I'm really pleased that the only guy that we lost was Jamie McMahon- and that wasn't to the draft.
The only guy we lost to MLB was Corey Dickerson, and that was not a suprise. And that's what really hurts- is when someone signs with MLB that isn't expected to sign.
I was really worried about Hunter Renfroe because he was drafted the highest, and he went to the Red Sox showcase around the 4th of July. I was afraid that they would make a nice offer to him and he might get caught up in the moment- being at Fenway and all. But fortunately, it did not. I think he is our catcher of the future, but he also is capable of playing any corner position. I will also be interested to see in the fall if he gets a look at pitcher.
The second guy I was worried about was DeMarcus Henderson, and that was because his asking price was not all that high. I really like his versatility and speed. He could play both middle infield positions, or the outfield or third base. He has five tool potential, but he is a little bit raw. A lot of people think that he could really take off now that he is not playing football anymore- he was a QB for Wayne County.
Daryl Norris was drafted by the Rangers, and I think he is a dual position guy for us. I expect him to help out our pitching staff as well. The question is- does he start, or is he in the bullpen? I think he could help us out at either. As a position player, he is a corner infield/outfield guy, and most likely he is going to play third base for us in the future. He was the Player of the Year for Alabama.
CT Bradford- the Player of the Year in Florida- is likely our CF and lead off hitter of the future. He is a LH hitter, which is what you ideally want your leadoff guy to be, and he can run and defend. He also may get a look at pitching as well. Bradford is also a pretty good bunter, and that is something that is also very desirable from a lead off hitter. As far as next year, I think Jaron is our CF, but I would not be surprised if CT ends up starting there, and Jaron moves to LF, and I wouldn't be surprised if CT starts somewhere else in the outfield. He is a very hard nosed player.
Finally, Taylor Stark was drafted by the Nationals as a pitcher. I think he will be a relief pitcher for us, but he also can play pretty much any other position on the diamond. So, I'm not really sure where exactly he will play, or if we will just use him as a pitcher, but either way, he will definately contribute for us. He has pretty good speed, which allows him to play the middle infield of CF, but he also has enough size and enough power that he could play the corner positions as well. His arm strength also translates well to the other positions. As far as next year, I think we will see him pitch for us out of the bullpen with maybe some pinch hit and pinch run appearances, and maybe a few starts here and there in the field.
Last year, we had three guys get drafted, and we got two to school. On the roster last year, we had three guys on the entire roster that had been drafted out of high school- Devin Jones, CC Watson, and Jaron Shepherd, and then we had one guy that was drafted by MLB as a junior who came back for his senior year in Conner Powers.
So, we had four guys on the team last year that had been drafted. Next year, we will have doubled the amount of players on our roster that have been drafted- we will have eight players out of 35 on the roster that have been drafted by MLB. That is a definate step in the right direction. And that does not include several players that I think will be very good in college such as Wes Rea, Adam Frazier, Garrett Pitts, and Cody Abraham. I also like two of our invited walk-ons in Brayden Jones and Jake Smithey. So, I'm really excited about the talent that has been brought in, and I'm really excited to see how they develop and how they look when they are juniors in the SEC!
The only guy we lost to MLB was Corey Dickerson, and that was not a suprise. And that's what really hurts- is when someone signs with MLB that isn't expected to sign.
I was really worried about Hunter Renfroe because he was drafted the highest, and he went to the Red Sox showcase around the 4th of July. I was afraid that they would make a nice offer to him and he might get caught up in the moment- being at Fenway and all. But fortunately, it did not. I think he is our catcher of the future, but he also is capable of playing any corner position. I will also be interested to see in the fall if he gets a look at pitcher.
The second guy I was worried about was DeMarcus Henderson, and that was because his asking price was not all that high. I really like his versatility and speed. He could play both middle infield positions, or the outfield or third base. He has five tool potential, but he is a little bit raw. A lot of people think that he could really take off now that he is not playing football anymore- he was a QB for Wayne County.
Daryl Norris was drafted by the Rangers, and I think he is a dual position guy for us. I expect him to help out our pitching staff as well. The question is- does he start, or is he in the bullpen? I think he could help us out at either. As a position player, he is a corner infield/outfield guy, and most likely he is going to play third base for us in the future. He was the Player of the Year for Alabama.
CT Bradford- the Player of the Year in Florida- is likely our CF and lead off hitter of the future. He is a LH hitter, which is what you ideally want your leadoff guy to be, and he can run and defend. He also may get a look at pitching as well. Bradford is also a pretty good bunter, and that is something that is also very desirable from a lead off hitter. As far as next year, I think Jaron is our CF, but I would not be surprised if CT ends up starting there, and Jaron moves to LF, and I wouldn't be surprised if CT starts somewhere else in the outfield. He is a very hard nosed player.
Finally, Taylor Stark was drafted by the Nationals as a pitcher. I think he will be a relief pitcher for us, but he also can play pretty much any other position on the diamond. So, I'm not really sure where exactly he will play, or if we will just use him as a pitcher, but either way, he will definately contribute for us. He has pretty good speed, which allows him to play the middle infield of CF, but he also has enough size and enough power that he could play the corner positions as well. His arm strength also translates well to the other positions. As far as next year, I think we will see him pitch for us out of the bullpen with maybe some pinch hit and pinch run appearances, and maybe a few starts here and there in the field.
Last year, we had three guys get drafted, and we got two to school. On the roster last year, we had three guys on the entire roster that had been drafted out of high school- Devin Jones, CC Watson, and Jaron Shepherd, and then we had one guy that was drafted by MLB as a junior who came back for his senior year in Conner Powers.
So, we had four guys on the team last year that had been drafted. Next year, we will have doubled the amount of players on our roster that have been drafted- we will have eight players out of 35 on the roster that have been drafted by MLB. That is a definate step in the right direction. And that does not include several players that I think will be very good in college such as Wes Rea, Adam Frazier, Garrett Pitts, and Cody Abraham. I also like two of our invited walk-ons in Brayden Jones and Jake Smithey. So, I'm really excited about the talent that has been brought in, and I'm really excited to see how they develop and how they look when they are juniors in the SEC!
