Matthew Britton has an MLB glove/arm, but as of now.......

[Real Deal]

...he'll be hitting between .128 and .154. He has one more at-bat coming up potentially. Either way, damn. I think most thought he'd come around once he got at-bats, but geez I don't know if he ever will. But you can't take him out of the lineup because he literally saves games for us at 3B. Just unbelievable over there.

So what's the option? Guess there is no other option. We know Detz has to hit, so it appears everybody else is shit out of luck. Looks like somebody will also be shit out of luck in the OF once CT comes back, most likely Vickerson.

[Coach34]

Vickerson wont be taken out. I think Armstrong goes to RF when CT comes back.

And yeah- Britton has to find a way to get some hits.

[Saltydog]

nt

[Real Deal]

Agreed, but alot of our guys have been doing that. I'm just bringing it to the table for discussion. Benching him is not an option in my opinion. His OBP was his saving grace, but that took a nosedive this weekend too.

[Real Deal]

I'd play Henderson over Vickerson all day long. If anything, it's a R/L LF starter based on the pitcher. By now, we should all agree that Henderson plays.

[Coach34]

I'd play Henderson over Vickerson all day long. If anything, it's a R/L LF starter based on the pitcher. By now, we should all agree that Henderson plays.

At worst- Cohen will platoon. Vickerson is going to get AB's and keep playing

[MarketingBully01]

At worst- Cohen will platoon. Vickerson is going to get AB's and keep playing

Before this weekend, Vickerson was in a massive slump. Hopefully with some of those hits this weekend, he is coming out of it. It's a tough first part of the lineup when he gets on as then you have our mini-murderer's row of Detz, Rea, and Pirtle. I know it's stating the obvious but our offense does much better when Vickerson gets on.

[MarketingBully01]

Vickerson wont be taken out. I think Armstrong goes to RF when CT comes back.

And yeah- Britton has to find a way to get some hits.

Keep Britton hitting 9th. He is probably the best defensive third baseman in the league.

[Doc]

Keep Britton hitting 9th. He is probably the best defensive third baseman in the league.

The third baseman from Ark also looked pretty impressive.

[MarketingBully01]

The third baseman from Ark also looked pretty impressive.

Very true but I think Britton has a better arm then him. He definitely got the ball out if his glove very quickly to turn two very big double plays one yesterday and another today.

[maroonmania]

Before this weekend, Vickerson was in a massive slump. Hopefully with some of those hits this weekend, he is coming out of it. It's a tough first part of the lineup when he gets on as then you have our mini-murderer's row of Detz, Rea, and Pirtle. I know it's stating the obvious but our offense does much better when Vickerson gets on.

I really didn't get to watch any live action this weekend due to other obligations but Vickerson's problem during the slump was/is his upper cut swing. You can't be a small, fast leadoff guy and put 80% of everything you hit in the air. That's just not productive. Cohen and company have hopefully been working with him to readjust some of that. IF he doesn't quit doing that I would put Armstrong in LF and Hendo in RF with Bradford and wouldn't think twice about it.

[The Croom Diaries]

Despite hitting .135, Britton's OB% is .373 which is pretty good - really good considering his batting avg. He's essentially the kid in little league that you hope walks to get on base but as long as he keeps it above .350 I don't care what he's hitting.

[ButcherShop]

Vickerson has absolutely not been in a slump. Sure his BA has dropped a little bit during the last two weeks, buts largely die to the fact that he's been killing balls right at people and getting unlucky. Hes had great at bats and is hitting a lot of balls really hard. He should and will stay in the lineup.

[esplanade91]

Would love to see the sabermetrics on Detz vs Britton. Detz isn't particularly a bad 3B... Surely there's a guy can hit north of .250 at DH.

[Coach34]

Would love to see the sabermetrics on Detz vs Britton. Detz isn't particularly a bad 3B... Surely there's a guy can hit north of .250 at DH.

Detz is an average 3B at best. He would probably be the 13th or 14th best defensive 3rd baseman in the SEC

[Will James]

Britton will be fine hitting 9th.

His BABIP is .192. I know "some people don't care about Babip's and whips" but it is a real thing with real implications.

Britton stays in the lineup no question about it.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Vickerson has absolutely not been in a slump. Sure his BA has dropped a little bit during the last two weeks, buts largely die to the fact that he's been killing balls right at people and getting unlucky. Hes had great at bats and is hitting a lot of balls really hard. He should and will stay in the lineup.

I agree. Vickerson is very good, and he should definitely stay in the lineup.

Watch his ABs in the Saturday Vandy game again- everything is right on the nose but finds gloves. That plus his approach at the plate and strike zone discipline are going to make him a very successful leadoff hitter for the next 1.5 years here.

[Will James]

Players who do not strikeout

6.3% - Heck
6.4% - Collins
7.7% - Randolph
8.5% - Pirtle
8.9% - Vickerson

[messageboardsuperhero]

Britton absolutely stays in the lineup. No question about it, IMO.

We have been the best pitching and fielding team in the SEC so far during conference play, and Britton is a big reason why.

[Todd4State]

As far as Britton, one option that we could do, but I don't think Cohen will do would be to either start Humphreys and then bring in Britton as a defensive replacement or to do the opposite- start Britton and then pinch hit later with Humphreys.

It appears that we are going to sink or swim with Britton at third.

[Will James]

I wouldn't mind starting Humphreys against lefties and subbing Britton in late.

Also wouldnt mind starting Humphreys if there is a strong wind out to left, especially against a LHP.

[CadaverDawg]

How can some people still want to take Henderson out and put Armstrong in his place when CT returns?? Henderson is one of our leading hitters, and he is a great outfielder. Good things happen when Henderson is playing. If you're going to choose an outfielder to bench when CT returns, it is either Armstrong or Vickerson IMO. Armstrong may be hitting good THIS weekend, but Henderson has proven he can get it done for 2 years now. I would never take Hendo out of the lineup.

[Coach34]

Humphries is about done getting AB's. Cohen does this every year once we get into conference play.

[Will James]

If you're going to choose an outfielder to bench when CT returns, it is either Armstrong or Vickerson IMO.

Just let CT keep sitting. Aint broke, dont fix.

[CadaverDawg]

Just let CT keep sitting. Aint broke, dont fix.

It may not be "broke", but our offense can definitely use some heppin. CT was our best hitter when he got hurt.

[Coach34]

How can some people still want to take Henderson out and put Armstrong in his place when CT returns?? Henderson is one of our leading hitters, and he is a great outfielder. Good things happen when Henderson is playing. If you're going to choose an outfielder to bench when CT returns, it is either Armstrong or Vickerson IMO. Armstrong may be hitting good THIS weekend, but Henderson has proven he can get it done for 2 years now. I would never take Hendo out of the lineup.

Hendo and Armstrong are actually our two best hitters average-wise

[Coach34]

It may not be "broke", but our offense can definitely use some heppin. CT was our best hitter when he got hurt.


CT was tearing up RH'ed pitching

[I seen it dawg]

Just let CT keep sitting. Aint broke, dont fix.

There you go with your baseball knowledge again

[Todd4State]

How can some people still want to take Henderson out and put Armstrong in his place when CT returns?? Henderson is one of our leading hitters, and he is a great outfielder. Good things happen when Henderson is playing. If you're going to choose an outfielder to bench when CT returns, it is either Armstrong or Vickerson IMO. Armstrong may be hitting good THIS weekend, but Henderson has proven he can get it done for 2 years now. I would never take Hendo out of the lineup.

Fortunately, we have a crowded outfield. I don't think it's anything against anyone. Before today, I would have sat Vickerson, but he did well today so maybe he's snapping out of it.

[preachermatt83]

Hendo and Armstrong are actually our two best hitters average-wise

^^ This... To me Hendu and Armstrong are the two outfielders who have without question earned the right to be everyday guys.. the battle is only between CT and Vick and I think CT wins it. I just think we are a better team with Armstrong in Left, CT in center, and Hendu in right. And that way you have 3 solid sticks in the lineup as well. Vick is a good outfielder but to me he's still behind the other 3. And at times I think Brown is better than Vick too. Bottom line is a good one, we are stacked in the OF.

On another note, what is the possibility of finding another position for Garner. He has a heckuva a bat but its obvious he will not play catcher for us. Renfro Came in as a catcher and was moved to the OF and that worked out pretty well for us. I just wonder if maybe Garner could play 1st or 3rd for later on down the road.

[Todd4State]

^^ This... To me Hendu and Armstrong are the two outfielders who have without question earned the right to be everyday guys.. the battle is only between CT and Vick and I think CT wins it. I just think we are a better team with Armstrong in Left, CT in center, and Hendu in right. And that way you have 3 solid sticks in the lineup as well. Vick is a good outfielder but to me he's still behind the other 3. And at times I think Brown is better than Vick too. Bottom line is a good one, we are stacked in the OF.

On another note, what is the possibility of finding another position for Garner. He has a heckuva a bat but its obvious he will not play catcher for us. Renfro Came in as a catcher and was moved to the OF and that worked out pretty well for us. I just wonder if maybe Garner could play 1st or 3rd for later on down the road.

Based on our personnel and Garner's skill set, I would suspect that he would be moved to first. Or even more likely DH.

[preachermatt83]

oh and to get back on topic, Britton is too valuable at 3rd to remove from the lineup even if he is hitting .033

[Todd4State]

oh and to get back on topic, Britton is too valuable at 3rd to remove from the lineup even if he is hitting .033

I don't see anyone advocating completely benching him, but I don't think we would lose a lot of defense for five innings of Humphreys and the only question is would we gain by adding the offense that Humphreys would bring or is it basically moot doing what we are now?

[Jacksondevildog]

Humphreys is moving to 1B next year.

[Coach34]

Humphreys is moving to 1B next year.

He has to move somewhere- cause he wont be playing 3rd ahead Britton

[Jacksondevildog]

Agreed.
He has to move somewhere- cause he wont be playing 3rd ahead Britton

[Todd4State]

Humphreys is moving to 1B next year.

If it were me, I'd move Garner to first or go with one of the freshmen like Cole Gordon or Rooker. With CT, Armstrong, and possibly Demarcus leaving- I'd move Humphreys to the OF for at least a year.

[MarketingBully01]

Vickerson has absolutely not been in a slump. Sure his BA has dropped a little bit during the last two weeks, buts largely die to the fact that he's been killing balls right at people and getting unlucky. Hes had great at bats and is hitting a lot of balls really hard. He should and will stay in the lineup.

That's a first that 5 of 37 is not a slump (.135 BA?). Even Jim Ellis said that was what he was doing over his last several games or so before the Arkansas series. He has been hitting a lot of pop ups. In this slump, his BA has gone down 80 points but no not a slump. He was hitting .340 earlier in the year and is now hitting .260 or so. No slump there. I don't think we should take him out of the lineup because when he does get on a lot of good things happen we saw in the last two games of the series but come on call a spade a spade.

[MarketingBully01]

So since the South Alabama game and up until the Arkansas weekend, Vickerson has been 7-47 as our lead off guy. This according to Mississippi State box score statistics. This is not really typical of how he hits and is extremely low so that is what I call a slump. This is statistical evidence of why I say he has been in a massive slump. I did not advocate taking him out of the lineup because when he does get on good things do happen. Hopefully after this weekend, he is climbing out of it.

[War Machine Dawg]

If it were me, I'd move Garner to first or go with one of the freshmen like Cole Gordon or Rooker. With CT, Armstrong, and possibly Demarcus leaving- I'd move Humphreys to the OF for at least a year.

Supposedly Garner has already been getting work at 1B. It sucks that we can't find a way to get his bat into the lineup.

[Todd4State]

Supposedly Garner has already been getting work at 1B. It sucks that we can't find a way to get his bat into the lineup.

It is what it is. We can't take Rea or Detz out, and I don't want Detz to play third.

[MarketingBully01]

It is what it is. We can't take Rea or Detz out, and I don't want Detz to play third.

Agreed, Todd. Agreed.

[Will James]

That's a first that 5 of 37 is not a slump (.135 BA?). Even Jim Ellis said that was what he was doing over his last several games or so before the Arkansas series. He has been hitting a lot of pop ups. In this slump, his BA has gone down 80 points but no not a slump. He was hitting .340 earlier in the year and is now hitting .260 or so. No slump there. I don't think we should take him out of the lineup because when he does get on a lot of good things happen we saw in the last two games of the series but come on call a spade a spade.

Slumps in baseball are not occurring within something like 50 at bats. That is a VERY COMMON thing. Nobody just sits at their average for the whole season which is why I don't get caught up in this stuff.

Just because our season is shorter does not make "slumps" any shorter. I've said that many many times on here. Is his approach at the plate good? Yes. Is he striking out a ton? No. Move along.

[Will James]

Frazier went 9-51 last year from 3-23 thru 4-12.

Renfroe went 11-56 from 5-4 thru 5-23.

Frazier went 25-107 from 3-23 thru 5-10.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Slumps in baseball are not occurring within something like 50 at bats. That is a VERY COMMON thing. Nobody just sits at their average for the whole season which is why I don't get caught up in this stuff.

Just because our season is shorter does not make "slumps" any shorter. I've said that many many times on here. Is his approach at the plate good? Yes. Is he striking out a ton? No. Move along.

Exactly. Vickerson is fine. I think everyone calling for him to be benched will look back and laugh at that notion at the end of the season.

[MarketingBully01]

Frazier went 9-51 last year from 3-23 thru 4-12.

Renfroe went 11-56 from 5-4 thru 5-23.

Frazier went 25-107 from 3-23 thru 5-10.

Renfroe was in a bad slump at the end of the year. Using him is a bad example. I didn't advocate taking Vickerson out of the lineup but to say he was not in a slump is just stupid. All of those guys you mention by very definition were in slumps. Just because you Will James don't find it significant doesn't mean it did not happen.

[Will James]

Renfroe was in a bad slump at the end of the year. Using him is a bad example. I didn't advocate taking Vickerson out of the lineup but to say he was not in a slump is just stupid. All of those guys you mention by very definition were in slumps. Just because you Will James don't find it significant doesn't mean it did not happen.

Fro was not in a bad slump at the end of the year and please provide me the dates of his slump that you think he was in at the end.

I can blindly point to probably ANY player from any season with a 50 at bat stretch like JakeVick is currently in. If we played 162 it would be meaningless. People think that slumps should proportionate just because our season is shorter and it just doesn't. It's baseball.

[Will James]

Vickerson currently is in the middle of a 4 game hitting streak. Gotten on base in 9 of the past 11 games.

[Will James]

JakeVick has only K'd in ONE of his last TWELVE games. He is a victim of the BABIP luck dragon.

[War Machine Dawg]

It is what it is. We can't take Rea or Detz out, and I don't want Detz to play third.

Obviously. Doesn't make it suck less. Just wish he'd gotten a fair chance at catcher.

[MarketingBully01]

Fro was not in a bad slump at the end of the year and please provide me the dates of his slump that you think he was in at the end.

I can blindly point to probably ANY player from any season with a 50 at bat stretch like JakeVick is currently in. If we played 162 it would be meaningless. People think that slumps should proportionate just because our season is shorter and it just doesn't. It's baseball.

If you can't even admit Renfroe was in a massive slump at the end of last year plummeting his average .100+ points, then I have nothing left to discuss with you on the slump subject.

[Will James]

If you can't even admit Renfroe was in a massive slump at the end of last year plummeting his average .100+ points, then I have nothing left to discuss with you on the slump subject.

Give. Me. The. Dates.

[MarketingBully01]

Give. Me. The. Dates.

Stupid to argue with Will James...he argued this same shit in August....

[Will James]

Extend it out the full season Will from the point you had. He didn't do much better where you stopped him 17/58. He was hitting well over .420 to.440 on the year and at the end knocked his average under Frasier's in the .340s.

From May 25 thru June 17 he hit .410

I've already well documented that Frazier had worse "short slumps" and long slumps than Fro. Also during his slumps you may want to look at his on base which remained sky high.

over the year it all evens out. Nobody stays at their average the whole time. That's. Baseball.

[MarketingBully01]

From May 25 thru June 17 he hit .410

Stupid to argue with Will James. He argued this same shit in August.

[Will James]

I claim bull shit on that one but it's obvious you are going to argue with anything I say. He hit 14 for 53 from the Starkville Regional on.

Check the dates. I extended it from the Vandy game all the way till the OSU game. Surely you aren't going to tell me he took 3 weeks off then returned to slump form are you.

Excellent example as to why a LIMITED SAMPLE SIZE ****s your whole argument to shreds.

May 25-June 17. Fro went 16-39. .410 average.

[MarketingBully01]

Check the dates. I extended it from the Vandy game all the way till the OSU game. Surely you aren't going to tell me he took 3 weeks off then returned to slump form are you.

Excellent example as to why a LIMITED SAMPLE SIZE ****s your whole argument to shreds.

May 25-June 17. Fro went 16-39. .410 average.

Whatever, I guess MSU's box score stats are wrong. I am finished arguing with you though. So believe what you want.

[Will James]

Whatever, I guess MSU's box score stats are wrong. I am finished arguing with you though. So believe what you want.

Are you retarded. Check the dates.

If you are going to use a 50 at bat sample size for a slump a hitter damn sure better be 3-50 to make that claim.

14-53 from the regional on is .264

Lets say some luck happens and a few line drives aren't caught or grounders go through and blue doesnt **** him on strike 3.

17-52 is .327

Thats why what you are saying about Fro and what people are saying about Vick's "slump" is complete bullshit.

[MarketingBully01]

Are you retarded. Check the dates.

If you are going to use a 50 at bat sample size for a slump a hitter damn sure better be 3-50 to make that claim.

14-53 from the regional on is .264

Lets say some luck happens and a few line drives aren't caught or grounders go through and blue doesnt **** him on strike 3.

17-52 is .327

Thats why what you are saying about Fro and what people are saying about Vick's "slump" is complete bullshit.

3-50 is more then a slump to me. I guess when the announcers and everyone last year were saying Renfroe was in a slump it was all bullshit. I agree with I Seen It Dog you have to be one of the worst posters on here as far as trying to beat your point into the ground and this stupid thread has gone on way too long. Let's just say we both disagree with each other and move on with it because we are not changing each other's minds.

[I seen it dawg]

Fro was not in a bad slump at the end of the year and please provide me the dates of his slump that you think he was in at the end.

I can blindly point to probably ANY player from any season with a 50 at bat stretch like JakeVick is currently in. If we played 162 it would be meaningless. People think that slumps should proportionate just because our season is shorter and it just doesn't. It's baseball.

But we don't play 162. This is college baseball not the majors. Get your head out of MLB. We ain't it. You are short-sighted and tunnel visioned.

[Will James]

But we don't play 162. This is college baseball not the majors. Get your head out of MLB. We ain't it. You are short-sighted and tunnel visioned.

If you are saying that slumps are proportional to how many games your team plays you are admitting that slumps aren't a real thing at all. Your logic continues to amaze me.

[MarketingBully01]

But we don't play 162. This is college baseball not the majors. Get your head out of MLB. We ain't it. You are short-sighted and tunnel visioned.

No point in arguing with him about this I Seen It. He ruined a thread in August of 2013 arguing this exact same thing in fact I think he copied and pasted what he said then because it is almost identical word for word. According to Will James, slumps don't exist in the college game.

[Will James]

No point in arguing with him about this I Seen It. He ruined a thread in August of 2013 arguing this exact same thing in fact I think he copied and pasted what he said then because it is almost identical word for word. According to Will James, slumps don't exist in the college game.

Uh no. Slumps don't exist when a hitter is 14-53 though.

14-100, yes.

[maroonmania]

JakeVick has only K'd in ONE of his last TWELVE games. He is a victim of the BABIP luck dragon.

I preface this again by saying I didn't get to see any of the 3 games this weekend, but for the way Vick had been swinging it, lazy fly balls are a BABIP killer especially at DNF.

[Will James]

Vick has a 30% flyball rate in the last 12 games.. A little high but not extreme.

CT had a 29% last year for the whole year. Team average was 23%

Small smaple size again. Vick will be fine its a statistical blip.

[Real Deal]

Just wish he'd gotten a fair chance at catcher.
He did. He sucks worse than Randolph.

[Real Deal]

All of you that say Vickerson is hitting hard balls that aren't falling......are you even watching the games or going by live stats? His fly balls look like they are going to be gappers, but they just hang in the air forever. He's got a good swing but he's swinging up on the ball. Once Bradford gets back I think Armstrong has to start in his place, at least against lefties.

But bottom line, we can't really go wrong with any combination of them or Cody Brown. Great depth. I'm more inclined to go with the seniors too. Vickerson and Brown are likely the starting outfielders next year with Swinarski so they'll get their chance.

[War Machine Dawg]

He did. He sucks worse than Randolph.

Oh really? By my count, we have 4 catchers on the roster. Only 3 have gotten innings behind the plate. Wanna guess who hasn't gotten any innings back there? Fair chance my ass.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Oh really? By my count, we have 4 catchers on the roster. Only 3 have gotten innings behind the plate. Wanna guess who hasn't gotten any innings back there? Fair chance my ass.

Actually, the fact that he hasn't even gotten a shot at catcher this season tells me all I need to know about his defense back there.

The idea of Garner catching for us scares the hell out of me.

[Real Deal]

Oh really?
Really.

Seems to me, someone who desires to have a strong opinion on things, such as yourself, would educate themselves a little better. You could have attended (or talked to someone who did) any number of practices to obtain this information. But your opinion on this is pretty consistent with your others. Uninformed.

Garner will NEVER be our starting catcher. In fact, he's already been moved to 1B.

[War Machine Dawg]

Really.

Seems to me, someone who desires to have a strong opinion on things, such as yourself, would educate themselves a little better. You could have attended (or talked to someone who did) any number of practices to obtain this information. But your opinion on this is pretty consistent with your others. Uninformed.

Garner will NEVER be our starting catcher. In fact, he's already been moved to 1B.

You calling anyone uninformed is hilarious. I'll put my track record against yours any day. And thanks for stating the obvious that Garner won't be getting a chance to catch. I'm actually a big fan of Collins and think he'll be very good for us eventually. I'm way more aggravated that he's only starting once on the weekends. If I had it my way, the lineup would be:

1. Vick - LF
2. Detz - DH
3. Rea - 1B
4. Pirtle - 2B
5. Collins - C
6. Hendu - RF
7. Heck - SS
8. CT - CF
9. Britton - 3B

[Real Deal]

You calling anyone uninformed is hilarious. I'll put my track record against yours any day.
You're done. I prove you wrong time and time again and all you have to counter is "I can't believe you aren't banned!!!". Well you got your wish, I got banned. Then I came back and proved you wrong yet again. If you don't like it, educate yourself and present a valid opinion.


And thanks for stating the obvious that Garner won't be getting a chance to catch. I'm actually a big fan of Collins and think he'll be very good for us eventually. I'm way more aggravated that he's only starting once on the weekends.
Shit, son. Talk about stating the obvious. I think the whole fanbase knows he's a good one. If he can get better blocking up the ball, he WILL be the full-time starter.

[maroonmania]

All of you that say Vickerson is hitting hard balls that aren't falling......are you even watching the games or going by live stats? His fly balls look like they are going to be gappers, but they just hang in the air forever. He's got a good swing but he's swinging up on the ball. Once Bradford gets back I think Armstrong has to start in his place, at least against lefties.

But bottom line, we can't really go wrong with any combination of them or Cody Brown. Great depth. I'm more inclined to go with the seniors too. Vickerson and Brown are likely the starting outfielders next year with Swinarski so they'll get their chance.

Guess you are seeing what I was seeing. Will James is counting balls in the air and saying he's not that far out of line but not all balls in the air are equal. A line drive may be a ball in the air but that is high quality contact. A lazy pooped up fly ball from an upper cut swing is NOT quality contact for a lead off guy and isn't doing much good for the team. The only time I want to see him revert back to that is if we need a sacrifice fly I guess.