Vanderbilt's Diaz, Maldonado head deep group of corner infielders

Returning starters Davis Diaz and Chris Maldonado are Vanderbilt's likely starters at the corner infield spots, with a host of talented youngsters behind them in case of injury or slump. Here's our preview of the Commodores' corner infield.

Few spots on the roster are as locked down as third base, where Diaz will open as the starter.

First base could be another matter, though. Maldonado seems nearly certain to open the season at the starter, but two freshman with serious power--Braden Holcomb and Matt Ossenfort--loom behind Maldonado on a team that lacks the top-end thump that most of college baseball's elite teams have this season.

And then there's Raymond Velazquez, one of the team's most-improved players, who could play either corner spot.

So, as it is with most of the roster, there's enough competition that we could see a job change in case of injury or slump, or perhaps a backup seizing a good number of DH at-bats.

A career .241/.366/.361 hitter, Diaz has been a starter nearly since the moment he hit campus, participating in 121 games over two seasons. His sophomore season was marked by power growth (his home-run total went from two to nine, while his slugging percentage rose from .293 to .415) as Diaz's contact skills remained identical (a 15% strikeout rate in both seasons). A nice summer (.284/.417/.422 in the Cape Cod League) helped Diaz gain confidence heading into this spring.

Meanwhile, Diaz--who has played some short--is an excellent defender at the hot corner, fielding .948 last season with 110 assists.

And if you're looking for a breakout player on this year's team, it might be Diaz. The potential has always been there--Diaz was a significant draft risk before reporting to campus--and that's why he ranks above where one might think he would as a prospect (No. 81 on D1's list of top college players for the draft.). With a power spike, it's possible Diaz could even play his way into the back end of the first round.

Maldonado had a banner freshman year, batting .310/.411/.542 while leading the team in batting average. Maldonado came to Vanderbilt as a shortstop but the Commodores needed a bat and his hitting landed him a full-time job by early March.

Maldonado isn't an elite defender but will have a starting job on opening day because he continues to hit. He's been consistent and will likely show more discipline (20% strikeouts, 11% walks) than he did a year ago.

On a team that could use power, Holcomb could be a wild card as the biggest long-ball threat in the freshman class. He comes to Vanderbilt as the No. 38 player in the freshman class according to Perfect Game after batting .493 with 11 home runs.

Holcomb isn't solely a power guy- as he moves well enough that we could see him in the outfield even on opening weekend. But there's no question that's the carrying tool that should land him early at-bats, which could also come at first or DH.

The most improved player on the team, Velazquez didn't see game action last season but has worked his way into a backup role at the corner spots. He's show power, mashing home runs in both the Wake Forest and Black & Gold scrimmages, and is probably Diaz's primary backup at third.

Ossenfort is Vanderbilt's other high-powered freshman hitter. He comes to Nashville after mashing eight home runs in 101 at-bats in the Cal Ripken League, where he hit .376 and won honors as the league's best hitter. He'll probably start the season behind the others listed in front of him, but he's talented and will be a factor in 2025 and beyond if not this year.

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Catcher

Middle infield