An MLB scout attending Arizona’s home opener Tuesday said he didn’t have Wildcats catcher Adonys Guzman on his “list.”
The scout might want to expand that list.
Guzman showed why he was a highly-rated prospect coming out of high school with a superb all-around performance in Arizona’s 10-0 win over New Mexico.
Arizona’s Adonys Guzman, shown vs. UCLA in March 2024, is off to a strong start at the plate, batting .444 with a home run entering the UA’s series vs. San Diego.
Guzman threw out a would-be base stealer. He handled an inexperienced pitching staff. And he socked a 440-foot-plus home run.
Guzman’s defensive exploits come as no surprise. His powerful arm and elite “pop time” are the main reasons Baseball America rated him as the No. 165 prospect for the 2022 MLB Draft.
Guzman instead enrolled at Boston College, where he spent one season before transferring to Arizona.
Arizona’s Adonys Guzman waits for his turn at bat in a game simulation towards the end of a practice session at Hi Corbett Field on Feb. 4, 2025.
Guzman batted .239 with zero home runs in 67 at-bats with the Golden Eagles as a freshman. He improved as a sophomore, hitting .265 with one homer in 136 at-bats for the Wildcats. He also had more walks (26) than strikeouts (19), leading to a .384 on-base percentage that was fifth best among UA regulars.
But both Guzman and UA coach Chip Hale believe the junior is capable of more at the plate. Guzman is off to a hot start with four hits in nine at-bats (.444 average), including the aforementioned home run.
“He can hit,” said Hale, whose team opens a three-game series against San Diego on Friday night at Hi Corbett Field. “That’s something, I think, that bothered him last year. His defense was fine. But he’s a way better hitter than he showed last year.”
Hale praised Guzman’s approach with two strikes; he singled against Clemson last Saturday on an 0-2 pitch.
The power he displayed Tuesday didn’t appear often last season; only six of his 36 hits went for extra bases.
Arizona's Adonys Guzman, left, takes off as the team works in pairs through a series of sprints in a practice session at Hi Corbett Field on Feb. 4, 2025.
“Just really staying in my legs a little more, trying to drive the ball a little better,” Guzman said. “Last year I hit a lot of groundballs. Just trying to stay away from that, because I’m not the fastest guy. Trying to hit the ball in the air a little more, and I think it’s worked so far.”
Guzman had the second-highest groundball rate (49.2%) among UA regulars last season. The only player who had a higher rate, Easton Breyfogle (52.5%), is one of the fastest players on the team and could turn some of those grounders into hits.
Guzman stifled a rally in the first inning when he threw out New Mexico’s Cooper Brass on an attempted steal of second. Brass had led off the game with a single. The caught stealing helped put pitcher Kenan Elarton at ease in his first career appearance.
“He’s great,” Elarton said of Guzman. “It’s really comfortable throwing to him. He gives great targets. Any borderline pitch, you know he’s got you. And he’s got a great arm, too.”
Elarton threw three scoreless innings. Redshirt freshman Carson Johnson, also making his collegiate debut, threw one.
Guzman summarized his instructions to the young pitchers as follows:
“Keep the main thing the main thing, just hit my glove, execute your pitches and just keep battling.”
“Kenan went out there and did a great job commanding the zone,” Guzman added. “All four pitches were working. Carson Johnson, first time really out there, same thing. Just trying to keep him locked in and let him understand, ‘This is just a baseball game. Just go out there and do your job.’”
Kenan’s comeback
Elarton enrolled at Arizona in the summer of 2022. While classmates such as Brendan Summerhill and Mason White are entering their third seasons and likely will be drafted this summer, Elarton’s college career is just getting started.
Elarton endured arm issues in 2023, underwent Tommy John surgery and sat out a second consecutive season in ‘24. It was a long road to recovery.
“It was hard,” said Elarton, who’s classified as a third-year freshman. “There were definitely days ... arm hurts, whatever. But just getting through it and believing.”
Arizona pitcher Kenan Elarton throws in his first college start against New Mexico in the first inning of their game Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at Hi Corbett Field.
Elarton credited his teammates and coaches for supporting him throughout an arduous process. He credited his father, Scott, who pitched in the majors for 10 seasons, for providing a template for an aspiring hurler.
“It’s been huge,” Elarton said. “(He’s) been my role model and who I’ve wanted to play like since I was young. Just growing up around clubhouses with him has been really special and taught me how to play the game the right way.”
Casey in the pen
Junior right-hander Casey Hintz was among the pitchers who prepared for a starting assignment this season. But the coaching staff has been reluctant to change Hintz’s role because he’s so valuable coming out of the bullpen.
“He’s so flexible,” Hale said of Hintz, who threw a career-high 54 pitches in 3⅔ innings of relief in the season opener vs. Ole Miss last Friday.
“I’m open to starting,” Hintz said before the season. “I’m open to the bullpen. Whatever helps the team be the most successful.”
Arizona’s Casey Hintz goes sidearm in his appearance against Pima Community College in Game 1 of an exhibition doubleheader on Oct. 12, 2024, at Hi Corbett Field.
Hintz entered in the fifth inning against the Rebels. No matter when he’s on the mound, he has learned to approach every situation as if it’s high leverage.
“I’ve got one mindset: Every inning’s the seventh inning, like what I’m used to,” Hintz said. “Go in there, throw strikes, attack the hitters.”
Inside pitch
– Arizona is going with the same trio of right-handers it used on opening weekend: Collin McKinney, Owen Kramkowski and Smith Bailey. McKinney (4⅓ innings, one earned run) and Bailey (four innings, zero earned runs) pitched well in their UA debuts. Kramkowski struggled and failed to get out of the first inning vs. Clemson. “Kramkowski had a tough one,” Hale said. “I’d like to get him back out there, see what he can do.”
– San Diego took two of three from Arizona last February. The three games were decided by a total of five runs. USD got swept at home by TCU in a four-game series to open this season.
– Hale tweaked the batting order vs. New Mexico, moving Richie Morales into the No. 2 position and sliding Garen Caulfield from the second spot to cleanup. “Maybe we want to hit and run, maybe we want to drop a bunt down. (I’m) more comfortable with him,” Hale said of Morales. “And Garen’s been really good in the four-hole in his time here. ... It lengthens the lineup out a little bit.”
– Hale also continues to tinker with the corner infield spots, where he has five players for two positions (three if you include DH). “I want to keep them fresh, and I want to keep seeing their at-bats,” Hale said. “At some point it’s going to be nine or 10 guys (in the overall lineup), maybe 11 with a right-left situation. But it’s going to be tough.”
