2024 Texas Baseball

[Hookem2147 21342]

These lists certainly aren't gospel but do provide a good reference point:

49. Travis Sykora

87. Tanner Witt

116. Will Gasparino

143. Lebarron Johnson

233. Dylan Campbell

234. Garret Guillemette

437. Casey Borba

447. Hayden Morris

470. Charlie Hurley

521. Zane Morehouse

543. Lucas Gordon

557. Easton Tumis

[Rickylovesweed 14494]

3 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

These lists certainly aren't gospel but do provide a good reference point:

49. Travis Sykora

87. Tanner Witt

116. Will Gasparino

143. Lebarron Johnson

233. Dylan Campbell

234. Garret Guillemette

437. Casey Borba

447. Hayden Morris

470. Charlie Hurley

521. Zane Morehouse

543. Lucas Gordon

557. Easton Tumis

Borba is the one that it would be great to win. That kid can rake. 

You know I really don't understand why Campbell isn't getting more draft love either. I'm not saying he's a first-rounder but not a top 200 prospect? What am I missing? 

[Hookem2147 21342]

5 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

Borba is the one that it would be great to win. That kid can rake. 

You know I really don't understand why Campbell isn't getting more draft love either. I'm not saying he's a first-rounder but not a top 200 prospect? What am I missing? 

Not a prototypical outfielder from a size perspective. Probably closed to maxed out from a power standpoint. Will have to really hit at the next level to stick at a corner OF spot. He honestly might profile a little better at somewhere like 2B (where he played his freshman year).

Borba's dad is his head coach and is very well respected out in California. Has a lot of connections. I think the draft projections might be missing the mark with him. It happens when you have to evaluate and rank all these kids.

Edited July 4, 2023 by Hookem2147

[Rickylovesweed 14494]

2 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Not a prototypical outfielder from a size perspective. Probably closed to maxed out from a power standpoint. Will have to really hit at the next level to stick at a corner OF spot. He honestly might profile better at somewhere like 2B (where he played his freshman year).

Borba's dad is his head coach and is very well respected out in California. I think the draft services might be missing the mark with him.

I just remember this tweet from during the regionals and I was shocked to see Campbell projected outside the top 200 prospects. 

 

[UnhappilyMarried 816]

8 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

I don't really pay attention all that closely but I haven't seen much draft love about Borba. Maybe he makes it to campus. 

 

Borba is making it, but his bat doesn’t seem College ready. Wazzu/Memphis and Flores left side. Powell and O’Dowd right side. JT, Cummings, Max OF. One more bat is found money and maybe moves Powell to DH

[Rickylovesweed 14494]

10 minutes ago, UnhappilyMarried said:

Borba is making it, but his bat doesn’t seem College ready. Wazzu/Memphis and Flores left side. Powell and O’Dowd right side. JT, Cummings, Max OF. One more bat is found money and maybe moves Powell to DH

I think they're definitely swinging big for Mac Bingham. Somebody on IT mentioned that Bingham's 2 most recent follows on IG were the Texas One Fund and LSU baseball. 

It sounds like he's attempting to get paid by someone. 

[hobbes2702 13047]

34 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

Borba is the one that it would be great to win. That kid can rake. 

You know I really don't understand why Campbell isn't getting more draft love either. I'm not saying he's a first-rounder but not a top 200 prospect? What am I missing? 

He’s short

[UnhappilyMarried 816]

2 hours ago, Rickylovesweed said:

I think they're definitely swinging big for Mac Bingham. Somebody on IT mentioned that Bingham's 2 most recent follows on IG were the Texas One Fund and LSU baseball. 

It sounds like he's attempting to get paid by someone. 

The UCSB guy doesn’t seem receptive on socials. Bingham’s probably getting drafted. 
 

https://calsummerball.com/statistics/
 

Go ahead and sharpie Cummings into a top 2 spot in the order 

[Rickylovesweed 14494]

4 minutes ago, UnhappilyMarried said:

The UCSB guy doesn’t seem receptive on socials. Bingham’s probably getting drafted. 
 

https://calsummerball.com/statistics/
 

Go ahead and sharpie Cummings into a top 2 spot in the order 

Bingham is probably getting drafted but I think he's a fringe prospect to justify leaving. He may get more money to return. 

He's arguably the top player in the portal (hit .360 in the Pac 12 last season). There's no telling what he's being offered. 

 

[Hookem2147 21342]

3 hours ago, UnhappilyMarried said:

Borba is making it, but his bat doesn’t seem College ready. Wazzu/Memphis and Flores left side. Powell and O’Dowd right side. JT, Cummings, Max OF. One more bat is found money and maybe moves Powell to DH

I don’t think Borba had the best season with the bat this year. The potential is extremely high though. He’s probably not a walk in starter if he makes it to campus but he would push for playing time right away.

He can play both corner IF spots which is interesting.

Edited July 5, 2023 by Hookem2147

[chase25 2048]

Pretty tough blow for the Red Raiders

 

[Rickylovesweed 14494]

14 hours ago, UnhappilyMarried said:

The UCSB guy doesn’t seem receptive on socials. Bingham’s probably getting drafted. 
 

https://calsummerball.com/statistics/
 

Go ahead and sharpie Cummings into a top 2 spot in the order 

I'm thinking they will slot Cummings into the lead-off role. 24 stolen bases in 42 games this past season and 7 stolen bases in summer league with only limited at-bats. 

Cummings reminds me a lot of Duke Ellis which IMO is a really big compliment. 

[HenryJames 66128]

14 minutes ago, chase25 said:

Pretty tough blow for the Red Raiders

 

[Rickylovesweed 14494]

Texas Tech fans despise their pitching coach. I'm really surprised they haven't made a change with Matt Gardner. 

I'm not a huge fan of all the coaching turnover but I'll take that any day over a coach that refuses to make obvious changes that are needed. Tech's pitching development has been suspect for years (and they're landing talent). 

[Fletch 5800]

1 hour ago, chase25 said:

Pretty tough blow for the Red Raiders

 

[Hookem2147 21342]

Draft preview from OB

TLDR Version:

Probably gone- Sykora, Gasparino, Campbell, Gordon, LBJ

We'll see- Borba, Sanders, Witt, Morehouse

50/50- Guillemette

Unknown- Porter Brown

Probably coming back- Powell and Charlie Hurley
 

Spoiler

The MLB draft is quite unique when compared to the NFL and NBA. Baseball’s process is 20 rounds, occurs during the MLB season, and is all about leverage. MLB prospects often have a great amount of leverage to use over professional organizations or NIL packages that target a young ballplayer. Draft slot money is negotiated when a player is selected and unlike other sports, players often sign for notably more or notably less than the allotted slot money. Players can choose to return to school after they are selected and can now maximize earnings through the transfer portal and NIL. The players have more leverage and more things to juggle than ever, making the draft process exciting and unpredictable.

Now let’s get into the players you all care about and break down the July 9-11 draft from a UT point of view.

INCOMING SIGNEES THAT WILL GET DRAFTED:

Travis Sykora
The first sweat for Texas fans starts with Round Rock RHP Travis Sykora. Sykora can hit 101 MPH with his fastball and is the 40th-ranked prospect on MLB.com. The odds of Sykora actually making it to UT have gone from impossible to improbable. Some scouts have indicated Sykora could slip to the third or fourth round which would at least put two years in Austin on the table for the flamethrower. The reason that Sykora could slip in the draft is some hesitation about his FB shape. His fastball can be flat (no movement) at times, while the secondary stuff hasn’t fully developed yet per a couple of scouts. Of note, Sykora recently spent time on campus conducting his paperwork and physical so that he could begin training at the Texas facilities. Sykora would be a draft-eligible sophomore in 2025, so it would only be a two-year commitment as opposed to three. Still improbable, but worth mentioning and monitoring on July 10th.

Will Gasparino OF - 75th-ranked prospect
The son of Dodgers scouting director Billy Gasparino, Will Gasparino was a mainstay on the summer showcase circuit and teams have flocked to Harvard-Westlake to see the rangy outfielder. While the bat is a bit of a work in progress, you don’t often see 6’6” outfielders with the projection that Gasparino displays. He does possess raw power and an exceptionally high baseball IQ though, which makes him a very intriguing prep prospect. During the MLB Combine, Gasparino slammed the longest home run by a high schooler (418 feet) and a separate shot that registered as the hardest-hit ball by a prepster (110 mph).

Casey Borba 3B
An exceptionally mature kid from Orange Lutheran that has excelled at both the high school prep level and for Team USA. Last summer, Borba was named to the All-Tournament team as Team USA U18 won gold. Casey has an advanced bat at the plate with great patience and gap-to-gap power.

Nik Sanders - Catcher
Bit of a wildcard. Sanders is a kid that has immense potential, but there is some risk there as well. Sanders is a catcher that can really hit the ball well and as a catcher that can hit, some team could take a chance on him in hopes that he will sign.

2023 LONGHORNS TO SWEAT

Dylan Campbell (OF)
Everyone projected DC to have a breakout year for Texas and he absolutely delivered. He had a bit of a slow start, but once he got going, he REALLY got going. Some scouts consider him the best pure-hitting prospect among Lone Star State collegians. DC’s profile could be raised higher if he shows that he can play CF, but due to more experienced players in front of him, he has not had that chance at Texas. DC is ranked 171 in the latest MLB Top 250, but there is quite a bit of chatter that he could be drafted in the 4th Round, and if so, it is hard to imagine he returns for another year.

Tanner Witt (RHP)
Tanner Witt is ranked 76th by MLB.com and is perhaps the most fascinating sweat for Texas fans. Witt was on track to be a first-round pick before he tore his UCL in 2022, but a rocky return from Tommy John has the talented righty looking at a wide range of outcomes in the draft. Could a team still look at Witt and absolutely love the physical frame, the character, and the potential enough to pull the trigger in the second or third round? Yes. Could the injury and Witt’s struggles on the mound upon return scare teams off this year? Also yes. Witt has been seen as the most attainable of the major 2023 pieces that are in the draft and that hasn’t changed. This guy bleeds burnt orange, but the risk/reward proposition here is extreme in both directions.

Lebarron Johnson Jr. (RHP)
Lebarron Johnson Jr. (No. 173) could be an awesome bullpen piece for an MLB team one day. I know I would want LBJ lurking in my favorite team’s bullpen in 2027. The stuff has always been there and LBJ grew a ton on the mental side in 2023. Now is likely the best time for LBJ to maximize his leverage and there just isn’t a ton for him to gain from another year in Austin.

Lucas Gordon (LHP)
The Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and the Second-Team All-American seems ready for the professional baseball experience. While it will be an uphill battle for Gordon to reach the Majors, returning for another year would not significantly boost his draft stock and would leave him with less leverage in the future. Not to mention he would be a year older. Gordon is ranked outside the top 250 prospects due to the lack of a big fastball or a great breaking ball, but if a team is able to add velocity to Gordon’s fastball or establish a legitimate breaking ball, perhaps Gordon could make it to the bigs.

Zane Morehouse (RHP)
Morehouse is a player that perhaps a team sees the pure stuff and saves enough money to offer him over-slot money later in the draft. One of the issues with Morehouse though is the lack of leverage due to his age. Coaching staff changes could also factor into this decision…

Garret Guillemette - Catcher
All indications have been that Guillemette has his heart set on the bigs… at the right slot and price of course. The middle rounds can be tricky to predict, but somewhere in the neighborhood of rounds 7-8 makes sense for GG. In 2023 Guillemette showed the ability to drive the ball out of the park with 11 homers and he has all of the intangibles that a team could want in a catcher. There is still room for him to grow on defense and he could improve his pitch recognition against top arms at the plate with another season in college. You could make a strong case in either direction when looking at what would be the best move for him.

Porter Brown (OF)
It’s tough to put Porter Brown in this category or really any category at all. Nobody really has a read on Brown. He could give it a shot in pro ball, he might hang it up and start his career in the medical field (this guy is EXTREMELY smart), or he could come back to Texas. I wouldn’t be holding my breath on Brown returning, but this is a tough one to get a read on.

COULD HEAR THEIR NAME CALLED BUT LIKELY WILL BE BACK AT TEXAS:

Peyton Powell (3B)
Charlie Hurley (RHP)

It has been a long road for Powell to become a consistent starter at Texas. It would be a surprise for him to pass on a full season in the heart of the lineup. Hurley is very tall and has nice movement on his fastball so he can’t be ruled out, but we expect him to be back.

There wasn’t much drama in last year’s draft for Texas fans. This one is a different story. Extreme outcomes in either direction will have a big impact on the 2024 season.

 

[UnhappilyMarried 816]

Holliday eats Pierce’s lunch again

[hobbes2702 13047]

Man if Sykora slipped that would be great. I noticed his windup isn’t always consistent before delivery, not sure if it corresponds to anything they said there or potentially tipping pitches. Just seemed strange. Certainly still needs development despite the obvious big big big time arm.

[Hookem2147 21342]

If we get Powell, Hurley, Borba, Morehouse and one of Witt/Sykora on the squad for 2024, I will feel pretty good heading into the rest of the offseason. Add in Guillemette or Brown returning and things would get really interesting.

[Fletch 5800]

39 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

If we get Powell, Hurley, Borba, Morehouse and one of Witt/Sykora on the squad for 2024, I will feel pretty good heading into the rest of the offseason. Add in Guillemette or Brown returning and things would get really interesting.

Christ, getting Witt back would be epic. The amount of fun we can make of @shadow_operative2.0 would be legendary. Oh and it’d be great for the 2024 squad too 

[shadow_operative2.0 16006]

Yeah, he was fucking badass as our Friday night starter to open conference play. 

Glad we brought him back for those horrific 10.2 IP. 

[Fletch 5800]

God I admire you 

 

Yeah I definitely didn’t think he’d be a Friday dude come conference play or whatever, but was definitely expecting him to look a tad bit better than @ztejas hungover trying to pitch in the big 12 

[shadow_operative2.0 16006]

We need the draft to hurry up. 

This Sunday-Tuesday. 

[Rickylovesweed 14494]

Was it ever verified that the 3B (non P5) was the one from Memphis? Because this seems like another possibility under that description. 

 

Edited July 5, 2023 by Rickylovesweed

[Hookem2147 21342]

7 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

Was it ever verified that the 3B (non P5) 3B was the one from Memphis? Because this seems like another possibility under that description. 

 

Believe it was the dude from Fairfield who ended up at A&M.

[cochamps 1879]

The veteran players who have had their eyes on the draft for three years are more likely to leave than not, imo.  Even if they get disappointed by their draft position and bonus, if the focus has been on pro ball that usually doesn't seem to change.  

There are exceptions to that, but it is usually a big "miss" in draft slot.  Something like Tanner's injury could create that and maybe NIL could change it, but I'm reining in my expectations.

[txhorns 2409]

16 hours ago, cochamps said:

The veteran players who have had their eyes on the draft for three years are more likely to leave than not, imo.  Even if they get disappointed by their draft position and bonus, if the focus has been on pro ball that usually doesn't seem to change.  

There are exceptions to that, but it is usually a big "miss" in draft slot.  Something like Tanner's injury could create that and maybe NIL could change it, but I'm reining in my expectations.

NIL can certainly change it but the question is to what degree.  If a player gets drafted late and is set to sign for $125k then how much over that do we need to pay in NIL to get him back to campus for one more year?  For a guy like Morehouse maybe not any more considering he would have a chance to significantly increase his draft stock but someone like Gordon may need that number doubled to stick around.

[HenryJames 66128]

 

[Rickylovesweed 14494]

For those interested, Sixty-Four Analytics has a ranking system for transfers. They are really high on the Will Mercer addition (#24 overall transfer). 

Here are rankings for other names I've seen us linked to: 

Burns (#1)

Holman (#5)

Molina (#7)

Doyle (#16)-This is one of the more underrated pitchers in the portal. 

Bingham (#27)-I think that's way too low.

Hainline (#29)-I think that's way too low. 

Sundstrom (#70)

 

 

 

[Rickylovesweed 14494]

Another recruit to keep an eye on in the draft is Hayden Morris. He's going to have some teams interested. Listed as the #447 draft prospect from the post above by @Hookem2147

Hope he makes it to campus. Think he can be the midweek starter and a big arm out of the pen during conference play. 

 

[Hookem2147 21342]

Update on Witt from OB. Trying not to get my hopes up but sounds like there is a real chance. Baseball Mod followed up by saying that the NIL range Witt is wanting isn’t outrageous either.

* The MLB Draft starts on Sunday and we continue to hear that RHP Tanner Witt and the UT coaching staff remain in communication about a return for the 2024 season and what that would entail. No decision has been made, but Tanner loves Texas and it sounds like he would prefer to come back for another season. Witt’s camp is still awaiting a final NIL offer from Texas ahead of a Friday deadline that they wanted the offer by.

[troph 24870]

On 7/5/2023 at 1:23 PM, Fletch said:

Christ, getting Witt back would be epic. The amount of fun we can make of @shadow_operative2.0 would be legendary. Oh and it’d be great for the 2024 squad too 

Please don’t basketball the baseball board. 

[troph 24870]

9 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

Update on Witt from OB. Trying not to get my hopes up but sounds like there is a real chance. Baseball Mod followed up by saying that the NIL range Witt is wanting isn’t outrageous either.

* The MLB Draft starts on Sunday and we continue to hear that RHP Tanner Witt and the UT coaching staff remain in communication about a return for the 2024 season and what that would entail. No decision has been made, but Tanner loves Texas and it sounds like he would prefer to come back for another season. Witt’s camp is still awaiting a final NIL offer from Texas ahead of a Friday deadline that they wanted the offer by.

I’m assuming no one is that concerned about his recovery and that an off season behind him he can dial it back in. If so that would be a huge (get) keep. 
 

it would also be awesome if some money would show up for another big time bat and arm. Let’s make a serious run.

Edited July 7, 2023 by troph

[Js1 85424]

Woah. Out of bounds 

[shadow_operative2.0 16006]

No, it’s not.

Being that stupid still is inexcusable. 

[Hammerin Hank 1227]

7 minutes ago, shadow_operative2.0 said:

Jesus, the chick with a dick is still stupid. 

Wtf dude? Way out of line 

[shadow_operative2.0 16006]

That poster has been around long enough to know who they’re yapping at.

One would think. 

[hobbes2702 13047]

[Js1 85424]

31 minutes ago, shadow_operative2.0 said:

That poster has been around long enough to know who they’re yapping at.

One would think. 

Why do you lash out at everyone? Seriously. 

[Hookem2147 21342]

Top 55 players in Texas. 7 Texas signees. A&M has 6, Baylor and DBU have 4, TCU has 3 and Tech has 2.

#2- RHP Travis Sykora

#26- C/OF Nik Sanders

#31- RHP Hayden Morris

#34- INF/OF Dondreone Kennedy

#39- RHP Hudson Hamilton

#43- RHP Easton Tumis

#46- INF Lane Allen

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by Hookem2147

[troph 24870]

56 minutes ago, shadow_operative2.0 said:

No, it’s not.

Being that stupid still is inexcusable. 

Fuck you asshole. I was telling fletch to stop harassing you.  READ: I was standing up for you. I’m done telling folks to leave you alone. I’m done neg repping people who come at you (note it’s about the only time I neg anyone - yes I neg pretty much never and standing up for you is one of my only exceptions). You need to be banned forever. Even the worst trolls don’t talk to me like that. Congrats on making the absolute worst insult to me ANYONE on this board ever has, and doing so when I was telling someone to back off. Jesus dude. Fucking amazing.

Edited July 7, 2023 by troph

[Had Enough 2083]

For those interested, Sixty-Four Analytics has a ranking system for transfers. They are really high on the Will Mercer addition (#24 overall transfer). 
Here are rankings for other names I've seen us linked to: 
Burns (#1)
Holman (#5)
Molina (#7)
Doyle (#16)-This is one of the more underrated pitchers in the portal. 
Bingham (#27)-I think that's way too low.
Hainline (#29)-I think that's way too low. 
Sundstrom (#70)
 
 
 

Burns still is available?

He’s gotta be the guy. His stat line is crazy and great/mediocre all at the same time. K numbers are great. Walks are very good. But half his hits were for extras. His HRs really came back in line with their other starters. His ERA wasn’t great, but we’re more interested in what you can do for us than what you’ve already done.

[shadow_operative2.0 16006]

You don’t know I’m not Derka. 

[troph 24870]

Mods: I don’t think his post should be taken down. I think everyone needs to see what he said to someone who is one of his most ardent defenders. 
 

fuck him. I’m done with him.

[shadow_operative2.0 16006]

I’m not Derka, you fucking idiot. 

[troph 24870]

if you aren’t - it was an honest mistake on my part - but come on you only share the same name - and sure post like him. 

1 minute ago, shadow_operative2.0 said:

I’m not Derka, you fucking idiot. 

Fuck you. Not sure what’s more insulting you calling me a fucking idiot or calling me a chick with a dick. 

[shadow_operative2.0 16006]

Well, both are true. 

[Js1 85424]

13 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Top 55 players in Texas. 7 Texas signees. A&M has 6, Baylor and DBU have 4, TCU has 3 and Tech has 2.

#WRTS?

[Fletch 5800]

Good morning, everyone 

Yeah holy shit we need the draft to hurry up and happen 

[troph 24870]

3 minutes ago, shadow_operative2.0 said:

Well, both are true. 

You’re the asshole that has the exact same user name as Derka with 2.0 added, you don’t want to be confused for him don’t act like him.