Auburn OF Justin Kirby identified as potential "next Sonny D"
Auburn baseball, once again, had a fantastic year in 2022. The Tigers hosted a Regional in Plainsman Park, defeated Oregon State in the Corvallis Super Regional, and then went three games deep in Omaha at the College World Series, finishing with a final record of 43-22.
However, Auburn lost eight players from that roster to Major League Baseball, including 3/4ths of the starting rotation (Trace Bright, Hayden Mullins, and Mason Barnett), the back end of the bullpen (Blake Burkhalter and Carson Skipper), and 3/4ths of the starting infield (Sonny DiChiara, Brody Moore, and Blake Rambusch).
To reload the roster, Auburn relied on a strong freshman class and key additions from the transfer portal. Over the next few weeks, we'll be introducing you to the new faces on the roster.
Let's meet the newcomer:
OF Justin Kirby, Kent State
Grad transfer with one year of eligibility remaining
Justin Kirby stats courtesy of D1Baseball.com
Kirby was recognized as a First Team All-MAC performer in 2022, leading the Golden Flashes in home runs, doubles, RBI, & hits while tying for the lead in stolen bases.
He slots into an outfield that returns veterans RF Bobby Pierce & longtime CF Kason Howell, as well as backups Mike Bello and Josh Hall. True freshman Chris Stanfield, a dynamic Top 100 recruit, is an option for 2023 playtime as well as being the heir-apparent to Howell in CF.
In fall action, Kirby was patrolling LF for the Tigers, giving Auburn an outfield of above-average to plus defense in all three spots with Howell in CF and Bobby Pierce in right. He has excellent reads, routes, and reactions to the ball with a strong, accurate arm.
D1Baseball, writing in their "25 Things to Look Forward to During the 2023 SEC Season" series ($), was even higher on Kirby's offense. One of the discussion points was about "finding the next Sonny D" - the next transfer from a mid-major to enter the SEC and become an absolute offensive force. When discussing candidates, writer Joe Healy identifies Kirby as one player who could have an "impact", grouping him in with Mississippi State's Colton Ledbetter (Samford), Arkansas' Jared Wegner (Creighton), and Kentucky's Ryan Waldschmidt (Charleston Southern).
Digging into the advanced stats, it's easy to see why. Excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Kirby's been a consistently plus performer offensively, with two seasons of wRC+ over 145. (Weighted Runs Created plus is a statistic that measures the runs created by an individual player compared to the league average. 100 is average, so a 145 is 45% better than the average player on a park-adjusted basis). Kirby's two seasons with a slugging percentage over .600, his freshman and senior seasons, coincide with his highest home run performances thanks to a flyball percentage over 50%.
As Auburn prepares to start full-squad practices next week, it'll be interesting to see where Kirby slots into the lineup. He hit fourth in the fall exhibition against Louisiana Tech and 5th against Alabama, and his power and speed combination makes him a perfect five-hole hitter as a "2nd half leadoff man" once you've gotten through the top of the lineup. It wouldn't be an absolute surprise to see him leadoff, either, as he's shown the wheels necessary to put pitchers on edge with the running game.
Auburn welcomes back former pitcher and #1 overall MLB draft pick Casey Mize of the Detroit Tigers for the 21st Annual Auburn Diamond Club Preseason Banquet, held on Saturday, Feb 4th at 6:00PM. Tickets are available at auburndiamondclub.com. The 2023 season opens with a three-game series against Indiana, beginning Friday, February 17th.
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