Florida Gators 2023 Baseball Roster Breakout: Right-handed pitchers
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The Florida Gators are less than a month away from their 2023 season opener versus Charleston Southern. The Gators come into this season with lofty expectations as every major college baseball media outlet has them in their Top 10 in their respective preseason Top 25 rankings.
One area that should be a strength for the Gators this season is pitching. Florida has a deep and talented roster that has the potential to be one of the best pitching staff in the country. Here is the position breakdown for all of Florida’s right-handed pitchers.
Brandon Sproat
Junior right-handed pitcher Brandon Sproat was a surprise return for the Gators last offseason. Sproat had his best collegiate season and was drafted by the New York Mets with the 90th overall pick.
Sproat was expected to sign with the Mets and begin his professional career, but they couldn’t come to terms. He decided to return to the University of Florida and will be the Friday night starter for the Gators.
Sproat is a veteran arm in the SEC with power pitches, especially his fastball. If Sproat can pitch as he did toward the end of last season, he could be one of the best pitchers in the nation.
Hurston Waldrep
Hurston Waldrep was Florida’s biggest transfer portal addition from the last offseason. Waldrep is one of the best pitchers in college baseball after two strong seasons pitching for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
The Southern Miss transfer is coming off an excellent sophomore season in which he was named a Third-Team All-American. Waldrep posted a 6-2 record with a 3.20 ERA, a .213 opponent batting average, and struck out 140 batters in 90 innings pitched.
MLB Pipeline has named Waldrep as one of the top prospects in the 2023 MLB Draft. Waldrep has a four-pitch mix, but his power fastball and slider stand out. Waldrep’s fastball sits in the mid-90s and touched 98 mph. His slider is his best secondary pitch and strikeout pitch.
Clete Hartzog
Clete Hartzog is another pitcher new pitcher on Florida’s pitching staff. Hartzog is a JUCO transfer from Wallace Community College in Dothan, Alabama. Hartzog will likely have a key role in Florida’s bullpen this season.
Before enrolling at Florida, Hartzog pitched for two seasons at Wallace Community College. As a freshman, Hartzog made sixteen starts and led the team in innings pitched with 79.2 innings pitched. He had a 7-4 record with a 5.08 ERA, 81 strikeouts, and 9.1 K/9. As a sophomore, Hartzog had a 10-3 record with a 4.50 ERA, struck out 98 batters, and an 11.9 K/9.
While Hartzog threw a lot at the junior college level, he’ll be a bullpen arm for the Gators. Hartzog is competing for the closer role and has a legit shot at winning that job. Hartzog has a three-pitch mix with a low-90s fastball that touches 94 mph. He also throws a curveball and slider that has some swing-and-miss.
Tyler Nesbitt
Tyler Nesbitt missed some time last season as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. Nesbitt had his up and downs last season but was a top prospect coming out of high school and had an excellent 2020 season.
During the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Nesbitt was named a Freshman All-American after throwing 11.2 scoreless frames. He missed the 2021 season with a season-ending injury and returned last season. Nesbitt made 20 appearances and posted a 4.59 ERA in 33.1 innings pitched.
Heading into the 2023 season, Nesbitt will likely be used as a bullpen arm for the Gators. Nesbitt could get a handful of midweek starts at the beginning of the season. Nesbitt was once a Top 200 draft prospect. It’ll be interested to see if Nesbitt can return to his old form before the surgery.
Nick Ficarrotta
Redshirt sophomore Nick Ficarrotta was one of Florida’s most-used bullpen arms last season. The side-arm righty was also one of Florida’s most consistent arms with a bullpen dealing with consistency issues.
Ficarrotta only made two appearances as a true freshman as he pitched against South Florida and Marshall. After not playing in the 2021 season, Ficarrotta earned a huge role as one of Florida’s back-end bullpen arms. He finished last season with a 4-0 record, 3.90 ERA, three saves, and 63 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched. He also finished second on the club in appearances with 28 last season.
The Palm Harbor native will likely keep his role as a back-end bullpen arm. With a full season’s worth of experience, Ficarrotta looks to take the next step in his development and is looking to be a key contributor for the Gators again.
Ryan Slater
Redshirt sophomore Ryan Slater is another side-arm righty that played a major role in Florida’s bullpen last season. Slater will look to build off last season and develop into a more proven arm in the SEC.
During his freshman season. Slater was redshirted and didn’t play any games. As a redshirt freshman, Slater made 26 appearances and three starts. Slater posted a 6-4 record with a 5.34 ERA, six saves, and a .240 opponent batting average.
Slater has a three-pitch mix but has two pitches he’s most comfortable with. His fastball sits at 91-93 mph and touches 94 mph. His slider is his favorite secondary pitch to throw and get swing-and-misses versus right-handed hitters. Slater should be a multi-inning bullpen arm for the Gators. He’s a pitcher that could also be competing for the closer role.
Blake Purnell
Another redshirt sophomore that ate tons of innings out of Florida’s bullpen last season was Blake Purnell. The Broward County native had an excellent season after not pitching during the 2021 season.
As a redshirt sophomore, Purnell led the Gators in appearances with 36 games pitched. He also posted a 4-4 record with a 2.86 ERA, four saves, and a 0.4 HR/9. He was also named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Purnell should be in consideration for the team’s closer after an impressive 2022 season. Purnell doesn’t possess a power fastball as it only touches 91 mph. However, his fastball has tons of movement and compliments his slider well.
Brandon Neely
When Florida lost Hunter Barco for the season, Neely stepped up and became Florida’s Saturday starter and pitched very well. Neely is competing for the Sunday starter role but should still get a ton of innings.
As a freshman, Neely made 21 appearances and ten starts. Neely recorded a 3-3 record with a 3.76 ERA, 74 strikeouts, a save, and a 9.6 K/9. He was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team.
Neely possesses a three-pitch mix that’s highlighted by his fastball. Neely’s fastball sits in the low-90s and touches 94 mph with a high spin rate. The sweeping slider is his go-to secondary pitch and also has a changeup.
Fisher Jameson
Sophomore Fisher Jameson had a productive freshman season with the Gators last season. The Lake Worth native is looking to build off his strong freshman season with an even better sophomore season.
As a true freshman, Jameson made ten appearances out of the bullpen. Jameson recorded a 1-0 record with a 3.72 ERA, one save, sixteen strikeouts, and a .188 opponent batting average. He was also named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
At 6’5” and 220 pounds, Jameson is a big-bodied pitcher with some in his power in his fastball. Jameson will be a bullpen arm in Florida’s rotation that could pitch multiple innings if needed. He could also get some midweek starts in out-of-conference games.
Anthony Ursitti
Sophomore Anthony Ursitti had some ups and downs in his freshman season but showed some flashes that could be a good pitcher in the SEC. Ursitti is another bullpen arm that Florida will rely on this season.
As a true freshman, Ursitti made fifteen appearances and one start. He posted a 5.06 ERA, a .235 opponent batting average, and struck out 26 batters in 21.1 innings pitched. He was also named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll.
Ursitti throws hard, but the problem with his fastball last season was that it was flat. A flat fastball in the SEC is a fastball that could get squared up. Ursitti will need to figure out how to get more life in his fastball because it’ll take his game to the next level.
Sam Sloan
Redshirt freshman Sam Sloan didn’t see any action last season and got redshirted. The Lakeland native will be looking for a role in this Florida pitching staff, especially out of the bullpen.
Out of high school, Sloan was a top pitching prospect that suffered a major head injury on a line drive that struck his head. Sloan had a long recovery but has fully recovered from his injuries and pitched his senior season.
It’ll be tough to find a role for Sam Sloan this season due to Florida’s talented and deep pitching staff. Sloan might be able to see some innings this season in some low-leverage situations.
Jake Clemente
Jake Clemente is one of two right-handed pitchers in Florida’s 2022 high school recruiting class. Clemente was a star pitcher for the nation’s top high school team and could get some meaningful innings as a true freshman.
Out of high school, Clemente was a highly-touted prospect that could have been drafted in the early rounds last draft. On Perfect Game, Clemente was the 102nd-ranked prospect and 27th-ranked right-handed pitcher in his class. He was also the fifth-ranked right-hander out of Florida in his class.
Jake Clemente will see some innings this season for the Gators. The Broward native is a prime candidate to get some midweek starts for the Gators. Clemente has a power fastball sitting at 92-94 mph and tops out at 96. He’s an arm that Florida fans should keep an eye on this season.
Yoel Tejeda Jr.
Yoel Tejeda Jr. was the only Florida signee that was selected in the 2022 MLB Draft and didn’t sign. Tejeda was drafted in the 19th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates but honored his commitment to the Gators.
Yoel Tejeda Jr. is one of two players on Florida’s roster that will pitch and hit this season. On Perfect Game, Tejeda was ranked as an outfield prospect. He was the 52nd-ranked prospect and thirteenth-ranked outfielder in his class.
Tejeda should get the opportunity to pitch and hit this season. Tejeda stands at 6’8” and weighs 215 pounds with a large frame. He has two pitches that stand out with his fastball that sits 92-94 mph and touched 95 mph. He also has a plus slider that will miss some bats this season. Tejeda could get some midweek starts and come out of the bullpen during the weekend.
