Mac Horvath

Macauley Cole Horvath (born July 22, 2001) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.

Early life and high school Born in Austin, Minnesota, Horvath grew up in nearby Rochester. A highly-touted shortstop prospect in high school, Horvath played three years for Century High School in his hometown before transferring to play his senior season at vaunted prep school IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. However, his senior season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. He committed to play college baseball at North Carolina.

College career

Freshman In his freshman season under first-year Tar Heel head coach Scott Forbes, Horvath appeared in 46 games, starting 35. With multi-year starter Danny Serretti the everyday shortstop, Horvath moved over to third base in Chapel Hill. In his freshman season, Horvath hit .227, with 5 home runs and 22 RBIs. He played summer ball for the Rochester Honkers in his hometown following the NCAA season, and hit .287 with four home runs over the Northwoods League season.

In 2022, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was eligible for the MLB draft, but was not chosen and returned to North Carolina.

Junior Once again the Tar Heels' starting third baseman to begin the season, Horvath showed his versatility by moving into the outfield when teammate Johnny Castagnozzi, who also plays third base, returned from an injury. Castagnozzi had filled in for Horvath in the 2022 Super Regionals against Arkansas when Horvath had appendicitis. Horvath's third season in Chapel Hill proved to be his best, as he recorded a slash line of .305/.418/.711 On July 17, 2023, Horvath signed with the Orioles for an under slot deal worth $1.4 million. He split his first professional season between the rookie–level Florida Complex League Orioles, Single–A Delmarva Shorebirds, and High–A Aberdeen Ironbirds.

Horvath returned to Aberdeen in 2024, playing in 71 games and batting .233/.328/.417 with nine home runs, 41 RBI, and 26 stolen bases.

Tampa Bay Rays On July 26, 2024, Horvath, Matthew Etzel, and Jackson Baumeister were traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Zach Eflin and cash considerations.