1. Arizona State
Despite losing ace Alec Marsh and top 10 pick Hunter Bishop, the Sun Devils return an impressive roster loaded with talent and should improve upon a strong 2019 season. The infield features three potential first round picks in Torkelson (a Golden Spikes award front-runner), Gage Workman and Alika Williams. Trevor Hauver is an early all Pac 12 pick and Sean McClain (the brother of UCLA standout Matt McClain) earns all freshman team preseason honors.
On the mound, the Sun Devils should take a step forward with Boyd Vander Kooi returning and three potentially huge impact newcomers in Justin Fall, Cooper Benson and Tyler Thornton. These four should battle it out for the starting rotation and all have potential MLB futures, but it’s RJ Dabovich out of the pen who is arguably the top MLB prospect on the staff. He, along with two way player Erik Tolman and Will Levine will anchor a potentially dynamic pen. The Sun Devils should be a more balanced team in 2020 with a sky high ceiling.
2. UCLA
UCLA lost some major talent last year, but will return a still very impressive amount in 2020. A strong rotation led by all Pac 12 pick Zach Pettway, second teamer Nick Nastrini, Jesse Bergin and Sean Mullen could become dynamic if they stay healthy. Impact freshman Jared Karros could work his way into the rotation with major upside. The pen is the best in the conference, anchored by Holden Powell, Kyle Mora and Jack Filby.
On offense, UCLA has a potential top five pick in Garrett Mitchell, who could become a factor in the Golden Spikes award race. Former first round pick Matt McClain should emerge as a force in his second year. He, along with Noah Cardenas and redshirt freshman JT Schwartz, all have potential to sneak into first team discussion. Transfer Pat Caulfield is expected to become an impact bat. Freshman Michael Curialle and Emanuel Hall are both high ceiling bats who could work their ways into playing time. It’s a balanced team with high upside,elite defense and elite coaching.
3. Arizona
I expect the Wildcats to take a big step forward in 2020. They are the boom-or-bust team in the conference but look a lot more boom than bust. The offense, led by potential first round pick Austin Wells, looks to be among the best in the conference if not the nation in 2020. First teamer Dayton Dooney, second teamers Tony Bullard, Matthew Dyer and Ryan Holgate, and first baseman Branden Boissiere should all be impact bats in 2020.
The pitching side is more of a question mark but offers plenty of upside with former Oregon State pitching coach Nate Yeskie. Sophomore Quinn Flanagan is expected to be the ace of the rotation while transfer Garrett Irvin and freshman Dawson Netz and Chandler Murphy round out the rotation. Freshman Wesley Scott and behemoth 6-foot-11 Hunter Cope expect to factor in as well. The pen will be led by senior transfer and Noho Hank lookalike Davis Vainer and Jonathan Guardado. If the pitching comes around under Yeskie, Arizona could seriously contend for the conference title.
4. Stanford
Simply put, the Cardinal lost a ton of top tier talent in 2019. They lost six starters on offense, including arguably their top five hitters and six of the top seven. Tim Tawa returns and will need to carry the Stanford offense. Brandon Dieter, Nick Bellafronto and Nick Breuser will need to take significant steps forward for this team to compete on offense. Freshman Henry Gargus will need to become an instant impact at the plate and fellow freshman Brock Jones, Kody Huff and Cole Hinkelman will need to realize their potential early as well. The Stanford offense is more of a question mark than at any time in recent years.
Despite losing ace Erik Miller and closer Jack Little, the Stanford pitching staff is arguably tops in the conference. First teamer Brendon Beck leads a strong staff with second teamer Alex Williams, potential breakout arm Jacob Palisch and high ceiling freshman Quinn Matthews. The pen remains strong, led by second teamer Cody Jensen and third teamer Austin Weiermiller. The arms will need to carry the team for Stanford to continue to be a top 15 team this year. If they can’t do that, it could be a rough year for the Cardinal.
5. Oregon State
This upcoming season marks the end of an era for the Beavers. Not only do they need to replace a generational talent in Adley Rutschman, along with talents like Beau Phillip, Grant Gambrell and Brandon Eisert; but also legendary coaches Pat Casey and Nate Yeskie as well. Luckily Mitch Canham appears to be the right man for the job and players are buying in big time.
The offense is a major question mark. Alex McGarry and Troy Claunch should headline an iffy offense that will be searching for both leadership and production. That being said, there is pedigree here and the type of player development that should see players making huge strides.
The rotation has a lot to prove as well, with no more Yeskie and ace Kevin Abel expected to miss the season. Christian Chamberlain is expected to make the jump from the pen to staff ace, with Jake Pfennings, Mitchell Verburg and freshman Will Frisch expected to round things out. Closer Jake Mulholland should anchor an above average pen. A lot of question marks abound about the Oregon State roster, but it’s still a winning culture that will be well coached.
6. California
Cal lost a ton in 2019, with Andrew Vaughn, Cameron Eden, Jared Horn, Korey Lee and Arman Sabouri all leaving via the draft; plus top recruit Kyren Paris signing with the Angels. Cal still returns a solid base on offense headlined by second teamer Darren Baker, third teamers Quentin Selma and Brandon McIlwain (a former starting QB for Cal) and potential breakout players Cole Elvis and Max Flower.
The weekend staff looks solid as well, headlined by projected first teamer Sean Sullivan, who was simply dominant on the Cape. Sullivan is followed up by two way star Grant Holman, Sam Stoutenborough rounding out the weekend crew. Touted freshman arms Joseph King and Aaron Roberts should vie for starts as well. The pen is a bit up in the air with power arm Ian Villers expected to take over the closer role.
7. USC
USC is a team that could make a jump in 2020 by virtue of returning the majority of its impact players. Third team shortstop Ben Ramirez has major breakout potential in 2020 and is a freak athlete. Second teamer Jamal O’Guinn is a similar plus athlete hoping to unlock his sky high potential in 2020. Freshman Tyresse Turner, a Marlins draft pick, can play all over the diamond and has impact potential.Clay Owens and Brady Shockey round out what could be a sneaky good offense under new head coach Jason Gill.
On the mound is where USC projects to shine. Kyle Hurt finally started to realize some of his monster potential in the fall and has all Pac 12 upside. He anchors a solid weekend rotation with John Beller and Isaac Esqueda, while Chandler Champlain should be the swing man. The Trojans have a high upside pen anchored by a core of Carson Lambert, Yale transfer Ben Wanger and Quentin Longrie. The Trojans rely heavily on projection, but have the potential to jump into the top 3-4 teams if it all comes together at once under Gill.
8. Washington
A College World Series finalist in 2018, Washington had an up and down 2019 and will need to replace star catcher Nick Kahle, as well as two drafted starters in Josh Burgmann and Jordan Jones. The clear star of the offense is projected first teamer Braiden Ward, who boasts legitimate 80 grade speed. Christian Jones returns from injury with big upside and JC transfer Davis Delorefice has had a big fall. UW had a surprisingly good recruiting class, with Christian Decochea, Dalton Chandler, Will Simpson and Caiden Matheny all expected to make an impact on offense.
UW will have to replace two great starters in Burgmann and Jones. Last year’s closer and projected All Pac 12 Third Teamer Stevie Emanuels is expected to hold down the ace role. Emanuels will touch 95 with a three-pitch mix, as does expected No.2 Jack Enger. David Rhodes and impact freshman Nate Weeldreyer are expected to round out a high upside rotation. Logan Gerling, Jack Decooman and Leo Nierenberg are expected to round out a risky bullpen.
UW will need multiple players to take a step forward on offense and in the bullpen to compete but should have a solid range from 5-9 in the conference.
9. Oregon
Oregon lost some major talent in Rhyne Nelson, Spencer Steer and Johnny DeLuca. They offset that with a potential return of ace Kenyon Yovan. A staff of a healthy Yovan, along with Robert Ahlstrom and Hunter Breault could be among the best in the conference. Cullen Kafka may start, but should slot into the closer role and along with Christian Ciufetelli should round out a formidable staff.
On offense, second teamer Gabe Matthews, third teamer AJ Miller and Tanner Smith lead the Ducks charge on offense. It projects to be a down year for the Ducks, but they could be tough whenever Yovan is on the mound.
10. Washington State
Former New Mexico State head coach Brian Green takes over a down Washington State team, but there is still talent on the roster. AJ Block, Brandon White and Zane Mills standout on the staff. Kyle Manzardo and Collin Montez are the top returning bats, while freshman Nathan Swarts and JC transfer Justin Van De Brake stand out as potential star newcomers. Wazzu is a long way away but should improve greatly from 2019.
11. Utah
Utah has a lot of returning starters, including Jayden Kiernan, who has All Pac 12 potential. Kyle Robienol is a top returning starter for the Utes. But the team simply doesn’t appear to have the balance necessary to compete in 2020.
Projected All Pac 12 First Team
C: Austin Wells, Arizona, Jr
1B: Spencer Torkelson, Arizona State, Jr
2B: Dayton Dooney, Arizona, So
3B: Gage Workman, Arizona State, Jr
SS: Alika Williams, Arizona State, Jr
OF: Garrett Mitchell, UCLA, Jr
OF: Braiden Ward, Washington, Jr
OF: Trevor Hauver, Arizona State, Jr
SP: Zach Pettway, UCLA, Jr
SP: Sean Sullivan, Cal, So
SP: Brandon Beck, Stanford, Jr
RP: RJ Dabovich, Arizona St, Jr
RP: Holden Powell, UCLA, Jr
Projected All Pac 12 second Team
C: Noah Cardenas, UCLA, So
1B: Gabe Matthews, Oregon, Sr
2B: Darren Baker, Cal, Jr
3B: Tony Bullard, Arizona, So
SS: Matt McClain, UCLA, So
OF: Ryan Holgate, Arizona, So
OF: Jamal O’Guinn, USC, Jr
OF: Matthew Dyer, Arizona, Jr
SP: Nick Nastrini, UCLA, So
SP: Kenyon Yovan, Oregon, Jr Rs*
SP: Alex Williams, Stanford, So
RP: Kyle Mora, UCLA, Sr
RP: Cody Jensen, So
Projected All Pac 12 Third Team
C: Troy Claunch, Oregon State, Jr
1B: JT Schwartz, UCLA, Fr Rs*
2B: Brandon Dieter, Stanford, So
3B: Quentin Selma, Cal, Jr
SS: Ben Ramirez, UCLA, Jr
OF: Brandon McIlwain, Cal, Jr Rs*
OF: Henry Gargus, Stanford, Fr
OF: AJ Miller, Oregon, So
SP: Justin Fall, Arizona State, Jr
SP: Boyd Vander Kooi, Arizona State, Jr
SP: Stevie Emanuels, Washington, Jr
RP: Jake Mulholland, Oregon State, Jr
RP: Austin Weiermiller, Stanford, Jr
Projected All Pac 12 Freshman Team
C: Jack Scanlan, Oregon
1B: JT Schwartz, UCLA
2B: Christian Dicochea, Washington
3B: Cesar Valero Sanchez, Oregon State
SS: Michael Curialle, UCLA
OF: Henry Gargus, Stanford
OF: Brock Jones, Stanford
OF: Sean McClain, Arizona State
SP: Cooper Benson, Arizona State
SP: Will Frisch, Oregon State
SP: Nate Weeldreyer, Washington
RP: Dawson Netz, Arizona
RP: Hunter Cope, Arizona
Top 30 2020 Draft Prospects
Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Arizona State
Garrett Mitchell, OF, UCLA
Gage Workman, 3B/SS, Arizona State
Austin Wells, C, Arizona
Alika Williams, SS, Arizona State
RJ Dabovich, RHP, Arizona State
Kevin Abel, RHP, Oregon State
Justin Fall, LHP, Arizona State
Kenyon Yovan, RHP, Oregon
Braiden Ward, OF, Washington
Ben Ramirez, SS, USC
Boyd Vander Kooi, RHP, Arizona State
Jacob Kalisch, LHP, Stanford
Matthew Dyer, C/OF, Arizona
Trevor Hauver, OF, Arizona State
Brendan Beck, RHP, Stanford
Kyle Hurt, RHP, USC
Stevie Emanuels, RHP, Washington
Darren Baker, 2B, Cal
Brandon McIlwain, OF, Cal
Erik Tolman, LHP/DH, Arizona State
Cullen Kafka, RHP, Oregon
Jamal O’Guinn, OF, USC
Jack Enger, RHP, Washington
Zach Pettway, RHP, UCLA
Quentin Selma, INF, Cal
Tim Tawa, SS/OF, Stanford
Holden Powell, RHP, UCLA
Hunter Breault, RHP, Oregon
Troy Claunch, C, Oregon State
Top 10 2021 Draft Prospects
Matt McClain, SS, UCLA
Nick Nastrini, RHP, UCLA
Noah Cardenas, C, UCLA
Sean Sullivan, RHP, Cal
Tyler Thornton, RHP, Arizona State
Ryan Holgate, OF, Arizona
Henry Gargus, 1B/OF, Stanford
Jack Filby, RHP/INF, UCLA
Seth Tomczak, RHP, Arizona State
Grant Holman, RHP/1B, Cal