MLB Draft will play a role in shaping Florida State's 2024 baseball roster
The Florida State baseball roster is going to be completely revamped and reshaped from a season ago — with good reason. Second-year head coach Link Jarrett is trying to retool his team after the Seminoles finished with the worst record in program history.
But how many of the players from the 2023 roster, and from the Seminoles’ incoming signing class, will be selected in this year’s Major League Baseball Draft, which starts this evening?
The answer, of course, is nobody knows for sure. But the Seminoles are likely to lose a couple of valuable arms and at least one — and probably more — elite recruit.
According to MLB.com, the Seminoles have three of the top 212 prospects in this year’s draft. All three are pitchers.
Wyatt Crowell, who missed most of the year with an injury after a dominant start to the season, is ranked No. 112 in the MLB.com rankings. Jackson Baumeister, who became the Friday night starter in 2023, is listed at No. 167 on the board. And Carson Montgomery, who last week put his name in the transfer portal, is ranked No. 167.
Baseball America, meanwhile, has Baumeister as the No. 69 prospect in the draft, with Crowell at No. 137 and Montgomery at No. 174.
Obviously, the Seminoles have more draft-eligible players than that — shortstop Jordan Carrion for instance — but they likely won’t lose many big-time bats off the current roster.
The three top hitters on the team in 2023 — Jaime Ferrer, James Tibbs and Cam Smith — are not draft-eligible and by all accounts will be returning to Tallahassee in 2024.
As for the recruits? Well, as always at this time of year, that’s a complete guessing game.
It stands to reason that FSU’s top signee, Arjun Nimmala, won’t ever wear the garnet and gold. The Strawberry Crest, Fla., shortstop is ranked by MLB.com as the 11th-best draft prospect and will almost certainly be selected in the first round. Perfect Game ranks him as the No. 3 high school player in the entire class.
So, it would be a huge upset if he played college baseball.
As for the rest of the signing class, FSU has six players ranked in the Top 250 of the Perfect Game rankings, including four in the Top 100.
Joining Nimmala on the list are left-handed pitcher Andrew Duncan (No. 77), outfielder Justin Best (No. 83), shortstop Cal Fisher (No. 94), catcher Riley Jackson (No. 134), and right-handed pitcher Trevor Harrison (No. 249).
According to MLB.com, Duncan is the No. 203 prospect in the draft class and Harrison is the No. 245 prospect. So, it’s up in the air whether one or both will end up at Florida State.
Baseball America has Fisher ranked as the No. 156 prospect in the draft, Duncan ranked No. 174, Jackson at No. 197, Harrison at No. 202, outfielder Brody DeLamielleure at No. 284 and JUCO transfer pitcher Gavin Adams at No. 314.
While only one of these players, Nimmala, will likely hear his name called on the first day of the draft, which starts today at 7 p.m., Florida State could have a number of other players or recruits selected over the following two days.
And that’s when Jarrett will have a clearer understanding of what his roster could and should look like in 2024.
Rounds 3 through 10 will take place on Monday, and rounds 11-20 will be on Tuesday.
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