Transfer portal closes and now Mississippi State awaits MLB Draft

Well, that was fun wasn’t it?

The NCAA baseball transfer portal window is officially closed. Players can only enter the portal now if their coach leaves or loss of financial aid, roster spot or school shuts down the program.

As it was widely reported yesterday afternoon, Ace Reese did not enter the portal and will be wearing maroon and white next season. That bit of news eased the Mississippi State fan base’s worries and immediately saw those fans set their expectations of Omaha or bust next season.

Which is exactly what Brian O’Connor was hired to do, get the Bulldogs to Omaha. Step one of that plan is to build a championship caliber roster.

The Bulldogs have the top-rated transfer portal class with five of the top 50 players in the portal and 10 in the top 250. Mississippi State also received some big commitments from high school players who were previously committed to Virginia while O’Connor was there.

Add in the returning players and Mississippi State will have a lineup and pitching staff to spend more than just a day or two in Omaha. But the Bulldogs aren’t done.

Players in the portal can still sign with any school, at any time. There are still plenty of highly-rated players available. Some of them may sign in the next few days, but don’t be surprised if some wait for the offseason’s next significant date.

Bulldogs and the MLB Draft

In less than two weeks, the MLB will hold its annual draft. The two-day event will be held in Atlanta and will start at 5 p.m. July 13 with the Washington Nationals holding the first pick.

Several players already in Starkville or are committed/signed will hear their names called in the draft and then they’ll have to decide: go pro or go to college?

Here’s a full list of the Mississippi State players who are draft eligible and have not indicated in someway they’ll be going the college route:

• Gatlin Sanders
• Noah Sullivan
• Gehrig Frei
• Evan Siary
• Nate Williams
• Jacob Pruitt
• JT Schnoor

All freshmen and JUCO players are draft eligible and two are likely to hear their names called in the first round: shortstop Jojo Parker and left-handed pitcher Jack Bauer.

Parker is included in the top 10 of most mock drafts and Bauer is often found at the end of the first round. Parker also has a twin brother, Jacob, who could be highly-drafted too.

O’Connor would have to give the greatest speech ever to get Jojo Parker to come to Starkville, which is why you won’t see him in any potential lineups for next season.

What happens in the draft, though, will have a huge impact on how the Mississippi State roster looks next season. Sanders and Frei would be starters next season, as would Sullivan and Siary could be in the rotation.

A few of the transfer players could also choose to go to the pros instead of Starkville. Aidan Teel, Blake Bevis, Davion Hickson and Brendan Sweeney are all draft eligible.

So, Bulldog fans can breathe a sigh of relief for now. But those worries will likely be kicking back into gear soon.

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