Bloomquist: The UCSB student who was Jacob Bremner. He seems quite authentic.
Mainieri: Arkansas’s Gabe Gaeckle. Last year, I saw him a little.
Mingione: At Florida State, I like Jamie Arnold. He is left-handed. He is in his mid-90s. He has a fantastic slider.
Billy O’Conner: Arnold Jamie. He will succeed in the major leagues since he is a left-handed pitcher with the stuff profile he possesses. Some people, like Paul Skenes or Chase Burns, who are still pitching in college games, make you think, “You don’t really belong in our game right now, like you’re too good for everybody else right now.”
Brian O’Connor: Florida State’s Jamie Arnold.
In the ACC tournament last year, we played him. He had 11 wins and a sub-three ERA in his sophomore season last year, and I find it really amazing when someone pitches 100 innings and records more than 150 strikeouts. I just believe that he is an exceptional competitor who not only possesses really high-level skills but also understands how to win the game. He also possesses all the intangibles.
O’Sullivan: Gabe Gaeckle at Arkansas would have to be my choice.
Sabins: Zach Root, an East Carolina transfer from Arkansas.
Ungricht: Since I’ve seen our West Coast so much, I’m going to have to stick with him. It’s Bremner. I adore him. He is authentic. Make an effort to show love to our West Coast boys.
Wasikowski: I’m hoping it’s Jason Reitz, our guy (Saint Mary’s transfer). He has a shot to be one of those men, in my opinion. Although Saint Mary’s may not have the history, I believe he has a shot to be that outstanding. He performed well at Saint Mary’s. I’m not sure if he did well at Saint Mary’s, but he went off for the summer and turned out to be a cool guy. I’d like to believe it might be him.
Additionally, I’m going to make a suggestion that I believe is somewhat unusual. Although I haven’t heard much discussion about it, I believed the potential was absurd. However, I believe Joey Volchko of Stanford has a potential to be on par with anyone in the nation. His fastball can reach speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, and his secondary stuff is absurd. Although he won’t make the first team All-America list in the preseason, I believe he has a potential to be among the best players in the nation.
Which collegiate baseball position player do you think is the best?
Trea Turner of NC State is the Avent. His shrewdness, his intuition, his strength, his cunning, and his comprehension of the game, which improved everyone else’s performance. He simply brought a lot of stuff to the table. work ethic. He is as good a player as I have seen in college baseball, and I could go on and on.
If I don’t mention our guy, I’ll tell you about another guy, Darin Erstad (at Nebraska). During my time at New Mexico State and in the Cape Cod League, I had numerous opportunities to play or coach against him. I went up to shake his hand and say, “I admired watching you play,” knowing that it would be my last time seeing him. Regardless of the score, the time of the game, his feelings, or his current state, he simply gave it his all and played the game the way I believed it should be played.
Bloomquist: UCLA’s Troy Glaus.
That was in the days when we used bats with a minus-5 weight (weight in ounces vs length in inches). Playing shortstop with that youngster when he was at bat made me fear for my life. He was a junior, and I was a freshman. A man among boys, he was. He played shortstop and was 6-5. That year, he hit about thirty home runs. Man, he was frightening. One of those guys said, “Holy s—, let’s just run and take cover,” as he approached the plate. I was playing short again. Fortunately, I wasn’t playing third or pitching. It was frightening when that guy approached the plate.
Mainieri: Alex Bregman (LSU) could have to be my choice.
Mingione: That’s fantastic. During my nineteen years in the SEC, I have witnessed nearly every football game from the sidelines. The best SEC college football player I’ve ever seen will be my first choice. Johnny Manziel is here. He was amazing. However, we are discussing baseball. Alex Bregman is, in my opinion, the greatest collegiate baseball player I have faced.
Billy O’Conner: In the past, I would say Buster Posey of Florida State. We competed with one another. I recall playing against Buster, but I doubt he remembers playing against me. However, he was making the switch from infield to catcher for the first time. “We just played the Phillies and somebody from the Phillies said, ‘Man, this kid you got behind the plate, he’s better than any catcher we have in our entire organization,'” I recall the former Florida State coach, Mike Martin, telling our head coach. Therefore, it was quite amazing to witness him in the past.
Brian O’Connor: Buster Posey has been my coach.
As catcher, we are all familiar with Buster and his actions. As a shortstop, Buster would have also been selected in the first round. He began as a shortstop at Florida State. He was an outstanding shortstop who was moved to catcher, and they deserve praise for turning him into a catcher. However, his skill set was very exceptional when they faced him here in Virginia in those years. The man, however, had a remarkable regard for the game. And I have always valued his style of play and respect for the game, both as a professional and collegiate player.
O’Sullivan: I could be biased, but Jac Caglianone is just coming off of last year. The stats you provided and the strain he was under, I can’t help but feel biased. I take it that he had to play both sides of the ball? But for me, that would be a simple decision.
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