On the Road: Catching Up with Former Ballers

RedPocket Mobiles T.J. McKenzie and Nick Poss on their return to Oakland

By Roberto Santiago

WEST OAKLAND—“This always happens!” cried my 11year old. “First with Ramon Laureano, then Tyler Lasagna, now T.J.! Every time I have a favorite player, they leeeeeeeeeeave!”

It can be a tough thing, adjusting to the reality of being an Oakland baseball fan. Those of us old enough to remember basically any era other than the late eighties know that ballplayers in Oakland are just passing through. Of course, the reasons around Raimondi Park are different now than they were with the previous ball club, with the embrace of up-and-coming talent, Pioneer League service time restrictions, and every player on a one-year deal. Still, seeing someone as electric as T.J. McKenzie had been in his time with the B’s move on, it’s understandable for a kid to have some feelings.

Earlier in the season, I reached out to McKenzie to let him know my kid misses him and to wish him well. He reminded me that RedPocket would be in town starting July 31st. This past Saturday, I had a chance to bring my kid to say hello to him and fellow returning fan-favorite-Baller-turned-Mobile, Nick Poss.

For those who need a refresher, McKenzie joined the club late in 2025 and played mostly as a pinch runner. It was McKenzie’s steal of second, steal of third and subsequent mad dash home on an error that ended up as the B’s only run in a 1-0 elimination game win against Ogden in the first round of the playoffs. His contributions to the championship will be forever gratefully enshrined in B’s lore.

T-Mac started off hot this season with a three home run game during the first home stand, but was in danger of falling out of the outfield rotation as the Ballers churned the roster in search of production. As has been their habit, the B’s moved McKenzie to RedPocket as a nod to his talent and being deserving of an opportunity to play every day.

Poss was on Oakland’s 2026 Opening Day roster, and for a time in June, it looked like he had secured a role as the team’s primary catcher and a bat to be reckoned with (or, at the very least, one of its most likeable social media faces). However, Poss was released on June 26th when the club signed catcher Conner Smith. Poss was an immediate favorite with fans, and from the vantage of the Dispatches staff, he was a thoughtful and competitive player and valuable teammate.

On being perpetually on the road:

Barnstorming ain’t easy. “It's definitely different not having a home and just being on the road 24/7, kind of living out of a suitcase right now,” said McKenzie, “but we’re just trying to find a way to settle in as quick as we can, even though we don't really have a home. So coming out here to Oakland was a good way to do that because obviously I'm familiar with the area and everything like that.”

Poss added, “It's definitely a grind. 
It definitely takes a different breed of player to come out here and get used to being faced with adversity every day, but we got a good clubhouse. We got a good group of guys. It makes it enjoyable.”

Teams can also forge relationships on long road trips. So what about a forever roadtrip? What does it mean to have a good clubhouse when your clubhouse is a bus? “It's definitely hard,” Poss continued. “We get pretty close, you know? I think a lot of it comes with being really good about being flexible with one another. Like understanding each other's backgrounds. You know, we got a lot of guys who come from [around the country]. So, it takes a lot of talking about it right now.” With that answer, you get the feeling Poss is a glue guy helping with team cohesion.

And McKenzie agreed about how being on the road impacts team dynamics. “Oh, you definitely get close being on the bus. 
We're with each other literally 24/7. I felt like the biggest thing is, we're just talking to each other. We're switching up our roommates and things like that, making sure we're keeping the team camaraderie high and the energy level high despite the [level of] play not being as high as we want it to be and not getting the amount of wins we want to at the moment.”

On the return to Oakland:

Back on July 3rd, manager Aaron Miles broke news of the McKenzie trade to Dispatches. With Esai Santos moving from RF to center, McKenzie was in a numbers crunch. Miles said that while it would be a luxury for him to have McKenzie in a pinch-running role and as a defender off the bench, he was simply too good a player to let languish. The trade was a way to get T-Mac the opportunity to showcase himself. “The guys may hate me for this,” said Miles of the other B’s losing one of their favorite teammates, “but we need to take care of people.”

While McKenzie may have wanted to stay, he agreed with Miles and offered his perspective on the move: “Obviously, being in this league, we're looking to advance our careers and grow as individuals, as well as obviously win. But from a personal aspect, I definitely think that this was a good trade for me in terms of growing as a player.” As with nearly everyone who moves on from a home to pursue new opportunities, leaving is difficult, but coming back to visit can be fun. “I was definitely sad to go,” McKenzie continued. “It was bittersweet for sure, because just the family and community aspect that you get here. 
So coming back here, I definitely felt the warmth, felt the love from everybody coming back, and I really appreciate that.”

Poss’s time in Oakland was short, but he still has a fondness for the community and the organization. “It's definitely awesome coming back and seeing some of the fans, being able to connect with them again and connect with Kenny and some of the announcers like Tyler and Garrett,” Poss opined. “And, you know, you see some of the guys and you still wish them well, but it's kind of tough to come out here and have to gear it up and compete against those guys again. You wish them well, but you selfishly want to come out here and win. 
So obviously it's a little awkward, but definitely, definitely bittersweet.” (Poss *might* have been talking about his no-doubt two-run homer for the Mobiles on Sunday…)

And what about your fans?

How does a barnstorming team build a fanbase? Are they like Phish, where people follow them around the league?

One way to attract attention is with a YouTube series, Chasing Baseball, that has been following the team on and off the field since training camp. “Yeah, I think we definitely get a little bit of a following,” said Poss. “It kind of helps with all of our media guys pushing stuff out everywhere. With the [YouTube] episodes, people following along, I think that creates a little bit of like a cult following and it's definitely pretty cool.”

McKenzie sees that also. “I definitely agree with that. I think it's kind of going around, people understand the situation we're in and still seeing that we're playing hard and just giving our all when we go out there, obviously chasing our dreams and things like that. 
So we just appreciate everybody that does back us with what we're doing.”

Which brings us back to the 11-year-old, clutching a baseball that they have kept clear of autographs and will only allow “T.J.” to sign. Has McKenzie ever been a kid’s favorite player before? “I don't think I have, no,” he replied. “It feels great, honestly. It feels like no matter where I go, I switch teams, and obviously she's wearing the red and came out in the red.” It’s true, at the kid’s insistence, that we came to the game decked out in the visiting team’s colors, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Ballers staff and fellow fans. But for my kid, it was T.J. McKenzie Day. “I appreciate that,” he offered. “I know you weren't really supporting RedPocket, but I appreciate you guys supporting me.”

The Ballers continue their six game series with RedPocket tomorrow, Tuesday, through Thursday, with all games starting at 6:35 PM at Raimondi Park.

Roberto Santiago is a third generation Berkeley boy currently raising the fourth generation. Roberto’s writing has appeared in Latina, Parents, and various online outlets. A lifelong baseball fan, Roberto worked briefly with the Boston Red Sox and once hit an RBI single off Spaceman Lee on a 2-2 changeup. It was his only at bat ever in a real baseball game. Find him on Instagram.