The Florida Gators enter the 2021 season with lofty expectations thanks to an experienced roster that added one of the nation’s top freshman classes.
This iteration of UF’s baseball team only lost two members from last year’s team that finished 16-1 before the Covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the season. Gone are longtime stawarts Austin Langworthy and Brady Smith, but those are literally the only two missing pieces from a year ago.
What has resulted for the Gators is an incredible depth at pretty much every spot on the field.
Pitching:
Florida’s weekend starters are pretty much set in stone, the same way they were when play was halted last year. Junior Tommy Mace (2-0, 2.70 ERA in 2020) will command the mound on Fridays and set the tone for junior Jack Leftwich (2-0, 4.15 ERA) and freshman lefty Hunter Barco (2-0, 1.40 ERA).
There are so many options with the bullpen and the midweek guys that it could simply be a matter of whose stuff has been the best most recently. Sophomore Christian Scott (2-0, 1.20 ERA) is expected to continue his role in key relief situations with the ability to start midweeks as well. The same can be said of sophomore Nick Pogue (1-1, 5.23 ERA). RHP Ben Specht (2-0, 1.20 ERA) figures to enter the season as the closer, a role he took on last year. Brandon Sproat ( 6 IP, 8 K) is a flame thrower that will likely see a lot of action in the midweek. Kevin O’Sullivan gave Tyler Nesbitt (11.2 IP, 0 ER) several opportunities last year in the midweek and bullpen. Jordan Butler (6.23 ERA) is a a left handed option that will also see a lot of opportunities in the field and at the plate. David Leuthje (2-0, 5.19 ERA) and Trey Van Der Weide will also see significant time out of the bullpen this season. I’m also genuinely excited to see what freshman lefty Timmy Manning (No. 89 prospect in 2020 class) does. Like I said, it’s a loaded staff.
Catcher:
Junior Cal Greenfield is currently slotted in as the likely starter behind the plate. He has built a nice rapport with the pitching staff, particularly Friday starter Tommy Mace. Freshman Nathan Hickey showed a lot of promise at the dish in 2020, hitting .311 with 4 homers in the shortened season. I expect him to see a lot of opportunities as the DH. Incoming freshmen Mac Guscette and Wyatt Langford were both highly rated prospects that could push for playing time as well.
Infield:
Florida’s infield returns almost all of its talent from a year ago (minus Brady Smith at first). Senior Kirby McMullen will likely start at third base with slick fielding freshman Josh Rivera logging most of the action at short. Sophomore Cory Acton started 15 games at second last season, but struggled at the plate, hitting at just a .192 clip. I suspect that sophomore Kris Armstrong will open the season at first base for the Gators. Acton and Armstrong will have to perform in order to keep their place in the lineup as Florida fields a number of options at each position. Acton will have to ward off incoming freshman Jordan Carrion, a slick fielder who will challenge Rivera for best glove on the team, while Armstrong will face a bevy of options, including sophomore Kendrick Calilao, who will likely open the season in the outfield, and junior Jordan Butler. McMullen will also see a push from new freshman Colby Halter, who was a top-100 prospect out of Bishop Kenny in Jacksonville.
Outfield:
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Gators’ outfield is stacked with talent. Sophomore Jacob Young returns to lead off the order. He hit at a whopping .450 average last season and enters 2021 on an 18-game hitting streak that dates back to his freshman year. It doesn’t stop there, however. Most likely batting second in the lineup will be sophomore Jud Fabian. The Ocala native led the team with five homers in 2020 and is a true five-tool player when you also talk about his defense. Fabian is gaining a lot of attention as an MLB Draft prospect that could be taken early in the first round. His fall and spring has shown no reason to believe otherwise. With Young in left and Fabian patrolling center, that leaves a (small) question in right field. Calilao will likely open the season there, but Florida, again, has other options as well. Freshman Sterling Thompson and junior Brock Edge are names to watch for in the Florida outfield. Thompson was the nation’s No. 55 overall prospect in 2020 and Edge transferred to UF from Santa Fe before last season.
Projected Opening Day Lineup:
- Young, 7
- Fabian, 8
- McMullen, 5
- Hickey, DH
- Armstrong, 3
- Calilao, 9
- Acton, 4
- Rivera, 6
- Greenfield, 2
Overall:
Florida is the unanimous No. 1 ranked team in the nation for a reason. They are insanely deep in every aspect of the game. Florida was able to field two full teams in the fall for scrimmages and either one of those rosters would have been solid heading into the season. Kevin O’Sullivan will have almost unlimited options for any situation they are presented this year. Anything short of a College World Series berth this season would be seen as a major disappointment.
Florida opens the 2021 season with the debut of the brand new Florida Ballpark against the Miami Hurricanes on February 19.