UConn Baseball 2021

[dbmill]

Baseball scrimmages in Storrs continue:

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[dbmill]

There are references in both of the above interviews about the excellent depth of talent that is on this team, both on the pitching staff and with the position players.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[hardcorehusky]

Got a chance to go with my best friend to see Elliot Park in person. The front gate was open so we walked up and observed - I think it was David Langer was doing some hitting off a tee. Got to talk to the CF from the 85 team(my graduation year) for a little bit as he was visiting with his Father. Had to leave before the game but man, this ballpark will be so much fun to watch a game.

 

[dairybarn]

Has anyone heard anything about a kid named Benincaso? I saw him throwing a bullpen at practice the other day and he was throwing 89-91 according to the radar gun. Then he got on catchers gear and went behind the plate for drills. Perhaps he is another transfer we didnt know about? it would be elite to have another impact 2 way.

 

[dbmill]

Has anyone heard anything about a kid named Benincaso? I saw him throwing a bullpen at practice the other day and he was throwing 89-91 according to the radar gun. Then he got on catchers gear and went behind the plate for drills. Perhaps he is another transfer we didnt know about? it would be elite to have another impact 2 way.

I just posted about this guy in another thread:

Here is an odd one. The D1Baseball.com 2020-2021 Transfer Tracker is now showing a guy named Tommy Benincaso is transferring from UConn.

2020-2021 D1Baseball Transfer Tracker • D1Baseball

The D1Baseball Transfer Tracker will be busier than ever this summer. Keep track of all the additions and destinations in one spot.

d1baseball.com

I never saw Benincaso's name on a UConn fall ball or spring roster. I did a quick internet search and found out that Benincaso has been a UConn bullpen catcher, so while he wasn't on the roster, he was definitely involved with UConn baseball. I never would have expected this, but he was interviewed for a podcast where he talked about being a UConn bullpen catcher.

The Anything & Everything Podcast

The Anything & Everything podcast is a show that covers a multitude of topics. Started by a college student, the show talks about sports, college, music, culture and much more. With everyone episode different from the other, the podcast covers a wide variety of topics and gets the perspective...

www.podcasts.com

 

[Samoo]

I just posted about this guy in another thread:

Our bullpen catcher throws 90? Talk about depth...

 

[dbmill]

Our bullpen catcher throws 90? Talk about depth...

I could be wrong, but I think once a student signs on as a bullpen catcher, you are no longer eligible to get a roster spot on the team.

Also, if anyone is wondering, I got the idea from the podcast that I referenced that Tom Benincaso is a senior this school year.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[dbmill]

If you have 42 minutes available, this is a very good interview to listen to.

Coach MacDonald talks about a number of things, including the things that UConn looks for when recruiting players, and how the new ballpark is impacting the team.

Also, he had some things to say about various pitchers on the team. First, UConn pitchers who have started in the past or show potential as starters:

Ben Casparius - He has as much talent as any pitcher who has been in the program. Of course, he still has to show it in games and over a whole season.

Joe Simeone - He had a dominant fall, after taking the summer off after hurting his back.

Colby Dunlop - In the past he has been geared into a starting role. Dunlop is being moved to the bullpen, they think he will be more effective over an inning or two and not having to worry about pacing himself as a starter. He would worry too much about getting through innings as a starter. The coaching staff really like him out of the bullpen where his stuff has been really electric.

Austin Peterson - A candidate to start, and possibly be in Storrs for just one season.

Pat Gallagher - Gallagher struggled this fall. It may take him a little time to get there (PJ Poulin is a comparison point as a guy who took some time to develop) but he has the potential to be really good.

Jimmy Wang - He has shown more control this fall. Not sure if he will end up being a starter or come out of the pen.

A few other pitchers got mentioned as well in bullpen roles.

Caleb Wurster has the closer job. Still, Coach Mac thinks there are 4 to 5 guys who could close out games for this team.

Reggie Crawford - Enormous jump in what he has shown on the mound this fall. He's looking more and more like a pitcher this fall. Coach Mac thinks Reggie has the potential to throw 100 mph.

Kenny Haus - Great fall, absolutely dominated numbers wise.

Andrew Marrero - Draft eligible after this season. He looks really good. If he eliminates some small mistakes, he could go in the draft.

 

[uconnbaseball]

I like the idea of being Rays or athletics esque and just suffocating teams with endless bullpen depth. Peterson was one of the Big 10’s best closers - if we can find 3 good starters, a back end of Wurster, Marrero and Peterson would be nasty.

Casparius, Haus, and Wang or Simeone looks like a fine rotation. Whoever pitches on weekdays will most likely dominate regional competition if they can find the strike zone (although Northeastern is always tough).

 

[dbmill]

I like the idea of being Rays or athletics esque and just suffocating teams with endless bullpen depth. Peterson was one of the Big 10’s best closers - if we can find 3 good starters, a back end of Wurster, Marrero and Peterson would be nasty.

Casparius, Haus, and Wang or Simeone looks like a fine rotation. Whoever pitches on weekdays will most likely dominate regional competition if they can find the strike zone (although Northeastern is always tough).

Judging from the most recent interview with Coach Mac, it sounds like Casparius and Simeone are probably the Friday and Saturday starters. I would guess the main competition for the Sunday starter spot is between Austin Peterson and Jimmy Wang.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[dbmill]

Sounds like Kyler Fedko is continuing what he started during the spring season.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[dbmill]

I have to admit I've been intrigued by Ben Maycock as an interesting potential power option in the lineup for what seems to be an eternity. During his various excursions in previous summer ball seasons, he has always been someone with a goodly amount of power who walks and strikes out a lot. Last season Maycock was in the starting lineup for UConn at the beginning of the season, but his excessive strikeout totals quickly drove him out of the starting lineup. If Maycock ever gets his strikeout numbers under control and make more contact, he could very well add a lot of power to the Husky offense. Of course, you can pretty much already pencil in Chris Winkel and Kyler Fedko as outfield starters. It would seem that Maycock would be competing with Kevin Ferrer and Erik Stock for the last outfield spot, and could also be in the mix for at bats in the D.H. spot as well.

 

[dbmill]

Our bullpen catcher throws 90? Talk about depth...

Thought I might toss this in here:

 

[huskymedic]

 

[dbmill]

Traditionally the last noteworthy event of the fall ball season is the gathering of the team in the cemetery at the graves of the Storrs brothers where the team captains are named for the coming season. This traditionally takes place the Friday before the Thanksgiving break. It is another piece of UConn baseball business that I always look forward to, but with the pandemic going strong, who knows if this happening will take place.

 

[businesslawyer]

I have to admit I've been intrigued by Ben Maycock as an interesting potential power option in the lineup for what seems to be an eternity. During his various excursions in previous summer ball seasons, he has always been someone with a goodly amount of power who walks and strikes out a lot. Last season Maycock was in the starting lineup for UConn at the beginning of the season, but his excessive strikeout totals quickly drove him out of the starting lineup. If Maycock ever gets his strikeout numbers under control and make more contact, he could very well add a lot of power to the Husky offense. Of course, you can pretty much already pencil in Chris Winkel and Kyler Fedko as outfield starters. It would seem that Maycock would be competing with Kevin Ferrer and Erik Stock for the last outfield spot, and could also be in the mix for at bats in the D.H. spot as well.

Stock can't be competing for a spot in the starting 9. His performance last season was way too good for him to lose his spot in practice. Stock has to be a starter (whether at 3B, DH or the outfield) unless and until he doesn't get it done in real games.

 

[dbmill]

Stock can't be competing for a spot in the starting 9. His performance last season was way too good for him to lose his spot in practice. Stock has to be a starter (whether at 3B, DH or the outfield) unless and until he doesn't get it done in real games.

Of the three guys I mentioned, I would consider Ben Maycock to have the longest odds on taking over the third outfield spot in the spring. Like I said I’ve always thought he has some interesting potential with his power and speed, but he needs to get his strikeouts under control to get out onto the field, and he hasn’t done that yet in his time in a UConn uniform. I also consider Kevin Ferrer to be a pretty interesting candidate for that spot as well. One thing to remember is that this seems to be a pretty deep UConn team both on the mound and out on the field, so there are a lot of guys who could end up playing or end up coming off the bench depending on what happens.

I’m not taking anything away from Erik Stock. He was terrific at the bat in his 8 starts in the shortened spring season. But to me 8 games in baseball is not a real long time span. Still, Stock had a big hot streak in that short time period, and that would have to count in his favor. Anyone who hits like that on a consistent basis is going to find his way out on the field. I have no idea how Stock did during the fall ball season, but from what I recall Stock did not do all that well with the bat in summer ball.

I do disagree with your seeming assertion that fall ball practice and scrimmages mean nothing. I think most coaches would say that playing time in real games is earned in practice, whether it is in fall ball or at other times of the year.

Given the depth of this team, I would think there is going to be some interesting competition for playing time in the field this spring. I’m guessing the most likely starters for the coming season would be Chris Winkel and Kyler Fedko in the outfield, Reggie Crawford at 1B (I should note that Crawford did not have a good summer at the plate either, but considering his talent and ability I would be surprised if he does not start in the spring), Christian Fedko at 2B, and Pat Winkel behind the plate. There has been a lot of praise this fall ball season for Ciarran Devenney, and from the interviews with the coaching staff that I have listened to it would seem that he is going to get some time at D.H. when he isn’t giving Pat Winkel a break at catcher.

All in all, it is going to be interesting to see how playing time sorts itself out in the spring, as there could be some real surprises. For instance, it would seem that Andy Hague with his big fall ball performance is probably the leading candidate to be the starting shortstop if and when the spring season starts, which could end up pushing Zach Bushling over to 3B.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]