Potential 2023 break out candidates for Kentucky Baseball

If there’s one thing that’s been confirmed over the past couple of weeks, the BBN desperately deserves to see postseason baseball in Kentucky. The Bat ‘Cats haven’t qualified for a regional tournament since 2017, leaving an ever-intensifying bitter taste every year where UK is forced to watch the rest of the SEC compete for national titles.

Massive work is still to be done in order to turn the Wildcats into contenders next season obviously. With that though, Kentucky already has some young studs who might be able to make a significant jump heading into the 2023 season.

Devin Burkes | C / 6’3″ 210 LBS / R / R

The redshirt freshman was slotted as the backup catcher for nearly all of the 2022 regular season, forced to watch Alonzo Rubalcaba call a majority of games. He began to break into the starting lineup towards the end of May and took full advantage of his opportunity. The 6-3, 210-pound Burkes finished the regular season batting .348 in seven starts. The numbers were for sure optimistic as head coach Nick Mingione started to tease the future behind the plate. His appearances were so sporadic that it was honestly difficult to really assess Burkes and his abilities. That is until the SEC tournament came around.

Needing to win the SEC tournament in order to qualify for a regional, Kentucky shocked the world by making it to the semifinals before eventually falling to Tennessee in the title. Even more shocking is that Burkes was the best player on the field that week for the Wildcats.

The Bradenton, Fla. native broke out down in Hoover. He went 6-14 at the plate over the week while launching two home runs in the loss to LSU. It was enough to earn him a nod on the SEC All-Tournament team.

DEBO x 2!!

A three-run shot makes it 11-6. Another terrific AB by @Devin_Burkes. pic.twitter.com/9mc7NUDJrd

— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) May 27, 2022

A full offseason as the concrete No. 1 option behind the plate could do wonders for Burkes. He’s no liability on the defensive side either, consistently showing off the arm strength whenever given the chance. There are questions all around the diamond as Kentucky heads into the offseason, but Burkes should absolutely be slotted as the starting catcher next year and has the chance to make a significant impact.

Ryan Hagenow | RHP / 6’5″ 215 LBS / R / R

The rotation for the Wildcats heading into the 2023 season is admittedly barren. The ‘Cats will be losing a significant amount of weekend starts and it’s difficult to predict how Cole Stupp will look when he returns from injury. Kentucky is in a weird spot though where they do have the firepower to reload on the mound, it’s just never been there consistently.

What Kentucky loses in consistency, they gain in stuff. Heading into his third season in Lexington, Ryan Hagenow has had an arduous journey so far. The Knoxville, Tenn. native made waves when he originally committed to the ‘Cats. Hagenow was the No. 26 overall recruit in the country according to Perfect Game before arriving on campus. He was anointed as the next big star to come through the program, but he hasn’t necessarily lived up to the hype yet.

The right-hander finished his year with a 5.97 ERA after only making three starts. He struggled with control mightily throughout the entire year. With just under 30 innings of work on the year, Hagenow allowed 33 free bases. Looking optimistically though, the lack of control seems to be the only thing holding him back from breaking out. The 6-5, 215-pound hurler held opponents to a .196 batting average while racking up 40 strikeouts on the year.

Heading into year three, it’s time for Hagenow to make the leap and become a reliable starter for the Wildcats, one they’ve been waiting years for.

Magdiel Cotto | LHP / 6’4″ 245 LBS / L / L

Continuing the theme of flamethrowers on the mound, former South Carolina transfer Magdiel Cotto still has the ability to become a key part of the Wildcat rotation.

Bluntly put, Cotto had a rough go-around in his first season with Kentucky. His bugaboo from his time with the Gamecocks crept up again throughout the 2022 season. The lefty has consistently struggled with throwing strikes, and when he did, teams appeared to be able to tee off on him. Cotto walked 19 in 15 appearances this season — nine of those coming as starts — allowing a .285 average to opposing hitters. The worrying part is that most of this came against mid-major schools which were clearly inferior to the ‘Cats.

Even though he finished with an abhorrent 6.06 ERA on the year, there are still more than enough qualities in Cotto that lead you to believe he can turn it around. The lefty throws undeniable gas, reaching up to 96-97 MPH on multiple occasions, with a plus breaking ball. If his talents can be honed-in, Cotto has the ability to become a good starter in this league.