The 2019 Arizona Wildcats will be younger. They might be more talented. Will they be better?
Thatโs an impossible question to answer today. But the results of the 2018 MLB draft provide a snapshot of what the โ19 roster will look like, and UA coach Jay Johnson is intrigued by the possibilities.
โI feel good about increasing the talent level,โ Johnson said. โItโs really the first benefit we got from the (2016) College World Series โ the โ18, โ19 classes were the ones most positively affected by that.
โThe returners have gotta improve. The newcomers have gotta acclimate. And we need to put it together the best we can. Iโm very excited for the challenge of doing that.โ
Although the roster isnโt finalized yet, Arizona might have only two seniors next year: left-hander Avery Weems and pitcher-first baseman Cameron Haskell, who played sparingly after transferring from Palomar College. Meanwhile, about half the roster could consist of newcomers, most of whom are freshmen.
Johnson knew left-hander Matthew Liberatore and infielder Nolan Gorman wouldnโt be part of that group. Both were projected as first-round selections, and they went 16th and 19th, respectively.
โIt was hard to ever picture them being here,โ Johnson said. โWe had ample time to plan for that.โ
The player Johnson wasnโt sure about was catcher Austin Wells of Las Vegas โ a key recruit given the departures of veteran catchers Cesar Salazar and Ryan Haug.
Wells was Arizona’s highest-ranked signee after Liberatore and Gorman. MLB.com ranked Wells 170th overall entering this week’s draft; Baseball American had him 206th.
It appears Wells is coming to Tucson. He was drafted, but not until the 35th round.
โGetting Austin Wells to campus was a big, big deal,โ Johnson said.
Wells was limited to mostly DH duty as a senior at Bishop Gorman High School because of an elbow injury. Johnson said Wells is on the mend and was able to participate in workouts for MLB teams. Wells, a left-handed hitter, is expected to share the catching duties with Matt Dyer, a transfer from Oregon who redshirted this past season.
โWe think Austin has a chance to be a great hitter and then some,โ Johnson said. โMatt is one of the best athletes on our team. Both are really good behind the plate.โ
Johnson has had great success with recruits from the Las Vegas area, including Kris Bryant at the University of San Diego and Nick Quintana on the current UA roster.
Wells was one of six UA signees taken between Rounds 32 and 39. Four of the others were high school players: outfielder Ryan Holgate (32nd round) and pitchers George Arias Jr. (34th), Ian Mejia (35th) and Bryce Collins (39th). One was a junior college transfer, left-hander Andrew Nardi (39th).
โThereโs no certainty with the draft, but where they were drafted is an indication how strong their commitment to Arizona is,โ Johnson said. โOtherwise, they all would have been drafted a lot higher.โ
The expectation is that all of those players will be Wildcats next season. Sometimes MLB teams take college-bound players with late picks to begin building a rapport with them.
Arizona is likely to lose transfer Michael Berglund. The Tampa Bay Rays selected Berglund in the eighth round, and he told the Caller-Times of Corpus Christi, Texas, that he is leaning toward signing with them. The left-handed-hitting corner infielder/catcher began his college career at Texas Tech and played for Cisco College this past season.
Arizona must replace a ton of production after having eight players drafted, the most in the Pac-12. They include lineup regulars Salazar, Alfonso Rivas III and Cal Stevenson, plus No. 1 starter Cody Deason.
โNone of them were drafted out of high school,โ Johnson said. โTheir development trend here at Arizona was significant.
โI was very proud of them for that accomplishment. Theyโre all very deserving. Theyโre all physically and mentally ready for that step.โ
Deason was one of three UA pitchers drafted, along with fellow right-handers Michael Flynn and Tylor Megill. Arizona also loses senior righties Juan Aguilera and Zach Stone, who combined to go 9-2.
Upgrading the pitching staff remains Johnsonโs biggest and most challenging long-term goal. The returning nucleus, led by veteran left-hander Randy Labaut, is promising. But Johnson believes the 2018 class will elevate the staffโs talent level, with more enticing arms to come in โ19.
โYouโre going to see more upside potential with more pitchers,โ Johnson said. โSome guys are going to have to have a fast learning curve, because theyโre going to find themselves on the mound. But the influx of talent is exciting. Now we have to help them grow, and do that as quickly as we can.โ
Although next yearโs team will skew young, Arizona brings back five position players who have ample college experience. The group is led by third baseman Quintana and middle infielder Cameron Cannon. The two earned All-Pac-12 recognition after combining for 22 home runs and 105 RBIs as sophomores. Both are playing in the Cape Cod League this summer, along with classmate Matt Fraizer.
โI like that five or six guys got significant playing time this year,โ Johnson said. โHopefully, they will use that experience to be better a year from now.โ
