A Look at the 2019 Hurricanes Baseball Outfield

The Hurricanes outfield finds itself in a similar position to the pitching staff. With the departure of Michael Burns, Danny Reyes, Romy Gonzalez, and Hunter Tackett there are several roles and starts to replace for this group in 2019. A junior college transfer and several younger players with limited experience will need to fill in the roles of some of the most consistent players off of last year’s team.

Returning Players

Dylan Cloonan

2018 Statistics: .289 AVG, .402 SLG, .415 OBP, 14 RBI, 97 AB, 28 H, 9 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 19 BB

Dylan Cloonan had an extremely strong freshman season in 2018. Growing from a player who started the season out of the spotlight and starting lineup to moving into a role as a consistent starter and solid performer. Cloonan has a strong frame, and he’ll need to start hitting for more power to help the Hurricanes outfield take the next step in 2019.

Dylan Cloonan should be a key piece of the Hurricanes outfield in 2019. He had an extremely strong freshman season in 2018, and will look to grow into a more significant role in this year’s iteration of the ‘Canes.

Tony Jenkins

2018 Statistics: .218 AVG, .327 SLG, .368 OBP, 12 RBI, 101 AB, 22 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 21 BB

Tony Jenkins was one of the Hurricanes key players in the outfield last year. He started the year as the leadoff man, and has a talent for working walks, however, he strikes out too much. If Jenkins wants to be the Hurricanes’ leadoff man in 2019, he’ll need to work on staying alive in the count. Jenkins is also a talented defensive player, and is a danger on the basepaths, even if Jim Morris was very conservative with the whole team’s stealing habits last season. Jenkins needs to work on making contact and getting on base more often to ensure he keeps his role throughout the season ahead for the Hurricanes.

Tony Jenkins is a talented player who will look to continue his development in 2019. There are some key areas to work on in his game, but he has the talent to become an important piece for the ‘Canes this year and beyond.

Gabe Rivera

2018 Statistics: .224 AVG, .397 SLG, .324 OBP, 9 RBI, 58 AB, 13 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 5 BB

Gabe Rivera is another player with an opportunity to grow into a larger role in the coming season. In limited at-bats Rivera has shown some power, and he hit a homerun in the Hurricanes exhibition game against FAU this fall. However, Rivera needs to work on making more consistent contact in order to put that power to its’ best use. Rivera can play several positions, so his future isn’t limited purely to the outfield, and he’ll have every opportunity to make an impact in 2019.

Gabe Rivera is a talented player, who like the two players listed above him, has things to focus on ahead of this season. Hopefully he can grow into a significant role and help the Hurricanes achieve their goals in 2019.

Incoming Transfer

Chad Crosbie

2018 Statistics (Saddleback Junior College): .277 AVG, .412 SLG, .423 OBP, 26 RBI, 148 AB, 41 H, 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 37 BB

Chad Crosbie is a talented incoming transfer who had a great year in the junior college ranks last season. His career began at UC San Diego, where he batted for a .322 AVG with 10 doubles and two homeruns in 2017, Division 1 Success he’ll hope to repeat at Miami in 2019. Crosbie is highly talented, and has been a standout at every level of baseball he’s played so far. However, much like several other players on the roster, he’ll face his biggest test in 2019 as a member of the Hurricanes.

Chad Crosbie is another player that the Hurricanes will hope can make an impact in 2019. He played well in the exhibition game against FAU, and he’ll hope to take the next steps in his collegiate career as a member of the ‘Canes for at least this upcoming season.

Incoming Freshmen

Jordan Lala

2018 Statistics: N/A

Jordan Lala is an extremely talented incoming freshman out of Tampa Catholic High School. He has a lot of room to add strength and is already extremely quick, which should translate to a great ability to field in college. He also posses a strong, accurate arm that is consistently on target. He’s got a solid swing that is very simple and gets his hands around to drive through the ball.

Lala probably needs some further development to truly grow into an impact player at UM. However, he has all the tools for future success, and strong fundamentals that should propel him to being an important member of the roster in coming years.

Austin Pollack

2018 Statistics: N/A

Austin Pollack is another incoming outfielder that comes out of Miami Country Day School. In his senior season he was an All-Dade County honorable mention after posting a .415 batting average. He excelled in high school, but he needs some development time in college to fill out his frame and become an excellent player.

Austin Pollack is another freshman that can, and will, benefit from a year to develop. He needs to add some strength onto his frame, which will allow him to reach his potential as his career continues at UM.

Chet Moore

2018 Statistics: N/A

Chet Moore comes to Miami from Satellite Senior High School. In both 2017 and 2018 he was named to the All-Cape Coast Conference team. He had two standout seasons in the final two years of his collegiate career. Moore is much like the previous two players; in need of some time to grow into the college game. Similarly to the other two, he very much needs to add strength to his frame to begin to tap into his full potential.

Chet Moore is promising, but needs some time to develop. He can take some time to grow into the rigors of college baseball and learn from the more experienced players on the roster to find success in his time at Miami.

The Hurricanes have a young and inexperienced outfield heading into the 2019 season. This group of players is largely untested. Gino DiMare will have several different options to combine into his starting outfield, and he’ll need to find the best combination, quickly, in order for the Hurricanes to have success this season.