The Tigers have lots of questions left to answer out of the pen
Welcome to the Mizzou Baseball Roster Preview series. In this series we’ll walk you through what happened last year at these positions, this year’s expected major contributors and depth, and our projections for this season.
Previously in this series:
2024 in Review
Mizzou entered last season needing to replace some big names out of the bullpen including draft picks Zach Franklin and Austin Troesser, alongside professional signee Rorik Maltrud. The Tigers returned Daniel Wissler, Brock Lucas and Ian Lohse in expanded roles out of the bullpen alongside veterans Ryan Magdic and Jacob Peaden.
Magdic was drafted by the Athletics after earning respect as Mizzou’s go-to reliever, while Peaden graduated after eating nearly 40 innings with solid results. The younger trio of players mentioned above all return, but at least two are likely to win rotation spots this year.
Victor Quinn, who appeared in 14 games last season, was on the fall ball roster for Mizzou but is no longer on the team, leaving only one returner (Kaden Jacobi) who saw notable innings out of the bullpen in 2024. The Tigers will by relying on a combination of bounce back candidates, promising young pitchers who looked poised for a breakout and talented freshmen to replace all the bullpen innings lost from last season.
The Incumbent
Kaden Jacobi – Jacobi is the lone ranger out of the bullpen regulars making a return from last season, and will be hoping for a big improvement in his senior year. The 6-3, 220lbs right hander appeared in 10 games with one start in 2024, throwing for a 7.00 ERA in 18 innings pitched after transferring in from St. Charles Community College.
But this summer was not an encouraging start for Jacobi, who recorded an 8.06 ERA in 12 appearances and 25.2 innings pitched for the Tri-State Coal Cats in the Appalachian League. His command also declined, going from 2.5 walks per nine innings with the Tigers to a whopping 7.4 walks per nine with the Coal Cats.
Note: Ian Lohse would fall in this category if he does not make the rotation this season.
The Breakout Candidates
Josh Kirchhoff – Kirchhoff joins the Tigers after two seasons with a sub-4.00 ERA at Iowa Central Community College, making 17 appearances with 11 starts and 68.2 innings pitched in 2024. He had a 3.28 ERA and 97 strikeouts for the Tritons, fanning more batters and walking less while allowing fewer runs than his freshman season. The 6-2, 205lbs junior is the cream of Mizzou’s crop of JUCO pitchers and has a real shot to make an impact out of the bullpen this season if his improvement continues to the SEC level.
Jaylen Merchant – Merchant joins the Tigers after 13 games with the Division II USC Aikan and a redshirt freshman year at Kennesaw State. At Aikan, he logged 10.1 innings in relief, striking out 11 batters and recording a save.
Making a jump from DII to the SEC is no easy feat, but Merchant showed flashes of great potential in the Fall World Series. Entering the game in the bottom of the ninth, the reliever struck out two to prevent a walk-off (he came in with a runner already at third and one out recorded). If his talent can continue into the regular season he may prove to be ‘a merchant’ for this bullpen.
Charlie Miller – Miller had roughly an average freshman season for an SEC pitcher, seeing limited action with 12 appearances and 10.2 innings pitched while throwing for a 5.91 ERA. He struggled with command, allowing 9.3 walks per nine innings, an issue that often pops up early in a college pitcher’s career and can improve quickly.
That’s exactly what’s happened for the 6-3, 185lbs sophomore, who stood out as the best reliever for the Tigers in the Fall World Series. He induced weak contact and struck out batters at a good clip while shutting down anyone and everyone who stepped up to the plate, looking like a transformed player. Miller will make waves out of the bullpen this year if his fall performance translates to the spring.
James Vaughn – Vaughn joins the Tigers after two seasons at Columbia University where he appeared in 30 games. In 2024 he was named to the Ivy League All-Tournament Team, recording 36 strikeouts and five scoreless innings over 29.1 innings. Vaughn also recorded an immaculate inning at Cornell – an incredibly rare feat. Before Columbia Vaughn spent time at both Monroe University (JUCO) and Duke.
Vaughn was a standout at the Fall World Series, retiring seven batters and issuing one walk. He induced weak contact, if any. His style of play could be crucial to the Tiger bullpen. Again, the SEC is brand new territory for Vaughn, but he’s not alone in navigating the new challenges.
Note: Sam Horn, Wil Libbert and Josh McDevitt would fall into this category if they do not make the rotation this season.
The Bounceback Candidates
Tony Neubeck – Neubeck had a strong start to 2023, throwing for a 3.86 ERA and striking out 28 batters with only seven walks in six appearances and 18.2 innings pitched. But the left hander tore his UCL in late March, missing the rest of that season and taking a medical redshirt in 2024.
Neubeck looked like a key part of the Tigers’ future to start his sophomore season before getting sidetracked by injuries. Getting the redshirt junior back to his prior form in his return will be key for the strength of the bullpen.
Nic Smith – In 2023, Smith posted a 5.23 ERA and was a solid asset for the Tigers. He appeared in 15 games, three of which were starts, and had a 1-0 record on the season. He was crucial out of the pen in various SEC games. However, 2024 saw regression. Only appearing in eight games, Smith logged 6.2 innings, recording four strikeouts and a 10.80 ERA.
In the Fall World Series, Smith showed flashes of his freshman self. Over three innings he induced weak contact, while walking two and allowing three hits. If Smith can return to old form, he will be a key leader out of the bullpen.
The Young Guns
Victor Christal – Christal has the look of a future starter for the Tigers, ranked as the top right handed pitcher in the state of Missouri’s class of 2024 and the 215th overall recruit in the nation, according to Perfect Game. The Raytown native attended Bishop Miege High School on the other side of the border, earning all-state honors twice. He flashed a low 90s fastball with a nasty curve in the Fall World Series, struggling with command the first week but bouncing back with his best showing in the final game of the series.
PJ Green – Green’s primary long term contributions at Mizzou will likely come in the outfield, where he was more highly regarded as a prospect. But the two time all-state selection from Tyrone, Georgia, was also named his region’s pitcher of the year, so don’t count his abilities on the mound out yet.
Brady Kehlenbrink – Kehlenbrink has one of the best chances of any freshman to contribute this season as a top 10 prospect in the Show Me State’s class of 2024 and its second-ranked southpaw. His 6-2, 205lbs frame should be more SEC ready than most and already supports a fastball topping out at 96 miles per hour. The Parkway South grad was named All-Metro last season with a 1.84 ERA.
Trey Lawrence – Lawrence is another freshman two-way player for the Tigers who was more highly touted in the field as a recruit, and he’s a candidate to be the team’s shortstop of the future. His work on the mound will likely be limited this year, and he struggled with command in his Fall World Series appearances.
Ben Smith – Smith allowed two runs in three innings pitched during his freshman season at Mizzou after being a two time all-state honoree at Springfield Catholic High, falling just short of the state title both seasons. He was the 13th overall recruit in the state of Missouri and its fifth-ranked right hander in the class of 2023.
In the Fall World Series, Smith showed he had a powerful arm but struggled greatly with command.
The Wildcards
Aeneas Clark – Clark has seen limited action in college, first signing with Baylor before transferring to South Mountain Community College in Arizona. He had a solid freshman season, recording a 3.60 ERA with eight strikeouts in five innings pitched, but allowed four earned runs in 0.2 innings last year – his only appearance of the season.
One fun fact about Clark: his father, Tony, spent 15 years in the big leagues and was an All Star in 2001 with the Detroit Tigers. He’s now the executive director of the MLB Players Association.
Austin Henry – Henry’s been a rambling man so far in his collegiate career, redshirting his true freshman year at Wichita State before transferring to Oklahoma, where he didn’t see the field last year. He’ll be hoping third time’s the charm in Columbia, and the right hander has the pedigree to make it work.
Henry was a Perfect Game All-American and state champion at Dell Rapids High School as the top recruit in the state of South Dakota’s class of 2022, the 72nd overall recruit in the nation, and the class’s 20th-ranked right handed pitcher.
Seth McCartney – McCartney will make his Mizzou debut this season after redshirting last year with the Tigers. The 6-0, 200 right hander signed with the program after two years at Meridian Community College in Mississippi, where he finished his Eagles career with a 6.00 ERA across 45 innings pitched in 23 appearances.
Note: Kadden Drew would fall into this category if he does not make the rotation this season.
The Island of Misfit Toys
Xavier Lovett – This year will be Lovett’s last and his second at Mizzou after making previous stops at Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Memphis. He’s struggled in limited action at each stop, allowing eight runs in 2.2 innings pitched last season for the Tigers and sporting a career 10.66 ERA in 16 appearances.
Ben Pedersen – Now a senior, Pedersen’s best season with Mizzou came as a freshman – recording a 3.68 ERA in 7.1 innings pitched. Since then, he had an 8.10 ERA in 2021, missed 2022 with a medical redshirt and then also missed 2023 while recovering from injury. He allowed seven runs in 8.2 innings last season, a 7.27 ERA, and allowed eight walks in limited action.
Outlook
Mizzou’s bullpen depth is arguably its biggest question mark heading into this season, though it’s important to keep in mind that two of the solid rotation options listed in the previous article will end up in relief. The Tigers return just one notable contributor in Kaden Jacobi, who struggled last year.
But this group is filled with some young, lively and promising arms – some of which looked much improved in the Fall World Series. Combine that with two clear bounce back candidates and you’ve got the making of an SEC caliber bullpen.
There are plenty of “ifs” surrounding this position for the Tigers, but it’s also important to remember that the team has a legendary pitching coach in Tim Jamieson – who led the program to 698 wins in 22 seasons from 1995 to 2016 and coached MLB All-Stars like Kyle Gibson, Aaron Crow and Max Scherzer.
Lack of bullpen depth has been a killer in the past for Mizzou and was part of what led to Steve Bieser’s firing after 2023. The talent brought in by Kerrick Jackson the last two seasons looks poised to fix that problem in the future – the question is how soon that future comes.