I asked this question on 6pack and NOBODY addressed my actual question.

[Original48]

My question...what did Porter do to piss off Cohen at the beginning of the season? Why was he not in the lineup consistently from Day 1? I don't want to hear his batting average THIS year. I don't want to hear his on base percentage or how much he strikes out THIS year. He is not getting to play. Its hard for anyone to be consistent as little as he has played. I want to know what, if anything, transpired from the end of last spring to the beginning of this spring. I hate not having a third opportunity for a HR or big hit in our lineup every night. Hell...or somebody who has more of a chance just to get on base than many others on the team for that matter.

For reference, last years stats...Played in 60 of MSU's 64 games, drawing 59 starts --- 50 as the designated hitter, five in left field, one in right field, two at third base and one at first base -Compiled a .259 batting average, ranking third on the club with 53 hits while sharing the team home run lead of five with freshman Wes Rea -Hit safely in 35 games with RBI in 17 games Ranked second on the team with a .388 on-base percentage and a .376 slugging percentage -Reached base as a hit batsman 15 times, third-most in the SEC and ranked third on the team with 29 walks

[Will James]

Him and Frazier were the only players with more BB's than K's. It's a great mystery.

[Esmerelda Villalobos]

Bc he cant hit. He also has a low obp and only has one tater in almost 100 at bats. We dont have a decent dh.

Seeing what i see now, we should have been using ammo as dh the last year when he wasnt catching.

[Original48]

Bc he cant hit. He also has a low obp and only has one tater in almost 100 at bats. We dont have a decent dh.
Ennis...again...your missing my point. This is what i was getting on 6pack. Forget THIS year. When he consistently played last year he was second on the team in OBP. Why was he not given an opportunity to play this year like he was last year?

[The Croom Diaries]

Maybe Cohen is seeing stuff in practice that we just don't get to see. He stuck with Pirtle while he couldn't hit worth a crap and now look where he is. He has stuck with Robson and Henderson as well and they have come through lately. Last year he didn't pitch Pollorena for the longest time - supposedly he wasn't throwing strikes in his bullpen sessions and once he got it corrected he was put back out there. I didn't understand why Norris wasn't getting more of a shot, but he seems lost at the plate when he does get up there.

All that said, I would like to see Porter play more, especially against righties. But maybe Cohen knows something we don't. I question his decision making at times, but he is a really good evaluater of talent/what's going on.

[CadaverDawg]

Ennis...again...your missing my point. This is what i was getting on 6pack. Forget THIS year. When he consistently played last year he was second on the team in OBP. Why was he not given an opportunity to play this year like he was last year?

I agree with you. Hell, Cohen didn't mind letting Pirtle suck for his first 60 at bats until he finally came around...but nobody knew much about Pirtle or if he Would come around. But then Porter has a rough start to the season and gets benched? I don't get it. And **** matchups...I would rather have a left handed Porter up against the best pitching lefty in the world, than to have Armstrong up there. Porter is a Senior, and he has been clutch for us in his career. He is getting royally screwed this season.

Ennis, your argument is absurd on Porter. I know you are in a non stop, getting old as shit, online, spat with Will James, but Porter has more clutch hits in big SEC games in his short career than damn near anyone on this team. And in limited action this year, he did the same thing when he single handedly won that Bama game for us ( I think it was Bama).

Porter should be our every day DH in my opinion. But I think Cohen's love affair with Frost is why we haven't seen him as much. He only dh'es a lefty against a righty, and lately it has been Detz DH'ing and Frost at 3rd...hard to argue it the way Frost has hit this year so far. And against lefty's, Cohen goes with a righty like Armstrong, which is a dumb choice.

That may not be a great answer for you O48, but that's what I have seen. And while Frost has hit well, he gives you no power, and that's why I would start Porter. It's not like we couldn't always pinch hit Frost if we needed a bunt or a ground ball.

[gravedigger]

Curious, how does one determine why he's not being given the opportunity of playing THIS YEAR and not consider what he has done THIS YEAR.

I can think of a few reasons:

Cohen felt he needed better baserunners in the dh spot
Something happened in practice (like he was not performing against left handed pitchers as well as last year)
He may have a lower work ethic than those he plays behind.

I too think he needs to play more than he does, but LAST YEARS stats dont necessarilly releate to what would happen this year. This years practices prior to the season and the pre conference schedule should as well.

You didnt seem to get an answer on the pack because you asked people to disregard what they thought was relevant information. Situations change on any athletic team that message board fans arent privy to.

So I'll throw it back to you. Please tell me why Porter didnt maintain his consistancy this year. But the stipulation is that you must forget LAST YEAR.

[Political Hack]

Purely speculative, but maybe Cohen knew there was going to be a drop off following summer ball and pre-season practice.

[CadaverDawg]

Curious, how does one determine why he's not being given the opportunity of playing THIS YEAR and not consider what he has done THIS YEAR.

I can think of a few reasons:

Cohen felt he needed better baserunners in the dh spot
Something happened in practice (like he was not performing against left handed pitchers as well as last year)
He may have a lower work ethic than those he plays behind.

I too think he needs to play more than he does, but LAST YEARS stats dont necessarilly releate to what would happen this year. This years practices prior to the season and the pre conference schedule should as well.

You didnt seem to get an answer on the pack because you asked people to disregard what they thought was relevant information. Situations change on any athletic team that message board fans arent privy to.

So I'll throw it back to you. Please tell me why Porter didnt maintain his consistancy this year. But the stipulation is that you must forget LAST YEAR.

I really do see what you're saying, gravedigger....and I think you need to look at both years. But you can't just look at this year, because that's why Armstrong played last night. Armstrong built up a good average against shit teams early in the year, and Porter wasn't getting those at bats. Porter has been a hitter in SEC play in his two years here. He did it a lot last year, and he has proven he can get clutch hits against SEC pitching this year. To me, experience and confidence should play a role in who DH'es....and for that reason, I'm ok with Frost I guess, but since he has no power I would rather have a doubles hitter like Porter, and just bring in Frost in small ball situations. But nothing warrants putting Armstrong at DH....that's just a free out.

But I agree with you that both years should matter, but Porter hasn't had the opportunities to snap out of small slumps like others have. Whatever gets us W's though.

[Will James]

Please tell me why Porter didnt maintain his consistancy this year. But the stipulation is that you must forget LAST YEAR.

He has the lowest BABIP on the team THIS YEAR. Meaning he has gotten unlucky THIS YEAR. His K% is still very low like last year. And you aren't going to lose your power potential from one year to the next. He should be playing.

[Will James]

Purely speculative, but maybe Cohen knew there was going to be a drop off following summer ball and pre-season practice.

http://www.calsummerball.com/slostats12.html

[maroonmania]

I have just accepted the fact that while I like Cohen overall, he is going to be prone to making headscratching decisions relative to his lineups and who he puts in the field. I STILL can't get over the fact that for 2 years now he has played a guy at 3rd base who is good for about one throwing error per game. I like Sam Frost and I have no problem with him playing 2nd base but I don't understand why you play a guy at a position that he doesn't have the physical tools to play. There are definitely things Cohen does, and even with a lot of his in game decisions, that just make you go Huh? But he has elevated the program significantly from when he came in so I've just learned to live with some of it.

[Political Hack]

http://www.calsummerball.com/slostats12.html

great point. he was 16th in at bats on his summer team. Why should we expect him to get a lot of plate appearances now?

[Coach34]

Porter is not hitting as well because he hasnt gotten consistent AB's- nobody can argue that.

What is also lost when not playing Porter is that we have very few guys that can get an extra base hit. We are a singles hitting Punch and Judy team without Porter. Think back to last night- we had 14 hits- SC had 7 and it was a 4-4 tie game. We've got to have someone in the line-up that's at least a threat to hit it in the gap besides Renfroe and Ray.

My theory is that Cohen knew what he had in Porter- a .260 hitter that would hit him 5 HR's or so- and thought he could get more out of the DH spot with some other people. And that just hasnt happened. And now he's stuck because none of them have been getting consistent AB's- and they are all struggling. He needs to pick one and just move forward- and my choice would be Porter

[Esmerelda Villalobos]

Ok. Ill change my answer. He cannot hit and cannot run. Our other dhs cant hit either, but several have speed at least.

That said, i wouldnt be opposed to catching slauter and let ammo dh full time. He is a switch hitter so it cures cohens annoying pitcher match up.

Again, we dont have a dh. And by going off stats, since everyone loves them, frost is out hitting porter by well over .100 in conf play and is our second leading hitter. Id dh frost over porter....i know i know. Duck

[Todd4State]

My question...what did Porter do to piss off Cohen at the beginning of the season? Why was he not in the lineup consistently from Day 1? I don't want to hear his batting average THIS year. I don't want to hear his on base percentage or how much he strikes out THIS year. He is not getting to play. Its hard for anyone to be consistent as little as he has played. I want to know what, if anything, transpired from the end of last spring to the beginning of this spring. I hate not having a third opportunity for a HR or big hit in our lineup every night. Hell...or somebody who has more of a chance just to get on base than many others on the team for that matter.

For reference, last years stats...Played in 60 of MSU's 64 games, drawing 59 starts --- 50 as the designated hitter, five in left field, one in right field, two at third base and one at first base -Compiled a .259 batting average, ranking third on the club with 53 hits while sharing the team home run lead of five with freshman Wes Rea -Hit safely in 35 games with RBI in 17 games Ranked second on the team with a .388 on-base percentage and a .376 slugging percentage -Reached base as a hit batsman 15 times, third-most in the SEC and ranked third on the team with 29 walks

I don't think you are going to get an answer you want.

We also had a ton of injuries last year- which contributed in part to him playing a lot. I think it may have also contributed to making him look better than he really is to some fans as well.

I hate to say it, but he doesn't take quality at bats. That's the reason why his BABIP is what it is. It's not because he isn't playing consistently and it's not because he's unlucky. He will expand the strike zone and hit bad pitches- which a lot of times is going to result in an out.

[Requiem For A Dawg]

Ennis...again...your missing my point. This is what i was getting on 6pack. Forget THIS year. When he consistently played last year he was second on the team in OBP. Why was he not given an opportunity to play this year like he was last year?

Do you not think that a player can regress? Players don't always perform at the same level or better from previous years. See Tanner Mathis.

[Todd4State]

Do you not think that a player can regress? Players don't always perform at the same level or better from previous years. See Tanner Mathis.

Tanner would hit a lot better if he didn't step out of the batter's box when the pitcher is trying to throw the ball. What a douchebag he is.

[Todd4State]

People trying to compare Porter last year- I think people have forgotten just how awful our offense was. Wes couldn't hit a curveball. Frost/Britton were our starting second baseman and now they are role players. Our third baseman last year is now pitching. Renfroe was still developing. CT was hurt, Demarcus is about the same. Frazier was all-SEC caliber.

[Will James]

I don't think you are going to get an answer you want.

We also had a ton of injuries last year- which contributed in part to him playing a lot. I think it may have also contributed to making him look better than he really is to some fans as well.

I hate to say it, but he doesn't take quality at bats. That's the reason why his BABIP is what it is. It's not because he isn't playing consistently and it's not because he's unlucky. He will expand the strike zone and hit bad pitches- which a lot of times is going to result in an out.

Bad at bats? He was 2nd only to Frazier last year in league play in walks.

[CadaverDawg]

Ok. Ill change my answer. He cannot hit and cannot run. Our other dhs cant hit either, but several have speed at least.

That said, i wouldnt be opposed to catching slauter and let ammo dh full time. He is a switch hitter so it cures cohens annoying pitcher match up.

Again, we dont have a dh. And by going off stats, since everyone loves them, frost is out hitting porter by well over .100 in conf play and is our second leading hitter. Id dh frost over porter....i know i know. Duck

You're entitled to your opinion, but it just doesn't make much sense to me. When you have a team full of punch hitters, you need to take advantage of any potential gap hitters you may have. Porter is one of those guys. Now, I will say Frost has done well, but most of his hits are bunt singles, so he's not driving in runs with those, but he is extending innings and providing a base runner. I just don't understand why we don't start Porter, and then if we are needing a sac bunt, or a squeeze, or have a guy on 3rd base with less than 2 outs and just need a grounder to the right side...bring in Frost. But there's two things we know about Frost....he makes errors, and he doesn't hit for extra bases. We need a guy that does that.

So in conclusion, my argument isn't necessarily between Porter or Frost....it's that Armstrong should never DH over Porter OR Frost. And for you to say that Porter can't hit, is stupid. Porter led our team in several categories hitting last year, and without his two doubles in clutch spots against Bama, we lose that game this year. He just hasn't had the opportunities this season to get in a groove. Plus, if you take away Frost's bunts, he's probably batting .200 on the SEC season. Granted, I'm glad he can bunt for hits, but he isn't driving in runs with them. I don't get upset when Frost is in the lineup, but I get really pissed when Armstrong is instead of Porter.

[Will James]

People trying to compare Porter last year- I think people have forgotten just how awful our offense was. Wes couldn't hit a curveball. Frost/Britton were our starting second baseman and now they are role players. Our third baseman last year is now pitching. Renfroe was still developing. CT was hurt, Demarcus is about the same. Frazier was all-SEC caliber.

2012 SEC Porter has essentially the same AVG and a better OBP than 2013 Rea. I'll take another Rea in our lineup this year.

[Original48]

Do you not think that a player can regress? Players don't always perform at the same level or better from previous years. See Tanner Mathis.
Oh absolutely. And to gravediggers point I understand what he means by having to look at THIS year. But as cadaver said, Cohen seemed to quit on Porter, whereas he stayed with Pirtle who i love, and up until yesterday got nothing from Henderson yet continued to give him consistent plate appearances. But y'all have some great responses in here. I'm not a baseball savant by any means but the dialogue has opened my eyes to several reasons. Thanks boys. Now if someone could tell Jim there is an 'h' in 'sixth' my day would be complete.

[Todd4State]

2012 SEC Porter has essentially the same AVG and a better OBP than 2013 Rea. I'll take another Rea in our lineup this year.

Except that 2013 Rea missed about three weeks in non-conference play and took two weeks to get his legs under him in SEC play and has three more home runs in conference play- unless you count home runs as a bullshit stat.

[Todd4State]

Oh absolutely. And to gravediggers point I understand what he means by having to look at THIS year. But as cadaver said, Cohen seemed to quit on Porter, whereas he stayed with Pirtle who i love, and up until yesterday got nothing from Henderson yet continued to give him consistent plate appearances. But y'all have some great responses in here. I'm not a baseball savant by any means but the dialogue has opened my eyes to several reasons. Thanks boys. Now if someone could tell Jim there is an 'h' in 'sixth' my day would be complete.

If I recall correctly, Pirtle was benched for a little while early in the year.

[Sandman14]

I love Porter and I wish he was playing more. But the fact is that he often has terrible at bats, and he cannot hit lefties at all. Pyrtle, on the other hand, grinds away at the plate. It's not about the result, it's about whether you have good at bats...swinging at pitches out of the zone, etc. Plus Pyrtle is a switch hitter.

I personally think Porter should be playing every game against righties. I think he actually does play in a good percentage of them.

The fact of the matter is that we are just much better than we were two years ago and last year. Guys like Norris, Henderson, and Porter were big time players for us in the past, but they aren't good enough to be everyday players anymore. If you haven't learned by now to quit questioning Cohen on his lineups, then I don't know what to say. Everyone was down on Pyrtile, now he's one of our 3 best hitters. Everyone was down on Robson, but he proved Cohen was right. No one liked Detz at 3b, but now it seems like the obvious decision. Last night I hated seeing Armstrong and Henderson both in the lineup and B2B hitting. But look at what happened in the game. Armstrong wasn't great but without Henderson in there we lose the game.

I've learned that Cohen's mentality is a meat grinder. What? You wanna whine because "you not gettin everyday at bats so you rusty." well get the hell on the bench then. You aren't good enough to play for John Cohen. He wants mentally tough kids who grind away at every at bat. The transformation in this team since the first of the season is remarkable. We just work people to death now. Base runners every single inning.

So while I personally love Norris and complained big time when he got benched, now I see that I was wrong, and Cohen was right. Norris has bad at bats, plain and simple. We don't have time for that. We will play someone who won't chase pitches out of the zone, thereby getting more walks and better pitches to hit later in the count...and also working the pitcher more to get him out earlier.