Overall solid Home Run for this MLB draft/recruiting class

[5 Star]

- 6 total guys drafted, will probably lose 3 (Pickett, Fenter, Riley), but will probably keep a few we didn't expect (Marrero, Padgett)
- 3 guys drafted but in school is a pretty good haul, more would have been drafted had they been signable (Ford)
- Guys like Stovall, Mangum, Alexander, Small, Breaux....those guys had to be very close to being drafted, and they will be in 3-4 years
- Best pitching class I can remember, probably ever
- Kept Austin Sexton and Jacob Robson, huge on both
- Top 5 class even with the defections
- Solid JUCO additions, but not heavy on them

Watch and you will see, most of these new guys will spend a year learning before being pressed into action - except for the pitchers. They will used out of the pen immediately.

Couldn't be happier with where we are right now. Now Cohen has to go win the games and silence the critics yet again.

[messageboardsuperhero]

There were several signees who would have been drafted if not for signability- Breaux, Ford, Alexander, Stovall, and Pilkington all definitely would have been. Ford, Marrero, and Padgett would have all been top 5 round picks if not for signability. Keeping everyone except Pickett, Fenter, and Riley is a good haul.

[Todd4State]

As I said, I'm still disappointed in the lack of corner power hitters. Other than that it's an outstanding class.

[Todd4State]

- 6 total guys drafted, will probably lose 3 (Pickett, Fenter, Riley), but will probably keep a few we didn't expect (Marrero, Padgett)
- 3 guys drafted but in school is a pretty good haul, more would have been drafted had they been signable (Ford)
- Guys like Stovall, Mangum, Alexander, Small, Breaux....those guys had to be very close to being drafted, and they will be in 3-4 years
- Best pitching class I can remember, probably ever
- Kept Austin Sexton and Jacob Robson, huge on both
- Top 5 class even with the defections
- Solid JUCO additions, but not heavy on them

Watch and you will see, most of these new guys will spend a year learning before being pressed into action - except for the pitchers. They will used out of the pen immediately.

Couldn't be happier with where we are right now. Now Cohen has to go win the games and silence the critics yet again.

If Cohen doesn't win, he's leaving someone a hell of a team to work with.

[5 Star]

As I said, I'm still disappointed in the lack of corner power hitters. Other than that it's an outstanding class.
I have never been as concerned about power as the others. Cohen has never purposely avoided power hitters, it just sort of happened that way the last two years. I still a good many of these guys will hit with power anyway. I posted this before, but MLB raiding the power guys is nothing new, there are simply not many power hitters in college baseball, and the few that are, are usually seniors. Who hit the most bombs this year in the NCAA? I'd assume numbers are up with the new balls, but I bet it's not staggering.

My concern all along has been pitching, and that seems to be remedied, in both what we have now and what we have coming.

[Really Clark?]

I have never been as concerned about power as the others. Cohen has never purposely avoided power hitters, it just sort of happened that way the last two years. I still a good many of these guys will hit with power anyway. I posted this before, but MLB raiding the power guys is nothing new, there are simply not many power hitters in college baseball, and the few that are, are usually seniors. Who hit the most bombs this year in the NCAA? I'd assume numbers are up with the new balls, but I bet it's not staggering.

My concern all along has been pitching, and that seems to be remedied, in both what we have now and what we have coming.

Benintendi of Ark had 19 and tied with two others in first for home runs. In the BBCOR era really only Kris Bryant was an elite power guy in college. 14 his Soph year then 31 to put him among the all time single season leaders. When you read that list it has some big names but a ton of them were during the hot bat and PED era.

[Smitty]

When individual players are nearly surpassing us as a team there is a big problem.

[MsStateBaseball]

I give this class a B +. We keep Marrero its an A. Huge to get the elite pitchers.

Jesse McCord is an elite pitcher, 1,st round stuff.

We keep getting at least 1 elite pitcher each year that will be damn good.

[maroonmania]

I have never been as concerned about power as the others. Cohen has never purposely avoided power hitters, it just sort of happened that way the last two years. I still a good many of these guys will hit with power anyway. I posted this before, but MLB raiding the power guys is nothing new, there are simply not many power hitters in college baseball, and the few that are, are usually seniors. Who hit the most bombs this year in the NCAA? I'd assume numbers are up with the new balls, but I bet it's not staggering.

My concern all along has been pitching, and that seems to be remedied, in both what we have now and what we have coming.

I don't think anyone is expecting a lineup full of HR hitters but to be the best team you can be you at least need 2 or 3 guys in the lineup capable of hitting 10 HRs or so.

[Todd4State]

I don't think anyone is expecting a lineup full of HR hitters but to be the best team you can be you at least need 2 or 3 guys in the lineup capable of hitting 10 HRs or so.

Looking at the other SEC rosters, that should be our goal at the very least.

[5 Star]

Guarantee you that some of the guys in this class will hit for power, Hunter Stovall being one of them. You guys worry too much.

Benitendi (sp) went from 1 HR to 19 HRs in a year.

[Smitty]

Guarantee you that some of the guys in this class will hit for power, Hunter Stovall being one of them. You guys worry too much.

Benitendi (sp) went from 1 HR to 19 HRs in a year.

Let's just say our track record of developing power isn't the best.

[dawgs]

Guarantee you that some of the guys in this class will hit for power, Hunter Stovall being one of them. You guys worry too much.

Benitendi (sp) went from 1 HR to 19 HRs in a year.

In all fairness our HC is the one that's given us reason to worry. If I felt like I could trust him to (1) recruit bats capable of double digit HRs and (2) develop bats capable of double digit HRs or at least XBHs, then I'd not be too worried. As is, outside of a monster half year from renfro and a solid year from rea, Cohen hasn't really done that.

if Mullen outsmarts himself and we end up missing a bowl or fighting to get to 6 Ws and there aren't clear reasons for it (rash of injuries likely including dak), then we will be a lot more worried about him too.

[Homedawg]

I give this class a B +. We keep Marrero its an A. Huge to get the elite pitchers.

Jesse McCord is an elite pitcher, 1,st round stuff.

We keep getting at least 1 elite pitcher each year that will be damn good.

Jesse McCord was a great high school pitcher. But he never ever had 1st round stuff.

[Todd4State]

Guarantee you that some of the guys in this class will hit for power, Hunter Stovall being one of them. You guys worry too much.

Benitendi (sp) went from 1 HR to 19 HRs in a year.

Let me caution you about Alabama HS baseball.

They play more games than most states. That means more opportunities to hit home runs. So, with Alabama you have to scale back on their numbers a little bit.

[BLC]

I would really, really, really caution against extrapolating what a kid does in high school to college ... and the SEC in particular. You're just setting the kid up for failure, and setting yourself up for a big disappointment. Give these young studs time to learn and grow. Right now, we can't tell much and shouldn't expect much. There are very few, I repeat, very few, JJ Schwarz's and Alex Lange's out there.

[5 Star]

In all fairness our HC is the one that's given us reason to worry. If I felt like I could trust him to (1) recruit bats capable of double digit HRs and (2) develop bats capable of double digit HRs or at least XBHs, then I'd not be too worried. As is, outside of a monster half year from renfro and a solid year from rea, Cohen hasn't really done that.
Plenty of power on that 2011 squad, but no one talks about them. Same number of HRs as 2013. 2009 and 2010 I don't know because it was the old bats and I'm too lazy to compare to other squads, but we could hit those 2 years as well.

[shoeless joe]

I honestly don't expect some huge change in philosophy from Cohen next year. I do expect power numbers to increase for hump, Collins, and rooker. But overall it will be much the same with a little more pop. BUT I do expect the pitching to improve 10 fold. Between the experience of this years guys and the talent of next years freshman we will figure out a rotation and a pen that will get it done.

My prediction for next year is the same bitching about "Cohen ball" but quite a few more wins. Which will silence the bandwagon haters but do nothing for those with an agenda.

[5 Star]

When individual players are nearly surpassing us as a team there is a big problem.
That individual player also carried his team to Omaha.

Let's not act as if you can find those types of players on every street corner in Miami.

[5 Star]

I honestly don't expect some huge change in philosophy from Cohen next year. I do expect power numbers to increase for hump, Collins, and rooker. But overall it will be much the same with a little more pop. BUT I do expect the pitching to improve 10 fold. Between the experience of this years guys and the talent of next years freshman we will figure out a rotation and a pen that will get it done.

My prediction for next year is the same bitching about "Cohen ball" but quite a few more wins. Which will silence the bandwagon haters but do nothing for those with an agenda.

Agree on all shoeless joe

[MsStateBaseball]

Jesse McCord was a great high school pitcher. But he never ever had 1st round stuff.

1st rounder

[KB21]

Benintendi of Ark had 19 and tied with two others in first for home runs. In the BBCOR era really only Kris Bryant was an elite power guy in college. 14 his Soph year then 31 to put him among the all time single season leaders. When you read that list it has some big names but a ton of them were during the hot bat and PED era.

What's interesting about Benintendi is that he is the size of a guy like Jacob Robson. In his first year, he hit 1 HR and slugged .333. This year, he hits 19 HR and slugs .700+.

Power can come from unexpected places. It's going to be more difficult at Mississippi State due to the pitcher's park they have.

[Really Clark?]

What's interesting about Benintendi is that he is the size of a guy like Jacob Robson. In his first year, he hit 1 HR and slugged .333. This year, he hits 19 HR and slugs .700+.

Power can come from unexpected places. It's going to be more difficult at Mississippi State due to the pitcher's park they have.

Yeah big pop for his size but he was showing that power and solid stroke in high school. Hit .564 (.542 HS career avg) and 12 hr his senior year. To me I was more surprised he didn't hit close to double digits last year.

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

I honestly don't expect some huge change in philosophy from Cohen next year. I do expect power numbers to increase for hump, Collins, and rooker. But overall it will be much the same with a little more pop. BUT I do expect the pitching to improve 10 fold. Between the experience of this years guys and the talent of next years freshman we will figure out a rotation and a pen that will get it done.

My prediction for next year is the same bitching about "Cohen ball" but quite a few more wins. Which will silence the bandwagon haters but do nothing for those with an agenda.

I agree on all, but especially on the part in bold. I don't have the time at the moment, but it would be interesting to see how many runs we gave up in innings 8 & 9 and how many leads we blew in the 8th inning. Without looking at the schedule, I'd guess it would be around 10 games we blew in the last 2 innings. If we could get past that, I think the mindset would change completely.

[HSVDawg]

1st rounder

From what has been said about McCord lately, him getting drafted in ANY round may be a surprise. Significant chance his career may be over or at very least redirected to JUCO to rehab his labrum injury.

[dawgs]

I agree on all, but especially on the part in bold. I don't have the time at the moment, but it would be interesting to see how many runs we gave up in innings 8 & 9 and how many leads we blew in the 8th inning. Without looking at the schedule, I'd guess it would be around 10 games we blew in the last 2 innings. If we could get past that, I think the mindset would change completely.

But if we actually hit for some power and/or didn't play for 1 run in the 2nd inning, then maybe we wouldn't be in position to blow games as easily in the 7th-9th innings. Lot easier to blow a 2-1 lead than a 7-1 lead.

[RocketCityDawg]

But if we actually hit for some power and/or didn't play for 1 run in the 2nd inning, then maybe we wouldn't be in position to blow games as easily in the 7th-9th innings. Lot easier to blow a 2-1 lead than a 7-1 lead.

Most of the leads we blew were closer to 7-1 than 2-1. It was ugly.

[dawgs]

Most of the leads we blew were closer to 7-1 than 2-1. It was ugly.

We didn't score 7 runs that often.

[RocketCityDawg]

We didn't score 7 runs that often.

Haha, that's true. But it seems like the leads we blew were when we actually had scored some runs.
A quick, and probably inaccurate count, says we lost 5 times when we scored 7 or more. Add another 3 losses when we scored 6.

[Really Clark?]

Haha, that's true. But it seems like the leads we blew were when we actually had scored some runs.
A quick, and probably inaccurate count, says we lost 5 times when we scored 7 or more. Add another 3 losses when we scored 6.

That's exactly right. 5 losses with us scoring 7+ runs. And 11 losses scoring 5+ runs. We had 24 games (16-8) where we scored 6+ runs in a game.

[shoeless joe]

That's exactly right. 5 losses with us scoring 7+ runs. And 11 losses scoring 5+ runs. We had 24 games (16-8) where we scored 6+ runs in a game.

Which is why the pen was THE issue last year. Get that fixed and a lot of other things will fix themselves; i.e. W's.

[dawgs]

That's exactly right. 5 losses with us scoring 7+ runs. And 11 losses scoring 5+ runs. We had 24 games (16-8) where we scored 6+ runs in a game.

Winning 2/3 of our games would put us in the hosting discussion. Seems like scoring 6+ runs worked out pretty well when we managed to do it. Just need to do it more often.

Obviously you want to be good at hitting and pitching/defense, but just because you are good at pitching/defense doesn't mean you should play for the 2-1 W, play for the 8-1 W. These aren't mutually exclusive. It's not even like football or basketball where the pace of play definitely affects the final scores and there's arguable merit to eating clock and limiting opponents' possessions. In baseball everyone gets 27 out over 9 innings. Score as much as you can over those 9 innings and limit the opposition as much as you can over those 9 innings. There is literally no reason to be content to play for 1 run outside of the 8th or 9th inning of a tied game or down 1 run.

[Todd4State]

Winning 2/3 of our games would put us in the hosting discussion. Seems like scoring 6+ runs worked out pretty well when we managed to do it. Just need to do it more often.

Obviously you want to be good at hitting and pitching/defense, but just because you are good at pitching/defense doesn't mean you should play for the 2-1 W, play for the 8-1 W. These aren't mutually exclusive. It's not even like football or basketball where the pace of play definitely affects the final scores and there's arguable merit to eating clock and limiting opponents' possessions. In baseball everyone gets 27 out over 9 innings. Score as much as you can over those 9 innings and limit the opposition as much as you can over those 9 innings. There is literally no reason to be content to play for 1 run outside of the 8th or 9th inning of a tied game or down 1 run.

There is no merit or basis that we are intentionally playing for a 2-1 game whatsoever.

[Todd4State]

Which is why the pen was THE issue last year. Get that fixed and a lot of other things will fix themselves; i.e. W's.

Been saying that all year. The stats back me up. We don't use Ross, we probably get into a regional. I got "well, we bunted and that cost us a run and our offense should have been good enough to overcome the bullpen allowing 8 runs." If we're the best baseball fan base in America as far as college goes, that's pretty damn scary.

[maroonmania]

We don't use Ross, we probably get into a regional.

I think that's a bit of a stretch. Yes, Ross stunk this year but its not like we had any other sure things to go to in the bullpen in his place. Zac Houston came on but he wasn't very good until late in the year himself. There just weren't many options in the bullpen to have any confidence in this year. If there had been Ross would have pitched a lot less for sure. Heck, Lindgren didn't even pitch for us the last third of the season (including the CWS run) in 2013 because he wasn't dependable, BUT we had other good options. I'm sure Ross would have been treated the same way if the situation had been the same.

[shoeless joe]

Been saying that all year. The stats back me up. We don't use Ross, we probably get into a regional. I got "well, we bunted and that cost us a run and our offense should have been good enough to overcome the bullpen allowing 8 runs." If we're the best baseball fan base in America as far as college goes, that's pretty damn scary.

There were a couple of us singing that tune...but the agenda mafia saw this season as vindication so they harped and harped and harped on it until the bandwagon haters started to agree with them.

[Todd4State]

I think that's a bit of a stretch. Yes, Ross stunk this year but its not like we had any other sure things to go to in the bullpen in his place. Zac Houston came on but he wasn't very good until late in the year himself. There just weren't many options in the bullpen to have any confidence in this year. If there had been Ross would have pitched a lot less for sure. Heck, Lindgren didn't even pitch for us the last third of the season (including the CWS run) in 2013 because he wasn't dependable, BUT we had other good options. I'm sure Ross would have been treated the same way if the situation had been the same.

What we should have done is start Sexton, Tatum, and Hudson and then used Laster, Fitts, and Houston out of the bullpen.

Butch loves(d) Ross and he thought he would snap out of his funk, and he never did.

[Todd4State]

There were a couple of us singing that tune...but the agenda mafia saw this season as vindication so they harped and harped and harped on it until the bandwagon haters started to agree with them.

True. I'll say this- if Cohen has four really good seasons out of five in five year cycles, I'll be fine with that.

[Smitty]

So every time Ross got hit, the other person would have came in and been Lindgren and Holder? That's why it's a stupid ****ing statement.

Losing one player would not have gotten this team into a regional. You people are insane.

[Todd4State]

So every time Ross got hit, the other person would have came in and been Lindgren and Holder? That's why it's a stupid ****ing statement.

Losing one player would not have gotten this team into a regional. You people are insane.


Who said that? Oh yeah- no one. Not allowing 3-8 runs in two innings isn't exactly asking someone to be dominant.

Just another Smitty strawman.

[Smitty]

Who said that? Oh yeah- no one. Not allowing 3-8 runs in two innings isn't exactly asking someone to be dominant.

Just another Smitty strawman.

Please list the 8 games Ross single handedly blew a 3+ run lead where it's guaranteed that a replacement from our still otherwise shitty pen would have not.

You're truly saying if Ross wasn't on the team this past season we would have made a Regional? You're standing by that? You can list the names of recruits but my goodness you have zero common sense.

Preston and Vance had worse ERA's in more innings.

[Todd4State]

Please list the 8 games Ross single handedly blew a 3+ run lead where it's guaranteed that a replacement from our still otherwise shitty pen would have not.

You're truly saying if Ross wasn't on the team this past season we would have made a Regional? You're standing by that? You can list the names of recruits but my goodness you have zero common sense.

Preston and Vance had worse ERA's in more innings.

3/3/15 Arkansas Pine Bluff- 1 run LOST 3-2
3/8 vs San Diego- 4 runs LOST 9-6
3/14 vs Alabama- 3 runs LOST 10-5
3/31 vs South Alabama- 2 runs LOST 8-7
4/4 vs. South Carolina- 4 runs LOST 13-7
4/28 vs. Ole Miss- 4 runs LOST 11-1
5/2 vs. LSU 3 runs in the 9th, WON 8-7 because of a miracle
5/8 vs. Ole Miss 3 runs, LOST13-10
5/16 vs. Tennessee- 1 run LOST 3-2


And here's something else to chew on we won ONE SEC game that Ross pitched in- and that was the game where he blew the lead in the 9th and we came back to win in extra innings. So- hell yes I stand by Ross not being on the team means we make a regional. I can't help that you don't know or understand baseball.

You WANT this so badly to be about Cohen and hitting when the reality is anyone with any baseball knowledge knows that our bullpen was the REAL issue that it pisses you off.

[Todd4State]

Please list the 8 games Ross single handedly blew a 3+ run lead where it's guaranteed that a replacement from our still otherwise shitty pen would have not.

You're truly saying if Ross wasn't on the team this past season we would have made a Regional? You're standing by that? You can list the names of recruits but my goodness you have zero common sense.

Preston and Vance had worse ERA's in more innings.

Oh- and we're still waiting on you to show me where I said that whomever would be pitching would be Holder and Lindgren dominant.

[dawgs]

There is no merit or basis that we are intentionally playing for a 2-1 game whatsoever.

No but saying the bullpen was the problem, not the offense sure seems like you're content with only the bullpen. I want it all improved. We apparently went 16-8 in games we scored 6+ runs (I didn't count it up but that's what was stated in the post earlier). Sounds to me like of the offense was better, it would have largely overcome a poor bullpen. Just like a good staff might overcome a bad offense enough to squeeze us into a regional. They are both problems. Saying that the bullpen cost us a regional is avoiding half the problem.

[dawgs]

3/3/15 Arkansas Pine Bluff- 1 run LOST 3-2
3/8 vs San Diego- 4 runs LOST 9-6
3/14 vs Alabama- 3 runs LOST 10-5
3/31 vs South Alabama- 2 runs LOST 8-7
4/4 vs. South Carolina- 4 runs LOST 13-7
4/28 vs. Ole Miss- 4 runs LOST 11-1
5/2 vs. LSU 3 runs in the 9th, WON 8-7 because of a miracle
5/8 vs. Ole Miss 3 runs, LOST13-10
5/16 vs. Tennessee- 1 run LOST 3-2


And here's something else to chew on we won ONE SEC game that Ross pitched in- and that was the game where he blew the lead in the 9th and we came back to win in extra innings. So- hell yes I stand by Ross not being on the team means we make a regional. I can't help that you don't know or understand baseball.

You WANT this so badly to be about Cohen and hitting when the reality is anyone with any baseball knowledge knows that our bullpen was the REAL issue that it pisses you off.

Bullpen and hitting sucked. I'm sure we can find plenty of Ws left on the field where we scored <4 runs and pitched pretty well. Fixing only 1 of those problems and ignoring the other might get us into a regional as a 2 or 3 seed, but I want to fix both so we can host regionals and be a national seed.

Also, I don't think losing 11-1 falls on 1 pitcher that gave up 4 runs. Also, your assumption is that whoever replaced Ross in those situations would not have given up runs and thus we would've won. Reality is more than Ross sucked in our bullpen.

And as I've said over and over, Ross was getting by with smoke and mirrors. We should be grateful we got as many good seasons out of him as we did. I don't care what kinda control you have, a near 1:1 K:BB ratio and a K rate of under 5K/9IP is begging for regression.

[Smitty]

Oh- and we're still waiting on you to show me where I said that whomever would be pitching would be Holder and Lindgren dominant.

Dawgs made the point for me. Do you really not get it?


Also, your assumption is that whoever replaced Ross in those situations would not have given up runs and thus we would've won.

If you count all of those instances as wins, it would have taken a Lindgren type to shut down EVERY SINGLE ONE of those to make them W's.

[Todd4State]

No but saying the bullpen was the problem, not the offense sure seems like you're content with only the bullpen. I want it all improved. We apparently went 16-8 in games we scored 6+ runs (I didn't count it up but that's what was stated in the post earlier). Sounds to me like of the offense was better, it would have largely overcome a poor bullpen. Just like a good staff might overcome a bad offense enough to squeeze us into a regional. They are both problems. Saying that the bullpen cost us a regional is avoiding half the problem.

It absolutely was THE main problem. Look at where our hitting ranked vs. our pitching. No one is saying that we don't want it "all improved"- just that if one thing is fixed, we would have gone to a regional.

It's stupid to say that the "offense would have overcome the bullpen if it was better" because the REALITY of baseball is it's a LOT easier to record six outs or whatever you need the bullpen to do than it is for any offense to score a certain amount of runs. A team has more control over what the pitcher does because the team dictates that. You don't tell a hitter to go hit a home run or go hit a triple- and the only time a coach tells a hitter to do something is if it's something like a hit and run or a bunt. Otherwise, it's out of the coaches hands for the most part.

How many times have you ever seen a MLB team say at the trade deadline, "well our bullpen sucks, so we're going to just try to get better hitters and outscore everyone." NEVER.

The REALITY is the offense is not the problem it has been made out to be- and even it stays exactly the same with no improvement, all we have to do is improve the bullpen a little bit and we're back in a regional.

[Todd4State]

Dawgs made the point for me. Do you really not get it?



If you count all of those instances as wins, it would have taken a Lindgren type to shut down EVERY SINGLE ONE of those to make them W's.

dawgs is one of your alter ego user names. It's sad that you have to go that route in the first place- but you're sad in general.

SIX of those instances Ross gave up more than three runs. You don't need a shut down guy to make every single one of those games a win because the odds are a competent relief pitcher should be able to get six outs before giving up three runs.

Basically what your dumbass is saying is that we should expect a relief pitcher to give up three runs or more every time and that is acceptable and reasonable to expect. That is absolutely WRONG.

[Todd4State]

Bullpen and hitting sucked. I'm sure we can find plenty of Ws left on the field where we scored <4 runs and pitched pretty well. Fixing only 1 of those problems and ignoring the other might get us into a regional as a 2 or 3 seed, but I want to fix both so we can host regionals and be a national seed.

Also, I don't think losing 11-1 falls on 1 pitcher that gave up 4 runs. Also, your assumption is that whoever replaced Ross in those situations would not have given up runs and thus we would've won. Reality is more than Ross sucked in our bullpen.

And as I've said over and over, Ross was getting by with smoke and mirrors. We should be grateful we got as many good seasons out of him as we did. I don't care what kinda control you have, a near 1:1 K:BB ratio and a K rate of under 5K/9IP is begging for regression.

That's EXACTLY what I've been saying the whole time.

Oh wait- I thought Smitty said that. Wait a minute- you did.

[Smitty]

dawgs is one of your alter ego user names.

You are something else bud.

[dawgs]

What the **** dude. Nice tin foil hat you got there.

[Todd4State]

You are something else bud.

Ironic. You've even admitted that you have how many usernames on here? How many times do you stir shit up in threads? Start a poll aimed at bashing me? And I'm the one that's something?

GET A LIFE.

[Smitty]

Ironic. You've even admitted that you have how many usernames on here? .

You've gone off the deep end.

The poll is to show how wrong you are... Or I guess to show how many people don't "know baseball"

[Todd4State]

You've gone off the deep end.

The poll is to show how wrong you are... Or I guess to show how many people don't "know baseball"

Have you not admitted to having other usernames on here? Now you are denying it?

[dawgs]

It absolutely was THE main problem. Look at where our hitting ranked vs. our pitching. No one is saying that we don't want it "all improved"- just that if one thing is fixed, we would have gone to a regional.

It's stupid to say that the "offense would have overcome the bullpen if it was better" because the REALITY of baseball is it's a LOT easier to record six outs or whatever you need the bullpen to do than it is for any offense to score a certain amount of runs. A team has more control over what the pitcher does because the team dictates that. You don't tell a hitter to go hit a home run or go hit a triple- and the only time a coach tells a hitter to do something is if it's something like a hit and run or a bunt. Otherwise, it's out of the coaches hands for the most part.

How many times have you ever seen a MLB team say at the trade deadline, "well our bullpen sucks, so we're going to just try to get better hitters and outscore everyone." NEVER.

The REALITY is the offense is not the problem it has been made out to be- and even it stays exactly the same with no improvement, all we have to do is improve the bullpen a little bit and we're back in a regional.

Well yeah if a team is in playoff contention, they obviously are doing something well. If it's their bullpen that sucks, then that's what they try to fix. But if the bullpen and the bats suck, then they probably aren't in contention anyway. Plus bullpen is the cheapest aspect of the game for a MLB team to fix.

As for our hitting, in the sec we finished 9th in avg, last in slugging, 7th in obp, 12th in runs scored, 13th in HRs, 13th in total bases, 13th in SBs (we can't even small ball).

Now those numbers might be marginally better than our overall pitching numbers, but if you don't think that's a problem, then you must love dead ball era baseball.

[dawgs]

Well yeah if a team is in playoff contention, they obviously are doing something well. If it's their bullpen that sucks, then that's what they try to fix. But if the bullpen and the bats suck, then they probably aren't in contention anyway. Plus bullpen is the cheapest aspect of the game for a MLB team to fix.

As for our hitting, in the sec we finished 9th in avg, last in slugging, 7th in obp, 12th in runs scored, 13th in HRs, 13th in total bases, 13th in SBs (we can't even small ball).

Now those numbers might be marginally better than our overall pitching numbers, but if you don't think that's a problem, then you must love dead ball era baseball.

Shit, I meant to post that under smitty.

[Smitty]

Have you not admitted to having other usernames on here? Now you are denying it?

Will James- banned. Pioneer Dawg then changed to Smitty. And obviously sometimes I post as dawgs

[Todd4State]

Well yeah if a team is in playoff contention, they obviously are doing something well. If it's their bullpen that sucks, then that's what they try to fix. But if the bullpen and the bats suck, then they probably aren't in contention anyway. Plus bullpen is the cheapest aspect of the game for a MLB team to fix.

As for our hitting, in the sec we finished 9th in avg, last in slugging, 7th in obp, 12th in runs scored, 13th in HRs, 13th in total bases, 13th in SBs (we can't even small ball).

Now those numbers might be marginally better than our overall pitching numbers, but if you don't think that's a problem, then you must love dead ball era baseball.

The bullpen is the easiest thing for a college team to fix as well. I'm just talking about MAKING a regional- not winning the whole thing.

And guess what? We finished 14th in ERA, K's, and opponents batting average. DEAD ****ING LAST.

The FACT of the matter is offense is the least important aspect of the game. It's the most fun for fans- hell, I like home runs as much as anyone. But if you do not pitch and you do not defend, you will not win.

I'll say this- if we fix our pitching and the hitting stays the same we'll have a lot better chance at winning it all than we would if just fix the hitting.

[dawgs]

The bullpen is the easiest thing for a college team to fix as well. I'm just talking about MAKING a regional- not winning the whole thing.

And guess what? We finished 14th in ERA, K's, and opponents batting average. DEAD ****ING LAST.

The FACT of the matter is offense is the least important aspect of the game. It's the most fun for fans- hell, I like home runs as much as anyone. But if you do not pitch and you do not defend, you will not win.

I'll say this- if we fix our pitching and the hitting stays the same we'll have a lot better chance at winning it all than we would if just fix the hitting.

Hitting is not the least important aspect of winning. Obviously you are better off not being completely terrible in any aspect of the game (hitting, pitching, fielding), but if you are severely lacking in any of the 3, it's often fatal. I'd probably put hitting and pitching a relatively even plane, and fielding a notch below. Why? Because even a bad fielder makes an overwhelming % of the plays. And having a high K staff can minimize the defense (that's why the tigers have been pretty damn good the last 5-6 years with terrible defense).

And your comments about controlling the pitches, even the best pitcher's make mistakes. You said you can't tell a hitter to go out and hit a HR. Likewise, you can't just tell a pitcher to go get a double play ball or a K. Sometimes hitters get hits on good pitches. Sometimes they hit HRs off good pitches. Likewise, sometimes pitchers get away with mistakes. You act like the whole pitching aspect is as simple as just doing it like there aren't good hitters capable of controlling an at bat. It's not a one-way street.

[dawgs]

And obviously even the best hitters fail over 60% (by avg) or over 50% (by obp) of the time, which is an argument for hitting being more valuable, especially in an era of depressed offensive numbers.

[Todd4State]

Hitting is not the least important aspect of winning. Obviously you are better off not being completely terrible in any aspect of the game (hitting, pitching, fielding), but if you are severely lacking in any of the 3, it's often fatal. I'd probably put hitting and pitching a relatively even plane, and fielding a notch below. Why? Because even a bad fielder makes an overwhelming % of the plays. And having a high K staff can minimize the defense (that's why the tigers have been pretty damn good the last 5-6 years with terrible defense).

And your comments about controlling the pitches, even the best pitcher's make mistakes. You said you can't tell a hitter to go out and hit a HR. Likewise, you can't just tell a pitcher to go get a double play ball or a K. Sometimes hitters get hits on good pitches. Sometimes they hit HRs off good pitches. Likewise, sometimes pitchers get away with mistakes. You act like the whole pitching aspect is as simple as just doing it like there aren't good hitters capable of controlling an at bat. It's not a one-way street.

I can show you some bad hitting teams that won championships- UCLA for example a couple of years ago, the 1988 Dodgers, etc. I have yet to see a bad pitching team win a championship.

No you don't have total control- but you have a lot more control of what the pitcher does vs. the hitter and you know how the pitcher is going to attack the hitters. The fact of the matter is the pitcher is going to win the battle around 70% of the time even against really good offenses. A good hitter is only going to be successful around 30% of the time. And if you don't have pitchers that can match up with the other pitchers- you end up with a season like we had.

We hit about the same last year and we made the finals of a regional. Why? Pitching. That's really all the evidence you should need.

[Interpolation_Dawg_EX]

I honestly think it's a combination of no dominant pitcher in the pen to close it out and lack of timely hitting. I don't have the numbers, but look at the number of runners lob. How many times last year did we get payers on base only to score nothing? Now is it cohen's bunting and plan? I don't know, but we really aren't that far away from being competitive. We need the intense bastard back and **** the blue hairs!

[shoeless joe]

Even if you have a stout offense you will still find yourself in close games, especially post season. And at that time a solid pen is needed...even if it's to preserve a 9-8 game. Not to mention the age old adage that good pitching beats good hitting. I'll take pitching and defense any day...but no doubt an actual offense would help.

[Smitty]

We see the opposite in our 2012 year. The most dominant starter we've ever had in Stratton. Graveman was solid. Pollo and Ross were solid. Holder was a beast. And we lose in Tallahassee because we couldn't score. (And bunted criminally)

That last game of 2012 was a disgrace.

Pitching gets you in. But when everyone has arms you must have the better offense. Stony Brook won because they could swing it.

Top 5 slugging SEC teams: Vandy LSU A&M Florida and Arkansas. Coincidence?

Top 5 batting average - same 5
Top 5 on-base percentage - same 5
Top 5 runs scored- same 5
Top 5 home runs - same 5.

[dawgs]

i never thought saying we desperately need to improve our bats and our arms would be such a controversial stance.

[Todd4State]

i never thought saying we desperately need to improve our bats and our arms would be such a controversial stance.


No one is saying we shouldn't improve both. All I'm saying is we need to improve our bullpen to get back into a regional. And then you went full retard.

[Todd4State]

We see the opposite in our 2012 year. The most dominant starter we've ever had in Stratton. Graveman was solid. Pollo and Ross were solid. Holder was a beast. And we lose in Tallahassee because we couldn't score. (And bunted criminally)

That last game of 2012 was a disgrace.

Pitching gets you in. But when everyone has arms you must have the better offense. Stony Brook won because they could swing it.

Top 5 slugging SEC teams: Vandy LSU A&M Florida and Arkansas. Coincidence?

Top 5 batting average - same 5
Top 5 on-base percentage - same 5
Top 5 runs scored- same 5
Top 5 home runs - same 5.

They also are in the top four in pitching. But you conveniently failed to mention that. Only Arkansas isn't in the top four- and they had the good fortune of beating Missouri State to get to Omaha, plus a good regional draw where the only team worth a flip that they had to beat was Oklahoma State and then had to beat Oral Roberts for the regional championship.

[dawgs]

No one is saying we shouldn't improve both. All I'm saying is we need to improve our bullpen to get back into a regional. And then you went full retard.

Because you responded to posts about improving the bats like it was ridiculous to worry about bats too.

[Really Clark?]

To be clear on a couple of points. The 16-8 record we had when scoring 6+ runs was actually not that great. You have to win 90% of those games. Bama only lost one game when they scored 6+ runs. LSU 40-3, FL 35-3, So Car 20-2, Auburn was not great at 20-6, Tenn 13-4, UM 19-1, UK 19-2, Georgia 18-5, etc.

Also, the offense vs pitching debate concerning this team this year, IMO, were symptoms of an overall problem we had. I love talking fundamentals but the main problem that underscored this team was lack of clutch play. Abysmal hitting with runners in scoring position and pitching to hold leads. At the end of the day, both hurt this team but both go beyond strategy, fundamentals, game play, line-ups, balls, bats, etc. They may factor into some of it but leaders and winners preform regardless of some of these outside debates. Better bullpen and we win 5 more games. Period. Better clutch hitting we win another 5 games. Period. A lot of our issues boiled down to do few clutch ball players.

[dawgs]

To be clear on a couple of points. The 16-8 record we had when scoring 6+ runs was actually not that great. You have to win 90% of those games. Bama only lost one game when they scored 6+ runs. LSU 40-3, FL 35-3, So Car 20-2, Auburn was not great at 20-6, Tenn 13-4, UM 19-1, UK 19-2, Georgia 18-5, etc.

Also, the offense vs pitching debate concerning this team this year, IMO, were symptoms of an overall problem we had. I love talking fundamentals but the main problem that underscored this team was lack of clutch play. Abysmal hitting with runners in scoring position and pitching to hold leads. At the end of the day, both hurt this team but both go beyond strategy, fundamentals, game play, line-ups, balls, bats, etc. They may factor into some of it but leaders and winners preform regardless of some of these outside debates. Better bullpen and we win 5 more games. Period. Better clutch hitting we win another 5 games. Period. A lot of our issues boiled down to do few clutch ball players.

Oh I didn't mean to imply 16-8 was great for those games. Just saying that of that winning % held up over 40ish games of 6+ runs scored (40ish games of 6+ runs being what the best teams in the conference did), then we'd be in a regional easy, probably in a hosting discussion.

Yes the bullpen needs to improve. However when you have lsu and Florida scoring 6+ runs 15-20 times more than us over the course of the season, that indicates we need to improve our bats too.

[Really Clark?]

Oh I didn't mean to imply 16-8 was great for those games. Just saying that of that winning % held up over 40ish games of 6+ runs scored (40ish games of 6+ runs being what the best teams in the conference did), then we'd be in a regional easy, probably in a hosting discussion.

Yes the bullpen needs to improve. However when you have lsu and Florida scoring 6+ runs 15-20 times more than us over the course of the season, that indicates we need to improve our bats too.

Well between the two if you get down to it in regards to our SEC rankings, pitching was a bigger problem. I see an awful lot of last or bottom 4 in the league in pitching. While hitting was not good few areas that were better in the overall sense of comparison. Actually in comparison, we were very similar to Auburn offensively but they had pitching and won 36 games and 13 league games. Goes right back to what I said. Better clutch pitching and we win 5 more games. Maybe more depending.

Now as far as comparison with the top 4 teams. That gets skewed because they are 47+ game winners and all made super regionals. We were not going to be that good regardless this year. So that is a skewed comparison. And don't forget we still averaged 5.3 runs a game this year. That's just .5 run less than our 2013 run and we were middle of the conference this year. The problem was too many runners left on base.

Again, both problems to me were just symptoms of a bigger problem. Whether it was lack of clubhouse leaders or just clutch winners, probably both, but that is what needs to be fixed.

[Out of Bounds]

I honestly don't expect some huge change in philosophy from Cohen next year. I do expect power numbers to increase for hump, Collins, and rooker. But overall it will be much the same with a little more pop. BUT I do expect the pitching to improve 10 fold. Between the experience of this years guys and the talent of next years freshman we will figure out a rotation and a pen that will get it done.

My prediction for next year is the same bitching about "Cohen ball" but quite a few more wins. Which will silence the bandwagon haters but do nothing for those with an agenda.

Nailed it shoeless

[Coach34]

Nailed it shoeless

Yep. We will be a low 2-seed or 3-seed somewhere and the agenda people will raise hell. Everybody else will just say keep recruiting better Jackass and lets get back to the top 4-5 in the SEC for 2017