NC State baseball updated offseason prospectus: Catchers

The NC State baseball season ended a month ago with a loss to Campbell. With that came a quick turnaround to start assembling the roster for the 2024 season. With that in mind, TheWolfpacker.com is updating its series of outlooks moving ahead, continuing with the catchers.

NC State Baseball Catchers In 2023

Some may have been concerned entering the season with just two catchers on the roster, one of whom was a freshman.

Those concerns proved to be unwarranted.

Sophomore Jacob Cozart, considered a prized signing in the 2021 class, lived up to the billing this spring. He was named second-team All-ACC after hitting .301 with 10 homers and 42 runs batted in (RBI). He had an impressive .546 slugging percentage and registered a .938 slugging plus on-base percentage.

Cozart also threw out over 20 percent of would-be base-stealers.

However, Cozart was not the lone good catcher on the NC State baseball roster. Freshman Cannon Peebles was a switch-hitting revelation and earned significant time as a designated hitter. He led the Wolfpack with a .352 batting average, tied for team-high 50 RBI and was second on the squad with 12 homers.

Peebles had 87 fewer at-bats than the team leader in homers, third baseman LuJames “Gino” Groover III, who also happened to tie Peebles in RBI.

Looking Ahead

The good news for NC State is that Cozart is back. The bad news is Peebles is not. After the season, Peebles became one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal and selected Tennessee.

Further depth could be on the way, but there is also a chance that might not materialize. One of the top signings in the 2023 recruiting class for NC State baseball is catcher Alex Sosa from Viera (Fla.) High. However, Sosa is a good bet to be drafted in July if a team meets what will likely be his high demand.

MLB.com has Sosa rated the No. 125 overall prospect and the third best prep catcher available for the MLB Draft. That would project Sosa to be a top-five round selection overall, and typically players chosen that high sign. MLB.com noted that Sosa could be “enticing enough” for teams to spend money to pull away from his NC State commitment.

“Scouts love the combination of Sosa’s strong body, offensive potential, chance to stick behind the plate and blue-collar approach to the game,” MLB.com added. “Teams love left-handed-hitting catchers, and Sosa has the chance to be a good one, showing an ability to control the zone well, drawing a ton of walks and rarely trying to do too much. He has a simple and repeatable swing and can handle righties and lefties. It’s more of a line-drive approach right now, but there’s solid raw power for him to tap into in the future.”

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