Baseball 2014 - Position Players

[bulldogcountry1]

It's the middle of the summer and news is slow, so I figured we could keep discussing baseball and what our current players need to to to get us back to Omaha next year. Todd and others will have to comment on the new recruits because I don't know anything about them.

Wes Rea - He made big strides at the plate over the course of the season, especially in post season. He has shown the ability to made adjustments, and I think natural progression will close up some of his holes at the plate. We need him to hit around .330 and hit 10-12 HRs. That is very doable for him.

Pirtle - Has to to the most improved player this past season. If I recall, he was close to .250 round about SEC time, and just kept getting better.

Henderson - I like his effort, and he got some clutch hits for us. He just needs to eliminate the bad decisions. Too much diving for balls out of reach and too many baserunning blunders.

Bradford - I see a potential .350 hitter whose swing is all out of sorts. I hope he can work all that out because we need him at the top of the lineup.

Detz - Pleasant JUCO surprise this year. I'm sure he will work on his defense at third this fall, but I'd like to see him take over the DH roll and let a more athletic guy play 3rd.

Robson - I expect him to make the most noticeable offensive jump next season. He showed some pop at times, but didn't often find the holes.

Hann - Not sure what to expect from him or what his ceiling is. He looked pretty overwhelmed early in the season and never really overcame it.

Armstrong - There were times where it looked like he was going to take over the LF spot, but he never really could get over the hump and set himself apart. I'm not sure where he fits in going forward.

[Squidawg11]

We need two things this next season that are no easy task. Someone needs to replace Renfroe's power numbers and someone must replace Frazier's ability to get on base. If that happens we will be fine. I expect Rea's numbers to go up. I also expect Hann to surprise some people. He is putting up some really good numbers so far this summer.

[Will James]

Nobody can replace Renfroe's power numbers. If we have a collective stepping up we can enjoy the same or better wOBA this year, meaning have the same offensive output or better.

As to your second point, Detz and Pirtle already get on base more than Frazier. He turned into Mr. Freeswinger this year and cut his walks by over half, 23 down from 50. This cut his on base percentage from .482 in 2012 to .398. Frazier was not a "leadoff hitter" this year. Detz and his team leading .449 OBP need to lead off next year.

[Todd4State]

I think we will be improved at catcher offensively, and probably defensively as well. Cody Walker and Daniel Garner are both having good summers. Ammiratti was very average last year. I could see Walker hitting about .260, but with a better OBP than Slauter and Ammo. I'm expecting about .250 out of Garner, but I could see him hitting 1-5 home runs for us.

1B- Rea- I can see 12 home runs out of him very easily if not more. I expect them to change the ball this year, and that's going to help the offense. Plus, Rea missed three weeks of the season. I think he will improve as a hitter as well and hit between .320-.350.

2B- This is up for grabs. As someone has said, Hann already is playing well and has hit 2 home runs. He did look overwhelmed, but he was a freshman in a foreign country on top of that. Hunter Renfroe and Adam Frazier also where overwhelmed at times as well. Britton will compete and he looks like he is filling out and he is starting to hit home runs in batting practice. We might see him and Hann platoon at second. I'd like to see both hit .300 with 1-5 home runs. So, about the same production wise as what we got from Pirtle.

3B- I think we will see either Reid Humphries or Gavin Collins at third base. I think both will be an upgrade defensively over Detz and Frost last year unless Detz just makes marked improvement defensively in the off season. I don't know that we will get as much production from an AVG and OBP standpoint, but I do think we will get more production from a power standpoint. It's such a big adjustment going from high school to the SEC, I'm expecting .250 with 1-5 home runs from them. If one of those guys can replace Rea's power, and Rea can essentially replace Hunter Renfroe's power- we won't miss Hunter's bat all that much.

SS- Pirtle. I think he can hit .350 and may actually be at least comparable to Frazier. He didn't make an error at shortstop in the fall last year as well.

We could also see Collins at catcher, Humphries at second or shortstop, Pirtle could possibly stay at second as well- we just have to figure it out in the spring. Overall, I expect our infield to be at least as good as it was this year.

Outfield- We'll miss Hunter Renfroe defensively more than anything. I know everyone wants power hitters in the outfield, but that's just not going to be us next year. I think Demarcus will get moved to right field where the field is smaller at Dudy-Noble and that will probably help him out a lot defensively. Give him less ground to cover and give him more room for error. He's going to surprise people at the plate. He'll hit .300 and may even hit 1-2 out, but his base running is horrible. He should be stealing 10-20 bases for us and if he did, that would help us out tremendously. CT just needs to be healthy. He's better than our fans give him credit for- IF he is healthy he could definitely hit .350 or even better. He's also very good defensively as far as running balls down. He needs to improve his base running- that has been my personal disappointment with him. He needs to be stealing 10-20 bags as well. If CT is not healthy, expect more of the same. Robson impressed me at times last year. You can see his talent- he just needs experience. He had some clutch hits for us in SEC play. I expect him to hit at least .300- and that's probably being pretty conservative- and yep, you guessed it- I want to see him steal 10-20 bases. He needs to work on his defense a little bit- but he's more than adequate already. I think Jake Vickerson will play a pretty good bit- but he is nothing like his brother. He's another lead off type guy. He struck out once his freshman year in JUCO. If Cohen wants more power- he could play Humphries, Collins, or Brent Rooker out there are freshmen at one of the corner outfield spots. But doing that would also likely mean benching one of our better hitters.

We won't be as strong in the outfield as we were this year, but it's also not an area of concern. No one can replace a Hunter Renfroe.

DH- Alex Detz. I'm expecting about .320-.350 with an OPB around .450-.480. The guy gets on base and he will have a spot in the lineup.

Overall- we may not have as much power as we did this past year. A lot of the power depends on how quickly Reid Humphries and Gavin Collins adjust to SEC play, but it won't be that significant of a drop. Even if it does, we can overcome that by stealing bases and improving in the running game. Hopefully that will be a focus in the off season. We should be better defensively with upgrades at catcher and third base.

Pitching:

Woodruff will be healthy. We're lucky he didn't break his arm in half because that is pretty much a career ending injury. Lindgren is pitching well in the Cape. And Paul Young who we just signed was drafted in the 21st round by the Indians. He led his team to the JUCO National Title and throws 93-94. I think that's our rotation next year, and we will have one of the better ones in the SEC. Trevor Fitts and Dakota Hudson are going to compete for spots as well, and it wouldn't shock me if either one of them win one. Look for Will Cox to step up in the bullpen. We'll miss Girodo, but we return Ross, Cox, Bracewell, and of course Holder- who has a legit chance to set the SEC record for saves in a career. Actually, having a better rotation will help us recover from losing Girodo as well. Ben Hudspeth is a JUCO from Itawamba by way of Tupelo that is going to be a solid reliever for us as well. Myles Gentry should be better also.

I expect our pitching staff to be better simply because our rotation will be better and also our bullpen will be about as good as it was this year- if not better since they won't be overworked. When was the last time we had three rotation guys that could legitimately throw in the low 90's? Maybe the 80's?

With our SEC schedule being what it is, I think we have a chance to win the SEC next year and we have enough to make another deep run in Omaha and compete for a National Title. LSU loses a LOT of guys this year. They're going to be young. We get Vandy in Starkville- and they lose the guys that have killed us like Tony Kemp and Yastrezemski. Plus, they're not built for a Dudy-Noble type stadium. I want to see us host a regional again and be a National Seed.

[SaltyDawg]

Right on par with my expectations, Todd. I fully expect us to get a National Seed and be in Omaha again- Damn, that feels good to say.

[bulldogcountry1]

Replacing Renfroe is the biggest negative I keep hearing about. No doubt he was a beast, but, like it was mentioned, we just need to have several guys take the next step up, and we will make up most of that loss. As far as Frazier, someone is going to step up and have a big year to take up that slack. Maybe it will be Bradford, Henderson, or even a Freshman.

Even with the pitching staff losses, I really like how things are setting up for next year. Actually having starting pitching will help keep the pen rested, and it will be tough to score runs on us.

[RBritt]

What about Jake Vickerson and is Flair still with us or is he leaving?

[Will James]

Replacing Renfroe is the biggest negative I keep hearing about. No doubt he was a beast, but, like it was mentioned, we just need to have several guys take the next step up, and we will make up most of that loss. As far as Frazier, someone is going to step up and have a big year to take up that slack. Maybe it will be Bradford, Henderson, or even a Freshman.

Even with the pitching staff losses, I really like how things are setting up for next year. Actually having starting pitching will help keep the pen rested, and it will be tough to score runs on us.

In SEC play Frazier was below league average offensively.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Base running is definitely the thing that's needs the most improvement. How many runs did we leave on the basepaths this year? Hell, how many runs did we lose like this in the CWS alone? It doesn't even take that much from a pure speed standpoint to be a solid base running team; just make the smart play, get the appropriate lead for a given situation, learn how to read pitchers to get better jumps, learn when to go from second to third and when not too, etc., etc. This is all mental and should be taught fairly easily to players at this level. Go watch Vandy run the bases against us in the SECT. That's how it's done, and it's not just Tony Kemp; even their slower players are just smart base runners. This isn't all about stealing bases, although with our team speed, we should definitely have more steals, but it's also about just being smarter and understanding situations.

I'd love for Cohen to get Buck Showalter to come down in the fall for a couple of practices and teach our guys some things about the strategy and intricacies of running the bases.

[CadaverDawg]

Todd, can you give us a brief rundown of how our guys are looking so far in summer ball?

[maroonmania]

Replacing Renfroe is the biggest negative I keep hearing about. No doubt he was a beast, but, like it was mentioned, we just need to have several guys take the next step up, and we will make up most of that loss. As far as Frazier, someone is going to step up and have a big year to take up that slack. Maybe it will be Bradford, Henderson, or even a Freshman.

Even with the pitching staff losses, I really like how things are setting up for next year. Actually having starting pitching will help keep the pen rested, and it will be tough to score runs on us.

Hunter was a very good player for us this season but one thing to remember is that for the last 2 months of the season he was VERY average at the plate and we still got to the CWS championship. Yes, replacing the Hunter Renfroe we had for the first 2 months of this past season will be very difficult but it won't be that hard to replace the Renfroe we had for the last 2 months.

[Todd4State]

Base running is definitely the thing that's needs the most improvement. How many runs did we leave on the basepaths this year? Hell, how many runs did we lose like this in the CWS alone? It doesn't even take that much from a pure speed standpoint to be a solid base running team; just make the smart play, get the appropriate lead for a given situation, learn how to read pitchers to get better jumps, learn when to go from second to third and when not too, etc., etc. This is all mental and should be taught fairly easily to players at this level. Go watch Vandy run the bases against us in the SECT. That's how it's done, and it's not just Tony Kemp; even their slower players are just smart base runners. This isn't all about stealing bases, although with our team speed, we should definitely have more steals, but it's also about just being smarter and understanding situations.

I'd love for Cohen to get Buck Showalter to come down in the fall for a couple of practices and teach our guys some things about the strategy and intricacies of running the bases.

Baserunning is not as easy as I think a lot of baseball fans (not just MSU fans) think it is. It may seem simple or common sense, but it's not that cut and dried in real time action. They have base coaches for a reason even in MLB. The thing is, it's not totally about speed as much as it is about instincts and being able to read pitchers. Some guys simply do that better than others. As far as reading pitchers- every pitcher is different as far as wind up and each runner has to figure out what to key on before they steal a base.

A lot of times it's basically playing the odds- the runner vs. the defense. And sometimes the runner loses the bet. In fact, I guarantee you that if you watch MLB Network tonight you will see plenty of base running mistakes despite the fact that a lot of people think it's something "Little League".

[Todd4State]

Todd, can you give us a brief rundown of how our guys are looking so far in summer ball?

A lot of them are just starting since we played so darn long in the postseason. (Rats**)

Daniel Garner is having a good year in California. He is hitting .363 and he has 14 walks to 17 K's with 1 home run.

John Marc Shelly is on the same team and is 1-0 with an ERA of 3.48 in 9 IP's with 5K's and 4 BB's.

Preston Brown has looked pretty good - 1-0 with an ERA of 2.70 with 9 K's and 2 BB's.

The Canadians are tearing it up. Robson is hitting .318 with 4 SB and Kyle Hann has 2 home runs and is hitting over .400 and has only been with his team for a week.

[Todd4State]

What about Jake Vickerson and is Flair still with us or is he leaving?

I mentioned Vickerson- I think he will play a good bit.

Flair is going to a JUCO from what I understand as is Cody Brown.

[CadaverDawg]

Baserunning is not as easy as I think a lot of baseball fans (not just MSU fans) think it is. It may seem simple or common sense, but it's not that cut and dried in real time action. They have base coaches for a reason even in MLB. The thing is, it's not totally about speed as much as it is about instincts and being able to read pitchers. Some guys simply do that better than others. As far as reading pitchers- every pitcher is different as far as wind up and each runner has to figure out what to key on before they steal a base.

A lot of times it's basically playing the odds- the runner vs. the defense. And sometimes the runner loses the bet. In fact, I guarantee you that if you watch MLB Network tonight you will see plenty of base running mistakes despite the fact that a lot of people think it's something "Little League".

I agree with this, HOWEVER, I think a lot of our fans get pissed about the Little League base running errors we DO make. Like running in to multiple outs at 3rd base on a ground ball to the SS in the CWS. That is little league type shit. And Mingione makes a lot of little league type errors sending and holding runners at times. But yes, the art of stealing bases and base running is an actual art that is not as easy as some think.

[messageboardsuperhero]

I know it's not cut and dried, but there is definitely room for us to improve. It's just frustrating to see us make some of the mistakes we did on the bases this year, especially with the speed we had. I do see your point though, and I didn't mean it to come off as "baserunning is easy," because I know it's not... I just think we can be better at that aspect of the game than we have been.

[CadaverDawg]

A lot of them are just starting since we played so darn long in the postseason. (Rats**)

Daniel Garner is having a good year in California. He is hitting .363 and he has 14 walks to 17 K's with 1 home run.

John Marc Shelly is on the same team and is 1-0 with an ERA of 3.48 in 9 IP's with 5K's and 4 BB's.

Preston Brown has looked pretty good - 1-0 with an ERA of 2.70 with 9 K's and 2 BB's.

The Canadians are tearing it up. Robson is hitting .318 with 4 SB and Kyle Hann has 2 home runs and is hitting over .400 and has only been with his team for a week.

Thanks Todd. Great to see the Canadians and Garner playing well. I would love for Hann to be a surprise this coming season. I still think Britton can be the guy along side Pirtle in the middle infield, but I'd love for it to be a battle of guys that are trying to outplay each other between Britton and Hann for that one spot.

If it's not too much to ask...can you give an update on what "good" is for Lindgren so far? Has he had a couple of good starts? I really want him to step up, we need him to. Also, how long will it be before Woody pitches again?

[CadaverDawg]

One other thing....

If somehow Britton AND Hann were to really take a step forward and earn playing time, does anyone see the possibility of Britton at 3rd and Hann at 2nd, with Pirtle at SS? That would keep us from having to throw a freshman out there at 3rd, and also keep Detz in the DH spot. Thoughts?

[Todd4State]

Thanks Todd. Great to see the Canadians and Garner playing well. I would love for Hann to be a surprise this coming season. I still think Britton can be the guy along side Pirtle in the middle infield, but I'd love for it to be a battle of guys that are trying to outplay each other between Britton and Hann for that one spot.

If it's not too much to ask...can you give an update on what "good" is for Lindgren so far? Has he had a couple of good starts? I really want him to step up, we need him to. Also, how long will it be before Woody pitches again?

Lindgren made his debut in relief yesterday and threw two innings allowing 1 hit and struck out 3 batters with no walks. From what I understand, Woodruff should be done with the rehab part of his injury by August. He should be throwing some in the fall- but I doubt they will let him pitch very much, but he should be ready to go by January.

[messageboardsuperhero]

I wouldn't count out the possibility of Hann playing third. He played there some this year and didn't look bad. I think an infield of Pirtle and Rea and improved versions of Hann and Britton would be very solid... Humphreys and Collins could be brought along slowly, but if one of them steps up then that's just gravy.

[CadaverDawg]

Lindgren made his debut in relief yesterday and threw two innings allowing 1 hit and struck out 3 batters with no walks. From what I understand, Woodruff should be done with the rehab part of his injury by August. He should be throwing some in the fall- but I doubt they will let him pitch very much, but he should be ready to go by January.

Good stuff, thanks

[Todd4State]

I agree with this, HOWEVER, I think a lot of our fans get pissed about the Little League base running errors we DO make. Like running in to multiple outs at 3rd base on a ground ball to the SS in the CWS. That is little league type shit. And Mingione makes a lot of little league type errors sending and holding runners at times. But yes, the art of stealing bases and base running is an actual art that is not as easy as some think.

I would like to see Jake Wells coach third and see if that helps some. Move Mingione back to first. That particular mistake to me, was our players trying to do too much in a really big game more than anything, which is more about lack of CWS experience than anything. Hopefully having been there now we will eliminate those types of mistakes.

[CadaverDawg]

I wouldn't count out the possibility of Hann playing third. He played there some this year and didn't look bad. I think an infield of Pirtle and Rea and improved versions of Hann and Britton would be very solid... Humphreys and Collins could be brought along slowly, but if one of them steps up then that's just gravy.

I agree with that being a potentially solid infield.

I guess I was thinking Britton being a bigger guy than Hann might lead him to have a little better arm strength, and he would likely be less mobile which may make him a better fit at 3rd than 2nd....but either way, I think if those two have good off seasons they could be a nice addition to the infield

[Todd4State]

One other thing....

If somehow Britton AND Hann were to really take a step forward and earn playing time, does anyone see the possibility of Britton at 3rd and Hann at 2nd, with Pirtle at SS? That would keep us from having to throw a freshman out there at 3rd, and also keep Detz in the DH spot. Thoughts?

At this point, we can't rule anything out. Cohen is going to find the best combination over the first four weeks of the season and then go with it.

[bulldogcountry1]

I agree with this, HOWEVER, I think a lot of our fans get pissed about the Little League base running errors we DO make. Like running in to multiple outs at 3rd base on a ground ball to the SS in the CWS. That is little league type shit. And Mingione makes a lot of little league type errors sending and holding runners at times. But yes, the art of stealing bases and base running is an actual art that is not as easy as some think.

I think a lot of the trouble we had on the bases can be attributed to Mingione. I saw a lot of indecision on his part out there. We survived it, but I hope he learned a lot, and we can clean a lot of that up next year.

[dickiedawg]

John Marc Shelly is on the same team and is 1-0 with an ERA of 3.48 in 9 IP's.

This is a typo, right? I'm going crazy trying to figure out how he could have that ERA with 9 IP.

[messageboardsuperhero]

I agree with that being a potentially solid infield.

I guess I was thinking Britton being a bigger guy than Hann might lead him to have a little better arm strength, and he would likely be less mobile which may make him a better fit at 3rd than 2nd....but either way, I think if those two have good off seasons they could be a nice addition to the infield

Actually, Hann and Britton supposedly are two of the better arms in the infield. They could both probably fit in just about anywhere.

But yeah, both should be improved next season, just like every other player under Cohen has improved from year-to-year. There are tons of options in the field for next year, and none of them are really bad options.