The Leprechaun Report— Welcome Edition
Welcome to the weekly state of the Leps.
If you care about college baseball…
If you care about summer ball…
If you follow the MLB Draft…
If you like tracking how players actually develop over time…
This is for you.
The Leprechaun Report will be a weekly midweek recap of:
Former Royal Oak Leprechauns* competing in college baseball
Alumni currently playing professional baseball
Standout performances worth tracking
Select newcomers who could factor into this summer
*The Royal Oak Leprechauns are a collegiate baseball team competing in the prestigious Northwoods League, in Royal Oak, MI— metro Detroit.
This won’t be transaction-heavy reporting.
Northwoods League rosters are fluid and players often arrive at different points in the summer.
Some are full-season contracts.
Some are partial.
Some are temporary depth pieces.
Some never end up reporting.
So when we highlight newcomers, it’s with context — development is rarely linear, and summer ball availability depends on a lot of moving parts.
But what we can do consistently is spotlight performance.
And that’s what this report is about.
Alex Cheeseman — Opening Night Statement
Former Leprechaun and Brother Rice product Alex Cheeseman delivered one of the best opening weekend moments in the country.
On Friday night against No. 11 Florida — on the road — Cheeseman went 1-for-3…
…but that one hit was HUGE!
Early, two-RBI knock.
It’s always fun to see a former Leps player walk into an SEC environment and deliver.
And as a former LSU Tiger, I love seeing the Gators go down! HAHA!
Ryan Tyranski — All-Star Carrying It Forward
2025 Leprechauns All-Star Ryan Tyranski opened his season at Jacksonville State.
Weekend line:
2-for-6
2 RBIs
3 runs scored
2 walks
1 HBP
.417 OBP
Tyranski did what he does.
He got on base.
He created pressure.
He contributed to scoring.
For fans who watched him last summer, that profile should look familiar. He’s a rhythm player. He impacts games without needing three hits a night.
That’s the type of consistency that translates.
Jovan Gill — Loud Start
One of last summer’s standout performers, Jovan Gill, is off to a strong start.
Four games vs. Northwood University:
5 hits
7 runs
9 RBIs
1 home run
.333 average
1.012 OPS
1 stolen base
Grand Valley State went 3–1
Nine RBIs in four games jumps off the page. That’s funnnnnn. Good start for one of the most solid 2025 Leps players.
Prospect Watch — Ryan McKay
Former 2024 Leprechaun Ryan McKay enters this season with national recognition.
The Michigan State infielder was recently ranked No. 72 on Baseball Media’s Top 100 College Prospect List, placing him among the most respected draft-eligible players in the country.
That kind of ranking isn’t hype-driven.
It reflects a track record — consistency, discipline, defensive value, and evaluators seeing professional traits.
We won’t overreact to early weekends here — development arcs matter more than three-game samples.
McKay’s journey is one worth watching closely this spring as he continues positioning himself on draft boards.
Newcomer Watch — Michael Zelinski
Now this is why development is fascinating.
True freshman.
First college game.
SEC environment.
Starter projected as conference pitcher of the year goes down early.
You’re in the bullpen thinking you’ve got time.
Suddenly you don’t.
Michael Zelinski had to run from the bullpen, take the mound cold in front of a packed SEC park, and warm up on the game mound — nerves fully exposed.
That moment defines a lot of players.
Three innings later:
0 hits
0 runs
0 BB
4 strikeouts
1 HBP (Otherwise perfect)
He shoved.
That doesn’t guarantee anything about summer roster status, and there is a long way to go for a true freshman.
Availability, development arcs, contracts — all of that plays into who ultimately wears a Leprechaun uniform.
But if you’re looking for competitors?
That’s a competitor’s debut.
And that’s someone to be excited about.
What This Report Will Be
This isn’t just alumni hype.
It’s tracking development.
It’s watching:
Who performs in leverage
Who gets on base consistently
Who handles first moments
Who stacks weekends
Who grows
College baseball fans.
Northwoods League fans.
Draft followers.
You’ll start seeing patterns over time.
And then…
On the official Royal Oak Leprechauns social channels, we’ll launch Leps Watch — highlighting select performances from this report in short-form format.
Substack will be the full read.
Social will be the spotlight.
Welcome to The Leprechaun Report.
We’ll keep watching.
— Anthony Ranaudo