Gator Baseball 2023 Official Roster Tracker/Lineup???

We all want the best for the Gators- but Sproat as a player and for his own development would be better off going on to the next level. He has some serious cred with the way he pitched in the last month and Regionals and sense he can succeed in pro ball. Not sure what he would gain with another year in College ball and another year ticked off the clock- it matters in MLB assessments.

 

To play Devil’s advocate, he hasn’t been to Omaha. 1 year of earnings, while potentially a lot of money, isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme if he can play in Omaha. Those memories are difficult to put a price upon.

 

This year—next year—either way I honestly see him making his living in the MLB out of the bullpen. Great arm, outstanding velo, but the lack of true command of a go to off speed pitch which is essential for MLB starters.

Absolutely wish him the best for his future in this great game.

 

87—

I agree with your points about Brandon for sure. It would be great for the Gators if he comes back, but the plain and simple truth is he’s 24 years old and if he has real desires to play pro ball his clock is running.

 

He is 21 years old and 10 months.

 

Ok, still that clock is running.

 

Yes- the clock is ticking on Sproat and in talking to MLB scouts at the ballpark- they agree age matters. He would be closing in on 23 next year- which means even with a quick rise through an organization he would be mid 20s by the time of a call up to the show. Some teams frown at that projection.

 

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Agree completely. That’s the process as I’ve always known/seen it. The pros (if you’re a college guy) prefer you in their system at 21 yoa.

If you’re a high schooler then age doesn’t matter unless the 5th grade was the best 4 years of your life….

 

I get the point BUT his slot is $670K. After taxes and agent fees, it isn’t exactly changing his life. $300-400K which he would have to live off since his MiLB salaries are rubbbish. His financial life is determined by his success at the pro level, not his draft position going forward.

So the clock to me isn’t a big deal for Sproat. 1 year won’t make or break him in terms of signing bonus. The questions I think he should ask himself is does he love college (and college baseball) and where will he develop best to improve his shot at making it in the pros?

Both are obviously personal.

He was drafted by the Mets. I don’t know enough about the Mets organization to know their ability to develop arms. Lately the Astros have been very good at it but they have also focused on international players (Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy, Framber Valdez). And of course he may not get a great team in the next draft either.

 

All good points- which is why he likely he is driving a hard bargain and wants above slot- with the way he stepped up into the spotlight after Barco went down and pitched outstanding ball in the final six weeks- it shows a lot of mental toughness and maturity under pressure-- and he wasn't pitching against soft teams. Last six starts of season-- 5-0 with a 1.59 ERA and.218 batting average against- and always pitching against the other teams' ace. Plus consistent upper 90s FB with better movement than he's shown previously. He will succeed in pro ball but a tough call for him and family at this point.

 

I truly believe what we saw in Sproat’s improvement over his last six starts of the season was the confidence, command, and control that his trusting his two-seam FB gave him to get hitters off of the four-seamer.

He got to were he only was showing his four-seamer in advantage counts up in the zone. That’s a big difference maker IMHO.

 

Fully agree and his two seamer has wicked movement now that he can trust it. If Sproat returns - and it's looking more and more likely- the Gators will have an excellent weekend rotation- Sproat- Neely and Coppola (I hope)---have Finnvold mixing pitches and driving free swingers nuts, hopefully contributions from couple of the newbies and improvement from Slater and Abner- who looked much better down the stretch- and man- we are talking a formidable staff.
Gotta score runs though-- losing Thompson and Jud hurts but Langford is a stud and Jac- well- he may be destined for a breakout year. If Halter can continue to rip as he has on the Cape. well that is not a bad threesome as your core batters. We'll see how the new guys work out in the scrimmages- some highly recruited guys coming in.

 

Ellerts still hasn’t signed… Supposedly he will but he has 48 hours to do it.

The Indians have a few unsigned but they supposedly were going to do one big reveal per the article you previously linked. However, Parker Messick was part of that and his signing has been announced. Campbell and DeLauter haven’t been though (plus Ellerts which is why I wrote this).

 

I was mentioning it solely because you included Sproat in the possible rotation. Ellerts is in the possible pen. I am curious how the body count shakes out. Does UF have enough room if Ellerts and Sproat came to campus??? I feel like UF is going to be over the roster limit.