Iowa Baseball Post-Portal Roster Analysis

It’s been an interesting couple of months for the Iowa Baseball team. The season ended in disappointing fashion, losing 11 of their final 13 games, after sprinting out to a 20-4 start in Big Ten play. That finish was followed by a transfer portal cycle that has included seven transfers out and five transfers in, with the most noteworthy departures being C/DH Reese Moore (South Carolina) and 1B Blake Guerin (South Alabama).

Although the coaching staff is still possibly looking to add one more position player into the fold, now is a good time to zoom out and take a look at the entire roster prior to the MLB Draft in a couple of weeks. HawkeyeReport takes stock of the current roster, evaluating the fit of each transfer addition, questions that are still present and how the upcoming MLB Draft might shake things up once more.

Starting Rotation

Top Names: Anthony Watts, Tyler Guerin, Logan Runde, Tanner Perry

Iowa had one of the best starting rotations in the Big Ten last season, with Obermueller, Savary and Beuter landing on the postseason all-conference teams. However, the current expectation is that Aaron Savary will get drafted and sign in the upcoming MLB Draft, which would mean next year’s rotation will be entirely new. If that’s the case, it will be just the third time in Rick Heller’s tenure at Iowa that he has had to replace his entire weekend rotation.

The Hawkeyes got some huge news for the staff when Anthony Watts announced his intentions to withdraw from the portal and return for his senior season. His returns gives the coaching staff someone that they can pencil in on the weekend, while several other options battle for the other two spots. Those battling for weekend spots include sophomore Tyler Guerin, Illinois State transfer Tanner Perry, FIU transfer Logan Runde and senior Justin Hackett. There are still some questions about who from that group will emerge and if they are ready to be weekend starters, but the rotation is in much better shape than it was a few weeks ago.

Bullpen

Top Names: Joe Husak, Justin Hackett, Jaron Bleeker, Ganon Archer

At this juncture, the bullpen is the largest question mark and with the 34-player roster limit going into effect this year, the coaching staff doesn’t have the flexibility to add more from the portal. If Justin Hackett doesn’t land in the starting rotation, he figures to take over a large role in the bullpen, while Illinois State transfer Joe Husak has plenty of collegiate experience as a backend of the bullpen arm. It’s also worth noting that one of the transfers, either Runde or Perry, will likely find themselves here as well, so the cupboard is not bare, but depth is the issue. Last season, Iowa had six pitchers appear in more than 15 games out of the bullpen, so the challenge becomes finding that group of six for next season.

This will be my biggest area to watch going into the fall, as the coaching staff tries to figure out who they have outside of the top couple of options. Can Jaron Bleeker take a step as sophomore? Can Ganon Archer stay healthy for a full season to earn a role? Can any of the redshirt freshman or true freshman contribute? Incoming freshman left-handers Carter Wilcox and Brody Irlbeck are names to watch in the upcoming MLB Draft.

Infield

Top Names: Gable Mitchell, Caleb Wulf, Ben Swails, Jaixen Frost, Matthew Delgado

Rick Heller and Co. should feel pretty good about the infield going into next season, returning five of six players that started at least 25 games last season. Gable Mitchell returns as a veteran that can play both middle infield spots, while Caleb Wulf will become the full-time first baseman after splitting time with Blake Guerin last season. Ben Swails, Jaixen Frost and Kooper Schulte will fill out the other two spots on the infield, while each totaled over 100 at-bats last season. That means that no matter how things shake out, the coaching staff will have an infielder with experience to use off the bench. Behind the plate, the Hawkeyes lost both Daniel Rogers and Reese Moore, but added All-ASUN catcher Matthew Delgado from North Alabama. Catcher was a position of need, and the Heller did a good job of landing a plug and play guy.

The infield, in my opinion, will enter the fall as the strength of the team, with room to grow on last season’s production, as Ben Swails and Jaixen Frost have a year of experience under their belt that they did not have at this time a year ago.

Outfield

Top Names: Miles Risley, Bryce Phelps, Kellen Strohmeyer

The Hawkeyes suffered some losses to the outfield, with Ben Wilmes and Andy Nelson graduating, while Jackson Beaman opted to enter the transfer portal. Still, despite the losses, Miles Risley returns to centerfield after starting all 56 games last season, while Kellen Strohmeyer showed flashes of starting potential in a limited role. The big addition to outfield comes via the transfer portal, as the coaching staff landed Denver, IA native Bryce Phelps, who was a First Team All-NEC selection at Wagner last season. That will be the starting outfield going into the fall, but sophomore Colin Coonradt is someone that the coaching staff likes, while Jaylen Ziegler will be back after missing last season with an injury.

If the coaching staff is able to make one more addition via the portal, which sources have indicated to HawkeyeReport is possible, I’d like to see them go after an outfielder that can battle for a starting spot, but at the very least provide some depth.