My first complaint for Lemonis

[AlSwearengen]

I wish he would have found a game or two for Rowdey to sit. Maybe he can do it this week against Grambling. I always fealt like a couple or three days without touching a bat was the best slump buster.

Sit him against Grambling and put him back out there against Florida.

[Dawg61]

Has Rowdey lost the spectacles? He get lasik or wearing contacts now? Going your whole life wearing glasses to suddenly being able to see without them will take some time to adjust to.

[Cooterpoot]

It’s not a slump. He started slow last year too. He’ll be fine.

[Todd4State]

Here's the truth about Rowdey and what concerns me: he didn't hit well this summer either. I didn't say anything because it's early in the year and etc. but he needs to do something different and I agree he needs to sit for now.

[ShotgunDawg]

Rowdy has a massive hand hitch in his load that by definition is difficult to time up. Meaning, he will always be streaky. He has great bat speed, his swing plane is good, & he's athletic. So his ceiling is that of an impact SEC hitter, but his hitch is something that he has time up, &, like most guys that have more moving parts, he is streaky depending on how his rhythm & timing is.

[MetEdDawg]

Here's the truth about Rowdey and what concerns me: he didn't hit well this summer either. I didn't say anything because it's early in the year and etc. but he needs to do something different and I agree he needs to sit for now.

The problem I've seen is his contact has been awful. He's getting little tiny pieces of the ball and either popping out or hitting 5 hoppers to the infield. He's off on virtually everything he's seeing and it's way off, not like hitting balls right at people kind of stuff. His timing and rhythm at the plate are very poor right now. Mechanics are off.

I'm all for getting Cumbest a start against Grambling and letting Rowdey sit. Let him clear his head, spend some time around the coaches for a game, have a chance to talk and chat with them, and just watch the game.

[Gutter Cobreh]

He helped us win today. Had he not taken one and gotten on base, who knows if we score a run to tie the game back up...

If we were on a losing streak or he was costing us wins, I'd understand. He isn't, so I say let him play through it.

[HoopsDawg]

The question is if Westy was available today, who would you take out of the lineup? I think Landon Jordan is a hitter and I want him in the lineup as much as possible.

So you have 2 options, play Cumbest in LF who is very raw and who has gotten very few AB's but has a high ceiling imo. Or you could play Halter in LF where some scouts projected him. That would put LJ at 2nd base and you can still DH Jones/Gilbert.

[The Federalist Engineer]

The question is if Westy was available today, who would you take out of the lineup? I think Landon Jordan is a hitter and I want him in the lineup as much as possible.

So you have 2 options, play Cumbest in LF who is very raw and who has gotten very few AB's but has a high ceiling imo. Or you could play Halter in LF where some scouts projected him. That would put LJ at 2nd base and you can still DH Jones/Gilbert.

Cumbest should be able to hit Mendoza and it's a good investment in his future- or even platoon Cumbest and Hatcher until Rowdey claims the position with production again

[HoopsDawg]

Cumbest should be able to hit Mendoza and it's a good investment in his future- or even platoon Cumbest and Hatcher until Rowdey claims the position with production again

I hear ya, just wish we would have gotten Cumbest more AB's by now either as a LF or as a DH. He has 5 AB's on the entire year and we start SEC play this weekend.

[I seen it dawg]

Rowdey will be fine.

My first complaint on Lemonis was he wasn't fast enough getting to the mound in his power walk to get the ball throwers out. He damn sure tried tho. I like he doesn't seem to have a whole lot of patience for guys who give up free shit. Jerk their ass and go to someone else as we have the arms.

[TNDawg35]

Rowdey will be fine.

My first complaint on Lemonis was he wasn't fast enough getting to the mound in his power walk to get the ball throwers out. He damn sure tried tho. I like he doesn't seem to have a whole lot of patience for guys who give up free shit. Jerk their ass and go to someone else as we have the arms.

Shit that last time he was cussing all the way. Then when Skelton got out there looked like he said I just want someone to throw ****ing strikes!! Haha

[Todd4State]

The problem I've seen is his contact has been awful. He's getting little tiny pieces of the ball and either popping out or hitting 5 hoppers to the infield. He's off on virtually everything he's seeing and it's way off, not like hitting balls right at people kind of stuff. His timing and rhythm at the plate are very poor right now. Mechanics are off.

I'm all for getting Cumbest a start against Grambling and letting Rowdey sit. Let him clear his head, spend some time around the coaches for a game, have a chance to talk and chat with them, and just watch the game.

I agree- he may be streaky but that's even more reason to me to let him sit. Cumbest is about as good defensively and can run very well so I don't think we're losing or much of that by sitting Rowdey. So, if we're getting potentially better production without losing the speed or defense component it's a no brainer to me.


The question is if Westy was available today, who would you take out of the lineup? I think Landon Jordan is a hitter and I want him in the lineup as much as possible.

So you have 2 options, play Cumbest in LF who is very raw and who has gotten very few AB's but has a high ceiling imo. Or you could play Halter in LF where some scouts projected him. That would put LJ at 2nd base and you can still DH Jones/Gilbert.

No- I think you very obviously take out Rowdey.

C- Skelton/Jones platoon like we're doing.
1B- Allen and if he struggles more play Hatcher.
2B- Halter who is hitting .289 and looking better.
3B- Foscue
SS- Westburg
LF- Cumbest
CF- Mangum
RF- MacNamee
DH- Landon Jordan who is hitting .310

When Rowdey and/maybe Allen get their heads on right- then you maybe put them back in.

[shoeless joe]

I wish he would have found a game or two for Rowdey to sit. Maybe he can do it this week against Grambling. I always fealt like a couple or three days without touching a bat was the best slump buster.

Sit him against Grambling and put him back out there against Florida.

If he’s serious about busting this slump I think we all know what needs to be done...too bad Barnhills isn’t around anymore

[BuckyIsAB****]

He had a few hits this weekend I thought

[Commercecomet24]

Rowdy has a massive hand hitch in his load that by definition is difficult to time up. Meaning, he will always be streaky. He has great bat speed, his swing plane is good, & he's athletic. So his ceiling is that of an impact SEC hitter, but his hitch is something that he has time up, &, like most guys that have more moving parts, he is streaky depending on how his rhythm & timing is.

Good analysis. He can be successful as evidenced by last year but as you said timing is critical for him.

[Todd4State]

He had a few hits this weekend I thought

2/11 this weekend with an RBI. His batting average dropped overall.

[preachermatt83]

Rowdey will be fine.

My first complaint on Lemonis was he wasn't fast enough getting to the mound in his power walk to get the ball throwers out. He damn sure tried tho. I like he doesn't seem to have a whole lot of patience for guys who give up free shit. Jerk their ass and go to someone else as we have the arms.

Exactky!! I love LeMo's attitude with that kinda stuff. I haven't seen a single thing he's done yet that I disagree with.

[preachermatt83]

Just making sure you guys do realize there is more to the game than hitting alone.. Rowdey is OUTSTANDING defensively

[Todd4State]

Just making sure you guys do realize there is more to the game than hitting alone.. Rowdey is OUTSTANDING defensively

Right. And so is Cumbest.

[Thick]

Lemonis’s daughter told my daughter that Cumbest is not ready yet.

[MStateDawg]

If he?s serious about busting this slump I think we all know what needs to be done...too bad Barnhills isn?t around anymore

I like to think that Mark Grace has a bunch of chubby illegitimate children all over the country.

[I seen it dawg]

Right. And so is Cumbest.

How do we know? Rowdey has a full season and is a proven commodity. Cumbest hasn't played at this level. I'm not saying Cumbest can't or won't be very good but I can't sit Rowdey for him. In a month if Rowdey is still hitting .200 then maybe we pull the trigger but I still say he's gonna hit. It's a loooonnnngggg season and proven guys you can't just jerk out of the lineup. Patience.

[Todd4State]

How do we know? Rowdey has a full season and is a proven commodity. Cumbest hasn't played at this level. I'm not saying Cumbest can't or won't be very good but I can't sit Rowdey for him. In a month if Rowdey is still hitting .200 then maybe we pull the trigger but I still say he's gonna hit. It's a loooonnnngggg season and proven guys you can't just jerk out of the lineup. Patience.

Cumbest made some really good plays this spring in the preseason playing center field. I'm just concerned because it's four weeks in and he also struggled hitting in the summer leagues as well. It may not be just a slow start.

[Cooterpoot]

Cumbest has a ways to go before he can be an everyday player.

[MetEdDawg]

Cumbest made some really good plays this spring in the preseason playing center field. I'm just concerned because it's four weeks in and he also struggled hitting in the summer leagues as well. It may not be just a slow start.

Here's the thing and I think you and me agree on this. Why can't we sit Rowdey for 1 game against Grambling? Ok Cumbest isn't ready. Can he not field his position? Can he not hit baseballs? Let the man start one game at the lower end of the competition pole and give Rowdey a chance to take a load off and see the game from a different perspective.

I was concerned about what Rowdey doing last year was above the normal. I don't think anyone expected him to hit like that. I don't think he will ever hit that high again in his career at MSU. He will be in the upper middle of where he is now and where he ended up last year for his career I think. Around .270-.280

[Dawg61]

Cumbest has a ways to go before he can be an everyday player.

Doesn't appear that way at the plate. He looks pretty dang everyday player like with a bat in his hands.

[HoopsDawg]

I agree- he may be streaky but that's even more reason to me to let him sit. Cumbest is about as good defensively and can run very well so I don't think we're losing or much of that by sitting Rowdey. So, if we're getting potentially better production without losing the speed or defense component it's a no brainer to me.



No- I think you very obviously take out Rowdey.

C- Skelton/Jones platoon like we're doing.
1B- Allen and if he struggles more play Hatcher.
2B- Halter who is hitting .289 and looking better.
3B- Foscue
SS- Westburg
LF- Cumbest
CF- Mangum
RF- MacNamee
DH- Landon Jordan who is hitting .310

When Rowdey and/maybe Allen get their heads on right- then you maybe put them back in.

That takes Jones out of the lineup. I would rather have Jones bat than Cumbest right now.

[Todd4State]

Here's the thing and I think you and me agree on this. Why can't we sit Rowdey for 1 game against Grambling? Ok Cumbest isn't ready. Can he not field his position? Can he not hit baseballs? Let the man start one game at the lower end of the competition pole and give Rowdey a chance to take a load off and see the game from a different perspective.

I was concerned about what Rowdey doing last year was above the normal. I don't think anyone expected him to hit like that. I don't think he will ever hit that high again in his career at MSU. He will be in the upper middle of where he is now and where he ended up last year for his career I think. Around .270-.280

Exactly. Let Rowdey sit and see what Cumbest can do. When/if Cumbest struggles then put Rowdey back in the lineup at that point.

[Ari Gold]

If Rowdy over his next 41 Abs ( which will get him to 100) get 15 hits
He will be at .260 for the season

Everyone chill the **** out..

[Saltydog]

Hatcher can play some outfield if I'm not mistaken. I'd like to see him get a chance. He has some pop too.

[Randolph Dupree]

I worry about Rowdy not hitting about the same way as I worry about the sun not coming up. Sure it might not happen, but I doubt it.

On a side note, I finally got a chance to make it up to a game in person yesterday. I honed in on Foscue and I really like that kid. There were years in the past when a kid like that would get all the headlines but I'm not sure he gets as much praise as he deserves. He is going to be very good when his time is up here (as will others). Not trying to take away from the other players, I think it is just an indicator of how much talent we have right now. Soak it in fellas.

Not sure what's been said publicly about Westburg sitting yesterday but I think most of it has to do with the coaches wanting to see Halter and L Jordan at SS and 2B.

Also, I REALLY like every aspect of this team. Yesterday was a game we could've given up and said to hell with it (we already had the series and we've go UF coming up) but the team and staff went and got the win. That's a good sign...we take pride in winning regardless of opponent.

The relief pitching didn't show out yesterday but it appeared to me that the strike zone got pretty small for us in the late innings. I was about 10 rows up behind home plate and that's how I saw it anyway.

Looking forward to how we play next weekend, so far though I think this team is special. There's nothing I don't like about it at the moment.

[Homedawg]

Westburg is banged up. You are reading way too much into that situation. Trying to get him back 100% for sec......This is a good team. I still think we are gonna take some lumps against sec pitching, But we have the Friday sat starters to match em. Maybe we can win a bunch of 2-1 games. Either way, a regional host team we should be.

[The Federalist Engineer]

The Westburg situation is the biggest issue right now. The Rowdey and Allen issues are gonna sort itself out. He needs to put the glasses on and get the timing back, or we have three dudes ready to go: Cumbest, Hatcher, and Williams. For Allen, Gilbert and Hatcher can play 1b.

Not buying that we just wanted to see Halter at SS cause our coach does not seem to want to shake things up like that.

Good news is that we have 8 days for Westburg to recover.

[Cooterpoot]

Doesn't appear that way at the plate. He looks pretty dang everyday player like with a bat in his hands.

You’ve seen how many at bats vs quality pitching? Cumbest is a raw, athletic ball player that’s going to be good if splitting time in sports doesn’t hinder him. But he’s not ready yet. Maybe we start sliding him in midweek more to try to advance the process but I think Rowdy will be fine. Before SEC play last year he had 11 games with no or just one hit. People are freaking out too quickly. Long way to go.

[Homedawg]

The Westburg situation is the biggest issue right now. The Rowdey and Allen issues are gonna sort itself out. He needs to put the glasses on and get the timing back, or we have three dudes ready to go: Cumbest, Hatcher, and Williams. For Allen, Gilbert and Hatcher can play 1b.

Not buying that we just wanted to see Halter at SS cause our coach does not seem to want to shake things up like that.

Good news is that we have 8 days for Westburg to recover.

Williams isn't close to getting on the field.

[Randolph Dupree]

[QUOTE=The Federalist Engineer;1081398]The Westburg situation is the biggest issue right now. The Rowdey and Allen issues are gonna sort itself out. He needs to put the glasses on and get the timing back, or we have three dudes ready to go: Cumbest, Hatcher, and Williams. For Allen, Gilbert and Hatcher can play 1b.

Not buying that we just wanted to see Halter at SS cause our coach does not seem to want to shake things up like that.

I did not intend to imply there was a situation with Westburg. I don't think there is but I do think that coaches wanted to see how Halter and L Jordan handled the infield. Not for the purposes of Westburg losing a spot...just getting the other guys game reps. I think Westburg could've gone if had too.

No conspiracy theories here.

[PKADogs55]

Never know ... we have had a lot of errors already. Hope it sorts itself out.

[Todd4State]

Never know ... we have had a lot of errors already. Hope it sorts itself out.

We're in the middle of the SEC in fielding.

[Tbonewannabe]

Interesting opinions about Rowdy. On one hand playing against Grambling might help him. He gets 2 or 3 hits and maybe it jars him out of the slump. On the other hand, sometimes sitting a game helps also. That is one of those things that the coaches just need to see what feels right.

It seems like he is under the ball but I haven't looked at any stats to see if he is popping up a lot. Has he had any bad luck hitting it at people?

Just wanted to mention that Halter has made some defensive plays at SS that we haven't seen in a while. That backhand catch that was on the outfield grass in the hole between 3rd and SS was AMAZING. The guy definitely has the arm for wherever we put him.

[AlSwearengen]

Never know ... we have had a lot of errors already. Hope it sorts itself out.

One thing we seem to always have is pretty good defense in the middle of the infield. When I say that, I’m also talking about having good double play combinations.

As far as the eye test goes, Halter and Westburg will make the routine plays but aren’t quite what we are used to when it comes to turning the DP. Take into account the size difference between the two positions from last year to this year.

[Tbonewannabe]

One thing we seem to always have is pretty good defense in the middle of the infield. When I say that, I’m also talking about having good double play combinations.

As far as the eye test goes, Halter and Westburg will make the routine plays but aren’t quite what we are used to when it comes to turning the DP. Take into account the size difference between the two positions from last year to this year.

LA and Stovall had played together for a while and Stovall might be the best defensive 2nd baseman MSU has ever had. There is going to be a drop off although I think Westburg has done about as well as Alexander last year with better hitting. Halter also moved from SS to 2nd so there is some things he has to get used to on that side of the infield. Halter looked more comfortable at SS on Sunday and made some great plays.

At the end of the day, we are probably trading some defense for better hitters in the lineup. Alexander was pretty much a hole in the batting order unless the game was on the line.

[BrunswickDawg]

LA and Stovall had played together for a while and Stovall might be the best defensive 2nd baseman MSU has ever had. There is going to be a drop off although I think Westburg has done about as well as Alexander last year with better hitting. Halter also moved from SS to 2nd so there is some things he has to get used to on that side of the infield. Halter looked more comfortable at SS on Sunday and made some great plays.

At the end of the day, we are probably trading some defense for better hitters in the lineup. Alexander was pretty much a hole in the batting order unless the game was on the line.

Yeah, size of the players has little to no bearing on DP abilities. It is all about technique, positioning, and comfort level between the 2b and SS. Great DP combinations trust each other to be at the bag and be in position to make the turn allowing no delay in the throws. It is definitely one of those things in baseball where line up stability and practice make a major impact.

[Tbonewannabe]

Yeah, size of the players has little to no bearing on DP abilities. It is all about technique, positioning, and comfort level between the 2b and SS. Great DP combinations trust each other to be at the bag and be in position to make the turn allowing no delay in the throws. It is definitely one of those things in baseball where line up stability and practice make a major impact.

Westburg is about the same size and body type of ARod so it isn't like he is Judge out there. It is also how flexible you are in getting to grounders and to twist around to make the throw. LA and Stovall were both pretty smooth on defense so it made it look easier than it is.

[BrunswickDawg]

Westburg is about the same size and body type of ARod so it isn't like he is Judge out there. It is also how flexible you are in getting to grounders and to twist around to make the throw. LA and Stovall were both pretty smooth on defense so it made it look easier than it is.

Definitely. Your set up, and how you break down to the ball and position yourself to field and throw the ball efficiently and quickly. How you position your hands so you make a quick, clean exchange from glove to hand for the throw. Knowing how to make the throw - and what type of throw - and where to place it for an efficient turn. The mechanics of making the turn are huge too. Knowing where the runner is, positioning yourself on the bag in the correct location based on where the throw will be, knowing how to "phantom" the bag so you can cheat into your throw or avoid the runner. Middle infield play is my favorite part of the game defensively. I miss making a clean turn from 2nd, or making a perfect throw to lead the SS into the bag. It's as close as I'll ever get to performing ballet.

[The Federalist Engineer]

Lemonis?s daughter told my daughter that Cumbest is not ready yet.

What does your daughter know about Westburg's readiness for Gainesville.

[Tbonewannabe]

What does your daughter know about Westburg's readiness for Gainesville.

I have saw he had a shoulder issue and someone mentioned hamstring. What is his actual issue? I actually screwed up my shoulder diving into 2nd on a pickoff move and I didn't have any strength in it for about a week.

[missouridawg]

I wish he would have found a game or two for Rowdey to sit. Maybe he can do it this week against Grambling. I always fealt like a couple or three days without touching a bat was the best slump buster.

Sit him against Grambling and put him back out there against Florida.

Must exceed 200 lbs, have questionable hygiene habits, and register below a 5 on the scale.

Sit Rowdey? Shit, send him to Ricks on Tuesday night with a couple condoms.

[I seen it dawg]

Westburg is going to be fine and excel at short. Just like Rowdey will hit. Westburg is all sec SS and potentially all american material.

[Todd4State]

I have saw he had a shoulder issue and someone mentioned hamstring. What is his actual issue? I actually screwed up my shoulder diving into 2nd on a pickoff move and I didn't have any strength in it for about a week.

Bruised hip. May be out tomorrow but I fully expect him back by Friday.