Lineup and Pitching Staff Preview
The season gets underway tomorrow at 3 p.m., so here's a comprehensive look at the Eagles' 43-man roster
Three hundred and forty five days later, Boston College baseball is finally back (almost). The Eagles take on Charleston Southern tomorrow at 3 p.m. in the first of a three-game set against the Buccaneers, marking the start of what is sure to be an eventful 2021 campaign.
With three preseason All-Americans—two of which are on the Golden Spikes Watch List—and a deep lineup, expectations are sky-high for BC and head coach Mike Gambino. Chosen as a tournament team by both Baseball America and D1Baseball, the Eagles are projected to be one of potentially 10 teams in the ACC to make the NCAA Field of 64. The offense will likely be one of the most potent in the conference, and the team returned almost its entire pitching staff.
“It’s a fun, exciting lineup,” Gambino said. “We had some lineups early on where we didn’t have a lot of speed or a lot of power, but now we have a lineup that has a tremendous amount of speed and power.”
Here’s a complete look at the projected lineup, rotation, and bullpen:
CATCHER
4 — Number of catchers on the expanded roster.
Junior Peter Burns returns for his third season as the Eagles’ primary backstop while earning a nod as one of three captains. While the left-handed hitter has had a tough time at the plate through his first 40+ college games, posting a .213/.339/.298 slash line, he showed some pop in the shortened season with five extra base hits (two home runs) in just 32 at bats. Still, Burns’ value to BC’s pitching staff behind the dish is where he brings the most to the team. “He just gives us so much that would never end up in the stat sheet,” Gambino said. “An analytics crew will never be able to put numbers on what he does for the pitching staff.”
Burns is joined on the depth chart by a trio of players: Graduate transfer Sean Harrington (Babson), sophomore Parker Landwehr, and newcomer Brendan Roney. Landwehr saw some time last year, making four appearances and a start, while Harrington brings a trove of experience. Another left-handed bat, Harrington was a four-year starter with the D-II Bobcats. He showed tremendous patience at the plate (18.7 BB% vs. 9.2 K%) and had a nearly .500 on-base percentage over 540-plus at bats. It doesn’t hurt that he made a run to the D-II College World Series with Babson and also had a stint on the Cape.
FIRST BASE
9 — Number of multi-hit games for Jack Cunningham in 2020, tops on the team.
What’s next for Jack Cunningham? With each passing season, the 6-foot-2 product of South Riding, Va., has stepped up his offensive production. A former two-way player who pitched his freshman year, Cunningham has grown at the plate and turned into yet another dangerous bat in the BC lineup. After just 24 at bats his freshman year, Cunningham was a full-time starter as a sophomore and hit just .243/.340/.295 with nine doubles. He took a leap as a junior, raising his batting average by 30 points and piling up 23 extra base hits—including nine home runs. Then, his season numbers were off to a gaudy start in 2020 as he piled up 25 hits in just 15 games. Cunningham is expected to do big things again for BC this year while providing his usually strong defense at first base. “He’s one of the best hitters in our league,” Gambino said. “He was going into last year as one of the top first baseman in the country.”
SECOND BASE
5 — Games with multiple RBIs for Luke Gold as a freshman.
Luke Gold started all 15 games his freshman year—10 of those at second base—and it’s his job out of the gate in 2021. He showed typical growing pains, posting a 28 percent strikeout rate, but also had five extra base hits and logged four multi-hit games. Gambino has high hopes for the sophomore who is expected to bat in the middle of the Eagles order. “The power was always there it was just a matter of getting it to be consistently usable—can he drive the ball to all fields, can he handle the breaking stuff, can he handle the outer half,” Gambino said. “Those were things that he needed to show at the beginning of his freshman year and he’s showing he can do that now.”
Other middle infielders include Lucas Stalman, who spent his first two years in a utility role, and Vince Cimini. Stalman posted a .375 on-base percentage in 65 at bats as a freshman, but struggled out of the gate with just three hits in 2020 amidst five starts at second. He also played in the outfield and has been used as a designated hitter. “He’s a really good utility guy who gives us a ton of different options,” Gambino noted. Cimini, a year younger, only saw 11 at bats last year but could provide above-average defense at any of the three infield positions.
SHORTSTOP
163 — Number of career games started for Brian Dempsey, more than the average length of an MLB season.
Consistency has always been key in Gambino’s middle infield, and Brian Dempsey is a prime example of it. Should he start every game this season—as he has the last two seasons—he’ll enter the postseason just five shy of Jason Delaney’s (2002-05) program record of 218 games played. Dempsey is an extremely well-rounded player, hitting for average while turning in near-spotless defense. He committed just one error in 15 games last season while hitting .339 (13-for-56).
THIRD BASE
No. 1 — Cody Morissette’s rank on D1Baseball.com’s Third Baseman preseason power rankings
Cody Morissette has enjoyed a meteoric rise since arriving on the Heights, rising up draft boards with back-to-back impressive seasons. After hitting .320 as a freshman while playing second base, Morissette seamlessly moved over to the hot corner last year and remains there. A career .346/.402/.512 hitter, Morissette ended last year on an 11-game hit streak with seven multi-hit games. “He’s in the conversation for the best pure hitter in the country,” Gambino said of the former three-sport athlete.
OUTFIELD
No. 17 — Sal Frelick’s rank in the Baseball America Top 200 MLB Draft prospects.
The anchor of this lineup is BC’s highest-ranked prospect Sal Frelick. The junior can hit for average, hit for power, play plus defense in the outfield, and has wheels on the basepaths. Described by Baseball America as a “day one caliber prospect and at the top of a strong Northeast region in 2021,” Frelick will man centerfield for the Eagles and aims for a full season after seeing his 2019 campaign cut short due to injury. “He might be the fastest guy in our conference,” Gambino said. “But he can also really, really hit and hit for power. He’s one of the most electric kids going into the draft.”
The rest of the outfield features fourth-year player Dante Baldelli and Chris Galland, who’s back after taking last season off due to personal reasons. Baldelli has 124 starts under his belt, thanks primarily to his strong defensive ability. He’s struggled offensively (a career .213 hitter with a .326 on-base percentage) but if he can get on base, he’s a base-stealing threat with 36 career stolen bases. “With Dante, you’re getting an elite defender,” Gambino said. “And a guy who can really run and has had a lot of college at bats.”
Galland, meanwhile, was an All-ACC Freshman Team selection back in 2018. He boasts 45 career stolen bases in just two seasons, gets on base at a .376 clip, and has some gap power with 16 doubles and five triples in his career. Freshman Cameron Leary figures to play a prominent role in the outfield, too. “He can be a really good player here,” Gambino noted. “He can really hit and he’s going to help us in our outfield.”
Other players to keep an eye on are Barry Walsh and Daniel Baruch, a pair of sophomores, and freshman newcomer Travis Honeyman.
DESIGNATED HITTER
No. 19 — Joe Vetrano’s rank as a lefthanded pitcher in Perfect Game’s Class of 2020 rankings
A pair of 6-foot-3, 220-pound sluggers will likely round out the lineup—lefthanded hitting freshman Joe Vetrano or a righthanded bat in Ramon Jimenez. Vetrano, a two-way player who will also see time on the mound, is a highly-regarded freshman who should earn plenty of playing time. His pop off the bat has caught Gambino’s eye. “To use a comparison, it’s like having (former BC first baseman) Chris Shaw when the ball comes off his bat,” the coach said. “He’s hitting balls to places that guys don’t usually get too.”
Jimenez, meanwhile, earned seven starts in 2020 and has nine extra-base hits in 20 career games. The first baseman has a career 37.3 K% and a low on-base percentage but will look to take a step forward this season. Gambino highlighted him as another potential big power bat.
STARTING PITCHING
Friday: Mason Pelio
Saturday: Emmet Sheehan
Sunday (TBD): Joe Vetrano, Alex Stiegler
The Eagles have a varied group of starters, featuring an All-American, a high-upside Saturday starter, a two-way player in an opener role, and an Ivy League graduate transfer with a lengthy track record. Mason Pelio is the headliner, as he would be on most teams throughout the country.
Pelio throws in the upper 90s with a plus changeup and can mix in a curveball and a slider. He enters this year having made just 17 career starts thanks to the shortened season, but the hype around him is huge. The junior held opponents to a .194 batting average against as a freshman, striking out 62 in 72 innings, then was banged up a bit more in four starts last season (posting a 5.17 FIP) but is gearing up for a big season.
Saturday games belong to Emmet Sheehan, a righthander with plenty of potential who Gambino has been patient with as he continues to develop. Standing 6-foot-5, Sheehan has struggled with command in his two years with the Eagles (34 BBs, 36 Ks in 28 1/3 innings) but has the clear raw talent to potentially dominate.
“Emmet has made great strides—his stuff has always been electric,” Gambino said. “He had to grow with his body. As he learns to harness it, it’s special and it’s fun to watch.”
Finally, the third rotation spot seems likely to shuffle around some. Southpaw Joe Vetrano is getting the nod this weekend against Charleston Southern, but is likely serving as an opener for Alex Stiegler or starter-slash-reliever Joe Mancini (see below). Vetrano, as discussed earlier, is a two-way player who throws the low 90s and has a good breaking ball. Stiegler, meanwhile, arrives from Yale with a career 4.17 FIP across 22 starts and 152 innings pitched.
“He’s going to be a huge piece of our rotation this year,” Gambino said of Stiegler. “He can really, really pitch and he’s tremendously competitive. He works quickly and throws strikes.”
RELIEVERS
Closer(s): Joey Walsh, Max Gieg
Key relievers: Samrath Singh, Charlie Coon, Joey Ryan, Johnny West, Michael Marzonie, Joey Mancini, John Campbell Jr.
Depth: Brian McMonagle, Nick Couhig, Brad Lombardi, Travis Lane, Zach Pitzl, Ryan Smith, Jake Krzemienski, Will Hesslink, Aidan Crowley
With a 43-man roster, you’re going to have a lot of pitchers. What makes the Eagles unique is just how many of these pitchers are either incoming freshman or haven’t had a chance to throw a lot of innings at the collegiate level. It’s going to be interesting to see how this group develops as the season progresses, as well as how Gambino and Alex Trezza utilize them.
Three experienced arms are Joey Walsh, Michael Marzonie, and Joey Mancini. Walsh is an elder statesman in the bullpen, having made 54 appearances over three years, and a favorite of Gambino’s in high-leverage situations or late innings. A “premium bullpen arm” in his head coach’s words, Walsh will be looking to cut back on walks (1:2 K/BB ratio in shortened season) and firmly establish himself as a closer type. Marzonie only has 17 appearances under his belt after an injury cost him his freshman season and he was out the second, but he turned in four scoreless outings to close 2020 and will be a useful middle-inning arm. Mancini has started and relieved during his BC career—he was the Sunday starter last season—and will likely do a little bit of both this year. “He’s shown he can have success in the ACC,” Gambino said. “This year is about more consistent success at this level, but he’s shown he can do it.”
The next group of pitchers are those who’ve worked their way back from injuries and are ready to assume large roles in 2021. Samrath Singh, a redshirt sophomore, underwent Tommy John surgery after his senior year in high school and had finally made his way back when the season ended last year. Singh made a single appearance in 2020 and threw a scoreless frame, and Gambino is excited to have him back. “He was awesome in his first outing,” he said. “You get a lefthander at 90-94 with a really good breaking ball, and he’s going to be a really good piece in our bullpen.”
Another pitcher recovered from an injury is Max Gieg. The 6-foot-5 righthander didn’t play in 2020 but is expected to join Walsh in the backend of the bullpen. One of three pitchers on the staff that’s throwing in the upper 90s, Gieg was pegged as “a fun one to watch” who has a “a big arm with premium stuff.”
There’s a trio of freshman that figure to factor into the middle innings as well. Former basketball standout John West stands a towering 6-foot-9 and has a lot of upside on the mound. Charlie Coon is a southpaw who has a three-pitch mix, while Joey Ryan—a talented hockey player as well—should factor out of the bullpen as well.
Other names to know include Jon Campbell Jr., a former two-way player who has committed to the mound; Travis Lane, who missed 2020 due to injury; Ryan Smith, who made five appearances last year; and Brian McMonagle, who also had five relief outings.
Images Courtesy of BC Athletics