Alabama Baseball Transfer Breakdown: Justin Osterhouse

The Horizon League is not the SEC. SEC hitters face starting pitching that has sometimes been compared to professional baseball in Double-A, two official degrees of separation away from MLB. If Osterhouse can carry his 2025 hitting statistics over into the 2026 campaign, he will adjust quickly.

Those 16 home runs he connected on would have placed him second on the 2025 Alabama unit, two behind Lebron. His positional flexibility gives him an early edge, since the Crimson Tide will have to replace at least two positions he plays and could need a new face in more, depending on the MLB Draft and future portal activity.

While slotting Osterhouse at second might be a linear path forward from his addition to next spring's roster, versatility will be a strength in practices and scrimmages leading up to next February. If, for example, upcoming sophomore Jon Young Jr. breaks camp as the starting second baseman, Osterhouse is not necessarily bottlenecked.

Should right fielder Bryce Fowler get drafted and choose to sign, another avenue opens for Osterhouse. That's no sure thing, but Fowler also has the capability to move to center field if that sequence comes true for Richie Bonomolo Jr.

In 2025, Osterhouse struck out 41 times in 195 at-bats. That number isn't quite Kade Snell-level, and would've checked in a few notches behind Fowler's rate too. However, apart from those two names, Osterhouse struck out less by percentage than all the Alabama starters.

The chances that Osterhouse pitches are likely going to be zero, though his record technically shows a win against a team that knocked out the No. 1 overall NCAA Tournament seed. He only worked an inning and a third this season, fanning one batter and walking two. He did not throw in a game in 2024. Alabama moved away from utilizing a two-way player this season after Snell's 2024 stint in that role.