Gators' 2019 Signing Class Ranked No. 1 by D1Baseball
Monday, December 23, 2019 | Baseball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Excitement is building for the return of Florida Baseball, and one of the nation's most prominent collegiate baseball media outlets, D1Baseball.com, added a little extra buzz this past week. The site ranked Florida's freshman class No. 1 nationally.
D1Baseball.com writer Aaron Fitt said this of the Gators' newcomers:
"Florida's recruiting machine just keeps rolling along. The Gators reel in premium talent year after year under coach Kevin O'Sullivan, but this is their first No. 1 class in the D1Baseball rankings, after landing No. 2 classes in 2015 and 2017, the No. 5 class in 2016, and the No. 10 class in 2018. This year's crop features high-end star power and depth, and several of the freshmen showed this fall that they're ready to become instant stars, helping the Gators vault to the No. 1 spot.
"The backbone of Florida's class is a group of four marquee freshmen who all look poised to hit the ground running, and all offer legitimate first-round upside by the time their college careers are through. LHP Hunter Barco flashed prodigious upside in high school, but he looked far more polished this fall than he did last spring. Barco has a real chance to earn a weekend rotation spot as a freshman, and RHP Brandon Sproat has a ceiling "as high as anybody we've ever had here," as O'Sullivan put it. Sproat, an unsigned seventh-round pick, is less advanced than Barco, but the Gators are deep enough to bring him along at his own pace, and he could wind up as a Friday night All-American before his Florida career is over.
"Look for the other two blue-chip freshmen to step right into everyday roles as position players. Josh Rivera is a physical, athletic righthanded hitter with obvious current power, along with slick actions and a strong arm that plays at shortstop or third base. His game reminded me of 2018 No. 5 overall pick Jonathan India, though the 6-foot-2 Rivera has a bigger frame. And catcher/third baseman Nathan Hickey is a natural born hitting machine who could step right into the cleanup spot, where he hit in both of Florida's fall exhibitions against Georgia and South Florida. O'Sullivan compared him to a young Kyle Schwarber because of his innate hitting instincts and compact lefthanded stroke with power potential."
For more on Florida's 2019 signing class, read the rest of the story on D1Baseball.com, or follow this link to a separate rankings release from earlier this fall.
D1Baseball.com writer Aaron Fitt said this of the Gators' newcomers:
"Florida's recruiting machine just keeps rolling along. The Gators reel in premium talent year after year under coach Kevin O'Sullivan, but this is their first No. 1 class in the D1Baseball rankings, after landing No. 2 classes in 2015 and 2017, the No. 5 class in 2016, and the No. 10 class in 2018. This year's crop features high-end star power and depth, and several of the freshmen showed this fall that they're ready to become instant stars, helping the Gators vault to the No. 1 spot.
"The backbone of Florida's class is a group of four marquee freshmen who all look poised to hit the ground running, and all offer legitimate first-round upside by the time their college careers are through. LHP Hunter Barco flashed prodigious upside in high school, but he looked far more polished this fall than he did last spring. Barco has a real chance to earn a weekend rotation spot as a freshman, and RHP Brandon Sproat has a ceiling "as high as anybody we've ever had here," as O'Sullivan put it. Sproat, an unsigned seventh-round pick, is less advanced than Barco, but the Gators are deep enough to bring him along at his own pace, and he could wind up as a Friday night All-American before his Florida career is over.
"Look for the other two blue-chip freshmen to step right into everyday roles as position players. Josh Rivera is a physical, athletic righthanded hitter with obvious current power, along with slick actions and a strong arm that plays at shortstop or third base. His game reminded me of 2018 No. 5 overall pick Jonathan India, though the 6-foot-2 Rivera has a bigger frame. And catcher/third baseman Nathan Hickey is a natural born hitting machine who could step right into the cleanup spot, where he hit in both of Florida's fall exhibitions against Georgia and South Florida. O'Sullivan compared him to a young Kyle Schwarber because of his innate hitting instincts and compact lefthanded stroke with power potential."
For more on Florida's 2019 signing class, read the rest of the story on D1Baseball.com, or follow this link to a separate rankings release from earlier this fall.
Players Mentioned
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