I feel like FSU is the pinnacle of college baseball

Florida State baseball has its first transfer portal addition for the 2026 season. Davidson transfer Eli Putnam confirmed to Noles247 that he has committed to the Seminoles. 64Analytics’ transfer portal database first had Putnam’s commitment to FSU. 

Putnam told Noles247, “I feel like FSU is the pinnacle of college baseball and was a perfect fit. I love the coaching staff, the atmosphere is unmatched, and the history is incredible.”

He spent four seasons at Davidson and would be a redshirt senior in 2026. Putnam played in 13 games as a true freshman in 2022 before losing his 2023 season to injury. He has been an Atlantic 10 First-Team member each of the last two years, playing in 107 total games in that span. 

In 2024, Putnam hit .352 with 16 doubles and 16 homers. This season, he batted .349 with 18 doubles and 19 homers.

He owns a career .338 AVG with a .424 OBP and .642 SLG%. In the last two seasons, he’s combined for 34 doubles, 35 homers, and 120 RBI. The right-handed hitter has struck out 122 times compared to 71 free passes. 

He has played all four positions on the infield in his time at Davidson. This past season, six-foot-four, 215-pound infielder mostly played second base. He made 10 errors in 255 total chances for a .961 FLD%. 

“I don’t have any expectation around where I’ll play,” Putnam explained, “But it is a goal for me to stick on the left side of the infield and I think Link (Jarrett) is the best coach in America when it comes to developing infielders.”

He produced at a high level in the Cape Cod League last summer. In 36 games, he posted a .291 AVG with a .906 OPS. With wood bats, he slugged seven doubles, three triples, and five homers. He also stole nine bases in 11 attempts. He played first base on the Cape, only making a pair of errors in 241 total chances. 

Putnam is not planning on going back to the Cape this summer but said it was ‘the best summer of his life’ last year. 

The Davidson transfer was able to make one visit to Tallahassee. It only lasted about 20 hours but left an impact on him. He said, “I felt like I got a pretty good feel of the program through talking a bunch with the coaches and current players. It was a whirlwind of a day but I could really see myself going to FSU after the visit.”

He is draft-eligible and confirmed he will go through the draft process this summer. If he does not sign, FSU will be getting a proven, producitve right-handed bat.