FSU baseball: Alabama transfer Jaxson West commits to the Noles

FSU baseball continues to rebuild its roster through the transfer portal. The Noles added their ninth transfer Thursday when Alabama’s Jaxson West committed to FSU.

West originally played high school baseball at nearby Lawton Chiles High School in Tallahassee.

His brother played baseball at FSU under Mike Martin Sr. West is a left-handed hitting catcher checking in at 6’0″ and 195 pounds.

He saw action in 20 games as a freshman last season (four starts), hitting .185, with one home run and five RBI.

It’s a small sample size, but he only struck out four times (14.8 percent and two of those were against LSU. We know what time of firepower the Tigers have on the mound after watching the College World Series.

This pickup is more of a projection than anything. I’m not going to sit here and tell you West will be an All-ACC player or anything. He has talent, ranked as the No. 237 player overall in the 2022 recruiting cycle and the No. 39 player in the Sunshine State.

However, he already has one year of a legit strength and conditioning program under his belt and adds a left-handed bat to the lineup. One thing Link Jarrett wanted to do is add more versatility to the lineup with more lefthanded hitters.

FSU catcher Cole Vincent exhausted eligibility after last season, so they’ll look to throw numbers at the position, plus West has three years of eligibility remaining. West is playing for the Amsterdam Mowhawks of the PGCBL (Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League) this summer:

Defensively, West looks to be about 1.8-1.9 pop time (outstanding) from home to second base while he was in high school:

West is hitting .367 with six doubles, one homerun, and 11 RBI. He’s only struck out once and walked seven times in 30 at-bats. I think this is what Link Jarrett and the coaching staff project with someone like West. He’s a guy that can make contact consistently with gap power. He’ll likely continue to get better as he gains more experience.