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Nice write-up on the 2016 Canes baseball team from D1Baseball.com
Last season was something of a catharsis for Miami, which finally made it back to the College World Series after a six-year drought. Before that, the Hurricanes hadn’t even missed Omaha in back-to-back seasons since 1990-91, and they hadn’t gone three straight years without an Omaha trip since 1975-77. So a six-year absence must have felt like an eternity in Coral Gables.
But now The U is The U again. The talent level is back to the level it should be, and it’s reasonable to expect the Hurricanes to be a top-five team again in 2016 after they earned the No. 5 national seed in 2015.
Miami has a few holes to fill, of course. Four key hitters are gone (David Thompson, George Iskenderian, Garrett Kennedy and Ricky Eusebio), and so is talented weekend starter Andy Suarez. But the ’Canes can fill most of those holes with quality returning players who have already gained experience in the program, so they’re expected to start just one freshman in the everyday lineup (talented third baseman Romy Gonzalez) and one in the weekend rotation (projected Sunday starter Andrew Cabezas).
Both of those freshmen are polished South Florida kids who should hit the ground running. Cabezas is an aggressive, competitive righty who pitched comfortably at 89-91 this fall with a good hard breaking ball and changeup. At his best, he’s touched 93, and his ceiling is significant. Miami coach Jim Morris said Gonzalez came on strong in the second half of the fall and impressed the coaches with his rifle arm, plus bat speed and athleticism (he runs the 60-yard dash in 6.8 to 6.9 seconds). He won’t replace Thompson’s production at third right away, but Miami doesn’t need him to, given the other big bats in the middle of the lineup. Gonzalez is expected to hit sixth and provide some protection for the fearsome heart of the order.
And that middle of the lineup should be very formidable. It starts, of course, with junior catcher Zack Collins, a lefthanded slugger with premium power and an advanced approach. His bat has always been his calling card, but he has also made great strides with his defense this fall. “He’s worked hard; Norberto Lopez is our catching coach, he’s done a really good job with it this fall,” Morris said. “Zack realizes it’s his draft year too, so he’s worked really hard. Some guys can’t handle it, but most of your good players can really have good years that year. Zack’s working harder on the defensive part of the game than he’s ever worked. And he’s doing a good job.”
Collins will hit third, with righthanded-hitting outfielder Jacob Heyward hitting cleanup and lefty-swinging outfielder Willie Abreu hitting fifth. The balance of left- and righthanded bats should make the Miami lineup difficult to navigate, assuming Heyward and Abreu can produce up to their capabilities. That’s probably the biggest key to Miami’s season; both of them have elite talent and have been solid performers in the past, but they have not yet been elite performers. Heyward, who has true five-tool ability, came on strong in the second half last year, finishing with a .327 average in 110 at-bats. Abreu hit .288/.454/.419 with six homers in 229 at-bats, and Miami simply needs him to be more of a force. He flashes plus raw power at times, but he must drive the ball with more consistency.
“Willie’s got to turn it up, and Heyward’s got to turn it up,” Morris said. “I feel like Heyward stepped it up last year toward the end. He came back this fall and had a very good fall. Willie’s a guy that’s got unlimited potential. He had a good fall, and he had a good year. But he’s got the ability to have great years. Sometimes you don’t know exactly when it’s going to click.”
Both Heyward and Abreu ran the 60 in about 6.6 seconds at scout day, and both can throw. So Miami’s outfield defense has should be outstanding with that pair flanking blazing-fast center fielder Carl Chester, a 6.3 runner with a solid arm as well. Chester hit .267 during his up-and-down freshman year last spring, but Morris said he did a better job this fall of putting the ball in play on the ground and letting his speed work. Chester has a chance to be a disruptive catalyst atop the lineup, with savvy senior first baseman Christopher Barr serving as an ideal No. 2 hitter with good bat-handling skills.
Four-year starter Brandon Lopez is back at shortstop to anchor the infield defense, and gritty former utilityman Johnny Ruiz should be a solid double play partner as the starting second baseman. Morris said that switch-hitting juco transfer Randy Batista is also in the middle infield mix.
It should be a very good lineup once again, but Miami’s biggest strength figures to be its bullpen. Junior righthander Bryan Garcia, who has two years of experience as the closer, returns to the back end, and so does invaluable submariner Cooper Hammond. Lefthander Michael Mediavilla has very good stuff and is capable of starting, but Morris indicated he’d like to keep him in the bullpen if possible, because Morris has a long history of building his staffs from the back-forward. Mediavilla is a real weapon from the left side out of the pen.
And Miami should be OK without him in the rotation. Wily low-slot lefty Thomas Woodrey returns to the Friday starter spot after going 7-2, 2.88 in 103 innings last year. In between Woodrey and Cabezas, expect 6-foot-4 sophomore righthander Jesse Lepore to start on Saturdays.
“The guy that had the most impressive fall of anybody was a highly recruited guy out of high school, Jesse Lepore. He had an outstanding fall — outstanding,” Morris said. “He’s worked on his delivery a little bit, which has helped him locate a lot better. Last year he was all over the place, up a lot. He’s 91-92 with a good overhand curveball and a good changeup. So he’s got a good arm, and if he can locate and stay down, he’s very effective.”
Veterans Enrique Sosa and Danny Garcia are also back, and both are capable of serving as starters or relievers, giving this staff good depth. Danny Garcia is another key arm from the left side, with an 88-92 fastball and good breaking ball.
The big X-factor on the staff is redshirt freshman righthander Keven Pimentel, a one-time blue-chip prospect who broke his arm while delivering a pitch in high school. It has taken a long time for him to recover physically and mentally from such a traumatic injury, but he’s pitching again without pain.
“He’s pitching at 89-90 and topping out at 91-92, but he was 94 back in the day,” Morris said. “He’s working hard. He’s pitching, and got a chance to win a starting spot. His best pitch has always been his fastball, but his breaking ball’s getting better. His second pitch is his changeup, and third pitch is the breaking ball.”
So even without Suarez, Miami has plenty of options in the rotation and in the bullpen. With its firepower in the middle of the lineup, its athletic defense and its deep pitching staff, Miami figures to enter 2016 as one of the teams to beat in the ACC, along with Louisville. Now, the goal is to get back to the CWS, and win it.
Last season was something of a catharsis for Miami, which finally made it back to the College World Series after a six-year drought. Before that, the Hurricanes hadn’t even missed Omaha in back-to-back seasons since 1990-91, and they hadn’t gone three straight years without an Omaha trip since 1975-77. So a six-year absence must have felt like an eternity in Coral Gables.
But now The U is The U again. The talent level is back to the level it should be, and it’s reasonable to expect the Hurricanes to be a top-five team again in 2016 after they earned the No. 5 national seed in 2015.
Miami has a few holes to fill, of course. Four key hitters are gone (David Thompson, George Iskenderian, Garrett Kennedy and Ricky Eusebio), and so is talented weekend starter Andy Suarez. But the ’Canes can fill most of those holes with quality returning players who have already gained experience in the program, so they’re expected to start just one freshman in the everyday lineup (talented third baseman Romy Gonzalez) and one in the weekend rotation (projected Sunday starter Andrew Cabezas).
Both of those freshmen are polished South Florida kids who should hit the ground running. Cabezas is an aggressive, competitive righty who pitched comfortably at 89-91 this fall with a good hard breaking ball and changeup. At his best, he’s touched 93, and his ceiling is significant. Miami coach Jim Morris said Gonzalez came on strong in the second half of the fall and impressed the coaches with his rifle arm, plus bat speed and athleticism (he runs the 60-yard dash in 6.8 to 6.9 seconds). He won’t replace Thompson’s production at third right away, but Miami doesn’t need him to, given the other big bats in the middle of the lineup. Gonzalez is expected to hit sixth and provide some protection for the fearsome heart of the order.
And that middle of the lineup should be very formidable. It starts, of course, with junior catcher Zack Collins, a lefthanded slugger with premium power and an advanced approach. His bat has always been his calling card, but he has also made great strides with his defense this fall. “He’s worked hard; Norberto Lopez is our catching coach, he’s done a really good job with it this fall,” Morris said. “Zack realizes it’s his draft year too, so he’s worked really hard. Some guys can’t handle it, but most of your good players can really have good years that year. Zack’s working harder on the defensive part of the game than he’s ever worked. And he’s doing a good job.”
Collins will hit third, with righthanded-hitting outfielder Jacob Heyward hitting cleanup and lefty-swinging outfielder Willie Abreu hitting fifth. The balance of left- and righthanded bats should make the Miami lineup difficult to navigate, assuming Heyward and Abreu can produce up to their capabilities. That’s probably the biggest key to Miami’s season; both of them have elite talent and have been solid performers in the past, but they have not yet been elite performers. Heyward, who has true five-tool ability, came on strong in the second half last year, finishing with a .327 average in 110 at-bats. Abreu hit .288/.454/.419 with six homers in 229 at-bats, and Miami simply needs him to be more of a force. He flashes plus raw power at times, but he must drive the ball with more consistency.
“Willie’s got to turn it up, and Heyward’s got to turn it up,” Morris said. “I feel like Heyward stepped it up last year toward the end. He came back this fall and had a very good fall. Willie’s a guy that’s got unlimited potential. He had a good fall, and he had a good year. But he’s got the ability to have great years. Sometimes you don’t know exactly when it’s going to click.”
Both Heyward and Abreu ran the 60 in about 6.6 seconds at scout day, and both can throw. So Miami’s outfield defense has should be outstanding with that pair flanking blazing-fast center fielder Carl Chester, a 6.3 runner with a solid arm as well. Chester hit .267 during his up-and-down freshman year last spring, but Morris said he did a better job this fall of putting the ball in play on the ground and letting his speed work. Chester has a chance to be a disruptive catalyst atop the lineup, with savvy senior first baseman Christopher Barr serving as an ideal No. 2 hitter with good bat-handling skills.
Four-year starter Brandon Lopez is back at shortstop to anchor the infield defense, and gritty former utilityman Johnny Ruiz should be a solid double play partner as the starting second baseman. Morris said that switch-hitting juco transfer Randy Batista is also in the middle infield mix.
It should be a very good lineup once again, but Miami’s biggest strength figures to be its bullpen. Junior righthander Bryan Garcia, who has two years of experience as the closer, returns to the back end, and so does invaluable submariner Cooper Hammond. Lefthander Michael Mediavilla has very good stuff and is capable of starting, but Morris indicated he’d like to keep him in the bullpen if possible, because Morris has a long history of building his staffs from the back-forward. Mediavilla is a real weapon from the left side out of the pen.
And Miami should be OK without him in the rotation. Wily low-slot lefty Thomas Woodrey returns to the Friday starter spot after going 7-2, 2.88 in 103 innings last year. In between Woodrey and Cabezas, expect 6-foot-4 sophomore righthander Jesse Lepore to start on Saturdays.
“The guy that had the most impressive fall of anybody was a highly recruited guy out of high school, Jesse Lepore. He had an outstanding fall — outstanding,” Morris said. “He’s worked on his delivery a little bit, which has helped him locate a lot better. Last year he was all over the place, up a lot. He’s 91-92 with a good overhand curveball and a good changeup. So he’s got a good arm, and if he can locate and stay down, he’s very effective.”
Veterans Enrique Sosa and Danny Garcia are also back, and both are capable of serving as starters or relievers, giving this staff good depth. Danny Garcia is another key arm from the left side, with an 88-92 fastball and good breaking ball.
The big X-factor on the staff is redshirt freshman righthander Keven Pimentel, a one-time blue-chip prospect who broke his arm while delivering a pitch in high school. It has taken a long time for him to recover physically and mentally from such a traumatic injury, but he’s pitching again without pain.
“He’s pitching at 89-90 and topping out at 91-92, but he was 94 back in the day,” Morris said. “He’s working hard. He’s pitching, and got a chance to win a starting spot. His best pitch has always been his fastball, but his breaking ball’s getting better. His second pitch is his changeup, and third pitch is the breaking ball.”
So even without Suarez, Miami has plenty of options in the rotation and in the bullpen. With its firepower in the middle of the lineup, its athletic defense and its deep pitching staff, Miami figures to enter 2016 as one of the teams to beat in the ACC, along with Louisville. Now, the goal is to get back to the CWS, and win it.
