Although a huge fan of the bat cats I don’t follow the off season probably as much as I should. Can some of you more in tune give us an in depth outlook.
potential starting 8
Rotation
Some names to watch JUCO/Freshman/returning players
What should our realistic expectations be?
Okay, so... to do this somewhat quickly and I will try to expand on it more as we get closer and as time permits. This is a big time guess because there are a whole lot of question marks. It wouldn't surprise me to see us play a whole lot of guys early.
Starting 9:
DH -
TJ Collett -
I just don't know that TJ will ever be fully healthy enough to be anything but a DH. So, I imagine we will see him here again in 2020. I think coaches want him at 1B, but I just don't know that it can or will happen. If he does get the chance then possibly look for Trae Harmon to DH.
1B -
Breydon Daniel -
I don't like it, but I think he finds his spot here. I feel a bit bad about it because I tend to give Daniel a hard time, but I just don't see him do anything great. He's kind of average everywhere he plays, and that being the case, it is hard to find a place where he should play. I fully hope he shows me that last year was a fluke and he turns into an AA. I won't feel bad about that one bit. I could see
Justin Olson here as well. Kid can rake and was ranked the 9th best 1B in high school by Prep Baseball.
2B -
Zeke Lewis -
This prospect scares the crap out of me, but I just don't think it will be anything else. Elliott Curtis should be here, but I have little faith that he will be. Instead, we'll get Lewis who will likely continue to struggle at the plate.
SS -
Austin Schultz -
I think this might be the second easiest pick that I make. Schultz was a pretty solid SS a year ago as a freshman and ideally his numbers go up and his defense only improves as a sophomore. Concern here for him is some injury issues. Hope that isn't the case, as he is one of our anchors.
3B -
Elliott Curtis -
Curtis finds his way into the lineup here. Probably not his best position, but Curtis has earned his time in the lineup after playing very well at the end of last season. Wouldn't surprise me to see him move to second after Lewis struggles for a while. If that happens then we might have some infield chaos. Another possible surprise name here is freshman
John Rhodes. He's listed as an OF, but they might try to work him in here.
C -
Coltyn Kessler
Whew. Finally an easy one. Kessler is a rock behind the plate. He will be an everyday player. Coaches will likely look to give him a rest at times though. So, what I anticipate might shake up the whole infield a bit. It wouldn't surprise me to see Kessler move to 3rd against lefties and Curtis to be moved out of the lineup. Then I anticipate a surprise move here.
Chase Estep may be our backup catcher. He has worked out there this past fall, so it is possible he is there again. I really believed that Orlando Adams would be a guy that they rely on at catcher, but my understanding is that he was cut. He is no longer on the 2020 roster.
RF -
Oraj Anu -
The JUCO transfer is a guy I didn't think would ever make it to campus. He was taken in the 16th round of the draft in 2019 and was a JUCO All American in both 2018 and 2019. He was also rated a top 15 outfielder in the Cape Cod League. He is 6'1 235, so he has a pretty big frame. I do not believe he is going to be a major defensive gem, but he will be serviceable in left and he will be called upon for the power.
CF -
Jaren Shelby -
The legacy continues with Shelby returning for his senior year. His junior year was a disappointment, but I think he can turn things around this year. I think he mans the middle of the outfield because that is where he is most comfortable. I certainly believe his numbers will improve.
LF -
Cam Hill -
Hill has had a rocky road, but the speedy OF will be hard to keep off the field. When he gets on base, UK scores... a lot. His numbers we relatively poor a year ago, but Cam showed a lot of bright spots. I think his confidence will be higher this year and we will see those numbers go up. Last year, it seemed that Hill struggled more against lefties. Ming seems to love to play that matchup game, so we might see Hill less against left-handed pitchers.
Others in consideration:
OF -
Chase Bryan -
Bryan is a JUCO guy that comes from Seminole State (same as BD and former player Dalton Reed). He battled injuries a year ago, but by all accounts he is pretty solid in the OF. He hits right and throws right, so you could possibly see him get some work in matchup type situations.
SS/2B/3B -
Jaden Brown -
I think Brown may redshirt, but I am not sure about this. He was one of our more highly decorated freshmen coming in and was ranked as a top 30 incoming freshman by Perfect Game, and overall in the class of 2019 he was ranked 58th and a top 15 SS. I think the coaches just don't necessarily have a spot for him. Personally, would like to see him get a chance this year though.
3B -
Matt Golda -
Golda is another JUCO guy, and one I expect could see some time at 3B. Golda was ranked 101st overall by PG out of high school as a SS. He hit .326 and .317 respectively in 18 and 19 in JUCO and has a pretty solid eye with 66 walks to 70 strikeouts. Has some wheels and swiped 24 bags over those two years. If he plays, he could be used to play some other spots as well.
C -
Jared Payne -
Catcher is an enigma after Kessler. There are some names there, but none of them stand out as being anyone we can trust fully. Payne, a true freshman, absolutely raked in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League this summer hitting .390 in 29 games and 105 at bats. He was ranked as the 71st best catcher by PG in the 2019 class. So, that number doesn't jump out, but can't deny his success against college pitching so far. I don't expect him to have an impact, but it is possible.
C -
Brendan Hord -
Hord is a redshirt freshman who probably isn't a guy that is going to make a major impact. Great in the classroom and is a guy who will do anything the coaches ask and good for the clubhouse. Not sure he will see much time unless he sticks around for his full time at UK.
C -
Tanner Holen -
A senior who played JUCO before coming to UK. He was largely third catcher and bullpen guy a year ago. Not sure that the role changes a ton for him. Did well in the summer in the Western Canadian league where he hit .321, but I am not sure it is the most competitive league in the world.
Already mentioned:
Justin Olson - Could see time at 1B, DH, or even somewhere in the OF. Like I said, he apparently can rake, so I don't know if the coaches will be able to keep him off the field.
Trae Harmon - Kid is a monster and I think coaches want him hitting. So, it is a question of... how? I have heard some rumblings that he could play the outfield. I don't really see him being the most effective outfielder, but I am wrong a lot.
Chase Estep - I put him at backup catcher. I think this is the coaches trying to get him on the field. He came in as a third baseman, so it wouldn't surprise me to see him there in the future or even later this year. Still, what I have heard is that he worked at catcher a good bit.
Note: Spring practice just started last week. Actually think it might have been Friday. So, things are still extremely fresh for the team. I don't know what their numbers are, but they may still have to make cuts. So, we could even see the roster change between now and opening day.
I'll work on pitchers soon. I think it will be even harder.
Edit to add:
Key departures from 2019:
Alex Rodriguez - Graduation
** Rook Ellington - Transfer to JUCO
** Dalton Reed - Left team
Ryan Shinn - Graduation
Ryan Johnson - Graduation
Marshall Gei - Graduation
** Orlando Adams - Cut in fall
** Grant Macciocchi - Left team
** Indicates that they left before eligibility was up.
