STARKVILLE —- Another draft class has come and gone for Mississippi State baseball.
This year it included three rostered players: outfielders Colton Ledbetter, Kellum Clark and starting pitcher Cade Smith, as well as 2023 signees, Colin Houck and Aidan Smith.
With this phase of the offseason now complete, fifth-year head coach Chris Lemonis has a better picture of what his starting lineup may look like come the first game of the year next spring.
Here are three takeaways from MSU’s 2023 MLB Draft.
Where does this leave MSU’s outfield?
Mississippi State saw two of its starting outfielders get picked in this weekend’s draft in center fielder Colton Ledbetter and right fielder Kellum Clark
Ledbetter was selected in the second round with the 55th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays. The pick had a draft slot value of $2,607,500. Clark was one of the final picks of the draft, taken by the New York Mets in the 20th round, 606th overall.
Both are expected to sign their pro contracts, ending their Bulldog careers.
MSU almost lost a third starting outfielder this offseason when All-Southeastern Conference freshman Dakota Jordan flirted with the transfer portal for less than 24 hours.
As it stands, the Bulldogs will have two open outfield spots next season with many options to fill them. Among the on-roster players are Bryce Chance and Connor Hujsak.
Chance, a redshirt sophomore, made 27 starts last season, tallying 33 hits, two homers, 22 RBIs and five stolen bases.
Hujsak, a transfer from VCU, played in 25 games in his first year with MSU, tallying 10 hits, two homers and nine RBIs, but has been crushing the ball in the Florida Collegiate Summer League, batting .346 over 23 games, with 27 hits, five homers and 13 RBIs.
The Bulldogs also figure to be in the mix for Stanford transfer two-player Braden Montgomery, a Madison native who played high school ball with Hunter Hines and Ross Highfill at Madison Central. Montgomery, one of the top 2024 MLB Draft prospects, entered the transfer portal Tuesday, according to D1baseball.com.
What about the middle infield?
The Bulldogs appear to have the corners of their infield solidified, with Hunter Hines returning for his junior year and most likely sliding into Luke Hancock’s spot at first base and Logan Kohler, a Memphis transfer, taking over for Slate Alford, who transferred to Georgia, at third.
Where there is flexibility for MSU is at second base and shortstop.
Amani Larry, MSU’s starting second baseman, went undrafted this weekend and could return to Starkville for his senior year if he does not sign a free-agent contract. Larry, a New Orleans transfer, is not a candidate to transfer again, as he would have to apply for an NCAA waiver to get immediate eligibility.
MSU also returns starting shortstop David Mershon, who emerged midway through the season as the Bulldogs’ leadoff hitter.
Where it gets tricky is with incoming recruit Dylan Cupp. Cupp, from Georgia, was one of two top shortstops MSU had in its 2023 class. The Bulldogs saw their top recruit, Colin Houck, get selected 32nd overall by the New York Mets in the first competitive balance round. The pick had a draft slot value of $2,607,500, indicating that Houck will not ever arrive in college.
Cupp, who was considered a top-150 draft prospect by MLB.com, went undrafted and will be in Starkville next season. If Larry moves on, Mershon can easily slide over to second with Cupp taking the reins at short.
If Larry stays, playing time may be limited for the talented incoming freshman.
A three-headed monster in the bullpen?
Two other Bulldogs who expected to hear their names called on Tuesday, but didn’t, were relievers KC Hunt and Aaron Nixon, both of whom have remaining eligibility.
Hunt finished last year with an 8.54 ERA, pitching 39 innings over 23 appearances, allowing 37 earned runs and striking out 55 batters. Nixon, a transfer from Texas, finished his first year at MSU with a 2.66 ERA, pitching 20 1/3 innings over 16 appearances, tallying two saves, allowing six earned runs and striking out 24.
If both return, they could form a strong back-end to MSU’s bullpen, along with Nate Dohm, a transfer from Ball State, who finished with a 4.07 ERA, pitching 41 innings over 17 appearances, tallying two saves, allowing 19 earned runs and striking out 49 batters.
Justin Frommer is the Mississippi State sports reporter for The Dispatch.
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