2004 Hurricane Baseball Prospectus
Jan. 22, 2004
Miami skipper Jim Morris will experience a first in 2004 after 26 years as a head coach – as his entire starting lineup and bullpen return after a trip to the College World Series last season.
“I’ve never had the entire starting lineup, rotation and bullpen all coming back – It’s definitely a plus,” Morris said. “When we won the national championship, we had veteran players, and you need veteran players that understand how to get to Omaha and how to win when you get there.”
Fifth-year senior Jim Burt was the lone player selected in last June’s Major League Draft (35th round by the Toronto Blue Jays), but decided to return to help the Hurricanes in a quest for their third national championship in the past six years.
The veteran leadership has not gone unnoticed by the prognosticators. Miami is a preseason co-No. 1 by Collegiate Baseball and ranked third by Baseball America.
Miami’s squad features five seniors led by Burt, last season’s staff ace J.D. Cockroft, second baseman Adam Ricks, All-American closer George Huguet and left-handed relief specialist Andrew Cohn.
Individually, Miami is led offensively by 2003 Baseball America National Freshman of the Year Ryan Braun. He is coming off a record breaking freshman season where he broke Pat Burrell’s freshman RBI record, finishing the season with 76. Braun also led the team with a .364 batting average, 17 home runs and 88 hits. He is a preseason second-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and a third team choice by Louisville Slugger.
Fellow sophomore Gaby Sanchez also landed preseason All-America honors, being named to the third team by Baseball America.
On the mound, Cockroft was a second-team choice by the NCBWA in 2003 after going 11-3 with a 2.72 ERA. He begins the 2004 season as a second-team All-American by Louisville Slugger and a third-team choice by the NCBWA.
This year’s senior class is the last to have walked off the field at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb., as national champions. With their leadership, the 2004 Hurricanes have only one goal in sight — their fifth national title.
“The leadership on this team is important because all these guys believe they can win,” Morris said. “They went to Omaha last year and they know that they should go again.”
Anything is possible for a team that played with such chemistry and passion last season, finishing the season ranked fifth nationally. UM began the 2003 campaign anywhere from 20th in the polls to unranked.
“I think team chemistry is important,” Morris said. “It seems like the teams that we’ve had that have made it to Omaha are very close. It is very important for the guys to be together and pull for each other, helping each other through good times and bad times.”
The 2003 trip to Omaha for the Hurricanes was unexpected and short, but it provided this group of young men a taste of what playing and winning in college baseball is all about.
Erick San Pedro stepped in early last season and laid claim to the starting job behind the plate. He enters the 2004 season as an All-American and Johnny Bench Award candidate, and is the Hurricanes only proven catcher.
“Erick didn’t come in as highly touted as some players, but won his position by working hard,” Morris said. “He’s probably the most improved player on our team through last year and this fall. He is a very solid player for us and a good pro prospect.”
His receiving skills and strong arm were a known commodity coming into last season, but his consistency at the plate is what surprised coaches. San Pedro finished the season with a .317 batting average, 13 doubles, four home runs and 43 RBI.
He sports one of the strongest throwing arms in college baseball, setting a UM position record with 12 pickoffs last season, while throwing out 15 base stealers.
Behind San Pedro Miami will search for answers early in the season. Second baseman Adam Ricks will serve as UM’s backup catcher as freshman Eddy Rodriguez adjusts to Division I baseball.
Junior college transfer Brendan Katin can also fill in behind the plate, but will spend most of his time in the outfield.
Miami is deep and talented in the infield with a mix of both veteran leadership and exciting young talent. The depth also provides Morris with great versatility among his infield, giving UM many different looks.
Burt anchors the Hurricanes at first base. He started all 63 games there last season, providing Miami a reliable target. Burt hit .286 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI last season, while sporting a .993 fielding percentage.
Another senior in Ricks occupies second base. One of the smartest and most consistent ball players out there, Ricks hit .328 last season with four home runs and 55 RBI.
“He’s a winner,” Morris said of Ricks. “He does whatever it takes to win the game. He knows how to play the game. Adam is a guy that could start a second base, third base or catcher and I wouldn’t be worried.”
Miami boasts the reigning Baseball America National Freshman of the Year at shortstop. Braun moved to shortstop midway through the 2003 season and solidified the position.
Sanchez returns for his second year as UM’s starting third baseman. Although he struggled with the glove in 2003, he was outstanding at the plate, hitting .328 with seven home runs and driving in 56 RBI. Sanchez will be backed up by Ricks at third base.
Both Braun and Sanchez muscled up heading into the 2004 season, adding roughly 15 pounds of muscle to their frames.
Paco Figueroa figures to play an important role in the middle infield for the Hurricanes. He struggled at the end of last season, losing his starting job to Braun, but had a great summer in the Cape Cod League and a tremendous fall. UM coaches expect him to challenge for a starting spot at either shortstop or second base and can also play the outfield or designated hitter.
Joey Hooft is another of the talent middle infielders that Hurricane coaches will find a place for on the field. Hooft started the last third of 2003 in left field, hitting .373 with 47 hits in 126 at bats. Hooft could see time at second base, left field or at designated hitter.
“Joey had a solid year last year playing left field,” Morris said. “He played really well this fall at second base and was probably our MVP of fall practice.”
Roger Tomas is a talented freshman that could see valuable time as a backup this season.
The Hurricanes return four outfielders that saw extended playing time last season and an exciting freshman that will jump right into the mix.
Early on, Miami will be without the spark at the top of the lineup. Danny Figueroa will miss at least the first month of the season recovering from offseason “Tommy John” surgery.
Figueroa hit .325 a year ago with 40 stolen bases and a team-high .460 on-base percentage.
Junior Brian Barton will patrol center field for Figueroa until his return. Barton made 57 starts in right field for Miami last season, hitting .325 with seven home runs and 53 RBI.Junior Richard Giannotti has all of the tools to be an outstanding player for UM and will get the nod in right field. Giannotti started 29 games in left field and at designated hitter in 2003, but had a difficult time staying healthy. He underwent offseason shoulder surgery and is back to 100 percent and expected to have a breakout year.
True freshman Jon Jay opened the coaches’ eyes during fall practice and heads into the spring slated to start in left field with Danny Figueroa still sidelined.
“He can lead off or hit second in the order, he gets on base and hits the ball hard,” Morris said. “He’s a solid guy that plays the game hard every pitch. Jon’s a quiet guy; I don’t remember him saying 10 words this fall.”
Junior college transfer Brendan Katin will also see significant playing time in the outfield. Katin sports outstanding power and could also DH for the Hurricanes.
Miami returns one of its deepest and strongest pitching staffs in recent history. Not only do all three of last season’s starters return (J.D. Cockroft, Vince Bongiovanni and Brandon Camardese), but UM gets the benefit of the return of 2002 ace Dan Touchet. He was lost only three starts into last season to Tommy John surgery.
Cockroft more than just filled in last season, he carried the Hurricanes’ pitching staff. Making the move from the bullpen at the end of February, Cockroft compiled an 11-3 record and a 2.72 ERA in 119 innings of work. His performance earned him the Ron Fraser Award for the second straight season. The crafty left-hander changes speeds well with a devastating change-up.
Vince Bongiovanni pitched out of the Saturday spot in the rotation most of last season. The tall right-hander went 8-4 with a 4.00 ERA and won UM’s only game at the College World Series. Bongiovanni has an outstanding fastball and after a great summer in the Cape Cod League is showing signs of becoming a complete pitcher.
Brandon Camardese always seemed to find a way to win in 2003, even without his best stuff. But the left-hander had a great summer in the Cape Cod League and the best fall practice of any of the Miami pitchers. Camardese went 9-3 last season with a 5.00 ERA in 88 innings of work.
Touchet returns after only pitching 18.2 innings in 2003 with a 2-0 record and 22 strikeouts. He went 6-2 with a 4.41 ERA as a sophomore in 2002. Touchet will pitch out of the No. 4 spot in the rotation to open the season.
Senior closer George Huguet returns for his final season in the green and orange hoping to build on his 31 career saves, which ranks third in UM history. Miami’s entire bullpen returns from the 2003 season, including Shawn Valdes-Fauli who turned in an amazing stretch run that saw him earn four saves down the stretch and three postseason wins.
Huguet recorded eight saves last season with a 3-2 record and a 2.36 ERA. He pitched 45.2 innings in 24 appearances, striking out 49. Valdes-Fauli posted a 3.02 ERA in 36 appearances, but was almost untouchable over his last 18 appearances, lowering his ERA to 1.69 with three wins and four saves.
The Hurricanes’ bullpen has a good mix of left- and right-handed relievers with Huguet and Valdes-Fauli handling the closing duties.
UM’s primary setup men are right-handers Alex Blanco and Cesar Carrillo and left-handed sophomore Chiqui Chirino.
Blanco made the switch from the middle infield to relief pitcher midway through the 2003 season. Blanco made 14 appearances with a 4.42 ERA in 18.1 innings and was pitching his best at the College World Series.
Chirino came to the Hurricanes as an outfielder and designated hitter last season, but a live arm and good movement gave him the opportunity to contribute in the bullpen for Miami. He finished the season with the second most appearances on the team (25).
Carrillo is a sophomore that will get his first playing time for UM this season after sitting out last season. The right-hander is a hard-thrower that will play a key role for Miami this season.
Sophomore Andrew Lane may be small in size but showed great heart pitching late last season. He became one of pitching coach J.D. Arteaga’s most reliable left-handed relief pitchers. He will play a key setup role out of the pen again this season.
Senior Andrew Cohn provides UM another quality left-handed pitcher out of the bullpen. Sophomore Marcelo Albir will give the Hurricanes right-handed depth out of the bullpen after making 19 appearances last year, including one start.
UM also features three freshman that are likely to play a major role for the Hurricanes on the mound. The Miami coaching staff was impressed with the stuff from fellow freshman right-handers Ricky Orta and Chris Perez. Tall (6 foot, 7 inches) righty Jon Allen provides an imposing presence on the mound.
