Florida right-handed pitcher [autotag]Grayson Smith[/autotag] and two-way utility man [autotag]Landon Russell[/autotag] are the two most recent Gators to hit the transfer portal.
Russell and Smith bring Florida up to five outgoing portal players, but Kevin O’Sullivan has already earned as many transfer commitments with plenty of time left before the July 2 cutoff date to enter. Expect more moves over the next two weeks.
Smith looked like a part of Florida’s pitching staff of the future, making him the bigger loss of the two, but both got playing time in Gainesville. Florida’s first three transfer exits — right-hander Hunter Jones and infielders John Martinez (FAU) and Sammy Mummau — saw less than one combined inning on the field.
RHP Grayson Smith (Fr.)
Smith pitched the fourth most innings of any freshman on the roster this year. Luke McNeillie and Alex Philpott both threw over 30 innings, but Smith was solidly in the rotation with 15 appearances (17 2/3 innings).
An 8.66 earned run average is elevated thanks to 10 earned runs against a Florida State team that gave every Gators pitcher trouble this year. Smith’s metrics paint a prettier picture, especially his 28.7% strikeout rate and near-50% groundball rate. A 3.33 SIERA isn’t too shabby either.
Smith’s splitter has already been described as a plus pitch, and his fastball should develop over time. This is a loss for Florida, no doubt, but not one the Gators are incapable of recovering from.
Two-way Landon Rusell (So.)
Rusell earned time on the mound and in the batter’s box for Florida as a sophomore transfer from Gulf Coast State College (JUCO).
He made three appearances as a pitcher for Florida, all in blowout games — a 12-1 win over Jacksonville, a 16-3 loss to Tennessee and a 17-11 win over Nebraska during regionals. Four of the nine outs he recorded this year came via the strikeout, and he only walked one batter.
Despite going 3-for-26 at the plate, Russell showed more promise as a hitter than a pitcher. Two of his hits were for extra bases, and both came off SEC pitching in the Missouri series. He struggled with pitch selection, striking out more than 30% of the time and walking in just 6.8% of his plate appearances.
Russell’s versatility in the field should find him a home somewhere in Division I baseball. He can do everything but catch.
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