The Gators' 2020 recruiting class ranks fourth in the country with 17 commits, including six top-100 prospects. Florida’s top commit, Zac Veen, will likely go top 10 in the upcoming MLB Draft. However, several others are juggling the decision to turn pro or honor their commitment.
One of Florida’s commits who has grasped the attention of MLB organizations is Tyler Shelnut, a two-way player who has a lot of projectability as a pitcher and hitter.
Shelnut, 6-foot-1, 175-pounds, played out his prep career at Fort White High School in Lake City, Florida. On Perfect Game, Shelnut is the nation's 368th-ranked prospect overall and 75th-ranked shortstop.
The Sunshine State native is a versatile infielder who mostly played shortstop and third base but has the ability to play second as well. He possesses solid hitting tools, as he has a line drive up the middle approach along with plus speed.
On the mound, Shelnut has a three-pitch mix of fastball, changeup and curveball. Shelnut’s fastball sits in the mid-80s and tops out at 88 mph. He has good control on all three of his pitches and pounds the strike zone.
Tools like this can grab the interest of some MLB organizations, and that has been the case so far.
“I’ve talked to some teams about the draft,” Shelnut told GatorsTerritory. “With everything going on, there’s no telling what’s going to happen and I just have to play it by ear."
During his recruitment, Shelnut grabbed a lot of attention from some of the top programs in the nation. He only received two offers, but that had a lot to do with his early commitment to Florida.
“It was an exciting and definitely stressful process,” Shelnut told GT. "It’s always surreal to be recruited by your dream school, but when you are waiting for that offer, it’s extremely stressful."
Shelnut's only two offers came from the Florida Gators and the UNF Ospreys. Shelnut was in contact with the likes of Florida State, UCF, Stetson and LSU as well.
However, when the offer from the Gators did come through, it didn’t take long for Shelnut to announce his landing destination on the next level.
“Kevin O’Sullivan called me and offered me,” Shelnut said. “He told me to talk it over with my family. We talked it over for 15-20 minutes before calling him back and committing."
On Nov. 15 of last year, Shelnut made it official as he signed his National Letter of Intent to the University of Florida.
“It was like a dream come true,” Shelnut told GT. “As a little kid, I grew up going to Florida games and dreamed of one day playing in that jersey and signing my name on the dotted line. It was very special and surreal to me and my family members.”
Shelnut is all set to enroll in Gainesville as well. All of his classes will be online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he will officially enroll for Summer B unless the MLB comes calling.
Stay tuned to GatorsTerritory.
