Florida lost one of the country’s better shortstops in Josh Rivera to the draft over the summer, but Kevin O’Sullivan made sure to get a strong replacement for the 2024 campaign.
Colby Shelton transferred over from Alabama and is expected to transition from third base to shortstop this year at Florida. D1Baseball ranks him fifth overall behind West Virginia’s JJ Wetherholt, Virginia’s Griff O’Ferrall, TCU’s Anthony Silva and Kansas State’s Kaelen Culpepper.
While the glove is a work in progress, Shelton should be one of the best mashers in the country. He hit 25 home runs as a true freshman for the Crimson Tide last season and ended the year with a 1.143 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. If Jac Caglianone is batting behind him, opposing pitchers won’t have any choice but to pitch to Shelton.
Because he is already 21, Shelton will be draft-eligible at the end of the year. A strong year could put him in the conversation for first-round money, but he’ll have to pass by the other four names ahead of him on D1Baseball’s list first.
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