20 rounds in the books

[messageboardsuperhero]

Ethan Small, Nate Lowe, Elih Marrero, etc. all still on the board. I'm feeling pretty good about losing only the three that were drafted in the first 10 rounds.

If that's the case, I'd give the draft for us a B-. Losing Riley hurt on day 1. Pickett was never really expected to come, so that was no shock. Fenter hurt because we thought we had him- only to find out the O's likely came in at the end with enough money. I hate that we missed out on our two high school power bats.

On the good news, it really couldn't have gone better for us on the mound outside of Fenter. Jarred Padgett, Ethan Small, Parker Ford, and Kale Breaux are all outstanding prospects and potential weekend starters. Don't forget about Trysten Barlow, Konnor Pilkington, Ryan Cyr, etc. either. This is by far (on paper) the best pitching class we've signed under Cohen.

Likely getting Marrero to school is huge as well, considering everyone had written him off before the draft. Nate Lowe is someone to still keep an eye on, because he could still possibly go pro. If not, that's a good power bat that we were able to keep.

[confucius say]

When do draftees have to sign by, or is there a set date?

And is fenter for sure gone? If so, According to whom?

[Boodawg]

How many did the other SEC teams lose to draft, if anyone knows or has that info?

[messageboardsuperhero]

When do draftees have to sign by, or is there a set date?

Sometime in mid July.


And is fenter for sure gone? If so, According to whom?

According to common sense. I'd love to be wrong on this one, but I'd be surprised if Fenter made it to campus.

[Dallas_Dawg]

What's the skinny on Marrero? I know his father was a decent catcher for the Cards...
Is he a defensive specialist who isn't as strong at the plate? Is he limited to catcher only? Does he have any gap power?
Oh yeah, can he bunt??***

[Tbonewannabe]

With the pitchers we have coming do we move Cole Gordon as strictly a position player who might pitch similar to Mitch Moreland?

[maroonmania]

With the pitchers we have coming do we move Cole Gordon as strictly a position player who might pitch similar to Mitch Moreland?

I hope so IF he can hit for power because we need that component badly especially since we are probably going to lose both Riley and Pickett to the draft.

[Todd4State]

I agree with your assessment.

I give our class an A+ as far as pitching- and that's without Fenter coming.

As far as catcher, with Marrero and Stovall, that's an A+ as well. I think Stovall will move to second base because he is a guy that we have to have in the lineup and we have a good catcher committed in Dustin Skelton for next year. This is a good example of the contingency plan that I was talking about last night.

Corner INF/OF- I give it a C- because without Pickett and Riley, we only have Brant Blaylock who projects as a corner guy. If by miracle Pickett comes, I definitely change the grade a good bit. If we had gotten two more corner INF/OF guys like a Rooker/Gordon/Blaylock I probably would give us a B+. But we didn't do that. Poor planning by Cohen here in terms of the high school players. Now my grade was boosted up by Nate Lowe and Tanner Poole- who certainly both fit the corner INF/OF category but they're JUCO's. So, they'll only be around for two years max, although I could certainly see Poole RS.

Middle INF- A+ again. Luke Alexander, Mangum, and now Stovall plus a project like Delvin Zinn is about as good as you can hope for in a class. Two guys that hit .500+ in high school this past year and then a guy that won the Alabama POY.

So, all things considered I'm going to give us an A- only because of the lack of elite power hitters, but at the same time we did very, very well everywhere else. And the spots we did very well at shouldn't be ignored either. And giving grades out on our class is premature given that we really won't officially know until July 17.

[Todd4State]

What's the skinny on Marrero? I know his father was a decent catcher for the Cards...
Is he a defensive specialist who isn't as strong at the plate? Is he limited to catcher only? Does he have any gap power?
Oh yeah, can he bunt??***

Marrero is a very good defensive catcher, but he's going to hit more for average than power. He's a switch hitter that I think will hit about 5 home runs or so and be a .300 hitter for us. The thing about him is he can run really well- some people thought that he could possibly be a CF.

The advantage to having a MLB legacy at catcher is he is going to know a lot of the mental aspect of the game already.

[Todd4State]

With the pitchers we have coming do we move Cole Gordon as strictly a position player who might pitch similar to Mitch Moreland?

I would think so, but the coaches were dumb enough to try to make him a pitcher to start with, so I don't think we can just assume.

[5 Star]

As far as catcher, with Marrero and Stovall, that's an A+ as well. I think Stovall will move to second base because he is a guy that we have to have in the lineup and we have a good catcher committed in Dustin Skelton for next year. This is a good example of the contingency plan that I was talking about last night.

Corner INF/OF- I give it a C- because without Pickett and Riley, we only have Brant Blaylock who projects as a corner guy. If by miracle Pickett comes, I definitely change the grade a good bit. If we had gotten two more corner INF/OF guys like a Rooker/Gordon/Blaylock I probably would give us a B+. But we didn't do that. Poor planning by Cohen here in terms of the high school players. Now my grade was boosted up by Nate Lowe and Tanner Poole- who certainly both fit the corner INF/OF category but they're JUCO's. So, they'll only be around for two years max, although I could certainly see Poole RS.
One thing we know is that the positions they played in high school, or what they project to play in college and on, does not matter. So, looking at talent as a whole, this is an outstanding class.


Middle INF- A+ again. Luke Alexander, Mangum, and now Stovall plus a project like Delvin Zinn is about as good as you can hope for in a class. Two guys that hit .500+ in high school this past year and then a guy that won the Alabama POY.
Delvin Zinn sucks and I'm betting he won't even be here and if he is, he won't last long.

[Homedawg]

I agree with your assessment.

I give our class an A+ as far as pitching- and that's without Fenter coming.

As far as catcher, with Marrero and Stovall, that's an A+ as well. I think Stovall will move to second base because he is a guy that we have to have in the lineup and we have a good catcher committed in Dustin Skelton for next year. This is a good example of the contingency plan that I was talking about last night.

Corner INF/OF- I give it a C- because without Pickett and Riley, we only have Brant Blaylock who projects as a corner guy. If by miracle Pickett comes, I definitely change the grade a good bit. If we had gotten two more corner INF/OF guys like a Rooker/Gordon/Blaylock I probably would give us a B+. But we didn't do that. Poor planning by Cohen here in terms of the high school players. Now my grade was boosted up by Nate Lowe and Tanner Poole- who certainly both fit the corner INF/OF category but they're JUCO's. So, they'll only be around for two years max, although I could certainly see Poole RS.

Middle INF- A+ again. Luke Alexander, Mangum, and now Stovall plus a project like Delvin Zinn is about as good as you can hope for in a class. Two guys that hit .500+ in high school this past year and then a guy that won the Alabama POY.

So, all things considered I'm going to give us an A- only because of the lack of elite power hitters, but at the same time we did very, very well everywhere else. And the spots we did very well at shouldn't be ignored either. And giving grades out on our class is premature given that we really won't officially know until July 17.

Why do you have magnum as a mid inf? Or did you intend for cf to be in this category? Just checking

[Homedawg]

I would think so, but the coaches were dumb enough to try to make him a pitcher to start with, so I don't think we can just assume.

Maybe so but butch said his stuff was good and getting better coming off the injury. As for hitting, I know he hit a few bombs in the spring and fall but he struck out a ton. So calling them dumb might be a little early. He isn't-wasn't a polished guy when we signed him and we knew that.

[confucius say]

Sometime in mid July.



According to common sense. I'd love to be wrong on this one, but I'd be surprised if Fenter made it to campus.

Got ya. Just was not sure if any source was actually reporting he was gone.

[MSUDawg99]

How many did the other SEC teams lose to draft, if anyone knows or has that info?

Vandy is the only one that I really heard anything about & that was that they lost alot...maybe about half of their signing class & that was just after day 1 or so. But I don't know how many exactly though.

[Smitty]

Marrero is a very good defensive catcher, but he's going to hit more for average than power. He's a switch hitter that I think will hit about 5 home runs or so and be a .300 hitter for us.

So he's Gavin Collins at the plate and very good behind the dish? He should be the best player in our class with this projection.

Just 6 HR his whole HS career so that nice round number of 5 might need to be adjusted.

[Todd4State]

Why do you have magnum as a mid inf? Or did you intend for cf to be in this category? Just checking

My bad. I intended for him to be in the CF category.

[Todd4State]

Maybe so but butch said his stuff was good and getting better coming off the injury. As for hitting, I know he hit a few bombs in the spring and fall but he struck out a ton. So calling them dumb might be a little early. He isn't-wasn't a polished guy when we signed him and we knew that.

Butch needs to leave our hitters alone IMO. That's all I'll say about that.

[maroonmania]

So he's Gavin Collins at the plate and very good behind the dish? He should be the best player in our class with this projection.

Just 6 HR his whole HS career so that nice round number of 5 might need to be adjusted.

A 5 HR guy for us is a major power guy. Humphreys only had 6 this year as our leading HR hitter.

[Todd4State]

So he's Gavin Collins at the plate and very good behind the dish? He should be the best player in our class with this projection.

Just 6 HR his whole HS career so that nice round number of 5 might need to be adjusted.

I don't think he will have as much power as Gavin, but I think he will be better defensively and have more speed than him while hitting for a similar average. We'll see about his power- I think if he makes a couple of minor adjustments with his hands he could very well get to five. He might not get there either, but power is not really his calling card anyway.

[Todd4State]

A 5 HR guy for us is a major power guy. Humphreys only had 6 this year as our leading HR hitter.

It was interesting looking at the SEC teams that made it to Omaha. Most only had two guys that hit over 10 with Vandy being the exception with three.

I thought Wes Rea had seven?

[MSUDawg99]

On a more embarrassing note, we're the only SEC school not to have a player drafted yet, per Mike Bonner's sunshine pumpin self & of course, Logan Lowery (the other sunshine pumper) follows suit & retweets.

[MSUDawg99]

Padgett just drafted by Cubs in 26th round

[maroonmania]

It was interesting looking at the SEC teams that made it to Omaha. Most only had two guys that hit over 10 with Vandy being the exception with three.

I thought Wes Rea had seven?

Nope, big Wes had 5. We only hit 22 as a team. Nobody with more than 2 other than Rea and Humphreys.

[Smitty]

Delvin Zinn sucks and I'm betting he won't even be here and if he is, he won't last long.

Everyone on the Toddlist™ will contribute hit .270 at least 3 HR and steal 5-10 bases on the ToddStats™

Luke Alexander better be a damn stud is all I'm saying. 5 years of hype and how he will start on day 1. Is there a reason we aren't seeing him looked at by the pros? Adam Frazier type?

[AlSwearengen]

I just hope that several of the signees that weren't/aren't drafted are true 10-25 round talent. If not, we are screwed. I have been hearing for too long that our signees weren't "singable", so they didn't get drafted. Too many of them haven't played like they would have been drafted if they were "singable". The only player that has excited me at the plate has been the catcher that tore it up as a freshmen. Of course, he was injured this year, so who knows what he would have done.

If ya'll can't tell, I'm ready to move forward with a new stadium and a new approach. We need to have at least one player drafted in the first two or three rounds most every year. If we can't recruit at that level, something is wrong.

[Smitty]

A 5 HR guy for us is a major power guy.

Exactly. My point was if he does hit 5 and hits .300 and is above average behind the plate he's our best commit. My point is that those projections are wishful thinking seeing as he only hit 6 his whole HS career and hit .320 this SR year.

Also the HR, avg, and SB ToddStats™ Projections really don't tell a story. Let's go more general. Do they have gap power or are they singles types. Frazier, Collins, Renfroe scale on the power projections. Will they K a bunch? That's what we need. You can't project batting average with any clarity.

[Homedawg]

Zinn just taken in 28th by Cubs.

[RocketCityDawg]

Exactly. My point was if he does hit 5 and hits .300 and is above average behind the plate he's our best commit. My point is that those projections are wishful thinking seeing as he only hit 6 his whole HS career and hit .320 this SR year.

Also the HR, avg, and SB ToddStats? Projections really don't tell a story. Let's go more general. Do they have gap power or are they singles types. Frazier, Collins, Renfroe scale on the power projections. Will they K a bunch? That's what we need. You can't project batting average with any clarity.

.320 as a Senior and 6 HR's over his career does not sound very impressive to me.

[RocketCityDawg]

Marrero in 29th to the Reds

[maroonmania]

I just hope that several of the signees that weren't/aren't drafted are true 10-25 round talent. If not, we are screwed. I have been hearing for too long that our signees weren't "singable", so they didn't get drafted. Too many of them haven't played like they would have been drafted if they were "singable". The only player that has excited me at the plate has been the catcher that tore it up as a freshmen. Of course, he was injured this year, so who knows what he would have done.

If ya'll can't tell, I'm ready to move forward with a new stadium and a new approach. We need to have at least one player drafted in the first two or three rounds most every year. If we can't recruit at that level, something is wrong.

Their singing ability really shouldn't affect their draft stock. Sorry, couldn't resist.

[BankerDog]

His dad coaches their Low-Single A team I believe.

[Bothrops]

Marrero in 29th to the Reds

He gone**

[HancockCountyDog]

His dad coaches their Low-Single A team I believe.

Ugghhh, that could be a problem.

[BankerDog]

If you go back and look at the stats from their careers, the top 5 High School hitters Cohen has signed:

CT Bradford
Hunter Renfroe
Cody Brown
Adam Frazier
Wes Rea

And the sad thing is, Frazier and Renfroe weren't the bell cows of their classes. Those were Bradford (whom we only got one or two good years out of) and Daryl Norris. Now I do believe Humphries and Collins will be in this category. And I also believe Cole Gordon could be to, if Thompson allows Cohen to use him as a hitter. I saw him in the Fall, and he was by far the best hitter on the field at those scrimmages.


Also, Delvin Zinn just got drafted before Hughes or Mangum. Guess they must really suck huh? ***

[BankerDog]

Doubtful, probably a curtsey pick out of respect for his Dad. He turned down 3rd round money, no way he takes what they offer him.

[maroonmania]

Doubtful, probably a curtsey pick out of respect for his Dad. He turned down 3rd round money, no way he takes what they offer him.

Where did you hear Marrero turned down 3rd round money? And also, Nick Flair, one of our castoffs, just went in the 34th round before any players we have on our current roster.

[I seen it dawg]

Nick Flair picked at end of 34th round. Woooooooooooooo

(No Garner selection yet....)

[I seen it dawg]

There is no one, zero, zilch that is eligible for draft in our program right now with draftable tools. Nobody.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Where did you hear Marrero turned down 3rd round money? And also, Nick Flair, one of our castoffs, just went in the 34th round before any players we have on our current roster.

Robbie Faulk reported it.

[Todd4State]

Everyone on the Toddlist™ will contribute hit .270 at least 3 HR and steal 5-10 bases on the ToddStats™

Luke Alexander better be a damn stud is all I'm saying. 5 years of hype and how he will start on day 1. Is there a reason we aren't seeing him looked at by the pros? Adam Frazier type?

He has told MLB he is going to MSU. I'll go ahead and say that he the question is going to be if he can hit as a freshman. He may very well hit .200-220 as a freshman, but defensively he is better than Holland or Gridley right now. He has more power than Frazier- who hit .220 as a freshman for whatever it's worth. If Luke hits better than .240, he will start over Holland unless Holland picks it up.

Now, I can already tell that when he doesn't hit .650 with a BABIP of .750 and an OBP of .830 and a 1.256 SLG% as a freshman you are going to bitch about him. By the time he leaves MSU, he will be a .300 type hitter. If he's better than Frazier, it wouldn't shock me at all.

[messageboardsuperhero]

There is no one, zero, zilch that is eligible for draft in our program right now with draftable tools. Nobody.

The talent in our upperclass was as bad this year as I've ever seen. When you look back at the 2012 recruiting class, we were doomed to have a terrible 2015 season.

[Todd4State]

.320 as a Senior and 6 HR's over his career does not sound very impressive to me.

I think he had more than six because he hit three this year and four last year. He was also the starting catcher for Team USA this year as well. Baseball in Miami is a LOT better than it is here as well.

[Todd4State]

If you go back and look at the stats from their careers, the top 5 High School hitters Cohen has signed:

CT Bradford
Hunter Renfroe
Cody Brown
Adam Frazier
Wes Rea

And the sad thing is, Frazier and Renfroe weren't the bell cows of their classes. Those were Bradford (whom we only got one or two good years out of) and Daryl Norris. Now I do believe Humphries and Collins will be in this category. And I also believe Cole Gordon could be to, if Thompson allows Cohen to use him as a hitter. I saw him in the Fall, and he was by far the best hitter on the field at those scrimmages.


Also, Delvin Zinn just got drafted before Hughes or Mangum. Guess they must really suck huh? ***

Luke Reynolds had really good high school stats as well- better than Humphreys actually.

Delvin Zinn = Demarcus Henderson 2.0. Demarcus was also drafted by the Astros out of high school. Zinn never hit even close to .400 in his career and didn't even make the public school All-Star Game.

[maroonmania]

I think he had more than six because he hit three this year and four last year. He was also the starting catcher for Team USA this year as well. Baseball in Miami is a LOT better than it is here as well.

Would love to see him come here and hit the ground running as a true freshman from Miami baseball like Raffy did. Heck, if he was just half as good he would be an impact for us.

[Todd4State]

The talent in our upperclass was as bad this year as I've ever seen. When you look back at the 2012 recruiting class, we were doomed to have a terrible 2015 season.

Yep. TWO pitchers recruited in that class- and one was a walk-on. The other went down with Tommy John. Pirtle and Robson have been the highlights out of that group.

[Todd4State]

Would love to see him come here and hit the ground running as a true freshman from Miami baseball like Raffy did. Heck, if he was just half as good he would be an impact for us.

I would too- but the reality is starting a freshman catcher is kind of like starting a freshman at QB. He'll learn behind Collins and Lovelady and then be ready to take over as a sophomore. That said, growing up with a MLB catcher in his house will give him an edge and that makes it more likely that he can make it and start as a freshman.

[messageboardsuperhero]

I think he had more than six because he hit three this year and four last year. He was also the starting catcher for Team USA this year as well. Baseball in Miami is a LOT better than it is here as well.

This is what some people aren't realizing. Miami high school baseball is at least as high caliber as MS JUCO baseball, if not better.

I don't think Marrero will ever hit 5 HRs in a year at MSU, but he will hit a bunch of doubles with his line drive swing. You can tell he is very sound and advanced for his age at the plate and behind the dish- his dad has taught him well. This makes me think he can step in a play a role for us next year.

[Tbonewannabe]

Luke Alexander has something right now our team needs, he is a winner. Winning at Belmont is like winning in the SEC if you are Jackson State. When I played at Belmont, the coach was the fb Oline coach.

The head coach now, I don't think he even played above little League and he wasn't good then.

[bulldogcountry1]

Delvin Zinn = Demarcus Henderson 2.0. Demarcus was also drafted by the Astros out of high school. Zinn never hit even close to .400 in his career and didn't even make the public school All-Star Game.

So this means he will be a regular in the lineup the next 4 years?**

[Tbonewannabe]

I would have taken Demarcus Henderson last year. He was pretty clutch several times on the way to the CWS. We didn't have anyone that was clutch at all.

[Todd4State]

So this means he will be a regular in the lineup the next 4 years?**

I'm glad that he was drafted by the Cubs. Hopefully he will sign with them and then we can go get a corner INF/OF player. Might end up being a good break for us.

[Todd4State]

Luke Alexander has something right now our team needs, he is a winner. Winning at Belmont is like winning in the SEC if you are Jackson State. When I played at Belmont, the coach was the fb Oline coach.

The head coach now, I don't think he even played above little League and he wasn't good then.

That's why I like him so much. Will he win the triple crown at MSU? I doubt it. But players like him win and push others. There are several players in this class that are like that as well. Normally, those are the types of people that have success in baseball.

[Homedawg]

I'm glad that he was drafted by the Cubs. Hopefully he will sign with them and then we can go get a corner INF/OF player. Might end up being a good break for us.

We are already over the limit. He's not getting squat for a scholarship and who in the hell are we going to get in June? You are starting to go off the deep end.

[zdawg]

I'd give us a higher grade than a B-
It's very likely that several of these kids turned down really good offers.

[Todd4State]

We are already over the limit. He's not getting squat for a scholarship and who in the hell are we going to get in June? You are starting to go off the deep end.

Luke Craig from Morton.

[Homedawg]

Luke Craig from Morton.

a- he can walk on, we don't have any scholarship money left. And b- if he's still on the board and not a single d-1 school wants him, then there's a reason. I'll side with them on this. And c- Luke Craig from Morton isn't going to solve a single problem next year I'm pretty sure of that.

[Smitty]

Some of y'all are used to the education system just gives away free grades.

It is a C+ because we lost what would have immediately gotten us better in the power department in Riley and Pickett.

Remember Woodruff was supposed to be THE GUY coming in. McCord too. Hudson too. It's great we got some "the guys" coming in but it don't mean shit until it happens. I'm tired of waiting until year 3 for anything to come about.

The one thing that would have meant something is Riley and slightly lesser extent Pickett. Everything else is hype.

[Homedawg]

Some of y'all are used to the education system just gives away free grades.

It is a C+ because we lost what would have immediately gotten us better in the power department in Riley and Pickett.

Remember Woodruff was supposed to be THE GUY coming in. McCord too. Hudson too. It's great we got some "the guys" coming in but it don't mean shit until it happens. I'm tired of waiting until year 3 for anything to come about.

The one thing that would have meant something is Riley and slightly lesser extent Pickett. Everything else is hype.
While I agree the power dept wasn't helped much, hopefully we have some guys that can hit. And, one of the points I agree w you on is we need more punch out guys on the mound and we got them. This isn't a finesse pitching class. So with that said c+ is way low if the pitchers halfway pan out. Our pitching sucked this year. The stats bear it out, we are a regional team of we half ass pitch. Sorry it's the truth. And no, we weren't good offensively, but they were better in league games than our pitchers.

[Todd4State]

a- he can walk on, we don't have any scholarship money left. And b- if he's still on the board and not a single d-1 school wants him, then there's a reason. I'll side with them on this. And c- Luke Craig from Morton isn't going to solve a single problem next year I'm pretty sure of that.

A) I bet he would take Delvin Zinn's 25% or whatever he got.

B) The reason is because he didn't play on an elite summer league team to get noticed. I'm starting to see this happen more and more. It happened to Hunter Renfroe. It happened to Luke Reynolds who had to go to JUCO despite hitting over .600 with 8 home runs.

C) I don't think Craig would solve any problems next year either, but baseball recruiting much like football recruiting isn't so much about next year as it is three years from now. The guy is a legit 6'2", made the All-State baseball team (Zinn didn't) and Craig can play first base or third base. And he put up these numbers- which are similar to Reynolds in the same league. Is he an Austin Riley type talent? No. But unlike Riley, he would be around here in a couple of years.

http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/luke-craig/nO0TY_TpEeKZ5AAmVebBJg/gendersport/baseball-stats.htm

Burroughs would have found this kid, I guarantee you of that.

[Todd4State]

Some of y'all are used to the education system just gives away free grades.

It is a C+ because we lost what would have immediately gotten us better in the power department in Riley and Pickett.

Remember Woodruff was supposed to be THE GUY coming in. McCord too. Hudson too. It's great we got some "the guys" coming in but it don't mean shit until it happens. I'm tired of waiting until year 3 for anything to come about.

The one thing that would have meant something is Riley and slightly lesser extent Pickett. Everything else is hype.

Woodruff had a broken arm and is currently one of the Brewers top 30 prospects per MLB.com. McCord had a torn labrum- that's a bad injury for a pitcher to have. Hudson did OK for the most part when Butch actually used him.

The truth is Pickett would have likely had a career arc similar to Renfroe's offensively with a better freshman season in all likelihood because Hunter's was just so dreadful. Pickett is very streaky and didn't have a great senior year. Which is why he dropped from the first round to eighth.

[Todd4State]

While I agree the power dept wasn't helped much, hopefully we have some guys that can hit. And, one of the points I agree w you on is we need more punch out guys on the mound and we got them. This isn't a finesse pitching class. So with that said c+ is way low if the pitchers halfway pan out. Our pitching sucked this year. The stats bear it out, we are a regional team of we half ass pitch. Sorry it's the truth. And no, we weren't good offensively, but they were better in league games than our pitchers.

There are teams that would kill to have our pitching class even without Fenter.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Woodruff had a broken arm and is currently one of the Brewers top 30 prospects per MLB.com. McCord had a torn labrum- that's a bad injury for a pitcher to have. Hudson did OK for the most part when Butch actually used him.

The truth is Pickett would have likely had a career arc similar to Renfroe's offensively with a better freshman season in all likelihood because Hunter's was just so dreadful. Pickett is very streaky and didn't have a great senior year. Which is why he dropped from the first round to eighth.

How are we expecting McCord to come back next year?

[Homedawg]

A) I bet he would take Delvin Zinn's 25% or whatever he got.

B) The reason is because he didn't play on an elite summer league team to get noticed. I'm starting to see this happen more and more. It happened to Hunter Renfroe. It happened to Luke Reynolds who had to go to JUCO despite hitting over .600 with 8 home runs.

C) I don't think Craig would solve any problems next year either, but baseball recruiting much like football recruiting isn't so much about next year as it is three years from now. The guy is a legit 6'2", made the All-State baseball team (Zinn didn't) and Craig can play first base or third base. And he put up these numbers- which are similar to Reynolds in the same league. Is he an Austin Riley type talent? No. But unlike Riley, he would be around here in a couple of years.

http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/luke-craig/nO0TY_TpEeKZ5AAmVebBJg/gendersport/baseball-stats.htm

Burroughs would have found this kid, I guarantee you of that.

So Lane doesn't need him at his current job? It's not impossible, but rare, that a legit player is missed by so many d-1 schools this day and age. And if they miss on a kid it's usually someone who physically grows up late. Clearly, this isn't the case w him.

[Todd4State]

How are we expecting McCord to come back next year?

Personally, I'm not. That's why I haven't mentioned him when I'm talking about next year and why I haven't talked about him long term. As you know, that's a bad injury to have if you are a pitcher and likelihood of recovery is not all that good. To me, best case scenario is he has a career like Ben Bracewell did for us.

[Homedawg]

Personally, I'm not. That's why I haven't mentioned him when I'm talking about next year and why I haven't talked about him long term. As you know, that's a bad injury to have if you are a pitcher and likelihood of recovery is not all that good. To me, best case scenario is he has a career like Ben Bracewell did for us.

This is sad too, butch thought he would be a fr all American after the fall. Hope he recovers, but as you said, this is a brutal injury to overcome.

[maroonmania]

This is sad too, butch thought he would be a fr all American after the fall. Hope he recovers, but as you said, this is a brutal injury to overcome.

So did he come in injured or did he get injured after getting to MSU?

[Todd4State]

So Lane doesn't need him at his current job? It's not impossible, but rare, that a legit player is missed by so many d-1 schools this day and age. And if they miss on a kid it's usually someone who physically grows up late. Clearly, this isn't the case w him.

Or maybe he's going JUCO so that he can potentially get a SEC offer over a mid major offer? What does he really have to lose at this point? It worked out for Luke Reynolds.

You would think that with technology and everything that players like that would get noticed more- but baseball has become more and more about Perfect Game and what select team you play for. If you don't play for the elite select teams, you don't get noticed. It's not a good thing IMO. It has created an environment where more kids go under the radar.

It's not just Craig- there's a guy at Picayune named Peyton Lee that I saw throw 91-92 on the Trustmark Park gun this past weekend. Going to Pearl River CC. Realistically there are probably 3-4 kids that fall into this category a year.

[Todd4State]

So did he come in injured or did he get injured after getting to MSU?

Like most pitching injuries, it's a repetitive injury that built up over time.

[Homedawg]

Or maybe he's going JUCO so that he can potentially get a SEC offer over a mid major offer? What does he really have to lose at this point? It worked out for Luke Reynolds.

You would think that with technology and everything that players like that would get noticed more- but baseball has become more and more about Perfect Game and what select team you play for. If you don't play for the elite select teams, you don't get noticed. It's not a good thing IMO. It has created an environment where more kids go under the radar.

It's not just Craig- there's a guy at Picayune named Peyton Lee that I saw throw 91-92 on the Trustmark Park gun this past weekend. Going to Pearl River CC. Realistically there are probably 3-4 kids that fall into this category a year.

While I agree players get missed, it happens. But what's ironic is they found Zinn and he wasn't on a major travel team. He's not an impact guy, but he's a tools guy for sure.

[Todd4State]

While I agree players get missed, it happens. But what's ironic is they found Zinn and he wasn't on a major travel team. He's not an impact guy, but he's a tools guy for sure.

I can't remember how they found Zinn- I think it was maybe the State Legion Tournament or something like that- and he did well. I know us and Ole Miss wanted him.

My thing with him is, he's 5'10" 160 and he's a MIF when we have Stovall and Alexander committed Gridley on the team and then two corner guys that were draft risks. I don't see him hitting for power or average. I think he can run and defend. The biggest issue I have is he doesn't fill a need and overloads us in the MIF. And we don't have time to wait on him to develop into a hitter or a player, and he's going to need 3-4 years to develop. The Cubs have that kind of time to wait on him to develop. We don't.

Sounds to me like a guy that had a flash in the pan tournament at the right time and parlayed that into a scholarship. In hindsight, we should have been more patient and seen what he did his senior year and if we had lost him to Ole Miss, I wouldn't have cared to be honest with you.

[smootness]

Vandy is the only one that I really heard anything about & that was that they lost alot...maybe about half of their signing class & that was just after day 1 or so. But I don't know how many exactly though.

Vandy has 9 signees in the top 100 and are almost certainly going to end up with FIVE of them, including the #12 guy and the #40 guy. They also had a very solid class outside of those top 100 guys and will get just about all of them.

Their class is going to be insane. They're on another playing field from everybody else. It's honestly stupid.

[Dawg4Life]

Everyone on the Toddlist? will contribute hit .270 at least 3 HR and steal 5-10 bases on the ToddStats?

Luke Alexander better be a damn stud is all I'm saying. 5 years of hype and how he will start on day 1. Is there a reason we aren't seeing him looked at by the pros? Adam Frazier type?

Luke is a high end talent, especially in the field. Good athlete, gets to balls, great hands, quick release, and a 90 mph hour plus guy when he lets it go. As was stated, winning at Belmont was the product of talent and good summer coaching. He is a talented hitter as well. Can switch hit but definitely is more comfortable right handed. With coaching and experience he can/will be a .300 hitter. The adjustment will be huge and people like Smitty will hang on every strikeout but he is VERY talented. The pros aren't calling due to more physical development needed and more proven success against non-3A pitching. He loves MSU and could have went other places. He is the kind of guy that we should all pull for and be patient with as he develops as a Dawg. Be patient.

[Todd4State]

Vandy has 9 signees in the top 100 and are almost certainly going to end up with FIVE of them, including the #12 guy and the #40 guy. They also had a very solid class outside of those top 100 guys and will get just about all of them.

Their class is going to be insane. They're on another playing field from everybody else. It's honestly stupid.

I'll say this about Vanderbilt- the way that they built up was with classes like we had this year. Very pitching heavy and they've never really had a ton of power hitters outside of a couple of guys.

[Backspin]

Luke is a high end talent, especially in the field. Good athlete, gets to balls, great hands, quick release, and a 90 mph hour plus guy when he lets it go. As was stated, winning at Belmont was the product of talent and good summer coaching. He is a talented hitter as well. Can switch hit but definitely is more comfortable right handed. With coaching and experience he can/will be a .300 hitter. The adjustment will be huge and people like Smitty will hang on every strikeout but he is VERY talented. The pros aren't calling due to more physical development needed and more proven success against non-3A pitching. He loves MSU and could have went other places. He is the kind of guy that we should all pull for and be patient with as he develops as a Dawg. Be patient.

Good post. Has some tools, talented hitter and middle defender, heart of a champion and bleeds maroon, great attitude and strong work ethic. This is the kind of young man that, along with others like him, can form the core of a great team. As with most freshmen, don't expect too much too soon but I'm betting Luke will be a very good player for MSU at some point.

[Backspin]

I can't remember how they found Zinn- I think it was maybe the State Legion Tournament or something like that- and he did well. I know us and Ole Miss wanted him.

My thing with him is, he's 5'10" 160 and he's a MIF when we have Stovall and Alexander committed Gridley on the team and then two corner guys that were draft risks. I don't see him hitting for power or average. I think he can run and defend. The biggest issue I have is he doesn't fill a need and overloads us in the MIF. And we don't have time to wait on him to develop into a hitter or a player, and he's going to need 3-4 years to develop. The Cubs have that kind of time to wait on him to develop. We don't.

Sounds to me like a guy that had a flash in the pan tournament at the right time and parlayed that into a scholarship. In hindsight, we should have been more patient and seen what he did his senior year and if we had lost him to Ole Miss, I wouldn't have cared to be honest with you.

Agreed Todd....happy for the young man because I know what kind of effort and sacrifice these young men make to chase their dreams but we are in good shape in the MIF if he chooses to sign a contract.

[RougeDawg]

It was interesting looking at the SEC teams that made it to Omaha. Most only had two guys that hit over 10 with Vandy being the exception with three.

I thought Wes Rea had seven?

Wait? Didn't someone just post a few posts up about Vandy hardly ever signing power guys? Just trying to follow your gist here. Maybe what you are trying to say, without actually saying it, is that Vandy actually develops their hitters. Yes I believe that's the main conclusion from your posts this far in this thread.

How else can you explain them having so much offensive production, yet only signing so-so offensive talent?

These are the threads I reference during the season and explain why we are actually witnessing what we are observing.

And to the Wes Rea comment, he should never have less than double digit home runs if he had proper instruction.

[Todd4State]

Wait? Didn't someone just post a few posts up about Vandy hardly ever signing power guys? Just trying to follow your gist here. Maybe what you are trying to say, without actually saying it, is that Vandy actually develops their hitters. Yes I believe that's the main conclusion from your posts this far in this thread.

How else can you explain them having so much offensive production, yet only signing so-so offensive talent?

These are the threads I reference during the season and explain why we are actually witnessing what we are observing.

And to the Wes Rea comment, he should never have less than double digit home runs if he had proper instruction.

I'm trying to figure out what your gist is and I'm not sure what you are really asking? First of all, I don't consider three a lot of power hitters. That means that 2/3 of the lineup isn't power hitting guys. Secondly, that is the most power hitters that Vandy has had than they typically do. My point was that they built up the same way we are doing- by getting elite pitchers to school and then after a few years then they have started to get more and more power hitters. I'm saying it's a process and that we are on the right track.

How do I explain them having so much offensive production? They've had a lot of elite speed guys that could create runs for them and a pitching staff that could dominate for much of the time that Corbin has been there and only relied on a couple of power hitters. It's not that all of their hitters were "so-so" offensive talent as much as they just didn't have a ton of power but could hit for a high average- like Tony Kemp.

Wes Rea would have had more home runs if he had better talent. He had slider bat speed, and no one can fix that. I know you think that you can do something with someone's hands and that they will become Babe Ruth, but that's simply not the truth. If we want to hit more home runs, we have to RECRUIT guys that are capable of doing that and get their ass into school. Period.

[Bucky Dog]

Can we please change the whole "power hitter" mentality with an aggressive, line drive hitter? We can't just look at the number of home runs a kid hit in high school. You won't find many kids who hit double digit home runs in a year. What we need in my opinion is more aggresive, take a hard cut, hit extra base hit guys, who can also hit it out when a pitcher makes a mistake. No more taking a strike, being defensive, let me put it in play guys. Yeah we need guys that can tie it up with one swing and we have a few of those like Hump. Our coaches just need to give them the green light and confidence to freaking go for the downs when they get a pitch to hit. It's about our approach at the plate that has been hurting us IMO.