Mailbag: Why would Ammirati leave Kentucky for Georgia?
The first edition of the Bat Cats Central mailbag looks at Nick Ammirati's departure, what UK might look for in a replacement, roster moves and more.
Welcome to the first edition of the Bat Cats Central mailbag. This might eventually become a subscriber-exclusive, but for now, it’s unlocked for all to read. Thanks to those who sent questions in. I hope to make this a more regular occurrence during the season.
Time to hop in.
Why would Ammrati leave for UGA? Any sense on who can fill the void as an elite SP? Any additions to the bullpen to make it stronger? - John
There were a few variations of this question regarding Nick Ammirati, so let’s start here. Kentucky hitting coach Nick Ammirati left the program this week for Georgia. It’s the second straight offseason a Kentucky assistant left for Georgia as former recruiting coordinator Will Coggin joined Wes Johnson’s new staff last summer. Ammirati will reunite with him in 2025.
Ultimately, Ammirati left for a pay raise and an overall promotion at Georgia, going from the No. 3 assistant at Kentucky to the No. 2 in Athens. I’m not sure what Kentucky’s counter to Ammirati ultimately was, but I’d heard he was expected to double his 2024 salary (if not a little more) at Georgia. According to the UK Office of Legal Counsel, Ammirati made $40,000 from Kentucky this year but continued to earn additional compensation from camps. The latter portion of his salary is not public record, but it’s more likely that Ammirati’s final compensation was in the six-figure range.
It’s tough for Kentucky to lose its primary hitting coach for the second straight season. We’ll return to this in a minute as I answer a question about a possible replacement, but let’s answer one more of these questions.
In terms of elite starting pitching, that remains to be seen. If he can stay healthy, sophomore lefty Ben Cleaver seems to be the best option of guys from last year’s team who can claim a weekend spot. If Robert Hogan returns, could he push for a rotation spot or remain in a relief role? Freshman Tommy Skelding redshirted this year but has a great deal of potential and is more likely competing for the midweek spot next year, but it’s entirely possible he could move into the weekend rotation if he’s good in that role and one of the weekend starters struggles.
Other guys to watch would be Ryan Verdugo (draft risk) or Nic McCay. I really like California transfer Oliver Boone as well, and I think he fits perfectly with pitching coach Dan Roszel.
Hearing any names for Ammo’s replacement? - Jerry
I think Kentucky coach Nick Mingione will want to move somewhat quickly on a replacement because it’s difficult to run a transfer portal operation as effectively with a coach down. As of a few days ago, I didn’t get the sense that there was a truly formal list of candidates yet, but rather coaches who might be worth exploring. There will be a great deal of interest in this position.
Mingione has hired coaches or off-field staff that he had personal connections to prior to Kentucky (Coggin, Ammirati, Trevor Fitts), but he’s also gone outside of the John Cohen tree for hires. Mingione only had a relationship with Todd Guilliams — now the hitting coach at Utah — on his original staff. Roland Fanning (Arkansas Little Rock) and Jimmy Belanger (Maryland) had never coached at Kentucky or with Mingione in the past. Dan Roszel came from a good ECU program without a prior working history with Mingione, and current recruiting coordinator Austin Cousino played at Kentucky from 2012-14 but was working in professional baseball for the Tampa Bay Rays when he was hired by Mingione.
Still, there are coaches out there with Kentucky or Mingione connections. Utah’s entire on-field staff, literally, has a connection to Kentucky. Head coach Gary Henderson, the former Wildcats skipper, hired Guilliams from Kentucky when he was a volunteer assistant and also brought on former Wildcats Mike Brown (who played at Kentucky in 2006 and 2007 and returned as a graduate assistant in the mid-2010s) and Troy Squires. Squires is from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and played for both Henderson and Mingione and served as a graduate assistant at Kentucky in 2019 and 2020 before moving to Utah to be with Henderson. He probably doesn’t have the experience Kentucky is looking for at this point in time, but he could be someone to monitor down the road.
Former Kentucky shortstop Matt Reida is currently the third assistant at Houston and has SEC experience as a recruiting coordinator at Alabama. I’m not suggesting any of those guys will be the pick or even a candidate, but they’re logical places to start before branching out to people who might not have a Kentucky connection but would be interested in the job.
Last thing on this spot: I think Kentucky will focus on someone with a track record of developing hitters. Cousino has quickly shown an ability to land commitments from high-level talent and Mingione is a good closer when players visit campus, so recruiting prowess probably won’t be a deciding factor in this decision but rather a bonus.
With the incoming freshman catcher and transfer from Kansas State do you still see Devin (Burkes) as the everyday catcher into next season? - Patrick
Patrick is referring to top-125 nationally ranked high school commitment Ryan Schwartz, who joined the class a few days ago. Raphael Pelletier from Kansas State committed in June and has a great deal of college experience. I don’t think Kentucky wants to push Burkes out of the door, but he’s been in college for four years and is likely looking for an opportunity in professional baseball. He’ll be someone to watch when the MLB draft begins later this month.
I know that are a lot of holes to fill for next year & a number of transfer portal guys coming in. But who are the top 3-4 incoming freshman that could contribute pitching or hitting next year? - BBN_WeAreUK
This is a fun question and a good way to encourage new visitors to check out the commitment page at Bat Cats Central.
This question will be easier to answer in January, but let’s try it out now. Frankfort, Illinois, shortstop Tyler Bell would be one of my picks if I felt more confident he would attend school, but he’s likely signing in the MLB draft later this month. If he’s eliminated, I’ll choose Schwartz, right-handed pitcher Tristan Hunter and left-handed pitcher Leighton Harris.
Schwartz has some positional versatility and a bat that should profile in the middle of the order at some point in his career, possibly even next year. Hunter had a ridiculous senior season in Missouri, tossing at least three no-hitters with an ERA under 1. He’s ranked as the No. 218 player nationally by Prep Baseball Report. Harris was dominant at Frederick Douglass High School this year (7-2 with a 0.76 ERA, 102 strikeouts) and could earn a role as a lefty specialist, though the Wildcats could have a deep roster of left-handed arms next year.
There are a few other players in this class with exciting potential, so I wouldn’t be surprised if someone I didn’t list here emerges as a real possibility to impact next year’s team.