“JJ was our most improved player over the summer,” said Stanford head coach David Esquer. “And he is expected to step into the starting third baseman role while hitting in the middle of our lineup. He is a solid defender at third, and we see him as a run producer for us.”

Moran is a prototypical third baseman with an athletic frame. He’ll provide strong defense at the hot corner after moving over from shortstop. In the batter’s box, he possesses a quick swing with major pop. He’s got a good eye at the plate and doesn’t chase a ton.

As previously mentioned in the quote from Coach Esquer, Moran will get an opportunity to hit in the middle-of-the-order and drive in runs alongside the likes of sluggers Brady Reynolds, Jimmy Nati, and Rintaro Sasaki.

OF Zach Jackson, Virginia

A total of seven players transferred from Duke to Virginia over the summer, following their coaching staff to new horizons in Charlottesville. While much has been made of AJ Gracia, Kyle Johnson, and Henry Zatkowski, none of the ex-Blue Devils have been as overlooked as sophomore Zach Jackson.

The former two-sport athlete has a potential five-tool skillset, and a summer and fall of regular reps could see him break out for the ‘Hoos in 2026. 

“One guy that’s flying below the radar is Zach Jackson,” new Virginia head coach Chris Pollard told me early in the fall. “This was a guy that had been a football and baseball player his entire life. When he showed up at Duke, he didn’t pick up a bat or touch a baseball from June into January.

“And there was a lot of rust there when he came out last January, but man, by May, he was showing the flashes of a unique skillset. And when I say unique skillset, I mean it’s a day one draft kind of skillset with the combination of the arm, the ability to defend in center field, the foot speed, the bat to ball, and there’s power in the barrel.”

Jackson had just four at-bats in 2025, and most of his playing time came as a pinch runner or defensive replacement late in the year. But with his football career over, the Georgia native is all in on baseball.