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ASU’s baseball recruiting class likely to stick
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For years, Arizona State losing many of its most-talented baseball signees to the professional ranks was a harsh reality the Sun Devils had to deal with.
Not this season, with 20 players on the 2008 ASU roster either juniors or seniors — and draft-eligible. With the potential departures great, coach Pat Murphy said, it is important that almost all of the players in the recruiting class that could sign on Wednesday come to school.
Of the six players that submitted signed letters of intent on Wednesday, and 16 others the program expects to sign, the Sun Devil coaching staff believes it has compiled a class that will stick.
“We put in more work than we ever have before,” Murphy said. “Our staff did a great job of researching who was committed to coming to college. We might lose half our team next season, so there could be a lot of freshmen starting for us (in 2009). It could be really exciting.”
ASU received letters from infielder Austin Barnes, pitcher Alex Curry, outfielder/pitcher Jaff Decker of Peoria Sunrise Mountain High, pitcher Jeeter Ishida, pitcher/infielder Brad Hand and pitcher Devyn Rivera.
The signing period runs through Nov. 21.
Signees also include three high school All-Americans — pitcher/infielder Eric Hosmer, catcher Kyle Skipworth and pitcher/catcher Jordan Swagerty. The trio were teammates on the U.S. Junior national team with infielder Riccio Torrez of Phoenix Brophy Prep, another ASU commitment.
Torrez is the brother of Sun Devils infielder Raoul Torrez.
Among the other players expected to sign are infielder Zach MacPhee of Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor, pitcher Josh Spence of Central Arizona College and infielder Trask Switzenberg of Chandler-Gilbert Community College, the son of former ASU football and baseball player Don Switzenberg.
Major League Baseball’s amateur draft is in June, and selected players have until Aug. 15 to sign a contract.
“There’s maybe two or three first-rounders in there,” Murphy said. “Those are guys that we got commitments from early, and they matured into first-round guys. But many of the other guys are second- to fifth-round talents who I feel are committed to college.”
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