re like Baby G’s best friends.”
Stealing hearts
Over the last year, both McNelis’ have faced health challenges.
The elder McNelis, a Las Vegas native who transferred to Arizona from the College of Southern Nevada, has been recovering from a fractured fibula after getting hit by a pitch in the preseason. He has yet to step on the field for the Wildcats this season, but he remains focused on healing and getting back out there when the time is right, he says.
Fortunately, he has someone who can keep him company and raise his spirits in the meantime. Although it can be difficult to chase around a curious little one when you have a leg injury.
“It’s great for the guys. They love him (Baby G),” head coach Chip Hale told ESPN Tucson’s “Spears & Ali” last month. “It’s just been unfortunate for his dad, Chaz. If you look at his numbers from junior college, he was the best player in their league. He’s just been hurt since the day he got here.”
Things haven’t always been easy for Baby G, either. But you wouldn’t know that from looking at him, unless you saw the “battle scar” on his chest.
When Baby G was 6 months old, he had open heart surgery to repair what McNelis describes as “holes in his heart that wouldn’t close on their own.”
While Baby G was in surgery, McNelis can still recall feeling stressed and trying to hold it together for himself and also Baby G’s mom, whom he co-parents with.
“We had a lot of support. And then he was done in a couple of hours and he was great,” McNelis says. “And in his recovery, he was doing phenomenal. He recovered so much faster than they (the doctors) thought. And they said they never really see babies recover that fast at all, ever.”
The doctors were expecting Baby G to recover in the hospital for a week, but he was released within three days.
Now, Baby G is the bubbly (and healthy) baby people have come to adore, in person and online.
But despite the fame, Baby G is still just a kid who enjoys doing kid things, like opening every cabinet and drawer around McNelis’ home and trying to empty everything.
Chaz McNelis poses with his son Baby G during Arizona baseball media days on Jan. 22, 2026. His son will be turning 1 in the next two months.
Just a kid who likes to run around outside, playing with rocks, riding around in his RC truck, or playing with one of the 10 TV remote controls McNelis bought him — batteries not included, of course.
Just a kid who enjoys snacking on Goldfish and Club crackers, Cheerios and blueberries. Or, when he’s at Bear Down Kitchen with the rest of the baseball team, eating scrambled eggs, yogurt with fruit and a big chocolate chip pancake.
All of which you can see documented on McNelis’ TikTok page.
McNelis hopes that when his son looks back at his videos one day, he’ll remember to have fun in life.
“(I hope) he also learns no matter what life throws at you, you can do it,” McNelis says. “It's not over, you wouldn't be tested like this if you can’t do it. So, I just hope he learns a lot of those kinds of valuable lessons and just has fun and enjoys it.”
Parenting playbook
McNelis has played baseball since he was 11 years old, but now, as a sophomore in college, he’s facing a whole new type of ball game: fatherhood.
As a first-time dad but a long-time baseball player, McNelis compares being a parent to being in a jam in baseball.
“You've got to get out of it,” he says. “You always find your way out of this jam.”
Whether on or off the field, the game will always find a way to keep you on your toes.
At times, it can be challenging balancing fatherhood, school and baseball, McNelis admits, but credits his vast support system for getting him through it.
When he first found out he was going to be a father, he was worried about how becoming a parent would impact his baseball career.
But he received nothing but support from his family and friends.
“Everything will be all right. You don’t have to quit baseball, we’ll make everything work,” he remembers his mom telling him.
“And then we all got matching tattoos, me, my mom and my brother, on our wrists that say, ‘No matter what,’ because no matter what, everything will be all right, and no matter what, we all got each other,” he says.
They say it takes a village to raise a baby, but it turns out, it might take a village and a baseball team to raise one.
McNelis wouldn’t have it any other way.
There’s nothing like having his son along on his baseball journey, and McNelis can’t wait to support Baby G on his own baseball endeavour, if that’s something he wants to pursue in the future, he says. Maybe, just maybe, they could be the next father-son duo to play in the majors one day, just like the Griffeys, McNelis hints.
Until then, it’s just one day, one practice, one game at a time, with his best friend right by his side.
“I can't even remember, I can't even believe I did things without a kid before,” McNelis says. “It made me super disciplined, especially on my scheduling. I make sure I'm always doing everything to the best of my ability. Of course, I don't want to fail him. And I have to provide for him in the future, and I will, I know I will, so I just stay determined on schoolwork, field work, just anything I do, anything that is in front of me, I just do it for him.”
