Chip Hale's first signing class features plethora of in-state talent, potential Susac successors

The first signing class of the Chip Hale era always was going to be a challenge.

Hale wasn’t hired until July 5. He came from the Detroit Tigers and didn’t have any recruiting experience or connections.

“We were really scrambling to just get the current roster right and figure out who was going to stay, who was going to go, who was going to show up from the high school ranks,” Hale said. “So that was our first order of business. And then it was this class. We had a lot of kids that were very skeptical. They didn’t know me yet.”

Hale spent a large portion of the past four months working with his staff to re-recruit the 2021-22 class. The fruits of their labor were revealed Wednesday, when Arizona announced the signing of 19 players.

Perfect Game ranked the class 46th in the nation — but PG only factors in high school players. The class also features five junior-college signees, including two from Pima College.

Fourteen players are from Arizona or are currently attending school in the state, including four that PG ranks among Arizona’s top 10 high school prospects. Eight players are primarily pitchers. Among the 11 position players, three are listed as catchers.

Here’s some of what Hale had to say about the recruiting class and fall practice, which concludes this weekend:

On the No. 1 question he’s been asked while recruiting: “It was interesting, because a lot of the kids that we talked to and the parents especially were like, ‘How long are you going to be there?’ That was really a big question. And it was legitimate at that time because you had a coach who just left.

“So once we got that clear — that I’m here for the long haul, this is my destination job, this is my dream — we were able to get a lot of those kids back.”

On what he’s looking for in a recruit: “It takes a special kid to come here and play. It’s not just the kids, it’s the family. They’re going to be hard workers. They’re gonna have to compete. The more kids that we can sign this year, and in the following years, the more competition we can create. For me, that’s how you make a team better.

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“When you go out there for the fall program and pretty much know what your starting lineup’s going to be going into the spring, it’s great because there’s not a whole lot of decisions. On the other hand, you’d like a fight at every position. You’d like that third baseman or shortstop to be fighting with a young guy or JC guy coming in. Then all of a sudden you find he’s a tick better every day than he was before.”

On whether Arizona was able to flip any players who were committed elsewhere: “Well, no. Our sport’s a little different. There’s sort of a gentlemen’s agreement where if somebody is committed ... we don’t talk to those kids. We don’t back-channel. That’s kind of an honor code. Is it happening everywhere? I don’t know. We’ll find out.

“So when a kid is committed somewhere, until he is uncommitted and his representative, his advisor, his high school coach, his summer coach calls us and says, ‘Hey, he’s not committed to that school anymore, he’s open game,’ then we’ll get in there. There were some kids that did decommit from their schools, and this is what happens in our sport.

“Baseball is different. When you commit as a freshman in high school, and now as a junior you grow 6-7 inches and start throwing 10 miles an hour harder, if you’re committed to a mid-major, all of a sudden a Pac-12 school looks a little more alluring.”

On what he’s learned about his team during fall practice: “Just a really highly competitive group, which I expected. I’ve said this numerous times, talking about culture. A lot of times you go into these jobs and you have to change the culture of the group. That’s not been a problem here. It’s a winning group. It’s kids who have been to Omaha. Were they frontline players on that Omaha team? A few of them were. The rest of them were just a step behind those guys, and now they’re getting their opportunity.”

Inside pitch

Arizona loaded up on catchers anticipating the departure of Daniel Susac after next season. Susac will be a draft-eligible sophomore in 2022, and he’s projected to be a first-round pick.

Two UA regulars, outfielder Mac Bingham and right-hander Chandler Murphy, have been limited during fall practice because of injuries. Hale said he expects both to be ready for the 2022 season.

Arizona will conclude the team portion of fall ball with the annual “Wild vs. Cats” World Series at Hi Corbett Field. Because of how the draft played out, third baseman Tony Bullard will play shortstop for the Cats team. Hale said Bullard often will line up at shortstop during real games when the Wildcats use a defensive shift against left-handed batters.

Hale said second base remains an open competition among Garen Caulfield, Jack Grant and Luis Tuero. JC transfer Noah Turley has made significant strides at first base after primarily playing DH at Yavapai College, Hale said.