FSU baseball: WVU’s McGwire Holbrook commits to Noles

FSU baseball has wasted no time acquiring much-needed firepower from the transfer portal under Link Jarrett.

The Noles only had three players to bat .300 or higher in 2021, with only five players with six or more home runs.

The newest addition will likely help change that in 2023.

New baseball coach Link Jarrett has added a commitment from WVU’s McGwire Holbrook Thursday morning.

Holbrook announced the news via his Twitter account:

The Orlando, Florida, native was the No. 272 player nationally and the No. 25 catcher in the 2020 recruiting cycle via Perfect Game. He lists as 6’2″ and 215 pounds. Holbrook was a freshman Academic All-American, limited to 13 games after a season-ending injury in April 2021.

However, he saw his talent flourish in his sophomore season, appearing in 54 games with 47 starts. Holbrook finished third on the team with a .327 batting average, six home runs, and 43 RBI.

His on-base percentage was .401, and he struck out 19 times in 171 at-bats (11 percent) while walking 22 times. Holbrook had 13 of his 56 hits to go for doubles and stole five bases on six attempts. Defensively, he had a .982 fielding percentage behind the plate with eight passed balls.

Impact

It’s a nice addition for Link Jarrett. Holbrook adds a consistent bat from the right side with the potential for a big production. As you can see in the tweet above, he seems to play with an edge and confidence sorely needed in the FSU baseball program.

Holbrook can play first base/DH also, as that first base spot is vacant with the loss of Alex Toral to eligibility exhaustion. Holbrook should have at least two years of eligibility left, unless he goes high in the MLB draft after the 2023 season. A productive bat and someone solid on defense? That sounds just like a Link Jarrett type of player!