Florida State Baseball: Same Faces, New Season for Outfield

The Florida State infield will see many new faces as Dustin Tackett previewed in this article. However, the outfield brings back all three starters from a season ago and will be relied upon to lead this Seminole squad in 2015.

The Starters

LF- DJ Stewart:

We know what to expect from the hard hitting lefty Junior from Yulee, FL. Stewart won the ACC's POY Award a season ago and will once again be counted on to be the guy the Noles look to in the offensive line-up. After posting a .351 batting average in 2014 with 7 HRs and 50 RBIs Stewart is the clear top offensive player in the FSU attack. He's a pre-season First Team All-American by virtually every outlet and is a key contender for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the nation's top player. I have heard that Stewart is in the best shape of his career and has become an even better hitter since playing with Team USA this past summer. This could be a monster year for DJ in his so called "money year".

CF- Ben Deluzio:

The speedy Sophomore returns in 2015 to man center field after having a solid year for FSU last season. The former 3rd round draft pick batted .281 in 2014 with and OBP of .371 and 16 stolen bases. Deluzio will need to take the next step and become one of the top hitters on this FSU team. He came in as an ultra talented player, had a decent season, but must now take it to another level to propel this Seminole baseball team into a title contender. I'd like to see Deluzio hit in the .300s, steal 20+ bases this season, and raise the OBP into the .420 range.

RF- Josh Delph:

In Josh Delph, you get what you see. He's a slap/contact hitter, that works counts, and will get on base. A season after finishing with .268 batting average with 14 doubles, and good .385 OBP I'd like to see Delph get a little better in each category. He's never going to be a power threat but FSU doesn't need that for its offense to be effective. An improved Senior season of hitting .280+, with an OBP above .400 will be a success for Delph and help his team out immensely.

Depth:

There really isn't a whole lot of depth in the outfield this season behind the starters. Gage West could see some time in right field and FSU does still have Nick Graganella for mop-up duty when needed. FSU did also bring in Timmy Delph, the younger brother of Josh as well as Steven Wells, a talented hitter from Key West. I don't expect either to get much of a look this season but could be guys to watch out for in an injury situation or in 2016 when Josh Delph and likely DJ Stewart leave.

Conclusion:

With so many new players making their debuts in the infield it's nice to have a veteran outfield back in the Garnet and Gold. If DJ Stewart takes another leap into becoming a mega star, Ben Deluzio makes the next step in his progression, and Josh Delph remains the solid player that he his; then this outfield has the potential to be one of the best in the ACC and perhaps the country.