With the 2022 Alabama Baseball season set to begin in the coming weeks, we can begin to take a look at the upcoming year for the Crimson Tide.
After reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2021, the Crimson Tide will have to replace a few key players in 2022 in year No. 5 under head coach Brad Bohannon, but also return a talented roster that also added multiple instant impact freshman and transfers.
Among the players the Crimson Tide have to replace, there are few who stick-out more than catcher Sam Praytor, a 2021 First-Team All-SEC selection and sixth round pick by the Miami Marlins.
An impactful four-year player behind the plate for the Crimson Tide, replacing Praytor will not be easy, but is certainly doable for an Alabama Baseball team that has exciting depth at catcher entering 2022, all of which could see time.
Alabama Baseball 2022 Season Preview: Catcher
Dominic Tamez
Alabama Baseball added two catchers from the JUCO ranks during the offseason with the first being Tamez, a former star prep catcher from the state of Texas who spent his freshman season at Arkansas during the shortened 2020 season (went 4-for-10 across eight games).
Spending the 2021 season at McLennan Community College (TX), Tamez was an impactful piece for the 2021 NJCAA national champions. Hitting for a .380 average, the-then sophomore also added 12 home runs with 62 RBI’s across 61 games, with 39.5% of his hits going for extra-bases (32-of-81).
While the jump from the JUCO ranks to playing in the SEC in a big one, Tamez has previous experience within the conference, and should be an instant impact player from day one. A 2021 NJCAA First-Team All-American, don’t be surprised if Tamez has a big 2022 junior season both offensively and defensively.
2022 Season Prediction: .290 AVG, .400 OBP, .470 SLG, .870 OPS, 8 HR, 40 RBI, 2 SB