ASU Baseball: Exploring 2016 storylines with season two weeks away

(Photo: Dominic Cotroneo/WCSN)

The Arizona State baseball team has championship expectations going into every season, but the road to Omaha, Neb. and the 2016 College World Series will be treacherous for second-year head coach Tracy Smith.

The tradition of Sun Devil success in the MLB Draft continued in 2015—a boost from a legacy standpoint, but a detriment to the outlook for the immediate future—as stalwarts of last season’s starting lineup were selected early enough to merit leaving school early. Pitchers Ryan Kellogg, Brett Lilek, Ryan Burr and David Graybill, outfielder Johnny Sewald and third baseman Dalton DiNatale comprise this list.

ASU also lost key contributors to graduation in starting first baseman Joey Bielek, relief pitcher Darin Gillies, plus starting corner outfielders Trever Allen and Jake Peevyhouse—Gilies, Allen and Peevyhouse were selected in the MLB Draft.

Six of the aforementioned players will leave gaping holes for the 2016 squad. Allen, Sewald and Peevyhouse made up the starting outfield for the large majority of the season; Kellogg and Lilek were consistent weekend starters for the entirety of their ASU careers; and Burr was the most dominant closer in school history finishing with 38 career saves.

And yet despite all the turnover, the Sun Devils have reason to believe they may take a leap in the offensive department this season, given the returners they boast in the infield.

Four of the top-five Sun Devils in slugging percentage, doubles and RBI from last season are returning, highlighted by junior shortstop Colby Woodmansee (.454 SLG, 18 2B, 44 RBI).

Woodmansee is part of an infield that will be the most experienced unit on the team—one that will be instrumental on both the offensive and defensive side.

Senior Jordan Aboites is expected to slide in full time at third base, and sophomore second baseman Andrew Snow hopes to improve on his impressive freshman season, during which he batted .300 with 24 RBI. Junior David Greer, who filled in tremendously (58 hits, .366 OBP) at third base when DiNatale went down with a thumb injury, will move across the diamond to first base to replace Bielek. For the third straight year, Brian Serven will suit up behind the plate, with the focus of 2016 being to build on his already-impressive draft stock.

While the infield positions seem to be set in stone, the outfield and pitching staff are full of question marks.

Replacing three extremely productive starting outfielders will not be an easy task for Smith, who might go with youth and weather the inevitable struggles early on to mold the outfield into the veteran-laden strength of the team in a year or two.

Based on observations from the first week and a half of practices open to the media, Gage Canning appears to be the frontrunner for the starting center field position. Though he possesses a less lanky and stalkier build than Sewald did, his speedy presence from the left side of the plate profiles him as an ideal leadoff hitter for 2016.

Ryan Lillard boasts the raw physical tools (he stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs 203 pounds) to have a breakout season in his sophomore year, and has been consistently pegged as the starting left fielder in early-season practices.

In right field, the race appears to have been whittled down to two names in sophomores Andrew Shaps and Coltin Gerhart. Smith has pegged Gerhart as being “in the best shape” he’s seen, and the fact that Shaps will also be relied upon in a relief pitcher role may give Gerhart the slight edge at the moment.

Incoming freshman Tyler Williams (a local from Raymond S. Kellis High School in Peoria) is a name to keep internalized as well, as he was rated the best high school player in Arizona by Perfect Game USA.

The pitching staff needs just as much overhaul as the outfield, but it’s more likely that Smith will not have to go with youth to fill the open spots.

Junior Seth Martinez, who was second to Kellogg in innings pitched with 82 2/3 in 15 starts in 2015, seems to be a lock for a weekend starter spot.

Right-handed flame-thrower Hever Bueno has been a trendy name as of late, as talk of improved command and more polish on his secondary offerings to go along with a top-of-the-line fastball makes him a prototypical Friday night starter.

Junior Eder Erives was impressive in 18 appearances last season, striking out 28 in 30 1/3 innings, and could be in the rotation of Sunday starters for 2016. This hinges of course on whether or not Smith opts to use Erives in a super-reliever role, similar to how he used Darin Gillies a season ago.

The question marks should have time to work themselves out given that ASU’s non-conference schedule is much more manageable than last year. Among the Sun Devils’ early opponents are Xavier, Long Beach State and Eastern Michigan—far less strenuous than the Big-12 gauntlet that was Oklahoma State, TCU and Oklahoma last season.

Other non-conference matchups in 2016 feature a road trip to face Cal State Fullerton—the team that spelled the demise of ASU’s 2015 season. Meiji University of Tokyo also visits Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Mar. 15. Conference play starts on Mar. 18 against Oregon State in Corvallis.

A complete schedule breakdown, featuring breakdowns of ASU’s individual opponents, will be released in the coming days on cronkitesports.com.

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