Although he went public with his decision on Monday night, Sickles High (Tampa, Florida) right-handed pitcher and first baseman [autotag]Caden McDonald[/autotag] silently backed off his commitment to the University of Central Florida “about two weeks ago.”
UCF head coach Greg Lovelady had just parted ways with the program after five years in Orlando, opening the door for Kevin O’Sullivan and the Florida Gators to flip one of the Sunshine State’s very best. It didn’t take very long for McDonald to make a decision.
“As soon as my recruitment opened Florida was easily the first call,” McDonald said. “It has always been my dream school and as soon as they gave me the opportunity it was a no-brainer. To be given the chance to play for such a successful program and culture at UF is really just a dream come true.”
Labeling McDonald as one of the state’s best arms isn’t hyperbole. He was a central figure in Sickles’ first-ever state championship run, pitching an 81-pitch shutout in the semifinals and blasting a home run to score one of the Gryphons’ two runs.
In the Class 6A state title game, Viera High opted to intentionally walk McDonald twice instead of giving him a chance to hit a 13th home run on the year.
Extended look at Caden MacDonald (‘23, FL) with all 6 Ks shown in his CG shutout. 91-94 T95 mph on the FB. Grabbing 94 mph in the 7th when he needed it. BBs were filthy and missed bats. Just electric stuff from the #UCF commit. @SHSGryphonsBB #PGDraft #PGHS https://t.co/90OmWBTUWe pic.twitter.com/hq8qFRd52z
— Perfect Game Florida (@Florida_PG) May 23, 2023
McDonald featured a strong three-pitch mix at the Florida High School Athletic Association State Championships in May. His fastball touched 95 mph but usually sits in the 92-94 mph range and has some nice arm-side run on it that should get better with college-level coaching.
The curveball isn’t quite 12-6, but it’s primarily vertical movement with a little bit of glove-side action at the end. Typically coming in around the mid-70s, the curve is his slower breaking pitch. McDonald often goes to his slider, which has touched 80 mph.
His fastball velocity and two legitimate breaking balls should get McDonald some draft looks. If the desire is to be a pro starter, adding a legitimate changeup to the arsenal might be the next step.
He’s listed at 6 feet-3 inches tall and 195 pounds, so there aren’t any size concerns. If anything, he’ll get taller and stronger over the next few years. The question is whether it will be in Gainesville or not.
Perfect Game ranks McDonald No. 296 overall in the class of 2023 and No. 97 among right-handed pitchers. He’s also No. 42 overall in the state of Florida and No. 14 among righties. Those rankings haven’t been updated since the middle of April though. McDonald’s post-season run should have him on an upward trajectory.
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