Mississippi State Baseball: Three Offensive Stars the Diamond Dawgs Should Target in the Transfer Portal
Mississippi State baseball is looking to start fresh with plenty of new faces on the field heading into next year after a disappointing 2022 season.
There have been a total of 10 Diamond Dawgs enter the transfer portal over the last few weeks. While most of these have been young players who were expected to leave at the end of the season, center fielder Brayland Skinner and pitcher Mikey Tepper will also be taking their talents elsewhere.
Aside from players choosing to transfer out of the program, the team is expected to lose some big names within the first few days of the MLB Draft: Landon Sims, Logan Tanner and Brad Cumbest. Lastly, many members of the large senior class will be moving on to other things, unless they have an extra year of eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19 pandemic and choose to use it.
It's now time for Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis to rebuild. He landed former Memphis pitcher Landon Gartman on Wednesday and will likely be adding to the roster over the next few weeks, especially with the portal being as active as it has been as of late.
Here are a few big names in the transfer portal that the Diamond Dawgs should target for next season.
1. OF Ethan Groff, Tulane
If the name sounds familiar, it probably is: Groff gave the Bulldogs just about all they could handle during a series between the two teams early in the 2022 season. In those three games alone, he went 6-of-9 batting with two home runs, four RBI and four runs scored. Groff's numbers are even more impressive on the year as a whole. He finished the season with an incredible .404 batting average with 61 hits, 35 RBI and nine home runs. MSU will be losing a few key outfielders, so Groff could have the opportunity to play early and often if he lands in Starkville.
2. OF Owen Diodati, Alabama
Diodati has one huge advantage if he finds his way to Mississippi State: SEC experience. The Crimson Tide outfielder has been in the conference since 2020 and was a strong and steady force for the team last season. He ended the year with 26 RBI and 27 runs scored while batting .242 and being walked 25 times. On top of a solid offensive performance, Diodati finished with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
3. INF Tommy White, NC State
Word on the street is that White is interested in transferring to Florida State, but plans can certainly change -- especially since just about every team in the NCAA will be vying for him. The freshman phenom his a school-record 27 home runs for the Wolfpack in 2022 and drove in 74 runs on a .362 batting average. Mississippi State likely has a chance of eventually landing "Tommy Tanks" if the rumors about his decision aren't true, but winning him over won't be easy.