Oregon State Baseball Preview

Versatility is the theme this year. The great thing about depth is it nullifies injury. That the Beavers can mix and match situationally is their best asset. On that note, it's extremely difficult to predict a lineup, but I think Casey will go with something like this:

1. Joey Matthews CF
2. Kavin Keyes 3B
3. Jake Rodriguez C
4. Danny Hayes 1B
5. Michael Conforto RF
6. Dylan Davis DH
7. Ryan Dunn SS
8. Ryan Barnes LF
9. Tyler Smith 2B

Versus lefties, he can do something like this:

1. Joey Matthews CF
2. Kavin Keyes DH
3. Jake Rodriguez 3B
4. Dylan Davis 1B
5. Michael Conforto RF
6. Ryan Dunn SS
7. Ryan Gorton C
8. Ryan Barnes LF
9. Tyler Smith 2B

Matthews is a guy I'm not real high on, but he's got decent speed, and is probably the best option in CF. We'll probably see a lot of Max Gordon, too. I love Conforto's potential, and I actually like Dylan Davis more as a hitter (DH, hopefully he can play some 1B) than pitcher, even though I believe he was signed as a pitcher. What stands out, as in years past, is the lack of OBP, particularly at the top of the order. Team speed also is below par. Very pesky, versatile lineup, though. The other weakness is inexperience; it's the downside of running a top 25 program. The draft kills your squad, and the teams are always young–plain and simple.

On the mound, I'd love to see this:

1. Scott Schultz
2. Matt Boyd
3. Jace Fry

But I have a feeling we'll see this:

1. Ben Wetzler
2. Jace Fry
3. Carlos Rodriguez/Riley Wilkerson

If Adam Duke were healthy, he'd probably get a look in the rotation. As it stands, he'll probably be eased into relief work. Fry will likely miss the first week or two, so maybe Casey will put Schultz in there for a while, but he seems to prefer him in long relief for whatever reason, and he likes Boyd at the end of games, despite Boyd (and myself) believing he'd be better off as a starter.

A lot of nice arms in the pen, but outside the usual suspects, they're young. Riley Wilkerson could mature into a RH setup man or situational matchup at some point. Same for Carlos Rodriguez as a lefty. Upperclassmen Cole Baylis and Adam Duke could make moves, too, once healthy. And Dan Child pitched to a 1.06 ERA (42 innings) in summer ball. Let’s add him to the bullpen mix.

Overall, this is a good squad, but also incomplete. The strengths are defense (notably up the middle with Dunn/Smith), good arms, a pesky lineup, and versatility. The weaknesses are inexperience (i.e. freshman/JCs who will have large roles), lack of OBP and SLG (though newcomers Davis and Conforto could provide that), and average team speed. Expect the usual station to station baseball and small ball.

Is the top 25 ranking justified? If the youth performs from the start and improves by conference play, then probably. I'd personally rank this team around 35th best in the nation, with reassessment possible after seeing them in-person this weekend.