An early look at the 2021 Diamond Dawgs

Mississippi State certainly appears to have a loaded roster in the season to come

In a perfect world, with no coronavirus pandemic and a full 2020 baseball season, the College World Series would've gotten underway this weekend. There's a chance Mississippi State would've been in Omaha for a third-straight year.

Unfortunately, the season was cancelled. But the good news for the Bulldogs is that in the wake of a 2020 MLB Draft that went almost exactly as expected, it appears MSU is set up for another push towards college baseball's biggest stage come next year.

So what will Mississippi State look like in 2021? Let's take a quick look at a projected lineup, starting pitching rotation and bullpen, as well as some strengths and concerns. Note that, for purposes of this preview, it's assumed that all five players with MSU ties taken in the MLB Draft (Austin Hendrick, Justin Foscue, Jordan Westburg, J.T. Ginn and Blaze Jordan) begin their professional careers and are not a part of State's 2021 roster.

POSSIBLE 2021 LINEUP:

• 2B Scott Dubrule - Grad transfer is an on-base machine
• CF Rowdey Jordan - Streaky, but can carry a team when he's hot
• RF Tanner Allen - If he's the '19 version, he's MSU's best hitter
• 1B Josh Hatcher - Has hit .317 with some thump over last 2 years
• SS Kamren James - 3B last year, but has tools to replace Westburg
• LF Brandon Pimentel - Struggled mightily in '20, but high upside
• C Luke Hancock/Logan Tanner - Both solid offensively and defensively
• 3B Kellum Clark - Could play 1B in long run, but fits best at 3B now
• DH Landon Jordan/Brad Cumbest/etc. - Depends on matchup

WEEKEND ROTATION:

• Christian MacLeod - might be MSU's next MLB Draft first-rounder
• Will Bednar - 1.76 ERA w/ 23 Ks in just 15.1 IP in '20
• Eric Cerantola - If he can limit walks, has special potential

MIDWEEK/ADDITIONAL SUNDAY STARTING OPTIONS:

• Brandon Smith - Returning from injury, throws a ton of strikes
• Stone Simmons - Played at Furman last year and was Friday night guy
• Carlisle Koestler - Can solidly fill any pitching role MSU needs
• Houston Harding - good numbers in two midweek starts last year

TOP RELIEF ARMS:

• Spencer Price - 0.00 ERA and just 1 H allowed over 7.1 IP in '20
• Riley Self - veteran can close, setup or clean up mid-inning messes
• Landon Sims - 23 Ks over just 13 IP last year. Opponent BA: just .111
• Jaxen Forrester - Only Price had more pitching appearances in '20
• Jack Eagan - experienced and a lefty, so two desired qualities
• Chase Patrick - K'd more than a batter an inning on average last year

TOP NEWCOMERS/UNPROVEN ARMS:

• Davis Rokose - lefty had a lot of hype, but didn't play in '20
• Cameron Tullar - being LH gives even better chance of playing now
• Jackson Fristoe - might not've come to MSU if not for shortened draft
• Mikey Tepper - same as Fristoe
• Cade Smith - same as Tepper and Fristoe

EARLY THOUGHTS:

– This pitching staff is stacked. There is option after option. Top to bottom, it absolutely has to be one of, if not the deepest, groups of pitchers in MSU history.

– Mississippi State has starting options galore. Obviously MacLeod stands as the unquestioned ace, but he's followed by about five guys who could probably all make a case to be included in State's weekend rotation. The guess here is that Bednar and Cerantola get first crack at those remaining weekend slots to reprise their roles from the end of the shortened '20 season. Even if one falters, Brandon Smith, Carlisle Koestler and former Furman ace Stone Simmons make up one heck of a backup plan.

– Given his past struggles with walks, perhaps Cerantola doesn't stick in his Sunday starter role. Smith's return from injury, Koestler's effectiveness as a starter last year and Simmons sitting right there means Cerantola probably won't have too long of a leash to prove himself. Again though, he has special potential if it all clicks. And if it doesn't, there are many other places State can turn.

– Almost yearly, there is a conversation about if Mississippi State's bullpen has enough arms to get the job done. It's almost always the team's biggest concern. In 2021, the bullpen might actually be the team's safest bet. It had already turned into a strength in 2020. Now essentially that entire crew is back, plus all the talented newcomers. 

– 2021's biggest question mark is almost assuredly the lineup. Will the Bulldogs get enough offense? It helps that there's a strong pitching staff that might not need a ton of support, but it's certainly a concern. Remember, MSU was at times woeful at the plate in '20. Now take out Justin Foscue and Jordan Westburg's big sticks and you see why things get worrisome. The good news is State is adding an on-base machine in the form of Jacksonville transfer Scott Dubrule and a fully healthy Tanner Allen is likely to hit north of .300 and rack up the extra base hits. Of course at this point, everyone about knows what to expect out of Rowdey Jordan and Josh Hatcher too. Maybe the key piece of the lineup is Brandon Pimentel. He was having an awful 2020, but MSU thinks highly of his bat and if he can live up to those expectations, this lineup might be better than it looks on paper.

– If the above possible lineup is indeed somewhat like what MSU runs out with regularity in 2021, the Bulldogs are going to have an incredibly lefty-heavy lineup. If the starting outfield is Pimentel/Jordan/Allen, all three are either left-handed hitters or, in Jordan's case, a switch hitter. Three of the four projected infielders (Clark/James/Dubrule/Hatcher) all bat left handed too. Only James hits right handed in that bunch. Behind the dish, when Luke Hancock starts, there's another lefty bat. For those who like the lineup to be juggled a bit between left-handed and right-handed hitters, that might be tough to do on some days.

OUTLOOK:

Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis probably summed up things the best in a media opportunity with reporters several weeks ago.

“We’ve talked about it a lot, we’ve got a chance to be really good,” Lemonis said. “Then, I follow it up with ‘I think everyone thinks they have a chance to be really good.’ You’re going to see college baseball at its highest level this coming year, maybe two years, because of the influx of players in the game.”

Yes, Mississippi State has one of its most talented, deepest rosters ever....but so does most everyone else. The NCAA allowing all 2020 spring-sport athletes an extra year of eligibility, plus an MLB Draft shortened by 35 rounds, means most rosters are stacked with incredibly skilled players. 

Still, there's no question Mississippi State is going to head into 2021 with as high a level of expectations as anyone. It seems likely the Bulldogs will probably start the season a consensus Top-15-or-so team with all eyes set on a June trip to Nebraska once more.