Bianco on H2H(New Baseballs)...

[engie]

Head To Head @HeadtoHeadRadio ? 8m 8 minutes ago
. @CoachMikeBianco on new baseballs: last year Rebels hit 7 home runs in fall practice, this fall they hit 20+

I'm a little concerned that we haven't had more leaving the yard in our scrimmages based on the reports from other places. It is still early and the Dude is one hella dead yard this time of year though. IMO we'll see them start flying out at a much higher rate when the lofts are built in left.

[CadaverDawg]

I'm a little concerned that we haven't had more leaving the yard in our scrimmages based on the reports from other places. It is still early and the Dude is one hella dead yard this time of year though. IMO we'll see them start flying out at a much higher rate when the lofts are built in left.

Well, they are probably using their Omaha illegal bats too.*

[blacklistedbully]

Well, they are probably using their Omaha illegal bats too.*

:D

[BeardoMSU]

If OM is going yard with these new balls, I can't wait to watch us lay down some bunts***

[maroonmania]

I'm actually a little concerned as well because our scrimmages so far have been very low scoring. Maybe our pitchers are going to be really good this year but I'm afraid it may be that our offense is not going to be any better than usual under Cohen. Its still early and cold though so I'm not going to overreact.

[MsStateBaseball]

Their pitching staff beyond the two big starters is not good.
Anyone can hut it out of there.
Bianco stretches the truth to make him and or his club seem better.

[Bully13]

Its gonna be frustrating if have another year of no pop and tons of stranded runners...17 the bunts too

[engie]

I'd heard this long before Bianco put it out there on the radio...

[HoopsDawg]

We have a bunch of punch and judy's still in the lineup. That's why we shouldn't play Smith and Robson together. We need a power hitter in the DH spot and if Rea isn't getting it done, we have to have a bat at 1B.

[WillClarkFan]

Bianco has short man syndrome. Like another poster said he is trying to make his team look better than they are.

[preachermatt83]

We have a bunch of punch and judy's still in the lineup. That's why we shouldn't play Smith and Robson together. We need a power hitter in the DH spot and if Rea isn't getting it done, we have to have a bat at 1B.

agreed!

[MsStateBaseball]

Someone keep up with this poll: how many HRs do we hit this year? I am putting my figure out there.....we hit 50 plus.

[engie]

We have a bunch of punch and judy's still in the lineup. That's why we shouldn't play Smith and Robson together.

You just called a guy with a JUCO .946 OPS(almost 1.1 OPS in conference) a "punch and judy" guy? He had 16 extra base hits in 145 ABs. Once every 9 ABs. BOTH would have led our team last year by a pretty big margin...

Robson, yes. Smith, not even remotely. Where are all the other punch and judy's in the lineup?

[I seen it dawg]

Ain't never trading what we have with what they got.

[messageboardsuperhero]

I've heard similar reports out of Arkansas and LSU as well. It is disconcerting, but hopefully that has more to do with DNF in cold weather than our power... We'll see.

ETA: For those of you who are skeptical, I really don't think Bianco is making this up. Other places are seeing similar results.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Someone keep up with this poll: how many HRs do we hit this year? I am putting my figure out there.....we hit 50 plus.

We will have more power this year- but this just isn't going to happen. That's some VERY wishful thinking, IMO. If it does, you can call me out after the season, and I will gladly eat crow.

We hit 16 all last season. We would have to more than triple our HR output in one season. No chance.

[HoopsDawg]

You just called a guy with a JUCO .946 OPS(almost 1.1 OPS in conference) a "punch and judy" guy? He had 16 extra base hits in 145 ABs. Once every 9 ABs. BOTH would have led our team last year by a pretty big margin...

Robson, yes. Smith, not even remotely. Where are all the other punch and judy's in the lineup?

Do you want me to just come out and say it? Ok, I don't want Robson in the lineup.

[engie]

Do you want me to just come out and say it? Ok, I don't want Robson in the lineup.

Then, yeah, just say that instead of dragging the other guys into it...

As of right now, I tend to agree. But I also acknowledge that he hasn't had a fair opportunity yet. Would be like being against Swinarski getting a chance because he struck out in 2/3 of his plate appearances this summer when there was obviously something else going on with him. Robson has talent. He'll never be a power hitter -- but that doesn't mean he doesn't have potential to be pretty valuable...

But, yeah, as of right now, I want Smith and Humphreys in every game until they prove there's splits they can't handle. Robson, Brown, Vickerson, Swinarski, Rooker can fight it out for the other spot...

[Todd4State]

Our power is going to have to come from Collins, Humphreys, and Rea. Heck and Holland are OBP guys, but I doubt we get more than five from them combined. Robson and Smith should give us more speed in the lineup and in the raw speed category, we're faster than we were with CT and Vickerson/Cody Brown/Derrick Armstrong. I expect more stolen bases this year and hopefully more doubles. Britton has more power than some people realize.

Don't make the mistake of home runs = better offensive production overall. Look at the Braves last year.

[smootness]

Our power is going to have to come from Collins, Humphreys, and Rea. Heck and Holland are OBP guys, but I doubt we get more than five from them combined. Robson and Smith should give us more speed in the lineup and in the raw speed category, we're faster than we were with CT and Vickerson/Cody Brown/Derrick Armstrong. I expect more stolen bases this year and hopefully more doubles. Britton has more power than some people realize.

Don't make the mistake of home runs = better offensive production overall. Look at the Braves last year.

I do agree with this, I still don't expect a lot of HRs, which is fine.

How many have we hit this spring? 2?

[Todd4State]

Humphreys has at least two by himself. We won't lead the SEC in home runs, but we'll also hit more than 16. I wouldn't be shocked if we had 16 by the time SEC play starts.

[msstate7]

Our power is going to have to come from Collins, Humphreys, and Rea. Heck and Holland are OBP guys, but I doubt we get more than five from them combined. Robson and Smith should give us more speed in the lineup and in the raw speed category, we're faster than we were with CT and Vickerson/Cody Brown/Derrick Armstrong. I expect more stolen bases this year and hopefully more doubles. Britton has more power than some people realize.

Don't make the mistake of home runs = better offensive production overall. Look at the Braves last year.

Good post, but bad example. My Braves were #11 in nl in hr's and 23rd in mlb.

[Todd4State]

Good post, but bad example. My Braves were #11 in nl in hr's and 23rd in mlb.

True. But they had a lot of players that would be considered home run hitters, or at the very least have the potential to be power hitters. They struck out a ton- and that in turn stunted their overall offensive numbers as you pointed out.

[smootness]

Humphreys has at least two by himself. We won't lead the SEC in home runs, but we'll also hit more than 16. I wouldn't be shocked if we had 16 by the time SEC play starts.

Ok, cool, I thought he only had one. Didn't Michael Smith have one as well? I know somebody that surprised me hit one. I think Rea can hit around 10, and Humphreys can definitely get to double digits. Collins has the ability to, but I feel like he may be more of a 2Bs guy.

[BLC]

Also note, we play relatively short scrimmages, and we put the players in a lot of situational hitting "drills". We're not just up there swinging for the fences. If a player gets 10 ABs, he might only be trying to crank one in 2-3 of them. The other scenarios might call for moving the runner, hitting the other way, etc. Not all schools do that. Some of our guys, through five scrimmages, had 10ABs. I wouldn't worry to much about run scoring - we'll be fine there. Other schools will hit more bombs (LSU), but that doesn't necessarily mean more wins.

[engie]

I think we get:

Holland - 4-8 bombs
Smith - 3-7 bombs
Humphreys - 5-15 bombs
Collins - 5-15 bombs(he hit SO many to the warning track last year that would go out this year. He could really, really break out)
Rea - 5-15 bombs
Britton - 2-5 bombs
Cody Brown - 3-7 bombs
Rooker - 2-5 bombs
Heck, Vickerson, Robson - 0-2 bombs
everyone else - 2-5 bombs

Todd, I think you are understating Holland's power potential. He had an XBH every 8 ABs in JUCO and a 1.124 OPS. He may not be a homerun hitter -- but he's a power hitter. Not in the same category as Heck in that regard IMO. Heck had a .399 and .410 SLG in JUCO. Holland was .604 last year. Holland had more XBH in one JUCO season than Heck had in two seasons combined...

[smootness]

Also note, we play relatively short scrimmages, and we put the players in a lot of situational hitting "drills". We're not just up there swinging for the fences. If a player gets 10 ABs, he might only be trying to crank one in 2-3 of them. The other scenarios might call for moving the runner, hitting the other way, etc. Not all schools do that. Some of our guys, through five scrimmages, had 10ABs. I wouldn't worry to much about run scoring - we'll be fine there. Other schools will hit more bombs (LSU), but that doesn't necessarily mean more wins.

This is very true. Great point. Even in full ABs, a lot of times they already start with a count as well, so they're not even seeing a full AB worth of pitches.

[smootness]

Good point on Collins, engie. I think you're underselling Humphreys, though. I think barring injury or just a massive slump, he'll get double digits for sure.

[MsStateBaseball]

Our lineup will be very good hitting the ball. We will have a deeper lineup ie. Guys coming off the bench with potential power. Swinarski, Rooker, Gordon, Holland, Smith, Reynolds, etc "new" guys to the lineup.

Oh well. Some of you don't see what I see. I will let the team do the talking when season starts.

[Todd4State]

I might be underestimating Holland because I have seen him play the least in person, so I tend to be conservative in a situation like that.

[Todd4State]

Our lineup will be very good hitting the ball. We will have a deeper lineup ie. Guys coming off the bench with potential power. Swinarski, Rooker, Gordon, Holland, Smith, Reynolds, etc "new" guys to the lineup.

Oh well. Some of you don't see what I see. I will let the team do the talking when season starts. Remember that power is the last thing that a player develops. A lot of those guys are still young. We need to start getting guys like Dale Burdick in to school as well.

[engie]

Good point on Collins, engie. I think you're underselling Humphreys, though. I think barring injury or just a massive slump, he'll get double digits for sure.

I'm purposefully trying to hold back some expectations and keep it reasonable. Humphreys has enough potential drop a 20 spot -- I just don't know that he's truly arrived yet and him not having a summer this year makes me hold back a bit until I see him really get rolling. I know how close Collins was last year though...

50 seems outlandish until you start going through individual player breakdowns...then it becomes optimistic, but not outside the realm of possibility IMO depending on which players Cohen gets the majority of the ABs...

I'm going strictly off reports of others and past stats/achievements though -- as I haven't personally seen a single pitch yet this season, and it's not like it's going to really start to come into focus until conference play...

[MsStateBaseball]

These guys are still too young to go by some stats. Hump for instance, had few at bats then got hurt during summer. Cohen says he is a power hitter he is not kidding. When Smith and\or Holland get on Collins and Hump aren't bunting. They are thinking double or HR. That's their job.

[RAYn_Man]

I think we get:

Holland - 4-8 bombs
Smith - 3-7 bombs
Humphreys - 5-15 bombs
Collins - 5-15 bombs(he hit SO many to the warning track last year that would go out this year. He could really, really break out)
Rea - 5-15 bombs
Britton - 2-5 bombs
Cody Brown - 3-7 bombs
Rooker - 2-5 bombs
Heck, Vickerson, Robson - 0-2 bombs
everyone else - 2-5 bombs


Somebody is living in the 90's still...

[smootness]

I would say our low end is probably around 25 and our high end is about 60. We still don't know exactly how much the new balls will help. Maybe last year's 16 would have been in the high 20s with the new balls...in which case our high end this year would probably be 70+.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Sorry guys, but I'm going to have to see 50 to believe it. 40 is the highest I'll go as being possible. I hope I'm wrong and they greatly surpass that.

This does not mean I don't think we'll have a good offense this year. We will be much improved from last year.

[messageboardsuperhero]

I think we get:

Holland - 4-8 bombs
Smith - 3-7 bombs
Humphreys - 5-15 bombs
Collins - 5-15 bombs(he hit SO many to the warning track last year that would go out this year. He could really, really break out)
Rea - 5-15 bombs
Britton - 2-5 bombs
Cody Brown - 3-7 bombs
Rooker - 2-5 bombs
Heck, Vickerson, Robson - 0-2 bombs
everyone else - 2-5 bombs



50 seems outlandish until you start going through individual player breakdowns...then it becomes optimistic, but not outside the realm of possibility IMO depending on which players Cohen gets the majority of the ABs...

It doesn't sound totally crazy when you break it down, but most of those estimations are still on the high end IMO.

It's been so long since we've had a season with that many HRs, I'll just have to see it to believe it.

[engie]

Somebody is living in the 90's still...

Thanks for adding to the discussion**

The 90s felt bad ass 2 whole years ago -- before new baseballs were uncorked that are going to add 20 ft to homerun trajectories...

[DudyDawg]

We know what britton does on D, but watching him take BP in Omaha was pretty impressive (I know it's bp, but he showed pop I didn't know he had, in that park, almost two years ago). I think he can be a guy who provides some pop, 4-7, maybe 8, in the bottom of the order and hit in the mid .200s

[messageboardsuperhero]

Also note, we play relatively short scrimmages, and we put the players in a lot of situational hitting "drills". We're not just up there swinging for the fences. If a player gets 10 ABs, he might only be trying to crank one in 2-3 of them. The other scenarios might call for moving the runner, hitting the other way, etc. Not all schools do that. Some of our guys, through five scrimmages, had 10ABs. I wouldn't worry to much about run scoring - we'll be fine there. Other schools will hit more bombs (LSU), but that doesn't necessarily mean more wins.

This is very true and an outstanding post that I must have accidentally skipped my first time reading through. Our coaches artificially manufacture more situational baseball in scrimmages than just about anyone in the country. There aren't many other teams in the country (to my knowledge anyway) who routinely start batters off 1-2 or bring in new pitchers mid AB in preseason scrimmages. That hinders a lot of our ABs power-wise and essentially turns them into a hit-and-run or "keep the count alive" drill.

In one of our scrimmages, a guy might have only a couple of opportunities all day to drive a ball. That's what you saw the other day when Michael Smith hit his HR on the first pitch he saw.

[engie]

We hit 68 in 2010, 61 in 2009, 53 in 08, 51 in 07, 55 in 06, 59 in 04, and 49 in 03(as far back as the stats go on MSU's website). Hasn't been all that long ago. BBCOR has just ruined everyone's thought process on the homeruns.

On a general homerun trajectory, the new baseballs give back 20 ft. The BBCOR bats cost 25-30 ft on that trajectory initially. So we aren't too terribly far off on a homerun trajectory from when Connor Powers and Ryan Duffy were launching them while our staff gave up 9082342 runs and thus made those good offensive teams look bad. How many warning track balls did we hit last year that are going to go this year? Collins would have had 15+ if you tack on 20 ft. Balls that he absolutely mashed from gap to gap what seemed like every game that would be run down on the warning track...

[MsStateBaseball]

Cohen will let them swing away more BC of his defense and pitching. We will be an all around good club. Best in years.

[messageboardsuperhero]

We hit 68 in 2010, 61 in 2009, 53 in 08, 51 in 07, 55 in 06, 59 in 04, and 49 in 03(as far back as the stats go on MSU's website). Hasn't been all that long ago. BBCOR has just ruined everyone's thought process on the homeruns.

On a general homerun trajectory, the new baseballs give back 20 ft. The BBCOR bats cost 25-30 ft on that trajectory initially. So we aren't too terribly far off on a homerun trajectory from when Connor Powers and Ryan Duffy were launching them while our staff gave up 9082342 runs and thus made those good offensive teams look bad. How many warning track balls did we hit last year that are going to go this year? Collins would have had 15+ if you tack on 20 ft. Balls that he absolutely mashed from gap to gap what seemed like every game that would be run down on the warning track...

Well, I stand corrected. And yes, BBCOR has totally changed the way many of us view power and home runs.

Seeing what the new ball gives the college game in the power department will indeed be interesting. Reviews from coaches around the country have been very encouraging thus far.

[engie]

Cohen will let them swing away more BC of his defense and pitching. We will be an all around good club. Best in years.

You seem really convinced of this, and I hope you are right.

From the distance, this seems like a bit of a transition year to me...

[messageboardsuperhero]

You seem really convinced of this, and I hope you are right.

From the distance, this seems like a bit of a transition year to me...

Me too. 2016 and forward is when I think we really hit our stride.

[Smitty]

From the distance, this seems like a bit of a transition year to me...

Meh, not me.

Maybe lose some on the mound... but maybe not. Especially if McCord is the real deal.
Will be better offensively, especially if we are smarter.
Defense will still be solid.

If we don't **** around and get after it we can host. Probably about the same as last year though. Not a transition.

[engie]

I considered last year a disappointment. Just about everything that could go wrong did. Woody being a headcase, pitching injuries after staying healthy the past couple years on the hill, Rea and Humphreys not getting the output I'd hoped, etc.

I agree that this is likely a borderline host team. That's still somewhere around the lower end of my expectations going forward. Not quite a title contender IMO. I do see 2016 that way potentially though. So, in that light, we're still transitioning back into an on-field powerhouse...

[Smitty]

JUCO to SEC still is a big jump for Smith, Holland, and Reynolds. First two have been scrimmage all-stars but it's still a jump.
Can Reid step up like we THINK he can. (.280+ 8 HR)
Will Heck have the Detz Year Two slump backwards.
Wes Rea

Still a lot of question marks. If it all goes as planned then Boom we host. But question marks nonetheless.

[engie]

Kendall Rogers
Matty, It's been kind of interesting, as the ball has good reviews from coaches, pitchers and hitters alike. For instance, the ball obviously travels further (more drag effect), while pitchers are saying it's giving them a bit more run on their pitches. Is this the end all be all for college baseball? Probably not, but it definitely sounds like a step, a significant step, in the right direction.

Aaron Fitt
To piggyback on Kendall's answer a moment ago, I think pitchers like the new balls because it actually leads to more sink and arm-side movement on their two-seamers. Some pitchers could struggle a bit to snap off their curveballs with the lower seams, but guys who can legitimately spin it are adjusting fine. And a lot of pitchers like the balls because they have fewer blister issues with the lower seams.

Engie(showing the difference in the balls and how the previous NCAAs seem to actually be higher than the MHSAA)...
http://my.jetscreenshot.com/12222/m_20150122-ycwv-69kb.jpg (http://my.jetscreenshot.com/12222/20150122-ycwv-69kb)