The Aug. 1 deadline for draft picks to agree to terms with their teams has come and gone, and now we have a much clearer picture of what rosters will look like in college baseball in 2023.
For the most part, things played out as expected, but as is the case every year, there were a few wrinkles along the way that are going to have an outsized impact on the way the upcoming college season plays out.
These are the top headlines around college baseball from the draft signing deadline.
All-American Andrew Walters Returns to Miami
It was clear when Walters, a player projected to be drafted in the first few rounds, slipped to the 18th round that he was going to be a tough sign for the Orioles. That turned out to be the case, as the All-American righthander is heading back to Miami, where he has a 1.57 ERA in 57.1 innings across two seasons and will get to play with his younger brother Brian next season. It will be interesting to see how the Hurricanes choose to use Walters moving forward. Clearly he’s an asset as a short reliever, leaning on a fastball that touched 99 mph last season, but it also stands to reason that the coaching staff would look into expanding his role into being more of a multi-inning reliever or even a starter, following in the footsteps of Carson Palmquist, last season’s ace who successfully made the closer-to-starter transition.
Brandon Sproat Set to Rejoin the Florida Rotation
For the second draft in a row, the Mets failed to sign a highly-regarded SEC starting pitcher. Last year, it was Kumar Rocker. This year, it’s Florida righthander Brandon Sproat, who was taken in the third round. Sproat is one of the hardest throwers in the game, with a fastball that averaged nearly 96 mph last season and touched 100, and last season he was more than solid for the Gators in putting up a 3.41 ERA in 89.2 innings as the team’s ace after Hunter Barco went down with injury. As is, he and Southern Mississippi transfer righthander Hurston Waldrep project to be one of the best one-two rotation punches in the country, but if Sproat takes another step forward, it’s a Florida rotation that could be historically good.
Two-Way Talent Nolan McLean Headed Back to Stillwater
A third-round pick of the Orioles, McLean will bring light-tower power back to Stillwater after hitting 19 home runs a season ago. Perhaps more intriguing, however, is what he could do on the mound for the Cowboys, who just lost Justin Campbell, Victor Mederos, Bryce Osmond, Roman…
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