C
Collyn Taylor
Guest
The baseball team started its set of fall scrimmages this week with one more to come Friday (weather permitting) this week.
Fans can’t attend, but do get a chance to watch on a Facebook live stream on GamecockBaseball’s account.
The Gamecocks have a lot of new faces, so I wanted to breakdown a few guys to watch, position battles to look out for and which current players could take a big jump.
Newcomers to watch
South Carolina’s freshman class is one of the best in the country and there are plenty of guys to get excited about and pay attention to as the fall continues and spring ball starts.
Brandon Fields, who PerfectGame considered the No. 31 player in the class, headlines the class from a freshmen player standpoint. Fields has raw power and is incredibly instinctive in centerfield with plus speed for a guy who’s only 18.
The Gamecocks also have two other top 100 players on campus in Will Sanders (58) and Alek Boychuk (82) out of Georgia. Sanders has the profile of a weekend arm at 6-foot-6, 210 pounds with a mid-90s fastball and complimentary pitches to pair with it. Boychuk is a really good defensive catcher with the ability to hit for power.
As for guys outside the top 100, lefties Jackson Phipps and Mag Cotto are two pitchers who will have a chance to compete for innings early. Both are in the mid-90s on their fastballs and have a chance to be weekend arms at South Carolina.
CJ Weins is another right-hander who will be a player to watch coming out of junior college as a pitcher up to 94 miles per hour on his fastball with a legitimate chance to start.
One player I’m especially excited to see pitch is Jack Mahoney, who was recruited as a two-way guy on the mound and at short. He’s an elite arm, touching the mid-90s on his fastball, and a SEC-level defender but now it’s about getting his bat ready to hit SEC pitching.
Righty Travis Luensmann is someone the staff really liked during the recruitment process and was very high on as he got closer to getting to South Carolina. His frame (6-foot-6) gives him a lot of room to add some weight and add velocity and he’s a high ceiling kind of player.
Returners to watch
The guys obviously to really track are Thomas Farr and Brannon Jordan, two guys who are weekend arms with a chance to go in the top five rounds in the draft in 2021. Both have been in the mid-90s with their fastballs with Farr up to 97 this fall.
Andy Peters is someone I’m incredibly excited to see throw when he does this fall. Peters was a surefire top 10 rounder coming out of JUCO before Tommy John surgery sidelined him and he opted to go to school. He’s someone who struggled a little out of the gate last year in his first appearances after surgery, but had a tremendous summer getting up to 95 miles per hour on his fastball with some serious breaking stuff. If he doesn’t start, he’ll be a key piece in the pen.
Jeff Heinrich is another. The infielder hit into some seriously bad luck to start his career (he had an xAVG of .400 while hitting below .200) and started to come along before the season was scrapped.
He had a really good summer and should be in the mix at second base, third base and a few other spots.
Position battles to watch
First base
Candidates: Wes Clarke, David Mendham, Joe Satterfield
Clarke anchored that position last season and his bat will keep him in the lineup, but his position is still to be determined. Mendham, a typical third baseman, is someone who plays well there and gives South Carolina a lefty bat option.
Satterfield can play all over the infield and is a switch hitter who knows the zone well that can give the Gamecocks an option there.
Second base
Candidates: Braylen Wimmer, Jeff Heinrich, Satterfield
Heinrich turned into the starter at second late in 2019 but Wimmer has experience there as well and is a smooth defender with his size and ability. Satterfield can also rep there.
Shortstop
Candidates: Michael Robinson, George Callil, Wimmer, Jalen Vasquez
Callil is the incumbent but has competition this year. Wimmer can start there but the Gamecocks have two incoming players in JUCO shortstop Robinson and top 500 player Vasquez.
Robinson has hit at a high level in JUCO—.339/.414/.489 in his last full season—and Vasquez is an elite defender in the class.
Catcher
Candidates: Colin Burgess, Alek Boychuk, Connor Cino
No catcher is going to start every game in a season, and it’s likely both Burgess and Boychuk split time behind the plate. Both are good defensively and give the Gamecocks something at the plate. Cino, a freshman, could also play but will get some time in the outfield.
Outfield
Candidates: Brady Allen, Noah Myers, Andrew Eyster, Brandon Fields
Right now it looks like the Gamecocks have four true outfielders that can help. All three starters from last season—Allen, Myers and Eyster—return but Fields could play his way into the starting combination as well.
Josh Shuler and Wimmer could also factor in as well.
Fans can’t attend, but do get a chance to watch on a Facebook live stream on GamecockBaseball’s account.
The Gamecocks have a lot of new faces, so I wanted to breakdown a few guys to watch, position battles to look out for and which current players could take a big jump.
Newcomers to watch
South Carolina’s freshman class is one of the best in the country and there are plenty of guys to get excited about and pay attention to as the fall continues and spring ball starts.
Brandon Fields, who PerfectGame considered the No. 31 player in the class, headlines the class from a freshmen player standpoint. Fields has raw power and is incredibly instinctive in centerfield with plus speed for a guy who’s only 18.
The Gamecocks also have two other top 100 players on campus in Will Sanders (58) and Alek Boychuk (82) out of Georgia. Sanders has the profile of a weekend arm at 6-foot-6, 210 pounds with a mid-90s fastball and complimentary pitches to pair with it. Boychuk is a really good defensive catcher with the ability to hit for power.
As for guys outside the top 100, lefties Jackson Phipps and Mag Cotto are two pitchers who will have a chance to compete for innings early. Both are in the mid-90s on their fastballs and have a chance to be weekend arms at South Carolina.
CJ Weins is another right-hander who will be a player to watch coming out of junior college as a pitcher up to 94 miles per hour on his fastball with a legitimate chance to start.
One player I’m especially excited to see pitch is Jack Mahoney, who was recruited as a two-way guy on the mound and at short. He’s an elite arm, touching the mid-90s on his fastball, and a SEC-level defender but now it’s about getting his bat ready to hit SEC pitching.
Righty Travis Luensmann is someone the staff really liked during the recruitment process and was very high on as he got closer to getting to South Carolina. His frame (6-foot-6) gives him a lot of room to add some weight and add velocity and he’s a high ceiling kind of player.
Returners to watch
The guys obviously to really track are Thomas Farr and Brannon Jordan, two guys who are weekend arms with a chance to go in the top five rounds in the draft in 2021. Both have been in the mid-90s with their fastballs with Farr up to 97 this fall.
Andy Peters is someone I’m incredibly excited to see throw when he does this fall. Peters was a surefire top 10 rounder coming out of JUCO before Tommy John surgery sidelined him and he opted to go to school. He’s someone who struggled a little out of the gate last year in his first appearances after surgery, but had a tremendous summer getting up to 95 miles per hour on his fastball with some serious breaking stuff. If he doesn’t start, he’ll be a key piece in the pen.
Jeff Heinrich is another. The infielder hit into some seriously bad luck to start his career (he had an xAVG of .400 while hitting below .200) and started to come along before the season was scrapped.
He had a really good summer and should be in the mix at second base, third base and a few other spots.
Position battles to watch
First base
Candidates: Wes Clarke, David Mendham, Joe Satterfield
Clarke anchored that position last season and his bat will keep him in the lineup, but his position is still to be determined. Mendham, a typical third baseman, is someone who plays well there and gives South Carolina a lefty bat option.
Satterfield can play all over the infield and is a switch hitter who knows the zone well that can give the Gamecocks an option there.
Second base
Candidates: Braylen Wimmer, Jeff Heinrich, Satterfield
Heinrich turned into the starter at second late in 2019 but Wimmer has experience there as well and is a smooth defender with his size and ability. Satterfield can also rep there.
Shortstop
Candidates: Michael Robinson, George Callil, Wimmer, Jalen Vasquez
Callil is the incumbent but has competition this year. Wimmer can start there but the Gamecocks have two incoming players in JUCO shortstop Robinson and top 500 player Vasquez.
Robinson has hit at a high level in JUCO—.339/.414/.489 in his last full season—and Vasquez is an elite defender in the class.
Catcher
Candidates: Colin Burgess, Alek Boychuk, Connor Cino
No catcher is going to start every game in a season, and it’s likely both Burgess and Boychuk split time behind the plate. Both are good defensively and give the Gamecocks something at the plate. Cino, a freshman, could also play but will get some time in the outfield.
Outfield
Candidates: Brady Allen, Noah Myers, Andrew Eyster, Brandon Fields
Right now it looks like the Gamecocks have four true outfielders that can help. All three starters from last season—Allen, Myers and Eyster—return but Fields could play his way into the starting combination as well.
Josh Shuler and Wimmer could also factor in as well.
