Paul Young's Cape Cod Debut

[InTheIttaBenaHotSun]

Paul took the mound in the 7th tonight and struckout the side for the Brewster Whitecaps.

[bulldogcountry1]

It would be nice if he could contribute next year. I don't see how he got into the Cape, strictly based on him being a rising senior who only pitched a handful of innings.

[RAYn_Man]

It would be nice if he could contribute next year. I don't see how he got into the Cape, strictly based on him being a rising senior who only pitched a handful of innings.

High upside, been drafted before, plays at a top-notch school.

[tcdog70]

Small, came in with 1 out men on 2nd and 3td (sound familiar) he then struck out 2 . he will he huge next year.

[Homedawg]

Small, came in with 1 out men on 2nd and 3td (sound familiar) he then struck out 2 . he will he huge next year.

he just needs to be more consistent. his first outing in Cape he didn't retire a batter. Which was about the norm for him, like a yo-yo.

[ETDawg]

Actually, it was Small's 2nd outing that he didn't retire a batter. In the 1st outing, he came on with 2 on and 1 out and score 6-5. K'd 1st batter. Walked 2nd on 4 pitches to load the bases. Went to 3-0 on 3rd batter and then three straight strikes to end the game. When he figures it out, he will be awesome.

[Todd4State]

I'm glad he didn't get drafted. Young could bust out for us next year- I'm not sure if he will start or close or what yet. But he is now 1+ year off of Tommy John and it's really about trusting his stuff more than anything. I've seen him at 94 but his command was off and I think it was more about confidence than anything. Pilkington is also off to a good start and Breaux should be making his first appearance soon.

Rooker, Mangum, and Goldwater are also off to good starts as well. Bragg is off to a slow start and that is concerning to me as far as third base goes.

Overall the very early returns are mostly positive from our guys.

[Saltydog]

to the Cape Cod league and look so great (Hudson last year)? I guess it remains to be seen if Young can sustain some level of success in the CC league but he wasn't good by any stretch this year and Small was worse.

[Todd4State]

to the Cape Cod league and look so great (Hudson last year)? I guess it remains to be seen if Young can sustain some level of success in the CC league but he wasn't good by any stretch this year and Small was worse.

I think it's going from high school to the SEC and then going through that and maybe getting knocked around a little bit and struggling and then kind of starting over in the Cape with a fresh start with that SEC experience. Cohen always meets with every player individually and tells them what they need to work on. They have an opportunity to work on that in the Cape and actually get playing experience without jeopardizing our season while they learn- which is why we lost to FAU and EKU to an extent. Some of the things that they are focusing on in the Cape they have already been working on at MSU but just haven't really had an opportunity until now to put into place.

I think not pitching and starting Hudson more as a sophomore was a mistake. He wasn't nearly as bad as some make him out to be and he would have benefitted from starting some even if we only got 3 IP a start out of him. That's a big reason why Sexton was a lot better this year than last. And why I think Pilkington will be better next year as well.

But I think the wood bats kind of help in the confidence department because pitchers feel like they can really attack hitters more and that builds their confidence and then the hitters build their confidence because they feel like "hey if I can hit with this wood bat, I'm going to tear it up with a metal one." Plus it's knowing that our guys are going up against the best in the country and having success.

[bulldogcountry1]

It's encouraging to have so many guys playing summer, especially in the Cape. Seems like it wasn't that long ago that we didn't have many guys playing at all. To go off away from home and play with a bunch of new guys has to accelerate the maturation process.

I don't know anything about life playing college summer ball, but you have to imagine the stress level is very low. No school, no fan pressure, and the stakes are low. They are just there to play baseball and learn baseball. You are around some great new coaches and players who share their experience, and you just go out and play and work on your game.