2022 ASUN Conference College Baseball Preview — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Image credit: Liberty OF Aaron Anderson (Photo courtesy of Liberty)

Change is afoot in the ASUN again leading into the 2022 season. This offseason, the baseball membership grew to 12 with the addition of Central Arkansas from the Southland Conference and Eastern Kentucky and Jacksonville State from the Ohio Valley Conference.

That bit of realignment precipitated the creation of East and West divisions within the league, and on paper, the East Division is the tougher of the two divisions. That division includes defending regular-season champion Liberty, plus Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, North Florida and Stetson. Put another way, that division features all of the longstanding ASUN members who have made postseason appearances in the last five years.

The West Division is made up of the three teams new to the conference this year, plus Bellarmine and North Alabama, which both came up from Division II in the last several years, and Lipscomb, which is the only team in the division to have been a member of the ASUN for more than three years.

While there may be an adjustment period for the newcomers in the league, all three have history as solid programs, with JSU going to a regional as recently as 2019, providing hope that they will add value over the long haul.

For now, though, the power center of the ASUN will likely remain with the teams that have been running the league in recent years, and namely for the 2022 season, with Liberty, which brings back a team capable of defending its title.

Preseason Awards

Player of the Year: Aaron Anderson, OF, Liberty

After transferring from Division II Flagler (Fla.), the switch-hitting Anderson in 2021 made the adjustment to the Division I level look easy, hitting .375/.460/.567 with 25 doubles, four home runs and 42 RBIs to lead the conference in hitting, doubles and hits (84). In fact, he blew away the competition in all three of those categories. His batting average was 14 points higher than the next highest, he had eight more doubles than the second-highest total (belonging to teammate Gray Betts) and he had 13 more hits than Betts, who also finished second in that category. To top it off, he’s a solid defender in left field and he plays the game with palpable enthusiasm. Anderson was a huge part of Liberty’s championship-winning season in 2021 and he should be a centerpiece again in 2022.

Pitcher of the Year: Nick Durgin, RHP, Stetson

Durgin was excellent for Stetson last season, putting up a 6-2 record with a 2.61 ERA, a .200 opponent batting average and 67 strikeouts in 62 innings. Combined with his dominant performance in four starts during the shortened 2020 season, he has a 2.31 ERA, a .198 opponent batting average and 94 strikeouts compared to 18 walks in 89.2 innings in his Stetson career. The righthander works with a fastball that sits in the low 90s and touched 93 mph last season with a high-spin slider in the low 80s that induced a greater than 50% whiff rate in 2021. In a pitching-centric league like the ASUN, Durgin will have plenty of competition, but he has the stuff and track record to go into 2022 as the favorite for the league’s pitcher of the year honors.

Freshman of the Year: Cameron Foster, 2B, Liberty

Foster is projected to take over at second base for Will Wagner at Liberty, and while those shoes are some very big shoes to fill, Foster is a special talent. At 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, he is a physical presence in the batter’s box, and he has the offensive tools to match. Although he’s not quite a finished product defensively, he’s a good athlete at second base whose length will serve him well. Foster looks the part of an impact hitter joining a Liberty lineup already full of them.

Predicted Order of Finish

East Division

1. Liberty (41-16, 19-2)

After dominating the ASUN last season with a 19-2 regular-season record, Liberty brings back more than enough to be the favorite in the conference in 2022. In the lineup, plenty of firepower returns, including fifth-year senior left fielder Aaron Anderson (.375/.460/.567), fourth-year junior catcher Gray Betts (.327/.434/.484) and fifth-year senior DH Brady Gulakowski (.284/.349/.561). Fifth-year senior first baseman Logan Mathieu (.197/.307/.449) is also back after leading the conference in home runs with 15, but he will need to make more contact in order to be a more well-rounded threat. It’s a similar story with fourth-year junior center fielder Jaylen Guy (.198/.284/.313). Thanks to his plus defense in center field, he brings value regardless of how well he hits, but he’s also Liberty’s most dynamic baserunner and he can’t fully take advantage of his speed unless he gets on base more. Additional experience arrives in the lineup in the form of Morehead State grad transfer third baseman Stephen Hill (.294/.419/.472) and grad transfer right fielder Derek Orndorff, who hit .353/.467/.755 with 15 home runs last season at Division II Seton Hill (Pa.). Third-year sophomore shortstop Jake Lazzaro (.222/.391/.324), a St. John’s transfer, has the unenviable task of replacing steady shortstop Cam Locklear, but he has the defensive skills, including good range and arm strength, to get the job done.

Despite the loss of Trevor DeLaite, last season’s ASUN pitcher of the year, the Flames have their next staff ace waiting in the wings in sophomore Trey Gibson (7-4, 3.32), a physical 6-foot-5 righthander whose fastball has been up to 97 mph with a big-time curveball that had a 40% whiff rate last season. Supporting Gibson in the rotation will be fourth-year sophomore lefthander Joe Adametz III, who began the 2020 season as the team’s ace before missing all of last season due to Tommy John surgery, and fourth-year junior righthander Max Alba (2-4, 6.96), a North Carolina transfer who has prospect pedigree and plenty of arm talent, but wasn’t able to translate that into consistent performance in Chapel Hill. Sinkerballer Dylan Cumming (4-3, 6.14), a fifth-year senior who served primarily as the midweek starter last season, provides some insurance should any of those three projected starters falter. The bullpen will need to replace co-closer Fraser Ellard, but it appears it has the arms to do it in fifth-year senior righthander Landon Riley (4.00, 18 IP), who shared closing duties with Ellard, and fourth-year junior righthander David Erickson (2.08 ERA, 47.2), who held opponents to a .156 batting average last season.

2. Florida Gulf Coast (28-20, 12-6)

Perennial ASUN contender Florida Gulf Coast should be back at it again in 2022, led by a veteran lineup. Fifth-year junior center fielder Brian Ellis (.361/.489/.475), the first team captain in FGCU baseball history, is an excellent table setter, and the return of fourth-year junior right fielder Stephen Wilmer (.326/.429/.566), sophomore left fielder Ian Farrow (.293/.402/.449), fourth-year junior DH Joe Kinker (.271/.373/.536), who led the team with 13 homers last season, and fourth-year junior first baseman Alejandro Figueredo (.260/.348/.396) gives the lineup depth. Look for a pair of grad transfers in third baseman Bobby Head (.303/.372/.481) from Austin Peay and shortstop Logan Sartori (.241/.390/.325) from Texas A&M to have immediate impacts as well.

The weekend rotation outside of ace Mason Studstill was a concern for FGCU last season, and now with Studstill’s graduation, the Eagles have questions to answer on this unit. Sophomore righthander Jason Woodward (3.65 ERA, 37 IP) was solid as primarily a bullpen arm last season, but will look to make the transition to the rotation this season. His fastball was up to 94 mph last season with a changeup that had a nearly 40% whiff rate. Sophomore lefthander Mason Miller (7.77 ERA, 22 IP) has as much raw talent as anyone on the staff and he was a blue-chip recruit in the 2020 prep class, but he struggled in a small sample last season. If he can put it all together in 2022, it raises the ceiling for the Eagles’ pitching staff. Fourth-year junior righthander Tyler Tipton (3.71 ERA, 43.2 IP) will also look to slide into the rotation full-time after serving as a swingman last season. One reliever who will remain in that role is fifth-year senior righthander Tyler Shuck (3.88 ERA, 46.1 IP), who had a breakout season in 2021 using a fastball in the high 80s with a mid-70s breaking ball and a high-70s changeup that both had significant whiff rates.

3. Stetson (26-23, 10-8)

Playing its games in a pitchers’ ballpark, Stetson prides itself on being a pitching-and-defense outfit, and that should be the case again in 2022. On the mound, third-year sophomore righthander Nick Durgin (6-2, 2.61) gives the Hatters an ace as good as any in the conference. Behind him, sophomore righthander Cole Stallings (5.06 ERA, 5.1 IP) has ace-type stuff, including a fastball from 91-94 mph and a slider that could be a real weapon for him, that will play well if he can throw consistent strikes. Third-year sophomore lefthander Jonathan Gonzalez (5.00 ERA, 18 IP) and true freshman righthander TJ Melani are both strike throwers with fastballs that sit in the high 80s and touch the low 90s and project to fill out the last rotation spot and the midweek spot, respectively. Junior college transfer righthander Tanner Martin, who has a fastball that sits in the low 90s, and Clemson grad transfer righthander Rasesh Pandya (3.66 ERA, 19.2 IP), who leans on his high-spin slider, will lead the bullpen. A wild card on the pitching staff is fourth-year junior lefthander Daniel Paret. He was excellent at times in 2019, but has missed most of the last two seasons with injury.

The lineup is littered with plus defenders like third-year sophomore catcher Christian Pregent (.222/.313/.340), fifth-year senior shortstop Kyle Ball (.253/.357/.337) and Kentucky grad transfer center fielder Cam Hill (.245/.377/.394). Overall, the unit should give the Hatters a chance to live up to the standard they set by fielding .978 as a team last season. For thump in the lineup, Stetson will primarily look to fourth-year sophomore right fielder Brandon Hylton (.242/.351/.425), but sixth-year senior left fielder Nick DiPonzio (.224/.349/.364) and fourth-year junior Kentucky transfer DH Trae Harmon (.294/.390/.441) both have enough power to be significant run producers. True freshman third baseman Yohann Dessureault from Quebec also has the offensive tools to be an instant impact bat.

4. Kennesaw State (29-22, 13-8)

Kennesaw State lost some key pieces from a solid team last season, including its top two starting pitchers and its six top hitters from the lineup, but under first-year coach Ryan Coe, the hope is that a small group of returners and some high-end transfer talent can avoid a significant step back in 2022. In the lineup, both fifth-year senior shortstop Tyler Simon (.242/.327/.357) and third-year sophomore catcher Nick Hassan (.226/.284/.303) are high-quality defensive players, but both will also look to return to form at the plate. Neither had an outstanding 2021 season, but Simon was an all-conference player in 2018 and 2019 and Hassan hit .431 during the shortened 2020 season. The most important returners on the mound are fourth-year junior righthander Jared Rine (2.81 ERA, 48 IP) and third-year sophomore righthander Kolby Johnson (4.22 ERA, 21.1 IP), who will reprise their roles in the bullpen. Expect fifth-year senior righthander Luke Torbert (5-5, 5.56), as a steady veteran with plenty of starting experience, to compete for important innings as well.

As for the rest of the lineup and pitching staff, transfers abound. The most important transfer pieces in the lineup project to be Mississippi State grad transfer Josh Hatcher (.189/.245/.284), who will play center field, sophomore right fielder Josh Shuler, a former blue-chip recruit who missed all of last season at South Carolina due to a shoulder injury, and grad transfer third baseman Cassius “Cash” Young, who hit .335/.398/.557 last season at Division II Georgia College. On the mound, unless Torbert fights his way into the mix, it’s expected to be an all-transfer rotation in Butler grad transfer righthander Jack Myers (4-5, 4.39), third-year sophomore Tennessee transfer righthander Connor Housley (3.48 ERA, 10.1 IP) and grad transfer lefthander John Bezdicek, who put up a 3.30 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 46.1 innings at Division II Southwest Minnesota State last season. If the transfers on this team all click, the ceiling for KSU is extremely high, but there is significant risk for a step back as well, given how much the Owls lost from last season’s team.

5. North Florida (22-23, 11-7)

North Florida brings back some quality experience in the lineup with the return of fifth-year senior DH Trey Spratling-Williams (.310/.444/.379), sophomore shortstop Aidan Sweatt (.282/.344/.384), fifth-year senior second baseman Abraham Sequera (.278/.340/.527), who led the team in home runs last season with nine, fifth-year senior left fielder Cade Westbrook (.257/.357/.343) and fourth-year junior second baseman Isaiah Byers (.252/.386/.345). The Ospreys also imported some experience to the lineup with Florida grad transfer center fielder Brock Edge. This unit will be tasked with trying to make up for the production lost with the graduation of ASUN player of the year Alex Kachler and center fielder Blake Marabell.

The front of the UNF rotation is experienced with the return of third-year sophomore lefthander Tony Roca (3-2, 4.52), who pitches with a low-90s fastball and a slider that had a 41% whiff rate last season, and sixth-year senior righthander Max McKinley (4-6, 7.42), who the coaching staff thinks could make strides forward in 2022 by virtue of now being two years removed from Tommy John surgery. The last rotation spot and the midweek spot feel a bit more up for grabs, but fifth-year senior lefthander Rafael Santos (4.82 ERA, 18.2 IP), who also projects to start at first base, will be in the mix. Closer Brandon Reitz and setup man Eddie Miller are gone, but with fifth-year senior righthander Darin Kilfoyl (2.08 ERA, 17.1 IP) and fourth-year junior righthander Stephen Halstead (2.28 ERA, 23.2 IP) returning, the bullpen could once again be a strength.

6. Jacksonville (16-34, 3-15)

Jacksonville struggled to a 3-15 regular-season ASUN record last season, but put it all together at the right time and made a Cinderella run to win the ASUN tournament title and make its second regional appearance in three full seasons. JU’s history of success suggests that it’s going to be better than 3-15 in the conference in 2022, but the significant turnover on the roster—recall that it was a veteran-laden team in 2021—might make it difficult to turn that regional appearance into additional momentum right away. In sophomore third baseman Jackson Grabsky (.301/.343/.340), sophomore second baseman Jesus Pacheco (.283/.344/.335) and sixth-year senior first baseman Christian Coipel (.259/.362/.449), who led the team with seven homers a season ago, Jacksonville has three returning lineup centerpieces. Fourth-year junior Eastern Kentucky transfer center fielder Cam Ridley (.267/.360/.349) brings high-end speed to the lineup and Miami grad transfer DH Raymond Gil (.292/.383/.511) will bring additional power to a unit that didn’t have very much of the sort in 2021.

Fourth-year junior righthander Mason Adams (2-4, 6.43) and fifth-year senior lefthander Tyler Naumann (1-1, 6.06) both pitched significant innings last season, with Adams a member of the weekend rotation and Naumann more of a long reliever and midweek starter. Both go into 2022 as key pieces in the rotation competition. Joining that group is Western Kentucky grad transfer righthander Michael Darrell-Hicks (16.87 ERA, 10.2 IP), who will look to get back on track after injuries, the pandemic and inconsistency derailed his last few seasons at WKU. Fourth-year junior righthander Christian Graham (8.91 ERA, 34.1 IP) is a wild card to watch on the mound. He has good stuff, including a fastball that was up to 93 mph last season, but walks were a real issue. If he can shore that up, he could elbow his way into weekend starts as well. Junior college transfer righthander Tyler Vogel and fourth-year junior Florida State transfer righthander Leighton Alley figure to have big roles in the bullpen, although Vogel could also earn starts. Alley is a particularly interesting story. He began his college journey as a football player at FSU, transferred to Tennessee as a walk-on to the football team there, switched to baseball and pitched at Tallahassee (Fla.) CC, returned to FSU for baseball and is now at JU. At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, he’s an imposing presence standing tall on the mound, but he has a sidearm delivery.

West Division

1. Jacksonville State (26-27, 16-14 in OVC)

Jacksonville State has a team that appears capable of competing for a division title in its first season as a member of the ASUN. The lineup should be solid with the return of fifth-year senior catcher Alex Carignan (.374/.452/.511), fourth-year junior right fielder Carson Crowe (.299/.404/.548) and fifth-year senior second baseman Cole Frederick (.286/.365/.411), plus the addition of fourth-year junior Alabama transfer center fielder TJ Reeves (.229/.289/.349), who projects to be a middle-of-the-order bat right away. Fifth-year senior shortstop Isaac Alexander (.236/.306/.350) also returns to his position. He didn’t have his best season offensively in 2021, but he was essentially a .300 hitter in his first two seasons at JSU, and regardless of what he does with the bat, he provides value as a steady defensive player at a premium position.

The pitching staff is short on experience, but has plenty of stuff to go around. The weekend rotation mix will likely include sophomore righthander Reid Fagerstrom (22.50 ERA, 4 IP), who has a fastball in the low 90s and a breaking ball that could be a real weapon, true freshman Tanner Jones, whose fastball touches the mid 90s with a quality changeup, and sophomore righthander Jake Peppers (6.28 ERA, 28.2 IP), who has the biggest fastball of the three, with that pitch averaging 93 mph and touching 96 in 2021. Fifth-year junior righthander Trey Fortner (4.26 ERA, 25.1 IP) will return to his setup role in the bullpen, perhaps then turning the ball over to true freshman AJ Causey, a sidearming righthander with a high-80s fastball and a high-spin slider. Causey also projects to start for JSU at first base after he was excellent in fall practice, and he could end the season in the mix for ASUN freshman of the year honors.

2. Lipscomb (18-29, 8-13)

Lipscomb is a team that could take advantage of being in the division opposite recent ASUN powers like Liberty, Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast and be a darkhorse candidate to capture a division title in a West Division that otherwise features teams new to ASUN or relatively new to Division I altogether. Returners in the lineup who could help them get there include fifth-year senior first baseman Malik Williams (.320/.360/.431), fourth-year junior catcher Chaz Bertolani (.269/.342/.336), sophomore outfielder Tiger Borom (.252/.365/.313) and fifth-year senior outfielder Maddux Houghton (.213/.293/.331). Houghton struggled at the plate last season, but he has a long track record of success, including hitting .342 in 2019, and could be a major catalyst if he’s in form in 2022. On the mound, there are plenty of pieces to replace, but third-year sophomore lefthander Logan Van Treeck (3-2, 5.15), fourth-year sophomore righthander Ike Buxton (4-5, 5.36) and fifth-year senior righthander Dylan Bierman (2-5, 5.63) are back after all three started nine or more games last season. Buxton in particular has high-octane stuff, including a fastball that was up to 97 mph last season. Fourth-year junior righthander Matthew Maldonado (5.34 ERA, 32 IP) is also back in the bullpen.

Transfers could also play a big part in leading the Bisons this season. That group includes fourth-year junior Duke transfer catcher Rudy Maxwell (.200/.238/.325), fourth-year sophomore junior college transfer infielder Cam McMillan, who spent the 2019 season at Vanderbilt and the 2020 season at Houston, redshirt freshman Virginia transfer infielder David Coppedge, fourth-year junior Marshall transfer righthander John Cheatwood (7.14 ERA, 29 IP), fifth-year senior Mississippi State transfer righthander Jaxen Forrester (6.00 ERA, 3 IP), redshirt freshman Georgia transfer infielder Caleb Ketchup and third-year sophomore St. John’s transfer righthander Josh Lajoie (9.95 ERA, 12.2 IP). Perhaps not all of those players find prominent roles in 2022, but some subset of them likely will, and all told, that group gives the roster a serious infusion of talent.

3. Central Arkansas (23-28, 18-22 in Southland)

As Central Arkansas goes into its first season in the ASUN with a first-year coach in Nick Harlan, who was promoted to the role after last season, it will do so with a pitcher who should be one of the best in the league in third-year sophomore Tyler Cleveland (2.43 ERA, 66.2 IP). Leading with a mid-80s fastball and a dastardly slider that had a nearly 50% whiff rate, the sidewinding righthander struck out 84 batters and held opponents to a .198 average to help him quietly put up one of the best seasons of any reliever in 2021. Whatever his role, Cleveland will be a weapon for UCA. Fifth-year senior righthander Logan Gilbertson (2-3, 5.89) also gives the Bears some returning starting experience after he started 11 games last season, far and away the most of any returning pitcher. Sophomore righthander Tate Busey (4.50 ERA, 22 IP) is also an intriguing returning arm. His fastball sat just below 90 mph and touched 92 last season with a swing-and-miss changeup that had a nearly 60% whiff rate in a relatively modest sample.

UCA tends to be a pitching-centric program, which makes it a good fit for the ASUN, a league that tends to be pitching-centric in general, but in fifth-year senior first baseman Connor Emmet (.267/.339/.419), who hit eight of UCA’s 19 home runs as a team last season, it has a lineup centerpiece to build around. He had just one extra-base hit, a double, as of the morning of March 26 last season, but turned it on late to finish with 16 extra-base hits. Other key returning pieces in the lineup include sophomore catcher/infielder AJ Mendolia (.305/.421/.351), who flashed good plate discipline last season, and fourth-year junior outfielder Kolby Johnson (.305/.400/.378).

4. Eastern Kentucky (21-32, 13-17 in OVC)

If Eastern Kentucky is going to fight its way near the top of the ASUN in 2022, it will likely do it on the strength of a big class of junior college transfers that arrived as a subset of the 30 new faces on the roster. The lineup projects to have as many as five junior college transfers in it, and the weekend rotation could be made up entirely of junior college transfers in righthander Michael Schuler, who began his career at Florida Atlantic, righthander Rese Brown, who began his career at South Florida, and righthander Rian Yates, a 6-foot-5 former basketball player. Schuler and Brown have similar repertoires in that they both have fastballs in the low 90s with sliders in the low 80s but count their respective changeups as their best offspeed pitch. Yates uses a sinker in the high 80s and low 90s, with a hard slider and a slurvy breaking ball.

That’s not to say that there also won’t be returners who have a lot to do with EKU’s success. Third-year sophomore left fielder Kendal Ewell (.303/.390/.509) is a proven run producer coming off of a massive summer in the Appalachian League whose plus raw power also makes him an intriguing prospect for the 2022 draft. Sophomore outfielder Max Williams (.269/.354/.407), who might see more time at DH in 2022, is coming off of a solid freshman campaign. Sophomore catcher Will King (.239/.295/.313) is a defense-oriented catcher who threw out nearly 50% of the runners who tried to steal on him last season. Fourth-year junior Logan Thomason (.189/.247/.281) is a steady defender at shortstop who is a better hitter than last season’s numbers suggest. In the shortened 2020 season, he hit .362, and in a full season in 2019, he hit .302 with seven home runs.

5. Bellarmine (13-36, 8-16)

Bellarmine hit the speed bumps that you would expect a team to hit in its first season in Division I, but now it will look to better establish itself and get its feet under it in year two. There are pieces to build around in the lineup with the return of fifth-year senior outfielder Matt Higgins (.338/.411/.623), fifth-year senior shortstop Clayton Mehlbauer (.301/.400/.458) and fifth-year senior outfielder Jacob Mulcahy (.265/.327/.370). Higgins, in particular, should be considered in the mix among preseason favorites for ASUN player of the year honors. He hits for average and power, can run enough to be at least a nuisance to opposing teams on the bases and he walks more than he strikes out.

To better compete in the ASUN, though, Bellarmine will have to improve upon its 6.91 team ERA from a year ago, and it will have to re-tool the staff to do it, as 35 of the team’s 49 pitching starts from last season are gone. The only returning pitcher with significant starting experience from last season is third-year sophomore righthander Nolan Pender (2-5, 7.23), who started eight games in a swing role. He works with a fastball that was up to 93 mph last season, with his changeup garnering the most swings and misses among his secondary offerings. Third-year sophomore righthander Devin Ecklar (7.62 ERA, 39 IP), who started two games but pitched mostly in relief, is the Knights’ returning pitcher who threw the most innings last season. Bellarmine’s recent history, which includes producing fifth-round pick Brandon Pfaadt in the 2020 draft and having 2021 team strikeout leader Deylen Miley sign a nondrafted free agent deal with the Astros, suggests that it will find and develop a pitcher or two that will give it a chance to compete on the weekends.

6. North Alabama (7-40, 6-15)

North Alabama goes into its fourth and final transition season to Division I looking to take a step forward after going 7-16 and 6-15 in conference play in its first two full seasons in the ASUN. UNA certainly has experience on its side when it comes to position players going into this season. Five of its top six hitters from last season return in physical fifth-year senior outfielder Devne Daniel (.290/.362/.403), fourth-year junior infielder Drew Hudson (.282/.355/.401), who led the team last season in steals with 13, fifth-year senior shortstop Reid Homan (.258/.315/.311), who has started 132 games at UNA over the last four seasons, fourth-year junior corner infielder Peyton Thomas (.232/.369/.420), whose five homers led the team last season, and fourth-year junior utility player Austin Thrasher (.217/.341/.264). The key now will be for those returners to take steps forward to help UNA put up a slash line better than the .225/.326/.310 team slash line from 2021.

More pieces have departed from a pitching staff that had a 7.36 ERA last season, but the Lions do bring back a bullpen workhorse in fifth-year senior righthander Austin Nichols (6.43 ERA, 35 IP), sophomore righthander Will Haberstock (1-4, 8.03), who started seven games a season ago, and sophomore lefthander Austin Emener (8.40 ERA, 30 IP), who was an often-used relief arm alongside Nichols. Haberstock has intriguing stuff, with a fastball in the high 80s and low 90s, a high-70s slider that had a 36% whiff rate last season and a high-70s changeup that had a 60% whiff rate. Emener is a physical lefty at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds whose fastball will touch the low 90s.

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