Men UConn Baseball 2023

[MarkyMark]

The UConn baseball starting lineup currently has 6 regular spots in the starting lineup with on base percentages over .400. In 2022 UConn had 5 starters with on base percentages over .400, in 2021 it was 3 starters, and in 2019 it was 4 starters.

That is a pretty amazing stat, that's for sure.

Yes, and it's interesting if you peel the onion back on the "legacy" 5 (Morton/Smitty/Padilla/Huber/Simmons). Only Huber is having a better 2023 than 2022. None of them took a big leap forward. The transfers (Studs, Dom, and Luke) really carried the offense in 2023.

Morton - Everything is down (Avg .296 vs. .411, OBS 387 vs 451) except HRs/SBs and he was hurt for part of 2022. In the fall I thought he was going to have a monster year and it never materialized. Showing signs as of late. The 10HRs and 21 SBs save his season. OF play has been inconsistent.
Smitty - OB% and SBs are better in 2023 although Avg (284 vs 307), is down YOY. He's been bounced around on defense and had the injury and I'm sure that hasn't helped. The stats that matter for a leadoff hitter are good and that's key. 35 SBs and .400%+ OBS% make it a successful year for him.
Padilla - I'm convinced anything north of .280 and is gravy and south of .280 leaves me wanting more. Pretty much having the same 2023 as he did in 2022. Steady. It's a push.
Huber - Had an excellent year with both Avg/HRs up and still has time to eclipse last year's 66 RBIs. Slight improvement in 2023 off a tough compare. HRs have been clutch too (e.g. Rutgers).
Simmons - Year essentially wiped out by injury. Never got going. Incomplete.

Quick thoughts on last weekend: Good bounceback with 2 wins. Really didn't get a lot of clarity on the SP. Sears was Sears (-), SQuigs was SQuigs (+) and it's a shame Cookie had to leave the game early. Penders said it was a cramp. If it's a cramp or spasm have to look at blood flow if that continues. Depending on Cookie's status might see Sears starting esp w/ G'Town up first and his prior success. Just a matter of how fed up Penders is. Really need to win this tournament I don't want a sweat selection Monday. The bats came alive against a decent pitching staff. Looks like he's going to ride with Tammaro and kinda have to when he's hitting .433. That leaves Daniels/Simmons as LH bats coming off the bench. RH side you're down to Hyde (assuming Garbo is catching) and Kron based on who has played this year. So if you're Daniels or Simmons get ready to face a steady diet of lefties on the mound late in games. We'll see what happens this week.

 

[dbmill]

Yes, and it's interesting if you peel the onion back on the "legacy" 5 (Morton/Smitty/Padilla/Huber/Simmons). Only Huber is having a better 2023 than 2022. None of them took a big leap forward. The transfers (Studs, Dom, and Luke) really carried the offense in 2023.

Morton - Everything is down (Avg .296 vs. .411, OBS 387 vs 451) except HRs/SBs and he was hurt for part of 2022. In the fall I thought he was going to have a monster year and it never materialized. Showing signs as of late. The 10HRs and 21 SBs save his season. OF play has been inconsistent.
Smitty - OB% and SBs are better in 2023 although Avg (284 vs 307), is down YOY. He's been bounced around on defense and had the injury and I'm sure that hasn't helped. The stats that matter for a leadoff hitter are good and that's key. 35 SBs and .400%+ OBS% make it a successful year for him.
Padilla - I'm convinced anything north of .280 and is gravy and south of .280 leaves me wanting more. Pretty much having the same 2023 as he did in 2022. Steady. It's a push.
Huber - Had an excellent year with both Avg/HRs up and still has time to eclipse last year's 66 RBIs. Slight improvement in 2023 off a tough compare. HRs have been clutch too (e.g. Rutgers).
Simmons - Year essentially wiped out by injury. Never got going. Incomplete.

Quick thoughts on last weekend: Good bounceback with 2 wins. Really didn't get a lot of clarity on the SP. Sears was Sears (-), SQuigs was SQuigs (+) and it's a shame Cookie had to leave the game early. Penders said it was a cramp. If it's a cramp or spasm have to look at blood flow if that continues. Depending on Cookie's status might see Sears starting esp w/ G'Town up first and his prior success. Just a matter of how fed up Penders is. Really need to win this tournament I don't want a sweat selection Monday. The bats came alive against a decent pitching staff. Looks like he's going to ride with Tammaro and kinda have to when he's hitting .433. That leaves Daniels/Simmons as LH bats coming off the bench. RH side you're down to Hyde (assuming Garbo is catching) and Kron based on who has played this year. So if you're Daniels or Simmons get ready to face a steady diet of lefties on the mound late in games. We'll see what happens this week.

A few more observations on some of the stuff mentioned above.

Aside from Stephen Quigley starting, at this point it is pretty hard to speculate on who might start the other games in the Big East Tourney, at least for me.

I'm inclined to think at this point UConn will get an invite to the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens in the Big East Tournament. However, certainly understand not wanting to sweat it out on Monday.

Partially due to injury to his hamstring last season Morton started in 30 out of 66 games last season. I wonder if Morton had played a full season if his batting average would have stayed over .400. To me a valid question that we will never know. Still, at times last season Morton would chase pitches that were not in the strike zone (he also had that habit when he played summer ball in Norwich a couple of years ago). The one area where Morton has improved offensively this season is that he is taking a higher percentage of walks this season.

Simmons of course missed a big chunk of this season due the hand injury he suffered early this season. Who knows where he would be if he did not get hurt.

Yup, Padilla is not all that far off offensively from where he was last season. Last season he had a terrific start when he started getting playing time, this season he got off to a pretty poor start. An interesting contrast there.

Funny thing about Smith, he is having a fairly year to what he had last season. Two differences is he is stealing a few more bases, and he has bounced back and forth on defense between 2B and the outfield. Smith was eligible for the MLB draft last season, but was not taken, which was a surprise to me. This season it seems he is being touted more for the MLB draft, even though to me he seems to be having a pretty similar season to last year.

 

[MarkyMark]

A few more observations on some of the stuff mentioned above.

Aside from Stephen Quigley starting, at this point it is pretty hard to speculate on who might start the other games in the Big East Tourney, at least for me.

I'm inclined to think at this point UConn will get an invite to the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens in the Big East Tournament. However, certainly understand not wanting to sweat it out on Monday.

Partially due to injury to his hamstring last season Morton started in 30 out of 66 games last season. I wonder if Morton had played a full season if his batting average would have stayed over .400. To me a valid question that we will never know. Still, at times last season Morton would chase pitches that were not in the strike zone (he also had that habit when he played summer ball in Norwich a couple of years ago). The one area where Morton has improved offensively this season is that he is taking a higher percentage of walks this season.

Simmons of course missed a big chunk of this season due the hand injury he suffered early this season. Who knows where he would be if he did not get hurt.

Yup, Padilla is not all that far off offensively from where he was last season. Last season he had a terrific start when he started getting playing time, this season he got off to a pretty poor start. An interesting contrast there.

Funny thing about Smith, he is having a fairly year to what he had last season. Two differences is he is stealing a few more bases, and he has bounced back and forth on defense between 2B and the outfield. Smith was eligible for the MLB draft last season, but was not taken, which was a surprise to me. This season it seems he is being touted more for the MLB draft, even though to me he seems to be having a pretty similar season to last year.

Yeah, I think one thing I underestimated with Morton is his natural baseball instincts. I feel they are a bit below average. A few examples are his baserunning, 50/50 popups where most of the time he's willing to let Padilla take charge and his CF play. He just has to think about things a bit more. Just doesn't flow to him as easily. To mostly offset this is his natural physical gifts notably his speed. Can't teach that. To your point, he's probably not a .411 hitter but should be hitting higher than .296. Probably in the lower end of that range.
Re: Smitty - Don't forget the draft is only 20 rounds now. Under the current format, a lot of Uconn guys would not have been drafted (e.g. Reggie out of high school). The old format he probably would have been in addition to Daniels. etc.

 

[dbmill]

Yeah, I think one thing I underestimated with Morton is his natural baseball instincts. I feel they are a bit below average. A few examples are his baserunning, 50/50 popups where most of the time he's willing to let Padilla take charge and his CF play. He just has to think about things a bit more. Just doesn't flow to him as easily. To mostly offset this is his natural physical gifts notably his speed. Can't teach that. To your point, he's probably not a .411 hitter but should be hitting higher than .296. Probably in the lower end of that range.
Re: Smitty - Don't forget the draft is only 20 rounds now. Under the current format, a lot of Uconn guys would not have been drafted (e.g. Reggie out of high school). The old format he probably would have been in addition to Daniels. etc.

Just saying I've heard a bunch about David Smith being taken in the MLB draft this year. For me, that is a bit hard to fathom, since he is pretty much having the same sort year this year as he did last year, plus the fact that he did not do well with the bat in summer ball last year. Smith is also another year older, something I would think would not help in being taken in the draft this summer.

Yeah, that is part of the impression I came up with about Morton when I saw him play summer ball with Norwich of the Futures League, that I was not impressed with his natural baseball instincts. Still, he has certainly shown improvement in his game from when he played in Norwich. From what I remember, he was a better defensive CF at that time than from what he showed at UConn this season.

It would be very difficult for me to forget the MLB draft is only 20 rounds now. For many years my wife and I had season tickets to the Norwich minor league team, who's last years were spent in the New York-Penn League. Many players in that league were first year pro players who had just been taken in the MLB draft. Reducing the draft to 20 rounds was part of the process by MLB in order to eliminate short season summer minor leagues such as the New York-Penn League.

 

[huskymedic]

UConn holds @ #9 in D1Baseball Top 25 Poll:

D1Baseball Top 25: Deacs remain No. 1, three teams enter rankings • D1Baseball

Auburn, Texas and Alabama enter the D1Baseball Top 25, and Wake Forest maintains its perch atop the rankings heading into conference tournament week.

d1baseball.com

Despite being quite complementary, UConn drops 2 spots to #23 in latest Baseball America Poll:

College Baseball Top 25 Rankings

Wake Forest remains atop the Baseball America Top 25 after another series win. The Demon Deacons won all 10 of their ACC series and didn’t post a losing weekend throughout the regular season.

www.baseballamerica.com

-> Previous Ranking: No. 21
Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 40-13, 15-5 in Big East (0-1 vs. Top 25)
Weekend Record: 12-0-2
Results: May 18-20: @ Creighton: L 7-6, W 6-3, W 10-0 (8)
Upcoming: Big East Tournament (Mason, Ohio)

UConn wrapped up its regular season with a series win at Creighton to both capture its third consecutive Big East regular season championship and finish with at least 40 wins for the second year in a row. It has been a great run for the Huskies, who will remain in contention to host so long as they win this week’s conference tournament. Regardless of what happens this week, UConn is on track to make the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season. <-

UConn up a spot to #10 in the USA Today Coaches Poll:

NCAA Baseball Coaches Poll | USA Today Sports

Weekly results from the USA TODAY Sports NCAA Baseball coaches poll, conducted weekly using a panel of head coaches at Division I schools.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Hookknows]

“Many times, I had to dig deep and perform. All of that adversity helped me and drove me to want to be the best.” —Hayley Wickenheiser
Stay Positive!

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[dbmill]

Interesting, 4 starting pitchers get named to the 1st team, only 1 starting pitcher gets named to the 2nd team.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

UConn @ #10 @ start of NCAA Tourney. Florida @ #2 and Texas Tech not ranked.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[dbmill]

The following players have used up all their eligibility and will not be back with UConn baseball next season.

Dom Freeberger
Ben Huber
Justin Willis
Devin Kirby

The following players were honored on Senior Day, but do have eligibility left over. Whether they are back next season with UConn baseball would depend on a few things, including being taken in the MLB draft, and for a few, probably availability of scholarship money, as well as other considerations.

Ryan Hyde
Garrett Coe
David Smith
Luke Broadhurst
Paul Tammaro
Chris Brown (did not play this season, he is in the Transfer Portal for the second straight summer)

Chris Jones said a number of times during game broadcasts that Broadhurst and Tammaro are expected back with the team if they are not taken in the MLB draft.

David Smith to me is an interesting case. Chris Jones said a number of times during game broadcasts that it is expected that Smith will be selected in the MLB draft. At first I was inclined to disagree that Smith would be drafted, as offensively he had a very similar season last year and did not get selected in the MLB draft.

However, this season Smith played a lot of both 2B and OF, and he did it very well, so he was able to show off his defensive flexibility out on the field this season. I'm inclined to think that showing that he can play all over the field and do it well in addition to his offensive production would certainly be an attractive trait when the MLB draft comes around this summer.

Assuming Smith is taken in the MLB draft, UConn would still seem to have a solid infield next season with the players they have right now who were on the roster this season. That would include Paul Tammaro, Ryan Daniels, and Bryan Padilla. Also, Maddix Dalena looks like a likely solid candidate for 1B with Huber having used up his eligibility. Of course, you never know at this point what the Transfer Portal will produce for possible transfers into the program this fall as well.

Obviously, given the Transfer Portal, it will be interesting to see who on the current roster, especially those who did not get much playing time, ends up as possibly leaving UConn baseball after this season. Also possible player(s) who did get some significant playing time could leave as well.

 

[BaseballDog]

The following players have used up all their eligibility and will not be back with UConn baseball next season.

Dom Freeberger
Ben Huber
Justin Willis
Devin Kirby

The following players were honored on Senior Day, but do have eligibility left over. Whether they are back next season with UConn baseball would depend on a few things, including being taken in the MLB draft, and for a few, probably availability of scholarship money, as well as other considerations.

Ryan Hyde
Garrett Coe
David Smith
Luke Broadhurst
Paul Tammaro
Chris Brown (did not play this season, he is in the Transfer Portal for the second straight summer)

Chris Jones said a number of times during game broadcasts that Broadhurst and Tammaro are expected back with the team if they are not taken in the MLB draft.

David Smith to me is an interesting case. Chris Jones said a number of times during game broadcasts that it is expected that Smith will be selected in the MLB draft. At first I was inclined to disagree that Smith would be drafted, as offensively he had a very similar season last year and did not get selected in the MLB draft.

However, this season Smith played a lot of 2B and OF, and he did it very well, so he was able to show off his defensive flexibility out on the field this season. I'm inclined to think that showing that he can play all over the field and do it well in addition to his offensive production would certainly be an attractive trait when the MLB draft comes around this summer.

Assuming Smith is taken in the MLB draft, UConn would still seem to have a solid infield next season with the players they have right now who were on the roster this season. That would include Paul Tammaro, Ryan Daniels, and Bryan Padilla. Also, Maddix Dalena looks like a likely solid candidate for 1B with Huber having used up his eligibility. Of course, you never know at this point what the Transfer Portal will produce for possible transfers into the program this fall as well.

Obviously, given the Transfer Portal, it will be interesting to see who on the current roster, especially those who did not get much playing time, ends up as possibly leaving UConn baseball after this season.

T.C. Simmons?

 

[dbmill]

T.C. Simmons?

T.C. Simmons was not honored on Senior Day (assume he did not graduate yet), and Chris Jones also mentioned him during game broadcasts as having another year of eligibility, and that he could be back with the team. I would love to see him back with the team, and hope he is. He is a fine defensive player, and has showed that when healthy and not coming off an injury, that he can be productive on offense. As always, we'll see what happens.

 

[hardcorehusky]

The following players have used up all their eligibility and will not be back with UConn baseball next season.

Dom Freeberger
Ben Huber
Justin Willis
Devin Kirby

The following players were honored on Senior Day, but do have eligibility left over. Whether they are back next season with UConn baseball would depend on a few things, including being taken in the MLB draft, and for a few, probably availability of scholarship money, as well as other considerations.

Ryan Hyde
Garrett Coe
David Smith
Luke Broadhurst
Paul Tammaro
Chris Brown (did not play this season, he is in the Transfer Portal for the second straight summer)

Chris Jones said a number of times during game broadcasts that Broadhurst and Tammaro are expected back with the team if they are not taken in the MLB draft.

David Smith to me is an interesting case. Chris Jones said a number of times during game broadcasts that it is expected that Smith will be selected in the MLB draft. At first I was inclined to disagree that Smith would be drafted, as offensively he had a very similar season last year and did not get selected in the MLB draft.

However, this season Smith played a lot of both 2B and OF, and he did it very well, so he was able to show off his defensive flexibility out on the field this season. I'm inclined to think that showing that he can play all over the field and do it well in addition to his offensive production would certainly be an attractive trait when the MLB draft comes around this summer.

Assuming Smith is taken in the MLB draft, UConn would still seem to have a solid infield next season with the players they have right now who were on the roster this season. That would include Paul Tammaro, Ryan Daniels, and Bryan Padilla. Also, Maddix Dalena looks like a likely solid candidate for 1B with Huber having used up his eligibility. Of course, you never know at this point what the Transfer Portal will produce for possible transfers into the program this fall as well.

Obviously, given the Transfer Portal, it will be interesting to see who on the current roster, especially those who did not get much playing time, ends up as possibly leaving UConn baseball after this season. Also possible player(s) who did get some significant playing time could leave as well.

During the post Florida press conference, Penders said he hopes this is Smitty's last game because he deserves to be drafted. To me, Smith reminds me of a switch hitting Michael Woodward, who played 2nd and CF for us.

 

[dbmill]

During the post Florida press conference, Penders said he hopes this is Smitty's last game because he deserves to be drafted. To me, Smith reminds me of a switch hitting Michael Woodward, who played 2nd and CF for us.

I had not thought of it before, but I really like the comparison between Michael Woodworth and David Smith. I really liked Woodworth when he was with UConn. Woodworth was a also a transfer into the UConn baseball program, in his case a member of the very productive Cal JUCO pipeline that UConn baseball has had over the years.

 

[businesslawyer]

Next year's lineup is obviously uncertain in many respects, but without knowing who is coming in, or who is leaving for sure, I have pencilled in the following:

C -- Garbowski
1B -- Delana
2B -- Daniels
SS -- Padilla
3B -- Tammaro
LF -- Morton
CF -- Simmons
RF -- Studley
DH -- Broadhurst

Not that some of them won't be beaten out, but that's a heck of a safety net for a starting 9 for the following season the day that a season ends. Everyone in the lineup has been an every day starter for at least a month.

The pitching, however, ....

 

[dbmill]

Next year's lineup is obviously uncertain in many respects, but without knowing who is coming in, or who is leaving for sure, I have pencilled in the following:

C -- Garbowski
1B -- Delana
2B -- Daniels
SS -- Padilla
3B -- Tammaro
LF -- Morton
CF -- Simmons
RF -- Studley
DH -- Broadhurst

Not that some of them won't be beaten out, but that's a heck of a safety net for a starting 9 for the following season the day that a season ends. Everyone in the lineup has been an every day starter for at least a month.

The pitching, however, ....

Agree, that is indeed a heck of a safety net for the possible starting lineup for next year. I will say that when I was thinking about the infield for next season, I had Daniels at 3B and Tammaro at 2B, but either way would be fine. My hope is that everyone in that possible starting 9 returns to UConn baseball next season, but it is something we will no doubt have to keep an eye on the transfer portal to be sure of.

 

[king conn]

Agree, that is indeed a heck of a safety net for the possible starting lineup for next year. I will say that when I was thinking about the infield for next season, I had Daniels at 3B and Tammaro at 2B, but either way would be fine. My hope is that everyone in that possible starting 9 returns to UConn baseball next season, but it is something we will no doubt have to keep an eye on the transfer portal to be sure of.

Maybe a little lacking in the power dept?

Going to miss Huber and his bombs for sure. They always seemed to come at key times

 

[MarkyMark]

Maybe a little lacking in the power dept?

Going to miss Huber and his bombs for sure. They always seemed to come at key times

The lineup as shown makes complete sense under present circumstances but yes will need more pop especially losing 24? HRs from Dom/Huber. I like Daniels at 2B because he will hit for more power as he progresses and that gives them an edge in the production dept at 2B relative to other teams. He also played 2B in his short stint with NB Bees. Seems like they are grooming him to be Smittys successor. They need to bring in a 3B who can hit for power then have Tammaro or whomever at SS. Tammaro isnt your prototypical 3B so need a thumper. I’d give up some avg there for power. I think the portal will again play a huge role since the lineup is too small ball as it stands today. 20 HR guys aren’t just dangling out there looking for a place to play, but still feel a lot of changes to come. Also have to see what happens with next months draft and the impact there, if any.

 

[BaseballDog]

Next year's lineup is obviously uncertain in many respects, but without knowing who is coming in, or who is leaving for sure, I have pencilled in the following:

C -- Garbowski
1B -- Delana
2B -- Daniels
SS -- Padilla
3B -- Tammaro
LF -- Morton
CF -- Simmons
RF -- Studley
DH -- Broadhurst

Not that some of them won't be beaten out, but that's a heck of a safety net for a starting 9 for the following season the day that a season ends. Everyone in the lineup has been an every day starter for at least a month.

The pitching, however, ....

Shpur will be hard to keep out of the lineup. 44 SBs and 29 XBHs in 52 games, best player on a Endicott team that made the D3 CWS for time ever.

On the pitching side. I would expect Cooke back even though he is a draft eligible sophomore. Sears should be back. S. Quigley has eligibility left. Ellison and Sullivan should be back. Coe and Afthim could be back. Abadessa will likely take a step forward.

Fogell would be a luxury in the BP if he does not go pro.

Freshmen coming in could be a factor. We have four guys slated to play in the FCBL which is a good sign that they could be factors out of the gate (Turner, Wolff, West, Galusha). Although Turner could potentially be a loss to the draft.