Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2022 i Baseball America

In the 75 years since Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball, six Black people have held the de facto title of MLB general manager. One of the few individuals with a tangible chance to increase the number to seven is Billy Owens, the Athletics’ director of player personnel and assistant general manager. Owens joined the organization as a minor league hitting coach and area scout in 1999. He was promoted to East Coast cross checker in 2003 and moved to the front office in 2004, at the height of the Moneyball era. Over the decades, he has built a reputation for his ability to scout amateur players and professionals at a high level. A true student of the game and its history, Owens recognizes the importance of the first six…

TEAM TO BEAT TEXAS Texas goes into the season as the No. 1 team in the country, powered in large part by arguably the top pitching staff in the nation. Third-year sophomore lefthander Pete Hansen—who was excellent last season primarily as the midweek starter—and fifth-year senior righthander Tristan Stevens will be joined in the rotation by sophomore righthander Tanner Witt, one of the most talented pitchers in the nation. Sophomore righthander Aaron Nixon will anchor the bullpen once again. Offensively, the return of fourth-year junior first baseman Ivan Melendez is massive. Last season, he led the Longhorns in a number of categories, including home runs with 13. Defense should be a real strength for this Texas team. It boasts plus defenders at key positions like third-year sophomore Silas Ardoin at…

TEAM TO BEAT NEBRASKA The Cornhuskers won the Big Ten last year, finishing 3.5 games ahead of Maryland for their second title since joining the conference. They then pushed Arkansas to the brink in the regional final. Now, Nebraska enters 2022 as the Big Ten favorites. From last year’s team it must replace All-American shortstop/reliever Spencer Schwellenbach, ace Cade Povich and leading hitter Jaxon Hallmark, but still return plenty. Third baseman Max Anderson impressed as a freshman, and Griffin Everett gives the club an experienced hand behind the plate. With four pitchers who are in at least their fourth year of college baseball expected to pitch in key roles—righthanders Dawson McCarville and Shay Schanaman and lefthanders Jake Bunz and Kyle Perry—Nebraska will have no shortage of experience on the mound.…

In April 2003, Dontrelle Willis was a Double-A lefthander in the Marlins organization, mostly known to baseball fans—if known at all—as one of the key pieces in the trade that landed Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca with the Cubs one year earlier. By that winter, Willis was an all-star, the National League Rookie of the Year and a World Series champion. With his beaming smile and eccentric windup featuring a high leg kick, Willis was instantly popular with baseball fans, who delighted in watching him mow down hitters. Even on a team full of MLB mainstays like Ivan Rodriguez and Derrek Lee, Willis stood out. He garnered plenty of attention, which was something the 21-year-old struggled to come to terms with initially. “It was out of body, especially in Miami,”…

Texas enters the season ranked No. 1 in the Preseason Top 25 for the seventh time in the 42-year history of the Baseball America rankings. No team has been the Preseason No. 1 more often, though Florida and Stanford are close with five Preseason No. 1 rankings apiece. As the Longhorns enter the 2022 season in a familiar spot, we look back on their six previous Preseason No. 1 teams. 2010: Coming off a runner-up finish at the 2009 College World Series, losing in the finals to Louisiana State, Texas entered the following season atop the rankings. The Longhorns went 53-13 and won the Big 12 Conference title. They were the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament but fell short of a return to Omaha when they were…

1. TEXAS LAST YEAR 50-17 (17-7 in Big 12) reached College World Series COACH (RECORD AT SCHOOL) David Pierce (172-94, five years) FINAL RANKING No. 3 TOP DRAFT PROSPECTS RHP Tanner Witt (2023) SS Trey Faltine (2022) LHP Pete Hansen (2022) THE GOOD NEWS: Even after losing ace Ty Madden, Texas has arguably the best pitching staff in the country. Steady fifth-year senior righthander Tristan Stevens returns to the rotation, to be joined by third-year sophomore lefthander Pete Hansen, who primarily pitched as the midweek starter last season, and sophomore righthander Tanner Witt, who was excellent as a reliever in 2021. Freshman righthander Joshua Stewart, No. 198 on the BA 500 ahead of last year’s draft, should also get an opportunity as the team’s midweek starter. Sophomore Aaron Nixon, a…

TEAM TO BEAT STANFORD After its first CWS appearance since 2008, Stanford will field a team capable of making a return trip. Third-year sophomore center fielder Brock Jones will be the centerpiece of a lineup that has some pieces to replace, most notably top hitter Christian Robinson, first baseman Nick Brueser and utility player Tim Tawa. Sophomore third baseman Drew Bowser is a rising star who is ready to serve as Jones’ primary protection in the order. Other help will come from third-year sophomore shortstop Adam Crampton, who is a solid defender at the position, third-year sophomore catcher Kody Huff and sophomore second baseman Tommy Troy. On the mound, coach Dave Esquer and his staff will be looking for a young pitching staff to make a leap in the way…

DANIEL SUSAC, C ARIZONA Susac was a freshman All-American after producing a gaudy 2021 season in which he hit .335/.392/.591 with 12 home runs and 24 doubles. That’s a good season for any hitter, let alone a catcher who also has plus arm strength behind the plate. The Pacific-12 Conference freshman of the year is the younger brother of former MLB catcher Andrew Susac, who starred at Oregon State a decade ago. PEYTON GRAHAM, 3B OKLAHOMA Graham has been a key starter in Oklahoma’s line up since he stepped foot on campus, with a strong blend of on-base ability and developing power. He’s a career .305/.414/.528 hitter who homered 11 times last spring. His frame is extremely projectable and he is praised for his athleticism and plus throwing arm. He…

Jay Johnson first saw Jacob Berry’s swing on his phone. Berry was not yet a sophomore in high school, and Johnson had little more than one cell phone video to work with on a prospect less than 100 miles from his campus. “My instinct was, ‘Let’s get this guy right now.’ That doesn’t happen very often,” Johnson said. “You could just see the strength, the bat speed and really advanced fundamentals, which we hold a high bar in our programs for what that is for a hitter.” The recruitment began immediately and was heavy. It lasted for more than a year before Johnson finally secured Berry’s commitment. That was at Arizona. In their one shared season as Wildcats, the two made it to the College World Series. Berry is the…

TEAM TO BEAT Notre Dame’s first super regional team since 2002 is back nearly intact save for All-American first baseman Niko Kavadas and bullpen ace Tanner Kohlhepp. Those two departures loom large, but that’s about it for Link Jarrett’s Irish. Notre Dame returns eight to its starting lineup, its full weekend rotation and plenty of depth in the bullpen. Projecting the Irish’s Opening Day lineup is as simple as taking the group that took Mississippi State to the brink, shifting Carter Putz to first base and adding someone like redshirt sophomore Nick Juaire or transfer Connor Hincks (Virginia) to round out the lineup. Two-way player Jack Brannigan figures to feature prominently both as the starting third baseman and a key relief arm. Outfielder Ryan Cole is the top returning hitter…

TEAM TO BEAT VANDERBILT The Commodores finished as national runners-up last year. That team had two top 10 picks leading its pitching staff in Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, and replacing them will be no easy task. But Vanderbilt returns the bulk of its lineup, including leading hitter Dominic Keegan and spark plug Enrique Bradfield Jr.. Vanderbilt will need some new pitchers to step up, but it has no shortage of talent on the mound. Sophomore righthander Patrick Reilly is ready for the next step, and righthanders Nick Maldonado and Chris McElvain return after strong seasons in the bullpen. Throw in another top three recruiting class, led by infielder Davis Diaz and lefthander Carter Holton, and Vanderbilt has the pieces to again challenge for the SEC title—and beyond. PLAYER OF…