The College World Series is nearing its national championship series in Omaha, but college baseball’s transfer portal continues to move at a rapid pace this month. Numerous high-profile hitters and top-shelf hurlers are on the market as of Wednesday. According to D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers, more than 2,000 players have entered the portal since the end of the season and more are being added daily.
Mississippi State received great news Wednesday after freshman All-American Dakota Jordan exited the portal and is staying with the Bulldogs. Jordan made himself available Tuesday evening after reportedly hearing from various schools. Jordan hit .307 this season with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs. College baseball’s transfer portal opened May 30 and the deadline to enter is July 13. Like its football counterpart, there are exceptions for graduate transfers.
Several of the nation’s best players this season are former transfers, including two of LSU’s top prospects who are still playing in Omaha. Former NC State masher Tommy White and Air Force two-way standout Paul Skenes are headliners for the Tigers at the CWS, along with Florida pitcher Hurston Waldrep, who was a weekend starter for Southern Miss last spring and has a win in the College World Series.
Ranking the College World Series’ 10 most important players
Here are a few of the elite names in the portal and a couple players who have committed in recent days to big-time programs:
After clubbing 25 homers and driving in 51 runs with a .300 average as a freshman for the Crimson Tide this season, Shelton entered the transfer portal last week and reportedly has heard from a list of elite programs, including several within the SEC. Alabama teammate Bryce Elbin (40 games played, 22 starts) made himself available on the same day. Shelton is considered one of the elite-tier players on the market this month. He led the Crimson Tide in several statistical categories this season, including slugging percentage and OPS.
PAYTON GREEN, NC STATE, INF
Minchey entered the portal June 15 following his freshman season with the Longhorns. He went 2-1 over nine appearances (three starts) with a 5.25 ERA and 13 strikeouts over 12 innings of work. Minchey ranked as the No. 227 right-handed pitcher in Texas and the No. 656 prospect in the state, according to Perfect Game before signing with the Longhorns. He was the 2022 Pitcher of the Year in the state with 67 strikeouts and a 0.84 ERA over 32 innings.
Per Inside The Rebels, Chatagnier started every game at second base for the Rebels this season, batting .261 with 32 runs, 10 homers and 26 RBIs. During the run to a national championship in 2022, Chatagnier batted .248 with 57 hits, 47 runs scored, 11 home runs and 45 RBI. In the NCAA Coral Gables Regional, Chatagnier had a combined seven hits with 10 RBI. As a sophomore in 2021, Chatagnier had 60 hits, scored 41 runs, hit six home runs and 43 RBI. During the COVID-shortened 2020 freshman season, he started in 15 of the team’s 17 games and hit .311 with 19 hits, 23 runs 13 RBI and four home runs.
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