ASU Baseball 2025

[AZCB34]

The season is nearly upon us. It’s a big year for the program. New conference. Like any season, roster changes aplenty.

 

[AZCB34]

Preseason polls from Perfect Game and D1Baseball do not have ASU in their top 25. Based on those polls, they probably view ASU as the 5-7 best team in conference. Can ASU Baseball rise up like the football team?

 

[AZCB34]

Pitching, pitching, pitching. This will carry the day as it does with most teams. Potential starters:

Ben Jacobs - He is probably the top P on the roster and that is shown by his preseason 2nd team All American nod.

Jack Martinez - He has good stuff including a mid 90s fastball and a very effective slider. His walk rate is too high but opponents don’t exactly hit him hard.

Wyatt Halvorson - He had a decent freshman year last season. At times he looked dominant and other times he struggled with command and pitched like a freshman. I suspect he will be in the weekend rotation

Cole Carlon - Also a freshman last year. He came out of the bullpen most of last season with varying results. He has serious stuff and reportedlyhad a really good season playing summer ball in the Alaska league. Very promising. Kid can also hit and is/was listed as a 1B

Rohan Lettow - Reports out of fall ball ( I was unable to attend any of the games) are he did very week and might have itched himself into the starter conversation. Throws a mid 90s fastball and I heard he has a couple solid breaking pitches.

Freshman Easton Barrett and transfer Derek Schaefer are both in the conversation.

 

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Bullpen:

Always uncertain year over year but ASU brought in a couple of transfer players who had promising outings in summer ball and they carried over to fall. A couple of names to watch out for:

Lefty Sean Fitzpatrick - He doesn’t over power by any stretch but he has a funky delivery that is effective and he has that dawg in himin him.

Brok Eddy - Freshman last year who didn’t see much time until late in the year but when he did he looked quite good. Fans wondered where he had been given the inconsistency of the bullpen at times last year. Hoping he takes that next step this year. Possible closer?

 

[SeattleCardinal]

In terms of position players, Kyle Walker (from Grambling) could be a good addition, at 2B.

Kyle Walker - Baseball - Arizona State University Athletics

Kyle Walker (7) Infielder

thesundevils.com

 

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Infielders:

1B - Surprisingly, Jacob Tobias returns for his 4th season. I’m not sure how he wants scored up later in the draft nor was there an indication he was sought after as UDFA. He had a huge year last season. Hits for power, hits for average and he is a good defensive guy. A freshman (Hairston) and I suspect Cole Carlon back him up.

2B - As @SeattleCardinal mentions, transfer Kyle Walker looks to be the starter. Kid has some power and hits for average. My understanding is he has a solid glove. This was a good get for Willie. Backed up by freshman Beckett Zavorek

SS - Transfer Matt King seems to be the favorite to start there. I didn’t see any UTSA but as I understand it he is a really really good defender. It looks like he also hits for decent average. Jax Ryan backs him up. Jax got some playing time last year ABs looked good but injuries derailed his season

3B - Nu’u Contrades missed almost all of last season with back issues. This kid is the real deal. Hits for power and can hit for average. His first two seasons, in my estimation, he was very streaky at the plate. When he is on it is a sight to behold. Pound for pound he is probably the best position player B on the team. I suspect Jax Ryan will back him up and there are a couple incoming corner infielders in the mix

 

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Outfielders:

LF - Brandon Compton is the man out there. He was primarily a DH last year and hit he did. Dude was great. I understand he had a huge summer in Cape Cod which is the elite college summer league. Big things expected from him this year.

RF - Kien Vu went nuts at the plate last year and basically hit his way from backup to every day player. There is no way he can replicate last season because it was almost otherworldly. Let’s see how he fares this year.

CF - Isaiah Jackson is an enigma. Defensively he might be the best outfielder in all of college baseball. The problem is at the plate. Strikes out way too often. Struggles with the strike zone. It is difficult watching him play and knowing exactly how opposing pitchers will attack him and watching them do exactly what they want to do. My understanding is he has refined his entire swing this offseason.

Transfer Jonathan Hernandez had a big fall apparently and is pressing for playing time. Anyone struggles out of the gate and he is waiting in the wings. Haven’t seen him play so could he DH?