What will the Kentucky Baseball Wildcats look like in 2022?

On3 imageby:Eric Decker08/22/21

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It’s football time in the Bluegrass, but it doesn’t hurt to see how some of the other teams in Lexington are shaping up for their seasons. Loaded with new recruits and transfers like they were coming out of a clown car, the Wildcats should be looking completely different once February rolls around.

John Thrasher (CF)

Arguably the most touted addition to come through the transfer portal for Kentucky this summer, Thrasher should slide seamlessly into the Wildcat lineup. Nick Mingione talked about how his team’s biggest asset last year was their speed, evident in their absurd steal rate. They lost Austin Schultz to carry the load on the basepaths with plus speed, so they went out and got the guy who leads the nation in steals per game. The Connecticut native was the American East Player of the Year last season after batting .369 and leading the conference in almost every useful stat.

Hunter Jump (LF)

So Kentucky got an outfielder from Arizona State who’s originally a California native, if his last name was Bonds we were about to start doing voodoo magic to get Hunter Jump to be the best player to ever live. His numbers in 2021 were actually down compared to the rest of his career. A .289 average in the Pac-12 certainly isn’t awful, but Jump has always been a .300+ hitter since coming into college. If he can get back to above that mark it’ll prove to be an essential part of replacing what the Wildcats are losing in the middle of their lineup.

Oraj Anu (DH)

I’ll be honest, kind of a genuine shock that Anu is still going to be around Lexington in 2022. He was drafted by the Red Sox multiple times before coming to Kentucky but refused each time in hopes of improving his draft stock. Which may or may not have backfired on him. A pandemic shortened 2020 along with a relatively down 2021 plummeted his stock and found him undrafted in July. He was exposed out in left field, showing really to be a true DH and only batted .265. His power is still vital no matter what to this team; if he can cut down on the K% he can still be a bright spot. Circa Chris Paul many of times, “run it back.”

Adam Fogel (RF)

Making the willing choice to leave the state of Hawaii and come to Kentucky is for sure an interesting one, but that’s not the point, this guy can rake. Standing at a measly 6-5, Fogel is another big power bat that the team was desperately missing last season. The outfielder batted .323 and put up 17 doubles last season. The numbers are good, it’s all on how he can adjust to SEC pitching after coming out of the Big West.

Jacob Plastiak (1B)

Plastiak is one of the more intriguing pieces to the Wildcat lineup. He didn’t get all that much time last year in his first season on campus. It was evident though as the season went on that Mingione felt he needed to get this guy in. He started seeing more and more game action as the team got deep into SEC play. Yeah, the numbers were kind of ugly–a .209 average with nearly a third of his plate appearances ending with a strikeout. Can’t deny that, but watch this guy hit home runs. You’re going to want him on the field next year

Daniel Harris IV (2B)

One of the rare transfers who’s already seen time at KPP before. Harris obviously was one of the best players on Eastern Kentucky both times they came up to Lexington. He put up a .290 coming off a 2020 season where he got the good end of absurd stat lines due to the season shortage. It’s more speed to put into the lineup along with someone who has been known to make above-average contact for most of his career. If he can get on base, run, and hold down the middle of the diamond with Ryan Ritter, Harris will be a steal for the Wildcats

Ryan Ritter (SS)

Speaking of, it’s not that bold to say that Ritter may be the best overall player for the Wildcats next year. The defense was Gold Glove worthy from the day he stepped on campus, that was never the issue. Ritter’s struggles came from how he performed at the plate, often relegated to the eight or nine spot. There were games where he went off on the offensive side and it made him look like the best player on the field. Look at the first Louisville game. With those doubts, Ritter went up to the Cape this summer and lost his mind to help him get a .330 average out there. If Ritter’s offensive numbers improve drastically once next year comes around, it’ll be hard for teams not to take him in the draft.

Chase Estep (3B)

Having Estep at third base from the jump, hopefully, will be a sneaky good move for the Wildcat team. He’s an above-average fielder who has proven to handle third base pretty well. It’s hard to see him still seeing time over at second with the arrival of Harris. The Corbin native should be an important part at the bottom of the order. He doesn’t strike out all that much and makes decent contact. It’ll be another year of progression for him, which should lead to better results.

Alonzo Rubalcaba (C)

We can all agree that this is basically year one for Rubalcaba, right? He was essentially handed the starting catching job to begin the year despite Coltyn Kessler still being on the roster. Once he started having the best season of his life, the new transfer was forced to sit. His calling card has always been defense. He doesn’t need to put up big offensive numbers, especially if this lineup performs how they’re constructed to.

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