Ace starter/beekeeper: This is Cease's sweetest hobby

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SAN DIEGO -- Three months ago, the Padres arrived in Atlanta with an off-day ahead of their four-game series against the Braves. Dylan Cease spent it at home in nearby Milton, Ga. He had work to do. Specifically, he had honey to harvest.

Cease and his father, Jeff, drove 20 minutes to a plot of land on Jeff's brother's property. There, they found their hives ready for harvest. They donned their full beekeeping suits. A few hours later, the process was complete and they had approximately 50 pounds of honey.

"That [harvest] was a very sweet one,” Cease said. “Pleasantly sweet and delicious. One of the better ones we've had, for sure."

It was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that Dylan and Jeff Cease took up the hobby. Dylan can't exactly recall how it started, other than the obvious.

"It was during COVID, and I was just bored," Cease said. "I don't know how I stumbled across bees. Part of it had to do with a yogi I liked talking to about how beneficial honey is for your health. From there, I guess I just went down a rabbit hole. ... Somehow I was able to talk my dad into doing it."

Now, the Ceases are hooked. Dylan constantly espouses the health benefits of his honey -- and he lives it, too. The day after that harvest, he showed up at Truist Park with jars for teammates and coaches.

"I have four jars of it, all different harvests," said Michael King, who has a locker next to Cease's. "It's actually really good. I'm not, like, a honey guy. But what I've noticed is Cease will randomly just take a jar and take a sip out of it. So every time I see him do it, I'll do it.

“I know way more about honey than I did before. But I guess that's because I knew nothing before."

To a man, the Padres report that it's some of the best honey they've tasted -- exquisitely flavored, smooth and not overly sticky.

"It is definitely different tastes for different times of the year, because different nectar will be available," Cease said, before launching into a full explanation of the nuances of nectar and honey flavoring. "Later in the year, it's more poplar. Earlier in the year, it's wildflower, I think, which makes it sweet and light. Every harvest we have is different.

"One of them was the perfume one -- it smelled like perfume. One of them was like a raisin harvest -- tasted very much like raisins. You don't know, and it's always cool to see. Everyone who tries it swears it's the best honey they've ever had. It's so delicious."

Cease gives most of the credit to his father for the day-to-day maintenance. After all, he's usually busy pitching in some faraway city.

Still, Dylan always tries to be around for harvest. They'll usually do so twice per year -- once in the spring/summer and once just before winter. Cease’s Padres were in town for the harvest this May. In 2023, they did it during the All-Star break. Jeff mostly takes the lead, while Dylan manages the inventory, distributing it to friends, family and teammates.

"I always envisioned doing a business or something with it," Cease said. "[My dad] wasn't really on board with that. But I think that'd be really cool. Buy some land, kind of brand it and sell it. I don't know. I mean, it's really cool. It really is. Giving it away, seeing how happy people get, it's just a cool thing."

The Padres acquired Cease from the White Sox in March, and he has since re-emerged as a front-line ace, the Major League leader in strikeouts. In July, Cease threw the second no-hitter in franchise history. He owns a 0.80 ERA and a .110 opponents' batting average across his past six starts.

Pitching coach Ruben Niebla says he’s learned that Cease’s passion for honey fits his personality: Cease is immensely dedicated to his craft, Niebla says, but he’s not beholden to it.

"He likes to not suppress himself with just baseball," said Niebla. "For him to do stuff like that, to be open-minded the way he is, to be just an independent soul, it makes sense. It's something I can see is very gratifying to him."

Mostly, Cease says it's gratifying because he gets to share his passion with others. At his brother's wedding, Cease adorned every table with jars of the family honey for guests to take home.

"The most enjoyable part is getting to taste the delicious, healthy nectar, the golden liquid they make," Cease said. "Then, the most satisfying is giving it to people and seeing how excited it makes them and how they love it."

At the Trade Deadline, the Padres acquired Jason Adam from Tampa Bay. Adam, a veteran right-hander, is on Cease's wavelength with the health benefits of honey. He frequents Whole Foods, where he typically picks up jars of honey. Earlier this week, Cease hand delivered a jar for his new teammate.

Adam dipped his finger in the jar and had a taste.

"I'm a big honey guy," Adam said shortly after. "And that is good honey."