Florida baseball starts their 2024 season with a three-game series against St John’s on Feb. 16th. With the first pitch right around the corner, Gator Country breaks down each position group on Florida’s roster.
CENTER FIELD
Center field is one of the only position groups that is not set in stone with just one week before the start of the 2024 season. Florida has primarily worked returning starter Michael Robertson and Liberty transfer Jaylen Guy in CF throughout preseason.
Michael Robertson
After missing the entire 2022 season due to an injury, Robertson logged 56 starts in center field as a redshirt freshman, posting a slash line of .231/.360/.280 across 186 at bats.
The start of the 2023 season was promising for the Venice, Florida native, who reached base safely in the first 28 games of his collegiate career, good for the longest on-base streak of any Gator during last season’s campaign. However, as the Gators moved through SEC play Robertson’s success came to a halt. The 6-2, 195-pound speedster was struggling to even put the ball in play, striking out 42 times since the start of SEC play. Robertson only struck out five times prior to the start of league play. Robertson’s lack of production at the plate forced Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan to move Wyatt Langford to center field in order to maximize Florida’s potential offensively. Robertson finished the 2023 season as a mere defensive replacement for the Gators, only recording one at bat in Florida’s last nine games.
Defensively, Robertson posted a .992 fielding percentage and one outfield assists across 125 chances. Robertson’s natural speed and ability to track the ball off the bat makes him a valuable asset in the field.
Jaylen Guy
Liberty transfer Jaylen Guy has played in 183 games including 179 starts across four seasons with the Flames. The 6’0, 200-pound right hander posted a .253/.333/.356 career batting line across 616 at bats, totaling seven home runs, five triples, and 32 doubles.
Guy broke out in 2023, batting a career best .309/.359/.434 with two home runs, 25 RBI, and 22 stolen bases.
The Greensboro, Virginia native is an elite base runner, which he has put on display throughout preseason, tallying 219 total bases, 106 runs, and 49 career stolen bases on 58 attempts with Liberty.
INSIDER TAKE:
I believe both Michael Robertson and Jaylen Guy will see the field to start the 2023 season, perhaps a platoon system where they play based on pitching matchups. Guy has really impressed me as of late offensively, recently recording a 408-foot home run off LHP Jac Caglianone in one of Florida’s preseason scrimmages. I think Guy provides a bit more upside at the plate, is a better base runner, and has been just as good as Robertson defensively. My prediction is that Guy is the Gators’ starting center fielder come SEC play. Ultimately, whoever is producing at the plate will win the job.