Five Miami Players to watch against the Gators
The top-ranked Florida Gators open the season on Friday against the #11 Miami Hurricanes at Florida Ballpark. The Gators will open their brand new stadium against an in-state opponent and one of the top teams in the country.
The Miami Hurricanes return the majority of the lineup from last season but did lose their entire weekend rotation and some bullpen arms to the MLB. One of the players to watch for in this series versus Miami is the top catcher prospect and a projected Top 10 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft.
Kevin O’Sullivan and the Florida Gators are looking to start their season on the right foot especially with the expectation so high on the Gators team. Here are five Miami Hurricanes to watch for in Florida’s opening weekend series.
C Adrian Del Castillo
Miami’s top player coming into this season is their third-year catcher Adrian Del Castillo. The Miami native is one of the best pure hitters in the country and is also the top catcher in collegiate baseball.
Del Castillo was an immediate impact player for Miami the moment he stepped on campus. During his Miami career, Del Castillo is slashing .336/.430/.571 with 14 home runs, 87 RBIs, and has a 1.001 OPS.
Del Castillo enters the 2021 season as a unanimous First Team All-American catcher and one of the favorites to win the Golden Spikes Award. The Florida pitching staff will have a talk task when Del Castillo steps up to the plate in the middle of Miami’s batting order.
2B Anthony Vilar
Another third-year player to watch out for in Miami’s lineup is infielder Anthony Vilar. The Westminster Christian product has started in every game for the Hurricanes since he enrolled at Miami.
Vilar is as dangerous of a hitter as Adrian Del Castillo is but, he’s still someone that can do damage. In his two seasons at Miami, Vilar is slashing .292/.405/.425 with 88 hits, 54 RBIs, and has a .830 OPS.
Vilar will likely hit in the top of Miami’s order and be their everyday second baseman. Miami lost their star shortstop, Freddy Zamora, to the MLB Draft and could allow Vilar to play shortstop. Vilar has some experience at shortstop but Miami head coach Gino DiMare might go with one of his freshmen. Yohandy Morales was a high school All-American that went undrafted and has made his way to Coral Gables.
RHP Alex McFarlane
The Miami Hurricanes lost a lot of their top pitchers from last season including their three starting pitchers. Replacing Miami’s 2020 rotation is a tall task considering how talented they were. The Hurricanes have some freshmen that could compete for a spot in the weekend rotation but one arm that could start this season for Miami is second-year right-hander Alex McFarlane.
The 6’4” 205-pound right-handed pitcher out of the Virgin Islands made some starts in the shortened 2020 season. McFarlane made six appearances as a true freshman including four starts. McFarlane posted a 2-2 record with a 5.25 ERA, 10.5 K/9, and 1.83 WHIP.
Coming out of high school, McFarlane was one of the top prospects in the country. On Perfect Game, McFarlane was the 68th ranked prospect and the 22nd ranked RHP in the country. He’s a power arm pitcher with a fastball that will sit in the low 90s. Miami hasn’t released their weekend rotation for this weekend yet but I expect to see McFarlane get the start on Friday or Saturday.
1B Alex Toral
Fourth-year first baseman Alex Toral is one of the most dangerous power hitters in the country. During his time at Miami, Toral has led the Hurricanes in home runs in his sophomore and junior seasons. He also led the ACC in homers as a sophomore by hitting 24 home runs.
The 6’1” 230 pound first baseman out of Southwest Ranches has some of the best raw power in the country. In his collegiate career, Toral is slashing .260/.385/.539 with 30 home runs, 94 RBIs, and has a .923 OPS.
Toral will surely start the season as the Hurricanes' first baseman for the fourth year in a row. You will find Toral in the heart of Miami’s batting order and the Canes will be hoping he steps up to the plate with runners on base so he can drive them in.
RHP Alejandro Rosario
Right-handed pitcher Alejandro Rosario is the only true freshman on this list but he will make his collegiate debut against the Florida Gators this weekend. Rosario is the top prospect from the Hurricanes 2020 baseball recruiting class.
Rosario is a 6’0” 180 pound right-handed pitcher out of Miami Christian with a lot of velocity. During his high school career, Rosario was clocked at 97 mph and usually sits 92-95 mph. He has two secondary pitches but his best pitch is his fastball.
During his high school career, Rosario was an Under Armour and Perfect Game All-American. He also pitched for the USA National Team in 17U and 18U. He also posted a 13-3 record with a 1.67 ERA and struck 165 batters in 142.2 innings pitched.