San Diego State Hopes For Big Turnaround From Their Lineup in 2017

The Aztecs had a fairly poor year in 2016 at 21-38. In my eyes 2017 could/should be quite different. If you look at the lineup below, you'll notice that everyone, and I mean everyone, returns. The big deal here, of course, is getting the rotation back and the 41 starts it represents. A lot of stability showing here. You'll also notice that there are no seniors on the field as they are in the rotation (three to be exact). Seniors on the mound is always a big deal and juniors in the field as that's the year most players have their best year. See what I mean? It could be good.

Bozar’s best guess:

C - Hunter Stratton (JR) - .224 and 0.

1B - Jordan Verdon (SO) - .284 and 3.

2B - Justin Wylie (JR) - .305 and 4. Second team All-MWC

SS - Alan Trejo (JR) - .305 and 2.

3B - David Hensley (JR) - .276 and 1.

OF - Chase Calabuig (JR) - .221 and 1.

OF - Denz'l Chapman (JR) - .283 and 0.

OF - Tyler Adkison (JR) - .302 and 6.

DH - CJ Saylor - .289 and 0.

SP - Brett Seeburger (SR) - 1-3 and 4.81(67 IP with 55 strikeouts and 11 starts)

SP - Dominic Purpura (SR) - 4-2 and 3.25 (69 IP and 12 starts) Second team All-MWC

SP - Harrison Pyatt (SO) - 1-6 and 5.69 (61 IP and 11 starts)

SP - Marcus Reyes (SR) - 1-5 and 6.21 (66 IP and 7 starts)

RP - Jacob Erickson (JR) - 4-6 and 3.21 with 2 saves in 27 appearances.

Coach’s Comments:

Coach Martinez got back to me quickly and had a lot of editorial comments to make so here they are. He has Dean Nevarez (SO) at catcher, Andrew Martinez (SR transfer) at 1B, Alan Trejo at 2B rather than SS while Danny Sheehan (SR) is at SS. There’s more. He has Andrew Brown (SR) at 3B and maybe Justin Wylie in the Of instead of Chapman. Instead of at 1B, he has Verdon as the DH. As you can see, I was not close but a few of the guys in the lineup have just moved around. Justin Wylie is a good example. How are you going to bump him off completely? You can also see that my next paragraph is basically worthless. Will those newbies play a part? Time will tell. Oh, did you notice Coach made no comments on the pitching staff?

Oh, are there any recruits hiding in the bushes that may make an impact? Avery Tuck is an incoming outfielder who was drafted out of high school but is coming to the Aztecs. Ryan Orr looks pretty good, too, so he might get a shot at catching. Mitchell Allen is a big kid with a big bat as he hit .472 with 6 home runs last year in high school. He plays first base and pitches some also. You know how it is, some kid comes in as an unknown and catches lightning in a bottle so that may happen with one of the newcomers. The three that I’ve mentioned show merit, however.