Tony Vitello has rejuvenated the Tennessee baseball program in his six-year tenure. The program has claimed two SEC East titles, a SEC regular season and tournament championship and has taken a pair of trips to the College World Series in the last three years.
They’re also starting to consistently put players in professional baseball. That showed up this week when MLB.com updated its top 100 prospects list including a trio of former Tennessee players.
Outfielder Drew Gilbert (No. 56), RHP Chase Dollander (No. 63) and outfielder Jordan Beck (No. 88) represent Tennessee in the prospects list and all have been in professional baseball for less than 18 months.
The Houston Astros selected Gilbert in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft but dealt their top prospect to the New York Mets in a package that brought them Justin Verlander at the trade deadline. Gilbert is the Mets’ No. 2 prospect and is hitting .367 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 13 games in AA-Binghampton.
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Dollander has yet to make his professional debut after the Colorado Rockies selected him with the ninth pick in the 2023 MLB Draft earlier this summer. The talented right-handed pitcher earned First Team All-American honors and SEC Pitcher of the Year honors as a sophomore in 2022 before his production take a slight step back in 2023.
Beck is with Dollander in the Colorado farm system where he played 76 games in High-A this season before making the move to AA-Hartford. After hitting .292 in High-A, Beck is hitting .219 with three home runs, 12 extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in 30 games in Double-A.
Tennessee isn’t done putting prospects in professional baseball with the Vols returning a number of high MLB Draft prospects ahead of the 2024 season.
