Podcast: Miami’s historic MLB draft and what’s next for the Hurricanes’ baseball program

It was a historic weekend for the Miami Hurricanes, with six players picked among the first 200 selections in the 2023 MLB draft. It was only the second time in history Miami had so many players taken so early in an MLB draft and underscores just what sort of situation J.D. Arteaga is stepping into as the new coach.

The Hurricanes, even after their first-weekend exit from the NCAA tournament last season, are loaded up with talent, but will have a lot to replace.

It’s the quietest time of the year in college sports — and this episode recorded before Chaminade-Madonna five-star athlete Joshisa Trader orally committed to Miami — and so David Wilson and Susan Miller Degnan, the Hurricanes beat writer for the Miami Herald, use the draft as a pretense to take a look at the state of the baseball program in the middle of a pivotal offseason.

The departures of third baseman Yohandy Morales, shortstop Dominic Pitelli, outfielders C.J. Kayfus and Zach Levenson, and right-handed pitchers Andrew Walters, Alejandro Rosario and Ronaldo Gallo, who signed a contract as an undrafted free agent after this episode was recorded, will present a challenge for Arteaga, but the later rounds of the draft played out well to set up the Hurricanes nicely for next season.

Only four players orally committed to Miami got drafted and at least one of them has already said he’s heading to Coral Gables next year. Elite Squad Baseball Academy third baseman Daniel Cuvet, who was a top-250 prospect in MLB.com’s pre-draft rankings and yet fell all the way to the 17th round, announced Thursday he won’t sign with the Pirates and instead will fulfill his commitment to the Hurricanes.

Two top-100 prospects, according to the PerfectGame.org rankings for the Class of 2023, are still headed to Miami after sliding in the draft.

There’s a lot of work to do for Arteaga to improve the pitching staff and rebuild his depth, but the new coach has a great young core to work with as a starting point.

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