Baseball America released its preseason All-Americans Monday. Two Gators made an appearance, most notably outfielder Jud Fabian as one of only two unanimous selections to the team.
The website assembles its roster by polling major league organizations’ scouting departments to evaluate production, talent and potential. For the 2021 team, 16 professional clubs contributed to the voting.
Fabian, a starter in the Gators’ outfield since his true freshman season in 2019, batted .294 in the shortened 17-game 2020, with five home runs and six doubles to drive home 13 RBI, pacing Florida in all three categories. He was also second on the team in hits (20), walks (13) and slugging percentage (.603) and third in on-base plus slugging (1.010).
Fabian is no stranger to preseason hype and expectations entering 2021. He’s MLB.com’s top-ranked outfielder and eighth-overall prospect for 2021.
Fabian isn’t the only player in orange and blue to appear on the All-American team. Tommy Mace, a right-handed pitcher and Florida’s presumed ace, slots in on the third team.
Mace, a weekend starter with a Friday start in a win over then-No. 1 Miami last year, had a 1.67 ERA and a WHIP of 0.96 a season ago, striking out 20 batters in 27 innings pitched.
Mace hoped to play professionally but was passed up this offseason during a drastically shortened five-round draft.
Fabian and Mace are Florida’s first preseason All-Americans since 2019, when Tyler Dyson and Will Dalton were first-team and third-team, respectively.
Contact Ryan Haley at rhaley@alligator.org or follow him on Twitter @ryan_dhaley
Ryan Haley, a UF journalism senior with a sports & media specialization from Jacksonville, Florida, is Summer 2022's Engagement Managing Editor. He grew up playing a bunch of different sports before settling on golf, following Rory McIlroy and all Philadelphia sports teams. He also loves all things fiction, reading, watching shows and movies and talking about whatever current story or character is in his head.
