2026 Expectations?
- Thread starter axle2288
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Well I sure hope some of the members from the Rivals site come on over. I am missing posts from Comeback and Ninja as well as others. I guess the next big hurdle is the July 13-14 MLB draft and how that shakes out for us. We are now 7th in the transfer portal rankings.
James McCoy to Georgia Southern is a head-scratcher for me. I guess he got promised a full time starting job? But dang Georgia Southern had a losing record last year.
James McCoy to Georgia Southern is a head-scratcher for me. I guess he got promised a full time starting job? But dang Georgia Southern had a losing record last year.
Alex Duffey is an exciting transfer landing him in the portal with Burkes graduating. A huge upgrade offensively. Tyler Cerny has been one of the hottest hitters in the MLB Draft League. Carson Hansen having a strong summer too.
Super regional at minimum is the expectation as it should be. From there it’s all on matchup and health of pitching.
Next big two days for UK Baseball are July 13-14 the MLB Draft. Currently we have three players listed in the top 250 (recruits and transfers) that will likely be drafted and we will have to go thru the waiting process to see if they sign or come to UK. Conner Essenburg is 221, Josh Flores is 243, and Jase Mitchell is 246. Although we were lucky last year with Tyler Bell coming to UK it is rare that players drafted in the first ten rounds make it to campus. Last year there were 4 and the year prior there were only 2. Will have to keep our fingers crossed.
Hey kids. Draft wrapped up yesterday. Would say things weren't too bad for us. We know we keep Jenkins, who already committed to go to UK and forgo the draft. So, that is some huge news. Jenkins could be a stud for us.
We have some question marks, especially with some of the later round picks like Ethan Walker and Kaden Echeman. Both were 12th round picks. That is getting pretty late and both could conceivably return (or in the case of Echeman come) to UK and lower that draft slot a bit, but the tea leaves currently seem to be thinking they'll head off into the MiLB sunset.
All in all, I think UK could have a really strong year next year. Seems like the roster is pretty well put together and the holes we needed to fill got filled pretty well. The question mark is the bullpen, IMO. Did we get enough reliable arms to be able to lean on the bullpen when needed or will it be a bit more like this year and be a bit of a roller coaster? Hard to say with so many transfers, but typically I have high trust in Roszel to put the guys in positions to succeed.
We have some question marks, especially with some of the later round picks like Ethan Walker and Kaden Echeman. Both were 12th round picks. That is getting pretty late and both could conceivably return (or in the case of Echeman come) to UK and lower that draft slot a bit, but the tea leaves currently seem to be thinking they'll head off into the MiLB sunset.
All in all, I think UK could have a really strong year next year. Seems like the roster is pretty well put together and the holes we needed to fill got filled pretty well. The question mark is the bullpen, IMO. Did we get enough reliable arms to be able to lean on the bullpen when needed or will it be a bit more like this year and be a bit of a roller coaster? Hard to say with so many transfers, but typically I have high trust in Roszel to put the guys in positions to succeed.
Top 20? Before the draft, I would say top 5. Not as certain now - hard to know how much everyone else lost in the draft.
The starting rotation is top notch. 4 deep with N Harris, Cleaver, Jelkin, and the WKU guy. All have shown they can perform well at college level. L Harris had a great summer and could take a step up from his first season too. Lots of new guys added to the pen to go with a few, mostly unproven arms. A question mark for sure, but not one without upside. The lineup (my preference):1 Lawrence; 2. Duffey 3. Bell 4. Campbell 5. Schwartz 6. Hansen 7. Cerny 8. Jenkins (?) 9. Brown. Last three or four could move around. Hindle/Tyson/Van Cleave/Marcy provide some depth. All in all, the offense should take a step forward next season and should be adequate given the strong starting rotation. I would say top 5 team, could move down or up some depending on the bullpen. IMO, top 20 is selling our talent way too short. This team has the potential to be as good as any we have had.
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The transfer pitcher from GCU was a dang good weekend starter as a freshman there too, and that’s a quality league. He’ll be a bullpen arm here, but he has the intangibles to work the front end of games in the SEC. My guess is he will be matched up with one of those guys in the Mason Moore-Darren Williams-Sean Harney piggyback role like they’ve had success doing.
I think Hindle is going to be really hard to keep out of the lineup. Strikeout numbers were bad last year, but an OBP of near .500, perfect on stolen bases, and a lot of XBH potential is just built for Kentucky baseball. I’m not sure what the position will be, but I’m expecting him to play a lot more baseball than he sits on the bench next year.
Just got a pretty solid late add. Jayce Tharnish from St Bonaventure. Hit 403 with 7 homers. Outfielder.
www.baseball-reference.com
Jayce Tharnish College & Amateur Leagues Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com
Jayce Tharnish College & Amateur Leagues Statistics including batting, fielding, prospect rankings and more on Baseball-Reference.com
www.baseball-reference.com
He was also 32/33 in SB attempts & had an OPS of 1.058. Also had a pretty good BB/K ratio (17/27) so it looks like he puts the ball in play. Scored 59 runs in 46 games. On paper, he looks like a great fit.Just got a pretty solid late add. Jayce Tharnish from St Bonaventure. Hit 403 with 7 homers. Outfielder.
Jayce Tharnish College & Amateur Leagues Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com
Jayce Tharnish College & Amateur Leagues Statistics including batting, fielding, prospect rankings and more on Baseball-Reference.com
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Doing some summer ball digging this morning and it’s been a pretty impressive summer for Leighton Harris. His outings have progressively gotten shorter through the summer. Makes me feel like they’re gearing up for him to be the lefty arm out of the pen. If so, that makes the run on righties in the portal make a lot more sense.