Let’s catch up on a few things. I don’t know if there’s necessarily an order to this, but it’s a scattershot of some of the things I’m thinking and hearing. There seem to be a lot of moving parts in most directions, as Ole Miss is in offseason mode.
Mike Bianco has cast a wide net in his search for a pitching coach. We’ll see the eventual choice, but I’m hearing a lot about the Rebels looking at coaches at the professional level, including several organization’s pitching coordinators. I don’t have names where I can report them, but I know they have at least kicked the tires on people in the Dodgers and Cardinals organizations, and I assume there are a lot more. The majority or all of the list centers on pro guys with college understanding. He told pitchers that in their exit meetings.
I think the initial list is pretty big, but the goal is to move as quickly as possible. Ole Miss’ ideal candidate has college and pro experience. The knowledge and optimization that comes from working with professionals, but some college experience that tends more toward handling a 20-person pitching staff and working for immediate results as far as pitchability more than projection.
I wrote this yesterday, but the transfer portal dates for baseball make absolutely no sense. The portal is open for 45 days — meaning players have 45 days to get in the portal, not enroll at another school — and it closes before the Draft. So if you fill your roster from the portal and then a pro team surprise elevates one of your players on the Draft board, you’re pretty limited in replacing them. It’s dumb. Just leave the portal open for a few days after the Draft. It wouldn’t change the overall clock.
I haven’t heard of any departures that are that surprising or that really change the impact of things for next season, other than Trenton Lyons, who I do think is a high-major player. Something could pop I guess, but it hasn’t yet. This is a big summer for Campbell Smithwick as far as catching and whether that’s his position or not. A summer in the Cape is a good spot to figure it out. I expect he will be given the reps to convert to the outfield if he’s not the catcher next season. I expect Ole Miss to get these — but not limited to these — out of the portal: catcher, outfielder (preferably right-handed), shortstop and then obviously pitching.
This isn’t sourced really, but just from my understanding of baseball and a thought I’m fleshing out, I don’t see how there’s not a decent to good chance Hunter Elliott isn’t back with Ole Miss next season. I know he wants to sign, and there’s the hope of a good offer through the Draft, but logically that would shock me. He hasn’t thrown a pitch in more than a year, and he’s on a 14-month recovery plan, so he won’t be full release by the Draft to be able to throw a 100 percent bullpen or in any live simulation. I don’t see a team throwing a noticeable bonus at a pitchability lefty who hasn’t thrown in a while and isn’t all the way back from injury. He’s tough on the mound and has SEC juice and has a ring, but the current situation just doesn’t lend itself to being a top-10 round player.
If that is a correct assumption, it makes way more sense to return to Ole Miss, show you’re healthy and a quality SEC starter in 2025 and then go in the Draft with some leverage remaining since he’s only used one yer of eligibility. I’ve heard nothing to suggest he would consider transferring, but just to get out ahead of that question, that wouldn’t make sense to me either. He would have a longer leash — and more revenue opportunities at Ole Miss compared to other schools if there were any setbacks or slowness at returning to form. He wouldn’t need to prove anything to Ole Miss. He would just need to be ready by February. The burden would be higher at other places. Anyway, again, that’s not sourced, but it was on my mind so I wrote it. He could still take whatever is offered or do anything. We’ll see.
IF he’s healthy and back next season, your worst case scenario for a rotation is Elliott, Doyle and Mendes. It could be far worse. Now, Ole Miss needs to avoid Riley Maddox leaving for a low offer, and they need to attack the portal like they need a frontline starter because they do.
Xavier Rivas is in a weird spot, from a timeline standpoint. He needs to be ready to go by the start of the season or close to it for it to make sense for him to come back. If he’s not in line to be on pace to be 100 percent and sharp for most of the season, I’d expect him to sign. He’s only at 15 weeks post surgery right now, but the next weeks are pretty critical to see how much how much of a decision he has ahead and if his throwing program puts him on track to have a chance to help for the majority of the season and show scouts his 100 percent. If he’s not on that track, he can get an offer to start pro ball, finish rehab there and take his chances.
Related: It seems like Keith Meister with the Rangers is the surgeon of choice for players right now, and he is a slower-to-return doctor. It’s a good 14 months with his protocol. The hybrid procedure theoretically quickens recovery, but Meister doesn’t start live BP throwing until 12 months in most cases. Tyler Glasnow came back at 13 months, and there’s some flexibility in that 12-14 month range, but it’s common to be 14 months.
I heard Bianco is going out on the road this summer recruiting and will be more of a frontline voice when it comes to getting players. Usually he does the end-of-recruitment pitch.
Mike Bianco has cast a wide net in his search for a pitching coach. We’ll see the eventual choice, but I’m hearing a lot about the Rebels looking at coaches at the professional level, including several organization’s pitching coordinators. I don’t have names where I can report them, but I know they have at least kicked the tires on people in the Dodgers and Cardinals organizations, and I assume there are a lot more. The majority or all of the list centers on pro guys with college understanding. He told pitchers that in their exit meetings.
I think the initial list is pretty big, but the goal is to move as quickly as possible. Ole Miss’ ideal candidate has college and pro experience. The knowledge and optimization that comes from working with professionals, but some college experience that tends more toward handling a 20-person pitching staff and working for immediate results as far as pitchability more than projection.
I wrote this yesterday, but the transfer portal dates for baseball make absolutely no sense. The portal is open for 45 days — meaning players have 45 days to get in the portal, not enroll at another school — and it closes before the Draft. So if you fill your roster from the portal and then a pro team surprise elevates one of your players on the Draft board, you’re pretty limited in replacing them. It’s dumb. Just leave the portal open for a few days after the Draft. It wouldn’t change the overall clock.
I haven’t heard of any departures that are that surprising or that really change the impact of things for next season, other than Trenton Lyons, who I do think is a high-major player. Something could pop I guess, but it hasn’t yet. This is a big summer for Campbell Smithwick as far as catching and whether that’s his position or not. A summer in the Cape is a good spot to figure it out. I expect he will be given the reps to convert to the outfield if he’s not the catcher next season. I expect Ole Miss to get these — but not limited to these — out of the portal: catcher, outfielder (preferably right-handed), shortstop and then obviously pitching.
This isn’t sourced really, but just from my understanding of baseball and a thought I’m fleshing out, I don’t see how there’s not a decent to good chance Hunter Elliott isn’t back with Ole Miss next season. I know he wants to sign, and there’s the hope of a good offer through the Draft, but logically that would shock me. He hasn’t thrown a pitch in more than a year, and he’s on a 14-month recovery plan, so he won’t be full release by the Draft to be able to throw a 100 percent bullpen or in any live simulation. I don’t see a team throwing a noticeable bonus at a pitchability lefty who hasn’t thrown in a while and isn’t all the way back from injury. He’s tough on the mound and has SEC juice and has a ring, but the current situation just doesn’t lend itself to being a top-10 round player.
If that is a correct assumption, it makes way more sense to return to Ole Miss, show you’re healthy and a quality SEC starter in 2025 and then go in the Draft with some leverage remaining since he’s only used one yer of eligibility. I’ve heard nothing to suggest he would consider transferring, but just to get out ahead of that question, that wouldn’t make sense to me either. He would have a longer leash — and more revenue opportunities at Ole Miss compared to other schools if there were any setbacks or slowness at returning to form. He wouldn’t need to prove anything to Ole Miss. He would just need to be ready by February. The burden would be higher at other places. Anyway, again, that’s not sourced, but it was on my mind so I wrote it. He could still take whatever is offered or do anything. We’ll see.
IF he’s healthy and back next season, your worst case scenario for a rotation is Elliott, Doyle and Mendes. It could be far worse. Now, Ole Miss needs to avoid Riley Maddox leaving for a low offer, and they need to attack the portal like they need a frontline starter because they do.
Xavier Rivas is in a weird spot, from a timeline standpoint. He needs to be ready to go by the start of the season or close to it for it to make sense for him to come back. If he’s not in line to be on pace to be 100 percent and sharp for most of the season, I’d expect him to sign. He’s only at 15 weeks post surgery right now, but the next weeks are pretty critical to see how much how much of a decision he has ahead and if his throwing program puts him on track to have a chance to help for the majority of the season and show scouts his 100 percent. If he’s not on that track, he can get an offer to start pro ball, finish rehab there and take his chances.
Related: It seems like Keith Meister with the Rangers is the surgeon of choice for players right now, and he is a slower-to-return doctor. It’s a good 14 months with his protocol. The hybrid procedure theoretically quickens recovery, but Meister doesn’t start live BP throwing until 12 months in most cases. Tyler Glasnow came back at 13 months, and there’s some flexibility in that 12-14 month range, but it’s common to be 14 months.
I heard Bianco is going out on the road this summer recruiting and will be more of a frontline voice when it comes to getting players. Usually he does the end-of-recruitment pitch.