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After the loss of star outfielder Jackson Hotchkiss in the transfer portal, coach Eddie Smith and the Washington Huskies will be looking to replace his production in the middle of the order.
Following a breakout sophomore season, in which he led the Huskies with 20 home runs and 47 runs batted in, the projected first-round pick in the 2027 MLB draft made the move to Arizona State, and one player Smith could be looking to count on moving forward is rising sophomore Daniel Porras.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound product of Guatemala, who attended in-state Gig Harbor High School, put together a strong first year on Montlake, posting a .291 batting average and .879 OPS, both of which were good for No. 3 on the team, with 32 hits, 6 home runs, 22 runs scored, 21 runs batted in, and 9 walks. However, an injury limited the talented left-hander to just 29 appearances on the year.
Porras played in his final game of the year on April 2 against Valparaiso, but showed some high-end potential, and combined with Smith's long history of developing hitters, he could be in line for a significant jump during his sophomore season.
The versatile freshman, who started games at first base, center field, and right field, was also honored as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week in mid-March after a 6-for-17 stretch at the plate, which included a walk-off single against Ohio State, and was good for a .353 batting average and 1.111 OPS, with 3 doubles, a home run, 4 runs scored, and 4 RBI.
Throughout the early portion of the year, Porras proved he can show up in several big moments. He went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run in a win over Indiana before going 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in UW's 18-1 rout over then-No. 9 Oregon State, demonstrating all the signs of a promising building block for the middle of Smith's order.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington baseball looking for big jump from promising freshman
Continue reading...
Following a breakout sophomore season, in which he led the Huskies with 20 home runs and 47 runs batted in, the projected first-round pick in the 2027 MLB draft made the move to Arizona State, and one player Smith could be looking to count on moving forward is rising sophomore Daniel Porras.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound product of Guatemala, who attended in-state Gig Harbor High School, put together a strong first year on Montlake, posting a .291 batting average and .879 OPS, both of which were good for No. 3 on the team, with 32 hits, 6 home runs, 22 runs scored, 21 runs batted in, and 9 walks. However, an injury limited the talented left-hander to just 29 appearances on the year.
Porras played in his final game of the year on April 2 against Valparaiso, but showed some high-end potential, and combined with Smith's long history of developing hitters, he could be in line for a significant jump during his sophomore season.
The versatile freshman, who started games at first base, center field, and right field, was also honored as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week in mid-March after a 6-for-17 stretch at the plate, which included a walk-off single against Ohio State, and was good for a .353 batting average and 1.111 OPS, with 3 doubles, a home run, 4 runs scored, and 4 RBI.
Throughout the early portion of the year, Porras proved he can show up in several big moments. He went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run in a win over Indiana before going 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in UW's 18-1 rout over then-No. 9 Oregon State, demonstrating all the signs of a promising building block for the middle of Smith's order.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington baseball looking for big jump from promising freshman
Continue reading...
