bulldogcountry1
02-26-2014, 10:15 AM
Let's Start with the obvious guys:
Rea - He's carrying the load right now and always seems to come through for us. I hope can take the next step once SEC play starts and keep the strikeouts down.
Detz - Not quite himself at the plate right now, but he'll come around and end up hitting well over .300. He's going to have to start at 3rd primarily because I've seen nobody else that has impressed me out there. Our general lack of offense so far doesn't help the situation. We are much better off with Detz at 3B and Garner at DH than Britton/Hann at 3B and Detz at DH.
Pirtle - He pretty much picked up where he left off. He hasn't made all the plays you expect him to at second, but he'll shore that up.
CT - I've been as hard on him as anyone. I think it all goes back to his freshman year when Cohen built him up. When a true freshman starts, it's going to carry certain expectations for that player's entire career. Maybe we are expecting too much from him. Maybe he truly hasn't put it all together just yet. Whatever the explanation, he's not really doing that terribly, stat-wise. He's had some hard hit ball hit right to defenders. The biggest thing here is quality at-bats. Despite him managing to squeak a dribbler through a hole every so often, there's just too many weak pop-ups. He's obviously frustrated. Like I said before the season started, he's a big key to our success. We need him to produce, and .275 from a singles hitter just won't cut it.
Hendu - I think we have to accept the fact that he's going to do something stupid every now and then, whether it be in the field or on the paths. He makes some nice catches and will hit over .300. He must be in the lineup.
Vickerson - I like what I see so far. He's got a nice swing, he gets on base, and he's always dirty by end of the 1st inning. He's our new Adam Frazier, and he's going to have to set the tone for us. No pressure, JV.
Here's where it gets a little more complicated:
Garner - It looks like he can swing a good stick as advertised, but he hasn't gotten any chances defensively. If he doesn't see the field this weekend, then we have to assume he won't all season and he's the DH. He reminds me of that guy from little league who didn't really look the part with his tight pants and mullet, but could mash a baseball.
Catcher - This is tough. From now, when I hear about how great the competition is at a certain position, I'm just going to assume I shouldn't expect much from any of them. That said, I have to give the edge to Collins. I already see improvement in his defense, and he has potential at the plate. He has yet to strike out in 10 Abs. He's taking some good swings, but is just not there yet. I think he has the most upside as a freshman, so I think he needs to play. Walker looks like a leader out there and will be good for a defensive sub. Sorry Randolph.
SS - I'm not ready to anoint Heck the new SS, but I do think he deserves another start on Friday. He's got a smooth swing that immediately reminded me of Travis Chapman. I want to see more of his glove. Britton might have been a Fall-American, but he's not getting it done thus far. Hann brings a slightly better bat to the table, but hasn't been as smooth defensively.
My lineup right now would be:
Vickerson
Henderson
Rea
Pirtle
Garner
Detz
Bradford
Collins
Heck
Rea - He's carrying the load right now and always seems to come through for us. I hope can take the next step once SEC play starts and keep the strikeouts down.
Detz - Not quite himself at the plate right now, but he'll come around and end up hitting well over .300. He's going to have to start at 3rd primarily because I've seen nobody else that has impressed me out there. Our general lack of offense so far doesn't help the situation. We are much better off with Detz at 3B and Garner at DH than Britton/Hann at 3B and Detz at DH.
Pirtle - He pretty much picked up where he left off. He hasn't made all the plays you expect him to at second, but he'll shore that up.
CT - I've been as hard on him as anyone. I think it all goes back to his freshman year when Cohen built him up. When a true freshman starts, it's going to carry certain expectations for that player's entire career. Maybe we are expecting too much from him. Maybe he truly hasn't put it all together just yet. Whatever the explanation, he's not really doing that terribly, stat-wise. He's had some hard hit ball hit right to defenders. The biggest thing here is quality at-bats. Despite him managing to squeak a dribbler through a hole every so often, there's just too many weak pop-ups. He's obviously frustrated. Like I said before the season started, he's a big key to our success. We need him to produce, and .275 from a singles hitter just won't cut it.
Hendu - I think we have to accept the fact that he's going to do something stupid every now and then, whether it be in the field or on the paths. He makes some nice catches and will hit over .300. He must be in the lineup.
Vickerson - I like what I see so far. He's got a nice swing, he gets on base, and he's always dirty by end of the 1st inning. He's our new Adam Frazier, and he's going to have to set the tone for us. No pressure, JV.
Here's where it gets a little more complicated:
Garner - It looks like he can swing a good stick as advertised, but he hasn't gotten any chances defensively. If he doesn't see the field this weekend, then we have to assume he won't all season and he's the DH. He reminds me of that guy from little league who didn't really look the part with his tight pants and mullet, but could mash a baseball.
Catcher - This is tough. From now, when I hear about how great the competition is at a certain position, I'm just going to assume I shouldn't expect much from any of them. That said, I have to give the edge to Collins. I already see improvement in his defense, and he has potential at the plate. He has yet to strike out in 10 Abs. He's taking some good swings, but is just not there yet. I think he has the most upside as a freshman, so I think he needs to play. Walker looks like a leader out there and will be good for a defensive sub. Sorry Randolph.
SS - I'm not ready to anoint Heck the new SS, but I do think he deserves another start on Friday. He's got a smooth swing that immediately reminded me of Travis Chapman. I want to see more of his glove. Britton might have been a Fall-American, but he's not getting it done thus far. Hann brings a slightly better bat to the table, but hasn't been as smooth defensively.
My lineup right now would be:
Vickerson
Henderson
Rea
Pirtle
Garner
Detz
Bradford
Collins
Heck