New Baseball Grad Transfer, potential weekend starter???

[ShotgunDawg]

This is a HUGE pickup.

Not a MLB prospect but, due to his inning eating capability, he will take a ton of pressure off the Tommy John guys and put them in positions where they will be relied upon more in relief stints than expected to accumulate a ton of innings.

If this guy could give us 80 innings as a Sunday guy to go along with 90 innings from Pilkington on Friday, you've really helped your bullpen and allowed guys to assume roles.

[Todd4State]

This is a HUGE pickup.

Not a MLB prospect but, due to his inning eating capability, he will take a ton of pressure off the Tommy John guys and put them in positions where they will be relied upon more in relief stints than expected to accumulate a ton of innings.

If this guy could give us 80 innings as a Sunday guy to go along with 90 innings from Pilkington on Friday, you've really helped your bullpen and allowed guys to assume roles.

If our rotation is Pilkington and then two fifth year seniors in Billingsley and France we should be pretty solid. Aside from the SR, I thought Billingsley finished the year very strong. We'll see how he does in the Cape and see if he can refine his command and be more consistent. I think France also takes pressure off of some of the younger guys like Ashcraft, McQuary and Self and will allow them to develop with less pressure. And who knows? Maybe Gordon figures things out and becomes a decent option as well.

If Cann starts adding Grad transfers to fill holes I like that option better than going after a JUCO guy. Their D-I college experience should help eliminate the transition that JUCO guys- even Lowe and Kruger- usually go through. Plus if we get a really good JUCO guy like Lowe the odds are they are going to be with us one year like a grad transfer anyway. I think Cann's MLB connections help with guys like France who like you said may not be a MLB prospect but it has to be attractive for a guy like him to see guys like Cody Brown and Lovelady get free agent deals that Cann helped them get so that they get a shot at playing pro if they don't get drafted.

Now we just need to add a grad transfer at catcher.

[HoopsDawg]

If our rotation is Pilkington and then two fifth year seniors in Billingsley and France we should be pretty solid. Aside



Now we just need to add a grad transfer at catcher.

I feel good about catcher with Skelton and Gilbert.

[Todd4State]

I feel good about catcher with Skelton and Gilbert.

We need another one for depth and to compete for a starting spot with Skelton. We only have two catchers and the third is Stovall. Gilbert played in a JUCO league where guys haven't typically translated as well to the SEC. I don't know that we can count on him. Skelton would have to carry the load and I would prefer to have two solid options at catcher if possible with a decent third guy in case of emergency. A fifth year senior that is a Mitch Slauter/Josh Lovelady type would be fine.

[CadaverDawg]

We need another one for depth and to compete for a starting spot with Skelton. We only have two catchers and the third is Stovall. Gilbert played in a JUCO league where guys haven't typically translated as well to the SEC. I don't know that we can count on him. Skelton would have to carry the load and I would prefer to have two solid options at catcher if possible with a decent third guy in case of emergency. A fifth year senior that is a Mitch Slauter/Josh Lovelady type would be fine.

Yea, another would be nice. That being said, if Skelton had started all season he would have probably had better hitting numbers than Josh, and controlled the running game much better.....but Josh's leadership and control of the pitching staff made him so much more valuable than we all realize. I think Skelton will make a jump this offseason, and claim the job. If we can get a .250+ hitter in him, good run game control, and similar pitcher control as Josh...that's a win in my book for 2018.
But I agree with you, we have got to have a 3rd catcher not named Stovall, Bc Gilbert is an unknown