IU baseball 2014 projection: infield

Now that IU baseball’s storybook season is in the books, it’s time to look ahead to next year. Yes, opening day is still approximately seven months away, but it’s never too early to evaluate the 2014 Hoosiers.

This is the first part of a three-part series that will project next year’s starting lineup, beginning with the infield.

Note: The class standing of each player is listed for the 2014 season.

DEPARTURES (graduation)

Michael Basil, SS
2013 stats: .313/.402/.428, 15 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 49 RBI, 44 R, 7-13 SB
Fielding: .947 FLD%, 211 A, 19 errors

Trace Knoblauch, INF
Career: 34-for-172 (.198)

Analysis: Whoever takes over for Basil will have big shoes to fill. He was an integral part of IU’s CWS run and will be tough to replace from a leadership standpoint, as IU Coach Tracy Smith repeatedly referred to Basil as serving the role of an assistant coach.

On the field, his defensive ability was a huge plus. While he committed 19 errors, his .947 fielding percentage was a career-high. He also led the Big Ten with 211 assists and showed good range to both sides.

Basil also finished second in the conference in fielding double plays with 52 (behind only sophomore first baseman Sam Travis), helping the Hoosiers to a conference-best 71 twin killings.

Offensively, he set career-highs in batting average, hits, runs, doubles, RBI, slugging, on base percentage and stolen bases.

Departures (MLB draft)

Dustin DeMuth, senior, 3B
.377/.433/.545, 24 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 41 RBI, 46 R
Fielding: .904 FLD%, 137 asst, 19 errors

Analysis: For the sake of this projection, let’s assume DeMuth signs a contract with the Minnesota Twins, who drafted him in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB Fist-Year Player Draft. His breakout year offensively helped IU’s offense lead the conference in every major offensive category except triples.

DeMuth’s bat will be difficult to replace, but his successor might be an upgrade on defense. He has a very strong arm but sometimes made the routine play look difficult. His 19 errors were tied with Basil for the most in the Big Ten.

Infield incumbents

First base: Sam Travis, junior
2013: .316/.419/.545, 22 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, 57 RBI, 53 R
Fielding: .987 FLD%, 41 asst, 8 errors

Catcher: Kyle Schwarber, junior
2013: .366/.456/.647, 10 2B, 1 3B, 18 HR, 54 RBI, 65 R
Fielding: .989 FLD%, .190 CS%, 8 PB

Infield up for grabs: 2B, SS, 3B

With the possibility that the entire left side of the infield from 2013 will be gone, sophomore Nick Ramos, junior Chad Clark, sophomore Brian Wilhite and incoming freshman Austin Cangelosi will all battle for a starting spot.

3B: Chad Clark, junior
2013 (64 games, 59 starts): .232/.323/.288, 8 2B, 1 HR, 32 RBI, 19 R
Fielding: .966 FLD%, 129 asst, 12 errors

Analysis: Clark started at catcher while Schwarber nursed a knee injury, but the bulk of his starts came at second base. He has said to have the strongest arm of the bunch, but the most limited range, which makes him a natural fit at third.  

SS: Nick Ramos, sophomore
2013 (43 games, 27 starts): .228/.265/.446, 5 2B, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 13 R
Fielding: .957 FLD%, 74 asst, 6 errors

Analysis: The switch-hitting Ramos was a shortstop at Plant High School in Tampa, Fla., where he was named Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. He is also considered the best hitter of the group, so he is likely to start somewhere in the infield.

2B: Brian Wilhite, sophomore  
2013 (31 games, 3 starts): 7-for-24 (.292), 3 R
Fielding: .921 FLD%, 24 asst, 3 errors

Analysis: Wilhite played sparingly as a freshman, mostly late in games when IU had a comfortable lead and mostly at second base. With Ramos a natural shortstop and Clark having the strongest arm, this leaves second open for Wilhite.

Final thoughts: Though Schwarber is penciled in at catcher, there is a chance he could move to the outfield. He will likely be asked to play outfield at the next level where he is a sure-fire first round draft pick in 2014, barring injury or an unforeseen lackluster offensive season. His caught stealing percentage of .190 was more than 200 points lower than during his freshman year.

On top of that, sophomore John Robertson and incoming freshman Demetrius Webb, who was ranked as the second-best catcher in the state of Indiana by Prep Baseball Report and won a Gold Glove in 2012, are considered strong defensively behind the plate.

Brent Gibbs, another incoming freshman, was rated the best catcher in Prep Baseball’s eight-state coverage area. He hit .445 heading in to his senior year at Alton High School in Godfrey, Ill., so Smith might want his bat in the lineup on a regular basis.

Look for a preview of the outfield in Monday’s paper and a look at the pitching staff the following Monday.