Florida State baseball has had a handful of players who were not major contributors this past season to announce plans to enter the transfer portal. It was a good sign that Link Jarrett was trimming some of the dead weight from the roster to fill some of the gaping holes.
Hunter Carns was one of the players eligible to return that Florida State needed to keep.
Carns surprised many Florida State fans when he announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal on Friday. He’s the first player I’d deem worthy of keeping on the roster:
NEW: Florida State catcher Hunter Carns has entered the NCAA transfer portal, @PeteNakos reports.
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) June 5, 2026
Carns hit .289 with 6 HRs this season. https://t.co/F97V0dI9BI pic.twitter.com/wbvmcolq8M
Hunter Carns was a bat worth keeping in the FSU lineup
Carns was highly touted out of high school, an athletic catcher with an advanced approach at the plate for a young player. Some thought he’d sign with an MLB team, but he was one of the top prospects to make it to Tallahassee. Carns has batted just south of .300 the past two seasons, with six home runs in each. He had 32 RBI and a .412 on-base percentage. He made 49 starts, alternating between designated hitter and the catcher position.
His bat was solid, but his catching ability was a liability behind the plate. He had way too many passed balls the past two years. His bat was the only reason I’d want him to return, and I would have tried to find him a spot at first base or left field, because he’s fairly fast for a catcher. He could have spent some time at designated hitter, too.
Where does Link Jarrett look to replace him?
It’ll be interesting to see what Florida State will do to replace him. Carns probably had the potential to hit 10-15 home runs next year. Maybe Link Jarrett didn’t think he was worth keeping since he was such a liability on defense? That level of offensive output at the catcher spot is much more valuable than it would be coming from a primary designated hitter, so if Jarrett doesn't see him sticking behind the plate, he may not have been willing to match the asking price. Maybe Carns wanted a fresh start, because I can’t see any team willing to throw him a crazy amount of money. Then again, who knows, because all it takes is one team.
Carns is the fifth player to announce plans to enter the transfer portal. If we see more starters announce plans to enter the portal, I’ll have to start wondering what happened in those exit meetings.
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