Vanderbilt baseball preview

Here's a look at the Vanderbilt Commodores heading into the 2021 baseball season.

2020 record/RPI: 13-5 (58)

2019 record/RPI: 59-12, 23-7 SEC (1)

Coach: Tim Corbin (19th season at Vanderbilt, 753-359-1)

Rank in preseason polls: 2 (CB), 7 (PG)

Rank in conference forecasts: TBD

Last NCAA tournament appearance: 2019 (won national title)

Home field: Hawkins Field (3,700)

Left: 310 (with a 30-foot wall), left center: 375 , center: 400 , right center: 375 , right: 330

Entering 2020, the Commodores figured to have a shot at defending their Southeastern Conference and national titles from 2019.

There were always going to be challenges replacing six starters from an offense that score 578 runs. However, Vanderbilt had plenty of pitching, led by 2019 College World Series MVP Kumar Rocker and first-team All-Americans Mason Hickman and Tyler Brown. To that, coach Tim Corbin added a haul of elite high-school arms, including Jack Leiter.

And so Vandy's abbreviated 2020 season played out the way most figured.

The pitching was elite (33 earned runs, with 218 strikeouts to just 66 walks in 161 2/3 innings) and the offense and defense struggled. Corbin felt his team was coming around in those areas when Vandy posted an 11-2 win over Toledo on March 11--and then the pandemic struck and canceled the season.

Vandy lost Hickman, Brown, No. 3 starter Jake Eder and All-American third baseman Austin Martin in the 2020 MLB Draft. But the pitching staff is deep and elite, and the offense looked good in the fall scrimmage series.

There are questions, but, Vanderbilt figures to get better as the season progresses and could defend its 2019 titles.

Offense may be a concern. There's plenty of talent, though much of it unproven.

Although much of the damage was done against first-year arms, the Commodores pounded out 39 runs in a three, seven-inning fall scrimmage games. In those games, Vanderbilt showed it could manufacture runs hitting the gaps with line drives or clearing the fences, or manufacturing runs with bunts and speed on the base paths.

But translating that to January and February scrimmages has been an issue. Whether that's the lineup not being up to standard, or a product of hitters facing one elite arm after another in practice remains to be seen.

Vandy's most talented offensive player is outfielder Isaiah Thomas, a likely top-100 pick in the 2021 draft. Thomas has speed and power and could be one of the country's most dominant offensive players. But like many on the team, making consistent contact has been an issue.

The 'Dores should have power beyond Thomas. Dominic Keegan and Tate Kolwyck have shown plenty of power in practice but that needs to translate to games.

The Commodores also have speed, with Thomas, Cooper Davis and Enrique Bradfield composing maybe the fastest outfield in college baseball. Davis, a career .328/.424/.413 hitter in 201 at-bats, started in left in 2019 until an injury knocked him from the lineup

Infield defense was an issue in fall scrimmages, but shortstop Carter Young is an elite defender who started every game and made just two errors as a freshman last year.

Either Young or catcher C.J. Rodriguez should hit second. Rodriguez has elite contact ability and is a plus defender, but needs to drive the ball more than he has.

Parker Noland appears to be ahead of Jayson Gonzalez in the battle at third. Noland is a gap-to-gap hitter with solid contact skills who's solid defensively despite an odd throwing motion.

Freshman Jack Bulger appears to have moved ahead of a pack of players competing for time at DH. He's a good hitter with a chance to become a great hitter, and is another gap-to-gap hitter who can eventually be a double-digit home run hitter.

Several reserves have potential to claim a job.

Gonzalez--who's never been able to get consistent playing time--was one of the top power-hitting prospects when he arrived on campus in 2018.

Max Romero, who'll catch some, opened eyes by blasting a pair of homers in the fall scrimmage opener, one clocking 113 mph off the bat.

Outfielder/first baseman Spencer Jones, a two-way player who's been considered a top-five-overall-pick talent at times, should have a role if he's healthy, but that's the question. Jones has had two elbow injuries that have prevented him from pitching and limited his role otherwise. Jones didn't play in the fall and didn't pick up a bat until Feb. 1, but the 6-foot-7, 225-pounder is skilled with the bat and surprisingly fast and could start at some point this year.

The Commodores likely have the best weekend rotation in America, and potentially the best overall staff as well

Rocker is the headliner. The favorite to go first overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, Rocker dominated as a freshman and sophomore with just a mid-90s fastball and a slider in the mid-to-high-80s. Rocker's working on a change-up that we should see in games this spring.

Leiter has the potential to be nearly as good as Rocker, and throws five distinctly different pitches Leiter was touching 96-97 with his fastball in the fall and the draft-eligible sophomore could go in the top five of the '21 draft.

Ethan Smith would be the Friday starter for most teams, and was expected to be Vandy's Sunday guy this year. But the coaches like Smith in the closer's role, where he's got a chance to dominate with his mid-90s fastball, mid-80s slider combination.

Smith's move makes Thomas Schultz the third starter, and the talented second-year player showed both the talent and endurance last year that suggests he can handle that role now.

Vandy's mid-week starter last year can dial the fastball up into the high-90s and adds a good slider/cutter to it. He's struck out 70 hitters in 52 collegiate innings.

The Commodores have three other second-year players who were outstanding in their one-month seasons in 2020.

Sam Hliboki has the stuff, stamina and control to start, and begins the season as the best non-closing bullpen option.

Luke Murphy was supposed to help in 2020, but never found his feel for pitching after missing the 2019 season due to Tommy John surgery. Murphy dominated in a fall series showing, alternating a fastball that sat 92-96 with a high-70s curve, and left fall as the favorite to close. Murphy carried some of that dominance into February, but has to attack and find the zone more consistently.

Hugh Fisher--a key set-up arm in 2019--returns. Fisher, whose fastball/slider combo had him regarded as a first-round talent at one point, didn't pitch in the fall series and has always had control issues, but is capable of dominating games. Fisher's touched 97 this winter but command can still be an issue.

Michael Doolin was rated higher than Hliboki or Schultz coming in. Doolin had trouble finding the strike zone (he walked or hit eight batters in 10.1 IP) but should be another key weekend relief option when healthy.

Another second-year right-hander, Chris McElwain (4.82 ERA, 9.1 IP, 7 Ks, 4 BB) has a three-pitch mix and will also pitch key weekend relief innings.

Nick Maldonado took a huge leap forward this winter and is probably the favorite for mid-week starts. But Maldonado, a four-pitch strike-thrower, could also be used in weekend relief.

The wild-card is Christian Little, whom MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo rated as the No 5 player for the 2021 draft last summer. Little instead enrolled at Vanderbilt in January and while the talent is evident, Little needs to build stamina and should begin the season in a relief role.

The Commodores have a number of first-year freshmen who could contribute. Two-way player Grayson Moore has drawn some comparisons to Hickman and will get innings in some role this year. Lefty Nelson Berkwich could be used to get outs against left-handers due to a three-pitch mix and a funky delivery that keeps hitters off balance.