Still have some offensive concerns

[Bucky Dog]

It was encouraging last night to have the home runs and double, that's how you score runs, but we still just can't seem to get the clutch hitting, or hitting in bunches that can blow games open. I say this in hope of not always relying on our pitchers to shut people down completely to have a chance. I think it is a combination of things. We have key contributors from the past slumping big time, our coaching philosophy is less than aggressive IMO, the myriad of lineups not allowing for guys to get in a groove or gain confidence and consistency, and like Will James says we still give away too many outs during a game.

I would love to see some aggressive first strike swings, and balls going to the foul poles and up the gaps. I would like to see us cut down on the bunt attempts, especially early in games and with 2-3 run leads. I think we can and will sweep Auburn. Let's just swing the bats and be aggressive at the plate and on the base paths.

[Dawgface]

Good to have a wish list I guess, but I doubt Cohen is listening.

[Goat Holder]

Your post contradicts itself and frankly, is very baseball ignorant, particularly regarding college and MSU baseball. It's the typical up/down nature of our fans who look never go to games. See the following:

1 - After one single game, you're now less worried about our offense? I know you said you wanted to see more, but the context of your post implies you think we've now fixed our offense. Which leads to #2:

2 - every knowledgable fan has accepted that we are built on pitching and defense. We aren't going to be a big sticking team. We will bunt and steal bases. Period.

3 - small ball work in college. You and WJ and everybody else is wrong. My evidence? The last 3 national champions.

4 - Not aggressive? Do you watch us at all?

Just my opinion.

[Jacksondevildog]

Baseball is a fickle game. For instance in our game last night, if we came through with the bases loaded no outs situation in the 9th, that momentum may have pushed over to Saturday. Instead, it was like "here we go again" and we didn't get it done. Up 3-0 last night going into the bottom of the 9th, I was thinking about how that situation may negatively affect us today.

[I seen it dawg]

It only affects the message boards negatively. I promise you the locker room only thought of one thing...we got a W. Let's got get another one tomorrow. Yes it's part of the game that we wish would have been better but we got the win. On to Saturday.

[Jacksondevildog]

I can promise you that with the way we have been anti clutch this year, it is definitely in the back of their minds.

[Goat Holder]

If you're going to bash on our chokes, you have to also give credit where we have been clutch. It's really amazing to me that some of have the opinions that you do.

[Jacksondevildog]

We have had some clutch hits. But the reality is our batting average with runners in scoring position this year has been horrific. Whether you or anyone else likes my opinion is irrelevant. Just because someone points out the truth that some don't like to hear doesn't mean that it's negative or wrong.

[preachermatt83]

We have had some clutch hits. But the reality is our batting average with runners in scoring position this year has been horrific. Whether you or anyone else likes my opinion is irrelevant. Just because someone points out the truth that some don't like to hear doesn't mean that it's negative or wrong.

amen!

[Bucky Dog]

Your post contradicts itself and frankly, is very baseball ignorant, particularly regarding college and MSU baseball. It's the typical up/down nature of our fans who look never go to games. See the following:

1 - After one single game, you're now less worried about our offense? I know you said you wanted to see more, but the context of your post implies you think we've now fixed our offense. Which leads to #2:

2 - every knowledgable fan has accepted that we are built on pitching and defense. We aren't going to be a big sticking team. We will bunt and steal bases. Period.

3 - small ball work in college. You and WJ and everybody else is wrong. My evidence? The last 3 national champions.

4 - Not aggressive? Do you watch us at all?

Just my opinion.

Contradicts itself? Really? I am saying we scored runs due to extra base hits, which we need more of, and yet we still missed some opportunities to blow the game open. I get the small ball thing but that works if your team is hitting for average, hitting with RISP, etc. But, we rank at or near the bottom of most of the "small ball" categories. If we aren't near the top of those categories then you need to have more extra base hits.
And don't question my baseball intelligence. I've played more and watched more baseball, including our Dogs, to have my opinion.

[Saltydog]

out or less.

[Todd4State]

We're not a great hitting team and the guys that are proven have struggled some this year. We can talk about approach, bunting, etc. but at the end of the day that's what it ultimately comes down to. I said before the season started we were going to have to manufacture runs more than we did last year- that's why we are not only bunting more, we are stealing and hit and running more. It's because we have to- otherwise you're asking an offensively challenged group to get three hits in a row to score a run. Either way we do it, we're not going to score a lot of runs- but by manufacturing runs and playing small ball this group is going to score more than they would if they didn't.

We've hit better since the shaved beard meeting. Our average has gone up over 10 points as a team and is pretty close to the league average. Also, our home runs have almost doubled since that meeting as well. So we have improved, but we are what we are.

[Will James]

playing small ball this group is going to score more than they would if they didn't.
.

And I comety disagree. We are hurt MORE by giving away outs BECAUASE we are a weaker hitting team. Again, I present to you the 2012 MSU Bulldogs.

Wanna know why it appears that we aren't clutch??? Because we constantly take away 33% of the inning to be clutch.

[BulldogBear]

I think it'd be more accurate when looking at the last 3 national champs to say that small ball works in the CWS in the gigantic TD Ameritrade Stadium.

[Todd4State]

And I comety disagree. We are hurt MORE by giving away outs BECAUASE we are a weaker hitting team. Again, I present to you the 2012 MSU Bulldogs.

Wanna know why it appears that we aren't clutch??? Because we constantly take away 33% of the inning to be clutch.

So, your rebuttal is a team that won the SEC Tournament Championship and was a borderline regional host?

Not bunting doesn't make your hitters average go up, it doesn't increase their skill level as hitters, or increase their ability to hit in the clutch. There are times where we don't bunt, get the bases loaded and still don't score. Even worse though- not bunting doesn't take advantage of our players speed- which for most of them is their best asset. It's not so much about bunting as it is taking advantage of our team speed. And again- the main times that we sacrifice bunt are when there are no outs and runners on first and second or no outs and a runner on second, which in both cases bunting creates a situation where our odds of scoring are higher. We drag bunt some because of our team speed.

What you think Cohen should do with this team is like saying Croom making Omarr Conner a drop back passer was the right thing to do all along. We have Wes Rea, Alex Detz, freshman version of Gavin Collins and six Willie Mays Hayes.

[Todd4State]

I think it'd be more accurate when looking at the last 3 national champs to say that small ball works in the CWS in the gigantic TD Ameritrade Stadium.

And gigantic Dudy-Noble Field, Hoover Met, and Trustmark Park.

The bottom line is this: college teams don't get the power hitters that MLB does and now they have made a low run scoring environment with the bat and the baseball. It's not just MSU that is struggling. We are actually just a few batting average points away from the league average. I was looking at Tulane's stats last night- as a team they are hitting .226. (Granted they are a bad team this year.)

Last year we bunted less, stole fewer bases, etc. Why? Hunter Renfroe and Wes Rea. This year we bunt more and have more stolen bases this year than last year. Why? No Hunter Renfroe and Rea struggling to hit home runs. You do what your players can do and what their strengths are. Most college teams don't have the big power guys, so you have to load up on pitching, play good defense, and then try to manufacture a few runs.