“Automatic”: Tremayne Cobb Jr. and the Quest for a Repeat
“I don’t know if we’re going to have enough seats this year!”
By Chris Drue, Ballers Beat Writer
Tremayne Cobb Jr. made a big first impression in his first game with the Oakland B’s. Before a humming sellout crowd on Opening Day in 2025, Cobb stepped up to the plate after the B’s roared back late to overcome a 4-1 deficit and force the Ogden Raptors into the home run knockout round.
Cobb had already wowed the crowd at Raimondi Park by going a perfect 5-for-5 at the dish with a double and an RBI. He would place an exclamation point on his introduction with one final swing of the bat, sending Ballers fans home happy after launching a sizzler onto the Prescott Market rooftops in left field.
“Down the line! Deep! And the Ballers have walked it off on Opening Night! Cobb Jr. with 5 hits and the knockout round winner!” Assistant General Manager and broadcaster Tyler Petersen exclaimed on the night’s broadcast as West Oakland uncorked with pure baseball joy.
After that explosive start to the 2025 season, the Oakland Ballers went on to break the Pioneer League modern single-season win record on their way to bringing the first professional baseball championship back to Oakland in over 35 years—all with Cobb leading the way at leadoff.
The Champion’s Mindset
Cobb knows that it’ll be tough to top such a magical season but remains focused on the ultimate prize. “The motivation is always to win the championship, no matter how we do it,” Cobb shares with Dispatches. “This is what keeps the team driven—to win it back to back.”
When recalling that historic run, one specific memory stands out to Cobb above all else: the cool composure the team maintained when they found themselves down 2-0 in the championship round and on the brink of elimination. For him, it was the ultimate reflection of the club’s culture, its DNA: “It just showed how calm and relaxed we were. We didn’t panic, we didn’t let the game speed up on us,” he says. “[The mindset was that] we’re going home for 3 games and we’re going to have the fans and our families behind us—let’s win it all and just take 3 games in a row. And that’s what we did. That specific moment showed what type of team that we were.”
Automatic Defense and Setting the Table
While the fans remember Tremayne’s explosive presence at leadoff and late game heroics, the Ballers' pitching staff remembers his steadying presence in the field. The Maryland native was ranked as one of the NCAA’s top defenders and was named an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award Finalist and a Brooks Wallace Award semifinalist as a senior at Troy University before signing with Oakland. Speaking at a live B’s Cast event at Fieldwork in San Leandro earlier this year, Ballers pitcher Gabe Tanner described Cobb’s defensive impact in one word: “Automatic.” “With him, there is no doubt there is going to be a play made—I don’t even have to even turn my head,” Tanner noted to fans who had attended the live podcast. “And [offensively] Tre was one of those guys who had ‘the stick’ at all times. Tremayne Cobb is amazing, a great team guy.”
Offensively, Cobb embraces his role as the catalyst with the stick at the top of the lineup. “I just try to see pitches, see what the pitcher has, and relay it back to the dugout,” he says of his leadoff approach. “The goal is to set the table for the guys behind me. Knowing they can trust me to get on base, steal bases, and set the table so that they can drive me in.” He did exactly that in his first season with the B’s, backing up his words with a .296/.389/.444 slash line. Over 88 games and 432 at-bats, Cobb anchored the offense by racking up 85 runs, 46 RBIs, and 8 home runs, while swiping 16 bases to keep the pressure on opposing pitchers.
Never Away from the Game
Despite his key role in Oakland’s success, Cobb remains humble about his rising profile. Even as he graces the side of AC Transit buses as a centerpiece of the Ballers’ local marketing and serves as a face for the Pioneer League’s own promotional efforts, his focus remains on the work required to stay at the top. “It’s cool to see stuff like that, it means a lot to me, and it helps tell me that my work is paying off,” he shares. “But I’m just going out there and trying to play my game, do what I got to do for the team.” To Cobb, if the exposure helps promote the game or inspire a new fan, that is what really matters.
And Cobb is close to the game year-round. In the off-season, his schedule is built around the diamond, balancing his own training with his work as a professional instructor. “I go to the gym, get in my work in hitting and fielding, and then go to work. I give lessons for a living, too, so I am not getting away from the game at all—I teach younger kids,” Cobb says. That professional role also extends into the community, where he runs baseball camps specifically designed to introduce the sport to the next generation. “I also do baseball camps in the inner-city community in M.D. [Maryland, with the Prince George’s County Parks and Planning Department], to get younger African American kids to play baseball.”
The Oakland Energy
As he prepares for the 2026 campaign, Cobb is ready to feed off the energy of a packed and buzzing West Oakland crowd once again. He credits the fans for making the high-pressure moments of a championship run feel seamless.
“Knowing that you have people who are there supporting you makes the game easier,” he says. “Knowing you have people in the crowd cheering for you, having your back, wanting autographs at the game—it makes everything just flow. I’m really excited to see how packed the stadium gets this year. We were packed out last year—I don’t know if we’re going to have enough seats this year!”
All images and video used with permission from the Oakland Ballers and Tremayne Cobb Jr.
Chris Drue is an East Bay native who has loved baseball since visiting the Coliseum with his dad as a kid. His favorite combo at Raimondi Park is a Fieldwork Day Money and a veggie dog (in a helmet!). His favorite pitch is the eephus, with a Barry Zito 12-6 curveball (circa 2002) a very close second. Find him on Instagram.
