The Florida State baseball program has certainly found its footing under Link Jarrett. The Seminoles came one win away from their second straight trip to the College World Series, something the program last did from 1998-2000. While FSU lost some key players off that team, it also returns a handful of returning contributors both on […]
The Florida State baseball program has certainly found its footing under Link Jarrett.
The Seminoles came one win away from their second straight trip to the College World Series, something the program last did from 1998-2000.
While FSU lost some key players off that team, it also returns a handful of returning contributors both on the mound and in the lineup.
Let’s get to know some of the new faces to know, starting with the position players.
Florida State brings back slugging first baseman Myles Bailey for his draft-eligible sophomore season, third-year third baseman Cal Fisher (although we’ll see if that’s where he remains positionally), a pair of rotating catchers in Hunter Carns and Nathan Cmeyla, and one starting outfielder (when healthy) in Chase Williams.
But they have to replace a stellar pair of middle infielders in ACC Player of the Year Alex Lodise and Drew Faurot along with two outfielders, Gage Harrelson and Max Williams, who were near the top of the lineup.
Link Jarrett and staff seem to have used the portal fairly heavily to supplement this lost production.
Here’s three position players who joined the team this season to keep an eye on with the season set to get underway in less than three weeks:
Outfielder Brayden Dowd
Of all Florida State’s transfer additions this offseason, Dowd has a strong case for being the most proven.
In two seasons at USC, he hit .324 with a .429 on-base percentage, 21 doubles and more walks (67) than strikeouts (65). He hit just 11 homers but that number jumped precipitously from his freshman season (one) to sophomore (10).
And considering Jarrett’s track record of helping players like Lodise, Williams, James Tibbs III and Cam Smith, among others, find more power, it’s easy to believe Dowd could have a power surge in his draft-eligible season in Tallahassee. That’s important considering the Seminoles lost over 60 homers off last year’s team.
He largely played center field for the Trojans but it seems more likely he’ll be in a corner spot with Chase Williams likely to take over in center.
Infielder Eli Putnam
Putnam brings some serious collegiate experience as a Davidson transfer, having played 128 games and made 535 at-bats in four seasons with the Wildcats.
Many of those appearances have come in the last two seasons, during which he played 107 combined games and hit .349 or better in each season with all 35 of his career home runs. There’s some swing-and-miss in his game (122 career strikeouts against 46 walks) but he’s averaged 1.43 hits per game over the last two seasons so that hitting tool should be a major asset.
With 19 homers last season, he’ll also make up for some of the boom the Seminoles will have to replace.
And with experience at first, second and third base, he provides versatility in terms of how he can be deployed defensively. He played over half his games last season at second base, making him a strong candidate to replace Faurot.
Infielder Gabe Fraser
Perhaps the biggest question to be determined in the field this preseason is who replaces Lodise at shortstop? His bat will be missed in a major way, but almost as significant a hole to fill is the defensive stability and big-play ability he provided in the field for the Seminoles.
Along with some returning players like Carter McCauley, Fraser, a sophomore Arkansas transfer, is a strong candidate to begin the season as the starting shortstop.
He didn’t play a ton as a freshman on a talented Razorbacks team, with 52 at-bats in 28 games. But he handled his opportunities pretty well, hitting .250 with a .339 OBP and more runs (14) and nearly as many RBIs (12) as he had hits (13).
He also adapted to defense well when asked — although most of his action came at second base — with a .950 fielding percentage behind two errors in 40 total chances.
It’s no guarantee Fraser is ready for a starting shortstop role given his path to Florida State. But considering he was a top-150 recruit in the 2024 recruiting class according to Perfect Game, the talent is certainly there for Fraser to win the job this preseason.
Category: General Sports
