ASU Baseball 2025
- Thread starter AZCB34
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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?
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.
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.
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?
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
Hall of Famer
In terms of position players, Kyle Walker (from Grambling) could be a good addition, at 2B.
thesundevils.com
Kyle Walker - Baseball - Arizona State University Athletics
Kyle Walker (7) Infielder
thesundevils.com
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
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?
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?
Catchers:
How do you replace Ryan Campos? You don’t. You hope and pray you can get good production at the position but you cannot replace the bat. Defensively, campus was solid but not special.
Last year, watching Josiah Cromwick all I could think is “nope”. Well, apparently during fall ball this dude went off. Also, my understanding is he was battling injuries last year that really hampered him. I hear it sounds like he is probably in the lead for starting C duties. Here is a big dude Abe if he can produce, ASU will probably find more power from C position than with Campos.
Transfer manny Garza has a bunch of starts and Brody Briggs , whom I thought was next man up, look to be backing him up but I suspect this trio may provide DH for some games.
How do you replace Ryan Campos? You don’t. You hope and pray you can get good production at the position but you cannot replace the bat. Defensively, campus was solid but not special.
Last year, watching Josiah Cromwick all I could think is “nope”. Well, apparently during fall ball this dude went off. Also, my understanding is he was battling injuries last year that really hampered him. I hear it sounds like he is probably in the lead for starting C duties. Here is a big dude Abe if he can produce, ASU will probably find more power from C position than with Campos.
Transfer manny Garza has a bunch of starts and Brody Briggs , whom I thought was next man up, look to be backing him up but I suspect this trio may provide DH for some games.
