Brandon woodruff

[msstate7]

Ok baseball guys, how's he healing? Should he be good to go when the season starts?

[Coach34]

Butch told a buddy of mine that there were going to be some surprises this year. Guys thought to be sure SP's would be int the pen while some thought to sure fire bullpen arms would be SP's. thought that was interesting.

And yes Woody should be good to go

[Todd4State]

He is supposed to be back pitching in the spring. He will be rehabbing in the fall.

[engie]

He should be pitching by fall ball IMO -- unless we are just going over the top with the caution...

It was a 6-8 week rehab, I believe... Meaning he should be good to go now if there has been no setbacks...

[601Dawg]

Butch told a buddy of mine that there were going to be some surprises this year. Guys thought to be sure SP's would be int the pen while some thought to sure fire bullpen arms would be SP's. thought that was interesting.

And yes Woody should be good to go

Does that mean that Holder and Ross Mitchell may be in the rotation?

[Coach34]

Does that mean that Holder and Ross Mitchell may be in the rotation?

not sure- but it obviously means the rotation could look vastly different than we expect it to

[bulldogcountry1]

not sure- but it obviously means the rotation could look vastly different than we expect it to

You have to think Fitts, Woody, and Lindgren were the logical top starting candidates among the returning players. My biggest concern is with Lindgren, but it would still be a surprise if he wasn't in the weekend rotation.

[Todd4State]

not sure- but it obviously means the rotation could look vastly different than we expect it to

My guess is he is referring to Fitts and Dakota Hudson. Fitts finished his summer strong. From where I sit, there was always going to be an odd man out among Woodruff, Fitts, Lindgren, Paul Young, and Hudson.

[messageboardsuperhero]

I wouldn't be shocked to see Lindgren in the pen. I like him as a starter, but I remember Cohen raving about him last fall as a relief pitcher. Then again, with as much as Cohen loves to play matchups, it's hard for me to imagine him not wanting a LH starter in the weekend rotation. Butch also could have been talking about Bracewell as a possible starter. Who knows?

We'll just have to wait and see in the fall.

[MsStateBaseball]

Woody's arm is fine. Expect him to go slow in fall. I think Lindgren will take Girodo's role, lefty match up and if he is on then long reliever. If true he may be referring to Ross as a starter. But Woody and Paul Young are in the rotation IMO, no matter what.

[Will James]

Lindgren will be a 1st round pick so I hope we maximize his innings. If it's innings 1-5 or 3-7 theoretically it doesn't matter.

[Coach34]

Lindgren will be a 1st round pick .

Only if he produces this year

[Will James]

Only if he produces this year

Worst luck ever can't continue. FIP don' lie.

He's gonna destroy people this year Auburn series style.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

I heard Ross Mitchell was getting hip surgery and wouldn't be pitching at all this fall

[MsStateBaseball]

Right Ross is out but he don't need to prove himself. He just needs to get in shape.

[Will James]

Right Ross is out but he don't need to prove himself. He just needs to get in shape.

And start the long relief innings.

Actually Ross starting and going 3-4 turning it over to Fitts might be the best usage. No mid inning balls in play with runners already on spots.

[Todd4State]

Worst luck ever can't continue. FIP don' lie.

He's gonna destroy people this year Auburn series style.

He has to learn how to field his position a little bit better. Some of his damage was self-inflicted. He will be better because he is more mature- whatever role he is in. Also, he looked a little bit out of shape to me- I'd like to see him improve that as well. He's had some health issues for us- and being in better shape may help with that as well. I think the Vanderbilt game he pitched in last year messed with his head some- his confidence just wasn't the same the rest of the year.

Jacob did really well in the Cape Cod League this summer- that's usually a good omen.

[Homedawg]

Lindgren will be a 1st round pick so I hope we maximize his innings. If it's innings 1-5 or 3-7 theoretically it doesn't matter.
I'm a huge lindgren fan but he won't be a first rounder. Great year or not. He was topping out at 91 on the cape. But I agree he's a big time guy. I do think he's the best pro on our staff so I guess I'm really agreeing w you.

[MsStateBaseball]

Like I said before, Butch is on cloud 9. He has brought in 10 new pitchers to a not so bad staff. He just has to develop them. This will be his most exciting fall. Lots if quality arms to choose from.

[Homedawg]

And start the long relief innings.

Actually Ross starting and going 3-4 turning it over to Fitts might be the best usage. No mid inning balls in play with runners already on spots.

Ross is lucky so we should not pitch him because he is due to suck**

[messageboardsuperhero]

Like I said before, Butch is on cloud 9. He has brought in 10 new pitchers to a not so bad staff. He just has to develop them. This will be his most exciting fall. Lots if quality arms to choose from.

There are so many pitchers on the staff that I'm excited to see develop. Trevor Fitts (had a phenomenal summer), Myles Gentry, Will Cox, Preston Brown (also had a great summer), JM Shelly, etc. and these aren't even counting all the new guys.

I also can't wait to see how the Canadiens have progressed. I expect both to start full time this year. Hann can play literally any position on the infield, except obviously 1B. The newcomers in the lineup will be fun to follow too (ie, Humphreys, Collins, Vickerson, etc.). These are going to be exciting fall practices.

[Todd4State]

Anyone remember five years ago when it was Nick Routt and pray for rain? :(

[messageboardsuperhero]

Anyone remember five years ago when it was Nick Routt and pray for rain? :(

That and a heavy dose of Tyler Whitney and Forrest Moore. Those were dark times.

[Todd4State]

I'm a huge lindgren fan but he won't be a first rounder. Great year or not. He was topping out at 91 on the cape. But I agree he's a big time guy. I do think he's the best pro on our staff so I guess I'm really agreeing w you.

IMO it's Woodruff assuming he's healthy. When he was actually healthy he was dominant- see the South Alabama game. Even as a freshman, he was the guy we turned to for the SEC title game. And he pitched very well against Tyler Beede who is going to be a first round pick.

And I say that without ever having seen Paul Young pitch. I think Holder has a decent shot as well even though he is pretty much a relief only guy. He has a MLB quality curveball. Fitts is going to have a shot as well depending on how much he improves. I think it's just a question of Fitts locating his fastball a little bit better and maybe refining a third pitch.

Wes Rea really helped himself in the CWS. He had a Cape Cod League invite but chose to rest up. I think he has a big year at the plate for us. I think he is a top 10 round pick for sure with his combination of power and defense.

Demarcus and CT need to have Adam Frazier type seasons for us. But someone will give both of them a chance. How they play will determine how high they go.

And down the road, I'm thinking we'll see Dakota Hudson, Austin Sexton, Vance Tatum, Zac Houston, Glenn Irby, Daniel Garner, Gavin Collins, Reid Humphries, Kyle Hann, and Jacob Robson all get mentioned in the near future. Oh- and I forgot that Joey Swinarski is on the team too now.

[Will James]

Ross is lucky so we should not pitch him because he is due to suck**

About 5% true.

[Will James]

CT needs to learn what the hell balls and strikes are.

[Todd4State]

CT needs to learn what the hell balls and strikes are.

No, he needs to get and stay healthy so he can get his swing right. You could tell he was really trying to compensate at times last year. I think he knew he wasn't 100% and so he tried to do some squirrely things at times inside outing pitches- and sometimes those weren't strikes. I'd like to see him pull the ball more and use the whole field next year as well. If he stays healthy and uses the whole field- he could be every bit as good as Frazier was last year.

[missouridawg]

he could be every bit as good as Frazier was last year.

I'd settle for the true freshman version of CT himself. If he stayed healthy, I think he would've broken Jeffrey Rea's hits record.

[EEdawg15]

Until Lindgren develops a change-up to feature against righties, he will be a relief type pitcher. Even if they give him the start, without a 3rd pitch he cannot got through the order twice much less 3 times. In every start that I saw him pitch last year, which was more than a few and from different angles of view, the lack of a third pitch crippled him in innings 3, 4, and 5. His slider is uber nasty, but two pitches are not enough to shut down a big time SEC lineup two times through the order.

[AlSwearengen]

I remember a few times last year, announcers mentioned that coaches told them in interviews that Ross Mitchell and Bracewell performed better when they came off the bench as opposed to starting for whatever reason. I think Mitchell keeps the role that he had last year b/c of several factors that make him perfect for that role. In my opinion, based on what I have seen, if Lindgren does develop a change up, he will be really really good. Woodruff stays healthy and he has first round talent and size. Holder needs a third pitch, even if it is a cut fastball to be a starter. He really doesn't need a changeup b/c his curve is so good, but a change would be gravy. Fitts needs to do something with his fastball. Todd mentioned location and I was thinking movement. He has a good curve, but everytime he threw his fastball in the cws, it got smoked. To me, if Gentry becomes consistent and gets really good command of what he is trying to do, he can be very good.

One thing is certain though, we should be able to find enough good performers because we have alot of viable candidates.

[Jacksondevildog]

The same could be said about Holder. He needs a third pitch before he can become a great starting pitcher.
Until Lindgren develops a change-up to feature against righties, he will be a relief type pitcher. Even if they give him the start, without a 3rd pitch he cannot got through the order twice much less 3 times. In every start that I saw him pitch last year, which was more than a few and from different angles of view, the lack of a third pitch crippled him in innings 3, 4, and 5. His slider is uber nasty, but two pitches are not enough to shut down a big time SEC lineup two times through the order.

[Lefthandersrule]

The way these Coaches run the pitching staff the Starter is not necessarily the guy who get the lion share of the innings. Look at last years starters vs. bullpen numbers and you will see they are quick to pull a starter the second he gets into any trouble, leaving the starters with very short outings. They dont let them pitch out of trouble like most teams do.

Look at Stratton's Junior year, he was not a starter until right before the SEC weekends started. He was the second pitcher used in the first game of a series out of the pen. Ross's numbers will show you that from last year.

The way we use our pitchers it really does not matter who goes out there first. Unless your no hitting the other team, your coming out if any trouble comes to light.

With that said, it would be hard pressed at this point to say who the starters and relievers are because they are not even pitching yet in practice.

[Lefthandersrule]

I'm a huge lindgren fan but he won't be a first rounder. Great year or not. He was topping out at 91 on the cape. But I agree he's a big time guy. I do think he's the best pro on our staff so I guess I'm really agreeing w you.

"he was topping out at 91 on the cape" I would like to know where you got that information from. He was just rated in the Two Top Prospect Lists for the Cape Cod league and I don't think that topping out at 91 would get that.

BTW, I'm a huge lindgren fan also and was getting breakdowns of every start this summer.

[EEdawg15]

"he was topping out at 91 on the cape" I would like to know where you got that information from. He was just rated in the Two Top Prospect Lists for the Cape Cod league and I don't think that topping out at 91 would get that.

BTW, I'm a huge lindgren fan also and was getting breakdowns of every start this summer.
I have no clue what he was topping out at this summer. However, to say that 91 from the left side would not be "Top Prospect" material, in a general sense and not talking specifically about lindgren, is simply not true. I specifically heard MLB announcers talking about the shift in baseball due to the post steroid era. One MLB scout was quoted as saying that scouts and teams used to rave over a guy throwing 98 to 99, where as now they rave about guys throwing 95-96. So when you have a lefthander throwing 88-92 with the body build that could easily sustain more core muscle, the arm action that has the potential to produce a great change-up, and a plus slider, it's not ridiculous to think those attributes could have a guy as a top rated draft prospect.

[Todd4State]

The way these Coaches run the pitching staff the Starter is not necessarily the guy who get the lion share of the innings. Look at last years starters vs. bullpen numbers and you will see they are quick to pull a starter the second he gets into any trouble, leaving the starters with very short outings. They dont let them pitch out of trouble like most teams do.

Look at Stratton's Junior year, he was not a starter until right before the SEC weekends started. He was the second pitcher used in the first game of a series out of the pen. Ross's numbers will show you that from last year.

The way we use our pitchers it really does not matter who goes out there first. Unless your no hitting the other team, your coming out if any trouble comes to light.

With that said, it would be hard pressed at this point to say who the starters and relievers are because they are not even pitching yet in practice.

I'm not exactly sure that's what they wanted to do with the pitching staff. It's just that they had the brains to not leave a guy out there too long and then they also realized that we had some guys that could eat enough innings and hand it off to Holder. Kendall Graveman was used conventionally. Stratton was used conventionally and while yes, he started out in the bullpen- I feel certain he would have been in the rotation at some point no matter what. Had Woodruff been healthy, I have no doubt he would have been used conventionally.

[Todd4State]

I have no clue what he was topping out at this summer. However, to say that 91 from the left side would not be "Top Prospect" material, in a general sense and not talking specifically about lindgren, is simply not true. I specifically heard MLB announcers talking about the shift in baseball due to the post steroid era. One MLB scout was quoted as saying that scouts and teams used to rave over a guy throwing 98 to 99, where as now they rave about guys throwing 95-96. So when you have a lefthander throwing 88-92 with the body build that could easily sustain more core muscle, the arm action that has the potential to produce a great change-up, and a plus slider, it's not ridiculous to think those attributes could have a guy as a top rated draft prospect.

If you want to sound cool in front of a bunch of scouts, say "you know, it's not so much about velocity as it is about location and movement." I will say that velocity gives you a little bit more room for error though.

[EEdawg15]

If you want to sound cool in front of a bunch of scouts, say "you know, it's not so much about velocity as it is about location and movement." I will say that velocity gives you a little bit more room for error though.
First off, I'm not trying to impress anyone. I have no affiliation with any scouts of any kind. I'm just a lifelong baseball fanatic who has played ball my whole life. Secondly, I never once even hinted at location and movement. I merely pointed out that velocity is not the only factor that makes a pitcher a top rated prospect. You are correct though, velocity does give a pitcher more room for error especially in college. The pro level is a whole nother animal that i know you are aware of, but the pro level, or scouting for the pro level, was the point of interest. I was not disputing whether he is or is not a top prospect, nor was I disputing that velocity is not a highly touted attribute. I simply stated that velocity alone does not make or break a pitcher's prospects.

[Todd4State]

First off, I'm not trying to impress anyone. I have no affiliation with any scouts of any kind. I'm just a lifelong baseball fanatic who has played ball my whole life. Secondly, I never once even hinted at location and movement. I merely pointed out that velocity is not the only factor that makes a pitcher a top rated prospect. You are correct though, velocity does give a pitcher more room for error especially in college. The pro level is a whole nother animal that i know you are aware of, but the pro level, or scouting for the pro level, was the point of interest. I was not disputing whether he is or is not a top prospect, nor was I disputing that velocity is not a highly touted attribute. I simply stated that velocity alone does not make or break a pitcher's prospects.


I wasn't trying to call you out at all- I was actually agreeing with you. What I typed was what I hear baseball people say all the time- almost to the point where it's kind of funny.

[Will James]

I wasn't trying to call you out at all- I was actually agreeing with you. What I typed was what I hear baseball people say all the time- almost to the point where it's kind of funny.

Kind of like 5 tool player.

[Homedawg]

"he was topping out at 91 on the cape" I would like to know where you got that information from. He was just rated in the Two Top Prospect Lists for the Cape Cod league and I don't think that topping out at 91 would get that.

BTW, I'm a huge lindgren fan also and was getting breakdowns of every start this summer.
I too saw he was on a prospect list. And I will repeat e will e a good draft pick, just not a first rounder. He's not a HIGH velocity guy. And I'm not saying he throws slow. Just that he was at 91. That's about what he was here. Every blue moon I saw him hit 92 here. Sorry I won't reveal my source bc I don't think I should. Believe me or not. I'm ok w that.

[engie]

I've seen Lindgren get up to 94 regularly when he's 100%... both on my gun and a buddy's gun. He's consistent at 91-92...

He's been working hard on both a cutter and circle change. From what I've heard, the cutter is nasty -- just gotta find location and confidence in it...

[Todd4State]

Kind of like 5 tool player.

Exactly! LOL.

[EEdawg15]

I wasn't trying to call you out at all- I was actually agreeing with you. What I typed was what I hear baseball people say all the time- almost to the point where it's kind of funny.
Oh ok. I'm sorry for misunderstanding your post and for possibly coming across as argumentative and defensive. There's no doubt in my mind that he could be viewed as a potential high draft pick. I could even see a scenario where he has a Stratton like year and gets in as a late first to 3rd round pick. I do think that he will have to develop a quality 3rd pitch to accomplish that though.

[Lefthandersrule]

Can't wait to see the guys get at it on the 4th! This should be a special year. Deep in all positions.