After having its season shortened due to COVID-19 and losing five of arguably its most talented players in the 2020 MLB draft, the ASU baseball is at a crucial developmental stage.
But almost a month into their annual fall camp, ASU baseball head coach Tracy Smith and the rest of his staff aren’t too concerned about the potential of their revamped roster.
“I think we’re going to be a different team,” Smith said. “You can create a different identity with a variety of different skill sets and I think we’ve done that. I like what I’ve seen defensively and offensively.”
ASU managed to bring in a top-10 recruiting class for the fourth time in the last five years to help replace the losses of Alika Williams, Gage Workman, RJ Dabovich, Trevor Hauver and the No. 1 overall pick, Spencer Torkelson to the MLB Draft.
So far, the class has received no shortage of praise from the coaching staff.
“I think it’s a really good and balanced group,” said Sun Devils recruiting coordinator Ben Greenspan. “We think this is going to be a really good class over the course of the next few years.”
Among others, ASU managed to bring in freshmen, including Jack Moss and Ethan Long, who have already made an impact this fall.
Hitting coach Michael Earley has raved about Moss’ routine in the batting cage and at the plate this fall.
“His routine and day-to-day preparation is of someone who has been here for five or six years,” Earley said. “He has a chance to be a star here one day, one of those mainstay guys. Jack has a lot of ability and a knack to hit.”
Moss, who hit .49 with 31 RBIs during his junior year of high school, might have some meaningful at-bats next spring, much like how Nathan Baez and Brian Kalmer were utilized this past season.
The Sun Devils also added a group of transfers that includes former Xavier slugger Allbry Major and Auburn’s Conor Davis. Kai Murphy, son of former ASU head coach Pat Murphy, is transferring in from Oregon State as well.
Murphy was recruited to primarily be a left-handed pitcher with the Beavers, but this fall, he has seen lots of reps in the outfield and at the plate. He threw 4.1 innings during his freshman year with Oregon State and didn’t log a single at-bat. Smith believes Murphy can be a valuable piece in the field and at the plate.
“When we were exploring the option of allowing Kai to come here and be a part of the program, we were probably looking at him as more of a pitcher,” Smith said. “If you were going to make me make a decision, I’d say he’s probably going to help us more as a position player.”
The returning group has also drawn quite a bit of attention. Redshirt junior shortstop Drew Swift has taken the reigns as one of the leaders in the clubhouse and on the field after a very strong season in the spring.
Before the season’s abrupt end, Swift was just getting into a groove, finishing with a .365 average and logging his first collegiate home run.
Swift has continued to improve over the course of the fall and has grown into a leadership role.
“The influence he has had on our team has been beyond anything I’ve seen in college baseball,” Smith said. “He literally is like another coach on the field. He’s helping and teaching the young guys that surround him.”
Redshirt freshman outfielder Sean McLain is another player that has noticeably improved since his injury-riddled freshman year. The California native was initially supposed to be ASU’s starting centerfielder before he suffered a hand injury that limited him to five games in the spring.
Since then, McLain has not only recovered, but has made significant strides in his game offensively.
“The ball just sounds different off his bat,” Earley said. “I think he’s hit three or four home runs this fall. Other than that, he’s spraying balls the other way and he causes havoc on the bases.”
The Sun Devils relied on the home run a lot over the past two seasons, hitting a combined 20 in 17 games last season and 94 in all of 2019. While the Sun Devils aren’t as powerful as they once were, the hitters have embraced their new identity as a scrappy, small ball heavy lineup this fall.
“We met early on and I was real honest with the guys and I said, ‘I don’t think there’s anyone on this team that’s gonna hit 20 home runs,’” Earley said. “Our motto is that we’re gonna throw jabs and then we’ll throw those knockout punches when they come. I think we’re gonna be pretty relentless one through nine.”
While the offense continues to mold its new style, the pitching staff has continued to build off their successful campaign from this past spring. Aside from Dabovich, the Sun Devils have maintained the rest of their pitching staff from last season.
Redshirt sophomore left-hander Erik Tolman has added some extra velocity to his fastball and is now sitting in the mid-90s. Redshirt junior Brady Corrigan has developed a curveball to help compliment the rest of his repertoire.
Redshirt sophomore right hander Tyler Thornton has also made massive strides after a solid 2020 season. In four starts he recorded a 3.38 ERA over 24 innings, while surrendering an opponent's batting average of .227. Second-year pitching coach Jason Kelly considers Thornton to be in the mix for the Friday night starter role next spring.
“He’s in that group of four that are competing for those spots,” second-year pitching coach Jason Kelly said. “He was really good in his last outing and his velocity was up. He does things that are hard to put on paper.”
Kelly also expressed confidence in the back end of the bullpen even after losing his hard-throwing closer in Dabovich. Dabovich recorded four saves and posted a 0.77 ERA in his final year at ASU.
“I think there could be four or five guys back there,” Kelly said. “I think we’re gonna let it play out the rest of the fall and we’re gonna have some competitive maroon and gold intrasquad (scrimmages) over the next two weeks. I think the best-case scenario for us as a team is if we have five guys with four or five saves.”
The Sun Devils will continue to practice and scrimmage over the next couple of weeks before they look ahead to the start of their season in February. While the roster looks much different than it has in past seasons, the coaches said they are still very pleased with the product they have seen this fall.
Reach the reporter at cabradl4@asu.edu and follow @colebradley01 on Twitter.
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