Tag: Michael Ross

Florida adds JUCO right-hander after losing transfer to draft

Kevin O’Sullivan always has eyes on nearby Sante Fe College, and he recently landed right-hander Matt Jenkins as a JUCO transfer.

Florida was hoping to get Samford right-hander [autotag]Michael Ross[/autotag] on campus, but the Gators had to pivot when he signed an 18th-round deal with the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday.

Kevin O’Sullivan had a plan, though, and earned a commitment from Sante Fe College (JUCO) right-hander [autotag]Matthew Jenkins[/autotag] on the same day. The former Lafayette High (Mayo, Florida) ace announced the news on X, formerly known as Twitter.

He made 16 appearances for Sante Fe last season, starting two games. He held a 4.74 earned run average and allowed 1.93 walks/hits per inning while striking out 60 batters over 57 innings.

Walks are the only major red flag here. Jenkins nearly walked as many batters as he struck out last season. A 27.8% strikeout rate says that Jenkins has good “stuff,” but a 26.4% walk rate generates an equal amount of concern.

Of course, Jenkins is not a one-to-one replacement for Ross. He’s likely to work out of the bullpen instead of competing for a spot in the weekend rotation, but it fills the backend of the pitching staff while allowing another arm to step up.

Right now, the two top candidates to take that third starting spot are Clemson transfer Billy Barlow and rising redshirt sophomore Jake Clemente. The latter is tearing it up in the Cape Code League as you read this article, so don’t be surprised to see him at least get the shot in the fall. Barlow always seemed like a midweek guy anyway.

Jenkins is 6-foot-6-inches tall and can run his fastball up to 95-96 mph. Scouts would use the word projectable, and Jenkins had some draft chances this year as the 22nd-best JUCO prospect in the country, per Prep Baseball Report.

Developing a plus secondary is the next step. Florida’s pitching staff has helped plenty of quality arms add an offspeed to their arsenal while continuing to develop the primary breaking pitch. If everything goes right for him at Florida in 2024, Jenkins could be a starter in 2025.

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Florida loses incoming transfer RHP Michael Ross to 2024 MLB draft

Samford right-hander Michael Ross won’t be transferring to Florida after signing a deal out of the MLB draft.

Samford right-hander [autotag]Michael Ross[/autotag] won’t make it to Gainesville after all.

The incoming transfer turned down a year with the Florida Gators to sign an 18th-round deal with the Minnesota Twins. The financial details of the deal remain unknown for now.

Ross had a chance to join Florida’s weekend rotation, which should be anchored by returners [autotag]Pierce Coppola[/autotag] and [autotag]Liam Peterson[/autotag]. Ross was expected to be the third member of the weekend rotation, but now Florida will have to figure something else out.

Florida tried to convince Ross to stay in school for another year, pitching that a good year in the SEC could earn him more money. But Ross would lose all negotiating leverage if he returned for his senior year, potentially negating any gains made by the year at UF.

The Gators had a pretty good draft otherwise, but losing Ross hurts. Florida has now lost impact transfer arms in back-to-back offseasons. UCLA right-hander Kelly Austin signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Houston Astros after committing to Florida last season.

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Florida baseball adds Clemson RHP from transfer portal

Chalk up another big addition to Florida baseball’s roster from the transfer portal.

Florida’s busy offseason in the transfer portal continued on Friday when former Clemson Tigers right-hander [autotag]Billy Barlow[/autotag] announced his commitment to the program on social media.

Barlow missed most of the 2023 season with an injury but was granted a medical redshirt and returned to solid production this past year. He made two Friday-night starts to begin the season, but he moved into a midweek role after that. By mid-April he was in Clemson’s bullpen, making his final appearance against the Gators in a 13-inning regional thriller.

He improved on his freshman earned run average (4.84), finishing 2024 with a 4.28 ERA and a 6-1 record across 15 appearances (10 starts). He struck out 42 batters and walked 20.

Florida lacked experience on the mound in 2024, and adding Barlow is just the latest step taken by head coach [autotag]Kevin O’Sullivan[/autotag] to remedy the problem. The Gators also added Samford pitcher [autotag]Michael Ross[/autotag], who was named a First Team All-American, but he is draft eligible.

Barlow is also draft-eligible, but he could earn a lot more money with one good year at Florida.

Scouting Report

Despite reports of topping 94 mph in high school, Barlow has featured a 91-92 mph fastball for most of his college career. Good tailing action makes it an effective pitch against plus bats, though. He also has a mid-80s slider and 93-mph changeup in his arsenal.

Barlow doesn’t have blow-away stuff, but he’s good at getting groundballs because of his bowling-ball fastball. More than 50% of batted balls against Barlow are on the ground over 109 innings of work. Even better, he keeps line drives to a minimum at 18%.

Barlow’s fit on Florida’s pitching staff

Barlow is a dark horse candidate for the third-weekend slot, but that’s only if Ross leaves in the draft. He’d also have to compete with any of Florida’s young guys who step up. Jake Clemente feels like an option in the rotation.

Still, Barlow should get a handful of midweek starts and be a strong presence out of the bullpen on the weekends.

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Florida adds draft-eligible RHP named SoCon Pitcher of Year

Florida might have found a new starting pitcher for the weekends, but the MLB draft could end up taking Samford transfer Michael Ross.

Florida landed one of the top arms in the college baseball transfer portal on Saturday with Samford right-hander and Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year [autotag]Michael Ross[/autotag] commitment to the Gators.

Ross missed all of the 2023 season following Tommy John surgery, but he bounced back for a career year. He was named a First Team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association after ending the year with a 13-0 record and a 3.27 ERA.

The strikeout numbers aren’t crazy here, as is the case with many incoming SEC transfers. Ross has a solid 22% strikeout rate, averaging just above eight per nine innings. Instead, it’s the control that makes Ross a perfect fit for the Gators. He walked fewer than two batters per nine last year, and his career walk rate is 5.8% over 180 innings.

A class of 2020 graduate from George W. Jenkins in Lakeland, Ross signed with Samford ranked No. 59 among right-handers in Florida. He appeared in eight games as a freshman and entered the starting rotation his sophomore year. Surgery forced him to redshirt as a junior, giving him one year of eligibility left as a graduate transfer.

The big question with Ross is whether a team will spend the money on him in the draft. Being elite at a mid-major still means he’s unproven at the highest level of college baseball.

A year at Florida would give scouts the verification needed to up the offer a bit, but it would take a Hurston Waldrep-esque season to make a significant jump on draft boards. Signing as an undrafted free agent is now viable and can make as much money as a player draft in rounds 10-20.

Florida has plenty of question marks in its starting rotation next year, but the hope is Liam Peterson and Pierce Coppola will be two of the three weekend starters. Ross would likely be the third if he makes it to Gainesville.

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