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Published Jul 2, 2019
A way-too-early look at next year's Ole Miss baseball lineup
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Chase Parham  •  RebelGrove
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With all the MLB First Year Player Draft decisions seemingly out of the way, let's look a potential Ole Miss baseball lineup for 2020. In years past, I've avoided the platoon option at positions, but for a complete picture of possibilities I'm going to include it a couple times in this content item.

Each drafted player on the Ole Miss roster signed with his professional organization, while the Rebels are getting their entire signing class to campus. Ole Miss currently has the No. 4 signing class nationally for 2019 and that should move to at least No. 3 -- and possibly No. 2 -- for the enrolled rankings.

With way too much time between now and opening day, here are some guesses for what the lineup may look like. The slashes also highlight a couple interesting position battles heading into fall practice.

Catcher - Knox Loposer/Hayden Dunhurst

Hayden Dunhurst is the No. 1 catcher and No. 44 player nationally in his class. The Mississippi native could have been taken in the top 100 picks were it not for his siganbility, and he has the potential offensively to hit in the middle of the lineup once he transitions to the level. Knox Loposer missed time in the second half of the season with a stress fracture in his knee but played well at the plate and is progressing nicely with his defense.

This should be a competition that makes both players better, and it's vital for Ole Miss to have multiple catchers. Cooper Johnson was tremendous in 2019, and there are viable options to replace him with Dunhurst and Loposer.

First base - Kevin Graham

Kevin Graham hit 10 home runs as a freshman in only 38 starts, moving back and forth between first base and designated hitter. He had a five-home-run flurry in the final weeks of the season and finished with the second highest OPS among returners.

With the absence of more than half of this season's starting lineup, Graham needs to take a step and complement Tyler Keenan with extra-base-hit production.

Second base - Justin Bench/Connor Walsh

Both these underclassmen are going to play a lot of games this season; it's just a matter of where they fit into the defensive lineup. I'd buy stock in Bench, as a hand injury slowed his freshman season and didn't give him the opportunity to impact things as much as some thought possible. He's playing well in the Perfect Game Collegiate League, and I think his ceiling is a top-of-the-order run producer.

Connor Walsh draws a lot of comparisons to LSU shortstop Zach Watson and is the No. 27 overall prospect in the class. He's run a blazing 6.25 60-yard dash time and is an elite athlete. He can hit for average early and develop more power as his career moves along. He's going to get every shot at a middle infield role, but he can also play outfield if needed. If I couldn't platoon, that would likely be my spot for him.

Shortstop - Anthony Servideo

This is the easiest one out of the new roles, as Anthony Servideo has been the heir apparent to Grae Kessinger since he signed with the Rebels. Servideo has filled in well when needed and will slider over from second base without issue. He's another elite defender, and Ole Miss is in good hands in the middle infield. Servideo's offensive progression is the thing to watch.

Third base - Tyler Keenan

Tyler Keenan led Ole Miss with 15 home runs in 2019 and finished second on the team with 128 total bases. He also was the runner-up in the College Home Run Derby several days ago. The protection in the lineup will look different around Keenan, but he has All-SEC potential and should bee the most prolific bat for the Rebels in 2020. He's the best returning position player.

Left field - Hayden Leatherwood

The Memphis native originally signed with Vanderbilt but ended up at Northwest Mississippi Community College where he hit .333 with 12 doubles and seven home runs in 2019. Ole Miss recruited Leatherwood out of high school and is very familiar with him. The Rebels need him to acclimate well and play early to take over one of the corner outfield spots.

Center Field - Josh Hall

Josh Hall only had 35 at-bats as a freshman, but the the speed and base running ability will get him on the field in some capacity. Hall was 10-for-11 on stolen base attempts after setting the national career record for stolen bases in high school. With his speed and quick jumps, he needs to be a contact hitter who hits the ball with line drives and on the ground. He popped up too much as a freshman, and the new trend of launch angles isn't for a player like Hall.

He'll have to hold off other options out there, but for now he's the incumbent with at least some experience.

Right field - Tim Elko

Tim Elko, the top rated Ole Miss position player signee in the 2017 class, started slowly in 2019 and never secured a consistent role with the Rebels. He had a nice postseason, going 5-for-8 in the NCAA Tournament, and that could be a spark to needed production as a junior. With open spots in the order, Elko should get every opportunity to show his potential and build off the last few weeks of this past season.

Designated hitter - Cael Baker

Cael Baker is more athletic than he looks, and he just won the junior college triple crown, leading the nation in batting average (.506), home runs (25) and RBIs (101). Baker transferred to Wabash Valley from Cincinnati. In addition to the insane power numbers, Baker's strikeout rate may be the best number to be optimistic about his transition back to Division I baseball. He struck out just 12 percent of the time. Arkansas retooled its lineup in 2019 behind a graduate transfer and a junior college transfer, and maybe Baker can be one of those for the Rebels.

Starting pitcher - Doug Nikhazy

Doug Nikhazy is almost certainly getting the ball for Ole Miss on opening day -- if you can predict anything this far in advance. There was the chance of leaving him in a Saturday role had Houston Roth stayed at Ole Miss, but this makes the most sense. Nikhazy went 3-0 in the postseason, beating Texas A&M, Clemson and Arkansas to punctuate a stellar freshman campaign and earn a spot with Team USA. Nikhazy has a plus mentality and a better arsenal of pitches than he sometimes gets credit for having. In a loaded sophomore SEC class he may be the second-best returner other than Kumar Rocker.

Starting pitcher - Gunnar Hoglund

Gunnar Hoglund, a 2018 first round pick, got better as the season went on and walked only 14 in 68 innings. The offspeed pitches need to keep developing to help Hoglund through the order a second and a third time. He was too fastball-reliant, but there are flashes of the ability, and it's easy to expect a big jump in year two. It's also possible Hoglund gets to hit some next season.

Starting pitcher - Austin Miller

This is playing a hunch, but I think Austin Miller can extend into a productive Sunday starter and routinely give Ole Miss five innings. It's also possible Miller replaces Parker Caracci as the closer, but that depends on what options present themselves in the rotation.

Derek Diamond, Drew McDaniel and others will get opportunities to jump in the rotation. Miller is a valuable option to fill whatever role is needed.

Closer - Braden Forsyth

Braden Forsyth just finished up his junior college career at Meridian and throws his fastball in the mid 90s. The secondary pitches continue to advance, and he should be able to contribute immediately with the Rebels. The upside here says high-leverage reliever and would allow Miller to float around or fill another spot if necessary.

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