Tulane Baseball Head Coach Speaks On His Four MLB Drafted Players and Their Futures
Tulane Baseball just had four players drafted, the most since 2021 when they sent five to the pros.
Right-handed pitcher Chandler Welch (sixth round), catcher Colin Tuft (eighth round), first baseman Brady Marget (16th round) and outfielder Teo Banks (18th round) have all joined the annals of Tulane history after being drafted.
Each has a unique skillset that could successfully translate to the professional level and perhaps even one day at the Major League level.
But no one would know better about that than their head coach Jay Uhlman.
Coach Uhlman was kind enough to have a very lengthy and detailed conversation about each of these players, young men who he raves about and firmly believes has every chance to succeed at the next level.
For Welch, this has been a family business as well as a business of developing into the pitcher he has become, a sixth-rounder no less.
"His stuff improved every single year, his routine, his leadership," said Coach Uhlman. "You know, one thing about Chandler, he was always going to give you his best, like it's going to be full heart, full intent. There's never a doubt when he's on the mound you know, if he pitches great and has success, it's not a surprise.
"And then ultimately the kids got to get up there on top of the mound and do it himself. Just again, really thrilled for him and you know he's a legacy. His dad pitched at Tulane. His dad was a professional pitcher and was a Big League guy. I think that part of the legacy is really cool for Chandler and David [Welch] that this kind of happened for them. So pretty neat."
As for Tuft, he was a transfer from the University of Virginia and even made a College World Series appearence. But a natural catcher, he was blocked at the position which opened up the potential to transfer. Something Coach Uhlman and his staff pounced on and turned him into a pro.
"He entered the portal looking for an opportunity to catch, and we at the time last summer were recruiting and entertaining two other catchers at the same time and we happen to land on Colin," said Uhlman. "He came in here and we didn't know what to expect. He didn't catch at all and we knew he was athletic and versatile, so we knew if he couldn't catch, he could probably go out in the outfield or play a little first or do something that would help the team.
"The thing that we didn't understand about him until we got him in the program and he started to get comfortable was his ability to lead a pitching staff. His receiving skill set was really undervalued. I thought that was one of the things - his ability to get strikes and steal strikes - I think made a huge difference for our success from last year to this year. So, he was really instrumental."
Interestingly enough, one of Tuft's former teammates, Billy Price, was already on the squad and played a pivotal role in getting Tuft to make the transfer to Tulane. And it paid off as Tuft really helped shape the trajectory of the program moving forward.
One player that Coach Uhlman was really high on was Marget, a player he believes was taken far too late and was a complete steal for the Tampa Bay Rays. In fact, Uhlman already has an MLB comp in mind for Marget.
"He was really our most consistent offensive piece not only this year, but probably for his three years in our uniform," said Uhlman. "Had he come back, he would have probably landed in the top ten of a lot of different offensive categories in a program that's got plenty of offensive traditions. So, to me, he's a Big League hitter.
"I've only had one other guy like him in terms of his ability to get the barrel in the plane of the ball consistently, and that's a guy by the name of Spencer Steer, who hits third and fourth for the Reds right now in his second year in the big leagues. So those two guys are comparable for me."
In fact, Uhlman has such faith in Marget being a Major League-caliber player that he believes the first baseman will eventually become a .300 avg, 30 double and 30 homerun guy in the Majors.
That is a heap of praise from a coach who knows a thing or two about developing Major League talent but also about a guy taken in the 16th round.
As for outfielder Teo Banks, Coach Uhlman believes that he was also taken far too low in the 18th round. A leader, a player who has put a team on his back and carried them, as well as an offensive powerhouse going in the 18th round?
While there are things he needs to work on, he may also just make it to The Show.
"If you combine his three years at Tulane, get that from the lens of a minor league baseball season, I think you'll take runs, 100 RBI and 30-plus homers, because that's what the stat line would be for his three years of playing here and a minor league season," said Uhlman. "So, to me, that's more indicative of the kind of production that he's going to have, he's got a good arm, he's really improved as a defensive center fielder and a field general.
"So, he's been the main cog in terms of where this program is now headed, and the things that we've done over the course of the last three years he's been a huge part of that, and he's been our team captain. One of our team captains that the players selected, not the coaches, the players selected him. I think that tells you all you need to know about him. Just proud of him. I'm proud of all those guys, but really proud of him as well."
Finally, the question everyone has been wondering: will all four of these players sign with their respective teams or could at least one return for another season?
Coach Uhlman had a pretty definitive answer on that one.
"In today's draft world, guys that get drafted 86-percent of them actually sign," said Uhlman. "So, I don't hold out much hope that any of them are going to return. The only one I think that may consider it because it's a tug on his heartstrings because he's got a family history here is Chandler. But I just don't see getting drafted in the sixth round and passing up that opportunity. My anticipation is that we'll have to replace the production of all four of those guys."
In the end, this is one of the stronger draft classes Tulane has seen in recent memory. It is also indicative of where this program is headed with its talent and its direction under head coach Jay Uhlman and his staff.
KADE KISTNER