Cubs' RBI Scholar honing craft as voice of RBI World Series
Melanie Martinez-Lopez
When Chicago was chosen to host the 2022 RBI Central Regional tournament, deputy director of Cubs charities Keri Blackwell looked into live streaming the games. Immediately, she knew who to call to help her get started -- RBI Scholar alum Cavan Malayter.
¡°He jumped right on it, and he had not even finished his first year of college which was super impressive,¡± Blackwell said. ¡°He assembled a team of four people and they all came out to Chicago from different places that summer and just crushed it.¡±
Malayter continues to be the voice calling the baseball games for the tournament in his hometown. His impact and dedication to broadcasting the games were recognized. This year, he was invited to be the voice for the 2024 Nike RBI World Series for Windy City Sports Network.
Along with creating a team to help with the local broadcast, Malayter has helped enhance the experience for the audience and increase recognition for the players. He coordinated GameChanger with other RBI alumni to get accurate scores and statistics in games and has recently organized a social media team for the event.
¡°It's fun, and you get to stay involved with baseball,¡± he said on his way to the tournament, which was held at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Fla. ¡°I think that's a big misconception with a lot of young athletes across the country in all sports, is that once their playing careers are over, they find it harder to stick in sports.¡±
The 21-year-old was first introduced to the Cubs¡¯ Nike RBI program through his high school baseball coach. The program provided participants with after-school resources to become better athletes and students. The broadcaster also said it was an opportunity to play competitive baseball without the added pressures of a normal high school or club season.
MLB awards 12 scholarships to Nike RBI participants. Separately, Cubs RBI Scholars awarded four scholarships in 2021, of which Malayter was one of the recipients.
He decided to attend Arizona State University¡¯s Cronkite School of Journalism to begin pursuing his dream of becoming a broadcaster. Blackwell knew about Malayter¡¯s aspirations and invited him to be part of the RBI Central Regional tournament broadcasts in Chicago.
¡°Noticing his attendance and participation in RBI Scholars, but equally, when he was in high school he wanted to pursue this career, and so he partnered up with one of his teachers to launch a broadcast club at his high school,¡± she said. ¡°I appreciated the initiative and the creativity, and those just stood out.¡±
Blackwell said one of the things she¡¯s most proud of is the Cubs¡¯ RBI program continuing a relationship with their alumni and helping provide opportunities in the regional tournament, similar to those Malayter has received. Some have returned to Chicago as photographers, others as writers -- earning bylines with MLB -- and the organization has also supported interns.
¡°I think the RBI program has done a great job of showcasing all the different ways you can stay involved in the game,¡± said Malayter.
His work ethic and talents were recognized by leaders in MLB¡¯s department of baseball and softball development: David James (vice president), Steve Smiegocki (senior coordinator) and Sarah Padove (manager). They attended last year¡¯s Nike RBI Central Regional tournament in Chicago and were impressed by Malayter.
¡°I can¡¯t thank Steve enough for pushing to allow Cavan to be at the World Series, and it¡¯s just the cherry on top,¡± Blackwell said. ¡°I¡¯m so grateful to all three of them for recognizing his talent and giving him this opportunity.¡±
Malayter¡¯s schedule did not end with calling the RBI World Series baseball games. He was also invited to call softball games the following week.
¡°It¡¯s been an incredible week,¡± he said. ¡°The fact that I got to come out here and be a part of such a special event and play a small role in what is a big moment in the lives of so many of these young baseball and softball players is something that I¡¯m forever grateful for and something I know I¡¯m going to treasure for a long time.¡±