UM freshman Alejandro Rosario flashes potential, deals with adversity in first collegiate start

By Joe Frisaro/Man on Second Baseball

At Miami Christian High School, Alejandro Rosario was an integral part of state championship teams in 2018-19. On Saturday, the hard-throwing University of Miami right-hander dealt with a different level of competition, facing the top-ranked Florida Gators in Gainesville.

Rosario certainly was tested, allowing five runs (two earned) on six hits, with four strikeouts, two walks in four innings.

The first inning was rocky, as he allowed five. Three were unearned due to an error to start the inning.

Here is my takeaway for Rosario: I was impressed in how he dealt with adversity and made it through four innings. As his pitch count rose in the first inning, you started to wonder if he would go more than one.

The way it played out for the ‘Canes, the afternoon turned out to be an overall success. After falling behind early, UM rallied to a 10-9 win in 13 innings.

Miami’s resiliency to recover and pull out the victory against a powerhouse team like the Gators is clearly encouraging.

For Rosario, specifically, I paid attention to how he carried himself and performed in his stressful first inning.

Even though he was hurt by the error, and began elevating his fastball, which at times was hit hard, Rosario kept competing. He finished off the inning, and threw three more in the high-profile series during college baseball’s Opening Weekend.

Roughly 30 scouts from MLB clubs are attending the series at the Gators’ new, $65 million ballpark.

Rosario’s first pitch was 96 mph, and his fastball maxed at 97. Early on, he relied heavily on his best pitch, his fastball. The 6-0, 180-pounder eventually mixed in more split-finger fastballs and changeups.

His slider appears to be a work in progress. He will need a more consistent breaking ball as he develops.

But there is no questioning the arm strength, or his skillset. In a scrimmage last week, he touched 99 mph.

Rosario is athletic, his pitches have movement and late life. He works at a quick pace, and is fast to the plate, which will make him difficult to steal bases against.

He throws from the stretch, and uses a slide step with runners on base.

The ‘Canes have a good young standout in their rotation.

Del Castillo

‘Canes catcher Adrian Del Castillo may be off to a slow start in his first two games, but the left-handed hitting slugger had an RBI double on Saturday off Gators’ right-hander Jack Leftwich, a projected to 10 round pick.

According to MLB Pipeline, Del Castillo is the No. 4 overall prospect on their 2021 top 100 list.

The Miami Marlins could certainly use catching depth. But with the 16th overall pick, Del Castillo may be off the board.

Del Castillo is an advanced hitter, who entered the season with a .336 career batting average, 14 homers and 87 RBIS in 77 games. The sophomore was hitting .358 in 16 games in 2020 before the season was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Defensively, he has improved in the area of framing.

Regarding his potential pro career, if the universal DH is around in 2022, it should elevate his stock even more. To stay fresh, he could be given days to DH.

Draftable Players

The UM-UF series is filled with players who could be taken in the 2021 Draft.

As noted above, about 30 scouts and MLB executives have attended the series.

Here’s some projections:

Miami

Adrian Del Castillo, C – High first round

Alex Toral, 1B, – Top five rounds

JP Gates, LHP/UT – Top five rounds

Raymond Gil, 3B – Rounds 10-15

Anthony Vilar, 2B – Rounds 10-15

Jordan Lala, OF – Rounds 10-15

Tony Jenkins, OF – Later rounds

Daniel Federman, RHP – Later rounds

Jake Smith, RHP – Later rounds

Ben Wanger, RHP/UT – Later rounds

Gabe Rivera, OF – Later rounds

Florida

Jud Fabian, OF – Potential top 10 selection

Tommy Mace, RHP – Top five rounds

Jack Leftwich, RHP – Top 10 rounds

Nathan Hickey, C – Top 10 rounds

Kris Armstrong, INF – Later rounds

Franco Aleman, RHP – Later rounds

Kirby McMullen, 3B – Later rounds