Baseball Thoughts

[ShotgunDawg]

The road to the SEC Title & Omaha is going through Starkville this year & the road to the national title is going through MSU.

Any concerns & solutions I mention here are not in the spirit of criticism, but in the spirit of wanting MSU to built as air tight, national championship caliber team as possible.

With that said, I'm going to put on my GM hat & unpack this baseball team.....


- Small & Ginn are awesome & Mangum is at a different level of hitting ability than most anyone I've seen in the SEC in my life time. Enough said & I'm not going to mention those guys again.

- This team is as mentally tough as any MSU baseball I've seen. They absolutely do not give in & make you earn 27 outs to beat them. They give away ZERO ABs & approach every at-bat as if the national championship is on the line. They are an absolute grind. Not sure I've seen a more focused lineup from pitch to pitch than this one in college baseball.

- I continue to be super impressed by this staff. There is absolutely no panic in Lemo & he sticks with his most talented players. This is a breath of fresh air honestly. Very much like Ron Polk in that regard. The more I see, the more I think Cohen made one hell of a hire here.

- Props to the coaching staff for reading ED & realizing that we needed a right-handed DH vs lefties. I'm cool with Hatcher vs righties, but Cumbest is dynamic, &, while he doesn't have the most fluid or pretty swing, he's incredibly strong, quick twitch, & stays on the baseball extremely well. I think with his approach & the way he stays on the ball, he'll be able to hit righties as well & just be the full time DH. Biggest thing for right handed hitters is to be able to handle the slider away & I think Combest can do that. Major props to the staff for seeing the need & addressing it.

- The improvement of Dustin Skelton is next level player development & an absolute validation of this staff. They've turned a complete liability into a team strength. Guy has been fantastic. No single player has improved more.

- Jordan Westburg is a future Major League player in the making. Reminds me so much Paul DeJong with the Cardinals. Power hitting SS that doesn't have a ton of range but has reliable hands & an accurate, strong arm. The modern analytics & shifts make it easier to play a guy like Westburg as SS due to being able to position them better from batter to batter. Lessens the need for plus range at the position.

- Foscue has been a rock & Gunner Halter is slowly turning into an above average 2B in this league. Just like JUCO's in football, he needed his adjustment & has been very productive.

Now the pitching staff:

- First thing that stands out to me is we are getting nothing out of Keegan James because he's in the wrong role. Keegan's fastball is fairly straight & thus when he has to dial it down the low 90s, it gets ripped. First thing I would do is move Keegan to the bullpen & start Plumlee on Sunday until Cerantola is ready. I'm not sure if Plumlee can be a productive Sunday starter, but neither is Keegan & this move would help solidify our bullpen with a 95+ mph arm & Keegan would be more successful because his straight fastball would now be thrown in the mid-90s & have a much higher chance of success. Moving Keegan to the 6th-7th inning role would give us a 2 inning reliever, which we desperately need. Championships, #1 seeds, & SEC titles are won on the weekend, not the mid-week. Even if this move cost us a weekday game, it's worth it.

- While we are talking about the bullpen, one major problem I see is that we lack much uniqueness. Essentially, our entire middle reliever unit are sinker/slider guys that look very much the same to the hitters. While their velocities may differ slightly, they (Leibelt, Smith, & Price) are essentially trying to get hitters out the same way. What I would give for a Saunders Ramsey or Ross Mitchell type, unique reliever that gave the hitters a completely different look. Gordon & White differ a little in their style from the sinker/slider guys, but it's still a similar look from a similar arm slot. We need more uniqueness to mix it up. Not sure where that comes. from though.

All together, there aren't many issues & they are all 1st world problems.

In review:

1. Keep Cumbest as the DH
2. Move Keegan to the pen where he has a chance to be successful & plug a hole.
3. Move Plumlee to the Sunday spot & hope for 4 - 5 innings.
4. Find someone on this team that can create some uniqueness out of the bullpen & offer the hitters a different look from a different slot.

Big series next weekend. We are going to win this thing!

[Homedawg]

Plumlee like Keegan, will get rocked some on sundays and be effective on some. Kegan is pitching scared. He has good move to on his 2 seamer. It might not have shown because he's pitching tight and that can have an affect on movement through grip pressure, backing off arm speed etc. he was good in the cape, he has way more upside than plumlee. With that said, maybe he needs a mid week outing to gain confidence. But he's our best shot stuff wise on Sunday and it's not close.

[Jack Lambert]

I hope our Sunday pitching gets better. If we lose on Friday it is going to be hard to win a series. I will give this team credit. They hate to lose and they will fight their asses off not to lose a series! Chances are if we had won Friday we probably would have lost today.

[ShotgunDawg]

Plumlee like Keegan, will get rocked some on sundays and be effective on some. Kegan is pitching scared. He has good move to on his 2 seamer. It might not have shown because he's pitching tight and that can have an affect on movement through grip pressure, backing off arm speed etc. he was good in the cape, he has way more upside than plumlee. With that said, maybe he needs a mid week outing to gain confidence. But he's our best shot stuff wise on Sunday and it's not close.

I agree, but Keegan has no chance as a starter unless we are just going to call him an "opener" & tell him to blow it out for 2 innings. I'd rather at least get something out of him by making him a reliever.

A mid-week game isn't going to help Keegan. His fastball lacks enough life to be successful in the low 90s. He has to throw in the mid-90s to be successful.

[ShotgunDawg]

I hope our Sunday pitching gets better. If we lose on Friday it is going to be hard to win a series.

Everyone else has bad Sunday pitching as well.

[basedog]

Gun, u thanking Lemonis for reading ED made me laugh. If he read and took advice from ED then Skelton, Rowdy nor Halter would not have played this weekend. So many who post give up o so many players, teams and coaches.

HailState!

[ShotgunDawg]

Gun, u thanking Lemonis for reading ED made me laugh. If he read and took advice from ED then Skelton, Rowdy nor Halter would not have played this weekend. So many who post give up o so many players, teams and coaches.

HailState!

I don't believe I called for any of those things

[basedog]

I don't believe I called for any of those things

Never said u did, never mentioned names. I'm learning**

[Homedawg]

I don't believe I called for any of those things

Yeah you said Rowdey wasn't going to hit because of his hitch or whatever it was. I'm not going back to find it but you said it and in fact. Shoeless joe said he hit last year he'll hit again and you said no his problem
Was almost impossible to fix. And I'm paraphrasing but it's on the record.

[shoeless joe]

Baseball is such a fickle game...I just hope we aren’t peaking too early. But I love this team, how they’re put together, their mental toughness, and their past experiences.

Also find it interesting that one hot topic was completely overlooked in your post...

[basedog]

Yeah you said Rowdey wasn't going to hit because of his hitch or whatever it was. I'm not going back to find it but you said it and in fact. Shoeless joe said he hit last year he'll hit again and you said no his problem
Was almost impossible to fix. And I'm paraphrasing but it's on the record.

Just maybe Lemonis did read what was Rowdy's problem and passed the info on***

[ShotgunDawg]

Yeah you said Rowdey wasn't going to hit because of his hitch or whatever it was. I'm not going back to find it but you said it and in fact. Shoeless joe said he hit last year he'll hit again and you said no his problem
Was almost impossible to fix. And I'm paraphrasing but it's on the record.

Nope. I didn't say that either.

I said Rowdey had a hitch in his load that will always make him streaky. It's still not fixed, but it is on time right now.

[ShotgunDawg]

Just maybe Lemonis did read what was Rowdy's problem and passed the info on***

Maybe you & Homedawg can't read

[ShotgunDawg]

Baseball is such a fickle game...I just hope we aren’t peaking too early. But I love this team, how they’re put together, their mental toughness, and their past experiences.

Also find it interesting that one hot topic was completely overlooked in your post...

We are most certainly not peaking right now.

[ShotgunDawg]

For those that can't read

https://i.imgur.com/pBcSwaJ.jpg

[basedog]

Maybe you & Homedawg can't read

Gun, no brother you can't read, never mentioned u! Maybe I will go read your expert hitting advice and understand better**

[Homedawg]

Nope. I didn't say that either.

I said Rowdey had a hitch in his load that will always make him streaky. It's still not fixed, but it is on time right now.

Hahaha.

[Homedawg]

Maybe you & Homedawg can't read

I said paraphrasing. So no I'm not wrong. I can read fine and yeah you left out you wanted him on the bench Bc his load or whatever was asses up. Screen shot that one too

[basedog]

I said paraphrasing. So no I'm not wrong. I can read fine and yeah you left out you wanted him on the bench Bc his load or whatever was asses up. Screen shot that one too

Homedog bringing some heat, no hitch in that load, LOL.

[ShotgunDawg]

I said paraphrasing. So no I'm not wrong. I can read fine and yeah you left out you wanted him on the bench Bc his load or whatever was asses up. Screen shot that one too

I never said I wanted him on the bench one time. Not one time.

Keep making things up. Pathetic

[99jc]

I never said I wanted him on the bench one time. Not one time.

Keep making things up. Pathetic

shotgun why do you and C34 have the same IP address? Your Caught!

[CadaverDawg]

Keegan definitely doesn't feel like the answer on Sundays, and he does himself no favors by falling behind in so many counts and missing spots. Damn near impossible to get people out when you're constantly having to throw fastballs on 2-0 and 3-1 counts. If he would work ahead, he might last more than 2-3 innings and not give up 4-5 runs. That being said, I still don't like him as the Sunday starter, and I agree with Gun that his fastball is flat.

With Ginn & Small going deep into games, I think we could use a strategic "committee" type of approach, but it would need to be well thought out. For instance, we could start Cerantola and see how many he can give us (especially if we need him to become the guy)....and once he's done, go with Eagan or Barlow or even the kid that throws midweek for us, and try to get one or two innings at a different arm slot. Then come back with Keegan or Plumlee, then a Lefty, and try to just go back and forth righty/lefty a time or two through the order. But by starting Cerantola, at least we're grooming him to be the Sunday guy full time, but we're ready with a plan (and a guy loose in the pen from the start) in case he just goes 1 inning.

I don't know, just trying to think of some way to get as good or better production as James (which shouldn't be hard), while actually preparing ourselves to be better on Sunday come postseason time and next year. Bc if James hasn't become a reliable Sunday guy yet, it might be time to realize it ain't going to happen. So I'd love to see Plumlee or Cerantola trot out there next Sunday for starters

[Bothrops]

We have too many hitters to go completely cold on offense. It's just a bunch of dirtbags that like to give it a whack. When some go cold, others will keep us productive at the plate. I expect them to win most of Sundays when the pitching isn't there.

[ShotgunDawg]

Keegan definitely doesn't feel like the answer on Sundays, and he does himself no favors by falling behind in so many counts and missing spots. Damn near impossible to get people out when you're constantly having to throw fastballs on 2-0 and 3-1 counts. If he would work ahead, he might last more than 2-3 innings and not give up 4-5 runs. That being said, I still don't like him as the Sunday starter, and I agree with Gun that his fastball is flat.

With Ginn & Small going deep into games, I think we could use a strategic "committee" type of approach, but it would need to be well thought out. For instance, we could start Cerantola and see how many he can give us (especially if we need him to become the guy)....and once he's done, go with Eagan or Barlow or even the kid that throws midweek for us, and try to get one or two innings at a different arm slot. Then come back with Keegan or Plumlee, then a Lefty, and try to just go back and forth righty/lefty a time or two through the order. But by starting Cerantola, at least we're grooming him to be the Sunday guy full time, but we're ready with a plan (and a guy loose in the pen from the start) in case he just goes 1 inning.

I don't know, just trying to think of some way to get as good or better production as James (which shouldn't be hard), while actually preparing ourselves to be better on Sunday come postseason time and next year. Bc if James hasn't become a reliable Sunday guy yet, it might be time to realize it ain't going to happen. So I'd love to see Plumlee or Cerantola trot out there next Sunday for starters

I like the Cerantola idea. Hell, if he blows up, then that ain't no different than what is already happening. At least he gives you a chance.

[CadaverDawg]

I like the Cerantola idea. Hell, if he blows up, then that ain't no different than what is already happening. At least he gives you a chance.

I agree

[The Federalist Engineer]

I like the Cerantola idea. Hell, if he blows up, then that ain't no different than what is already happening. At least he gives you a chance.

That's what we did with Pilkington in 16. I think Brandon Smith or Cerantola could be Sunday. Then we bring KJ and Plumlee from the pen.

[basedog]

shotgun why do you and C34 have the same IP address? Your Caught!

You think?

[Duckdog]

Whats the word on Breaux??? Sunday's game was a real fun game. Oh and the Dude is awesome!!!!!

[Cooterpoot]

I like the Cerantola idea. Hell, if he blows up, then that ain't no different than what is already happening. At least he gives you a chance.

He’s not there yet. Has had some struggles against weak teams. Maybe later in the season.

[BuckyIsAB****]

How many more teams are we going to play that hit 80 ground ball singles? I do agree that sunday pitching and the bullpen have had some struggles but they, like the rest kept battling. Brandon Smith has a bright future so does Cerantola. I hate to see what has happened to Spencer Price. He was legit before the injury. Self is still there and reliable. Dont forget he was our closer and has came thru in some big moments. Gordon is a perfect example of this team, former PH turned into a closer. Gritty and will cut your throat, never quit. White needs one more pitch to be the real deal, hard to beat people with nothing but a good fastball. I expect to see James run out there on Saturday again. We will probably platoon it like Cadaver said and Im fine with that

[Tbonewannabe]

Maybe we just need to tell Keegan that he needs to just go hard and the bullpen will pick up what is left. Sunday is kind of by committee anyway so just let him go as long as he can whether that is 2 or 4 innings.

[ShotgunDawg]

He’s not there yet. Has had some struggles against weak teams. Maybe later in the season.

Agree but who is there ?

[StarkVegasSteve]

A few thoughts from a great weekend of baseball:

1)I wouldn't mind going to the staff approach on Sundays, the only problem with relying on it is if Small or Ginn have a bad outing and we have to go to the pen a lot the first two games. Keegan could be perfect in that Trevor Fitts or Ben Bracewell role. We just need to find a Girodo, Mitchell, or a Zac Houston who can come in and eat and innings and get outs. I think we could use either Plumlee or Cerantola in that role.

2) Loved what I saw from Riley Self yesterday. Really looked like the cutter was spinning well again and the velocity is getting back up there again. He's a piece we need to have to be able to make that final push to make sure the Road to Omaha runs through Starkville

3) Was really proud of Cole for battling back from giving up the homer to settle down and still get outs. He's been getting roughed up a bit lately, but stayed the course and didn't allow any further damage.

4) The improvement of Dustin Skelton has been otherworldly. I called for it at the start of the year that I thought he'd be our most improved player, but not this much improvement this early. I really think how well Jones and Gilbert swung the bat early really motivated Skelton even more.

5) Jake will be Jake. We're truly watching something special every time he comes to the ballpark. The intensity he plays with is something that can't be taught or coached into a player. He's just got that IT.

6) Rowdey's Back.

[Tbonewannabe]

A few thoughts from a great weekend of baseball:

1)I wouldn't mind going to the staff approach on Sundays, the only problem with relying on it is if Small or Ginn have a bad outing and we have to go to the pen a lot the first two games. Keegan could be perfect in that Trevor Fitts or Ben Bracewell role. We just need to find a Girodo, Mitchell, or a Zac Houston who can come in and eat and innings and get outs. I think we could use either Plumlee or Cerantola in that role.

2) Loved what I saw from Riley Self yesterday. Really looked like the cutter was spinning well again and the velocity is getting back up there again. He's a piece we need to have to be able to make that final push to make sure the Road to Omaha runs through Starkville

3) Was really proud of Cole for battling back from giving up the homer to settle down and still get outs. He's been getting roughed up a bit lately, but stayed the course and didn't allow any further damage.

4) The improvement of Dustin Skelton has been otherworldly. I called for it at the start of the year that I thought he'd be our most improved player, but not this much improvement this early. I really think how well Jones and Gilbert swung the bat early really motivated Skelton even more.

5) Jake will be Jake. We're truly watching something special every time he comes to the ballpark. The intensity he plays with is something that can't be taught or coached into a player. He's just got that IT.

6) Rowdey's Back.

If the season stopped right now, Skelton is probably 1st team All SEC and getting mentions for All American teams. The best thing is his defense has improved as much as his bat. He is handling the pitching staff great also.

[The Federalist Engineer]

A few thoughts from a great weekend of baseball:

1)I wouldn't mind going to the staff approach on Sundays, the only problem with relying on it is if Small or Ginn have a bad outing and we have to go to the pen a lot the first two games. Keegan could be perfect in that Trevor Fitts or Ben Bracewell role. We just need to find a Girodo, Mitchell, or a Zac Houston who can come in and eat and innings and get outs. I think we could use either Plumlee or Cerantola in that role.

2) Loved what I saw from Riley Self yesterday. Really looked like the cutter was spinning well again and the velocity is getting back up there again. He's a piece we need to have to be able to make that final push to make sure the Road to Omaha runs through Starkville

3) Was really proud of Cole for battling back from giving up the homer to settle down and still get outs. He's been getting roughed up a bit lately, but stayed the course and didn't allow any further damage.

4) The improvement of Dustin Skelton has been otherworldly. I called for it at the start of the year that I thought he'd be our most improved player, but not this much improvement this early. I really think how well Jones and Gilbert swung the bat early really motivated Skelton even more.

5) Jake will be Jake. We're truly watching something special every time he comes to the ballpark. The intensity he plays with is something that can't be taught or coached into a player. He's just got that IT.

6) Rowdey's Back.

I would add as (7) Cumbest is now SEC certified, he's a freak, he's a natural. Can you imagine the thoughts of the Auburn 3B'man when a 245 lb football tight-end was lumbering to him at full speed on the triple? I wonder if this dude is not the new Mangum.

Also, we do have a Zac Houston on this team, named Cole Gordon and we use him as a closer. I think KJ will be alright. Plumlee is not really that different. Centrola scared us at midweek. Brandon Smith scared us yesterday.

[Todd4State]

Good thoughts Shotgun. We need to pitch Tyler Spring more. Agree on Cerentola.

[StarkVegasSteve]

I would add as (7) Cumbest is now SEC certified, he's a freak, he's a natural. Can you imagine the thoughts of the Auburn 3B'man when a 245 lb football tight-end was lumbering to him at full speed on the triple? I wonder if this dude is not the new Mangum.

Also, we do have a Zac Houston on this team, named Cole Gordon and we use him as a closer. I think KJ will be alright. Plumlee is not really that different. Centrola scared us at midweek. Brandon Smith scared us yesterday.

Agreed with Cumbest, I still think we need to get Hatcher some ABs as well. He's been swinging it well also. It's amazing the change in hitting from last year to this year. Last year we were hoping to have games where 2 or 3 people hit well. Yesterday all 9 starters had at least one RBI. Gautreau has been a godsend for this team. Let's hold onto him as long as we can because there's no doubt he will be a HC very soon.

[BuckyIsAB****]

I love Combest but I would expect him to pick football or baseball. Its going to be hard for him to do both and be as good as he can be, he has a legitimate chance to be the best TE/H back we have on the roster and Moorhead loves to use those guys in the RPO game.

[msbulldog]

I love Combest but I would expect him to pick football or baseball. Its going to be hard for him to do both and be as good as he can be, he has a legitimate chance to be the best TE/H back we have on the roster and Moorhead loves to use those guys in the RPO game.

Bucky, where's his money to be made? Football, better be a Gronk or a legitimate power hitter in MLB?

[I seen it dawg]

Sorry i wasn't around much for the series but I did catch most of Friday (drunk) and all of Sunday. Was in Las Vegas for March Madness. That said I have a lot of the same thoughts that are in this thread. Guys have a lot of good stuff in here so no need to reinvent the wheel just add a few thoughts of my own.

Mea culpa on a couple with caveats...
Skelton...Shit I'm glad he didn't get thrown away. BUT he is getting his ass coached off and he has responded. He finally grew up and made the decision to be good. We are the beneficiary.

Halter...He just needed time. Staff has handled him perfectly all the while knowing what he could do in his role. Sat him at times when needed but stuck with him and now he's a huge part of our success hitting 9 and playing defense.

Cumbest...he is now SEC ready. Tremendously fast learner and as said earlier potential superstar. Kid went really quickly from overmatched to acting like a baseball Gronk (also noted earlier)

Opposite of mea culpa....Rowdey will hit. Where y'all at you know who you are.

Keegan has got to quit pitching like a *****. He has too much talent to hold back and nibble. Throw the ****ing baseball and compete. Turn it loose. 2 innings or 5 innings or whatever pitch like your ass is on fire and see what happens. He can be the guy he just has to decide. Staff is sticking with him for now but it has to be frustrating knowing the talent he won't turn loose. If he will turn the corner it is beyond huge obviously and it also helps our bullpen by shortening the hitters they have to see.

Bullpen needs to start locating better. Way too inconsistent which is very evident. We've still got talent down there but they need to rally. Our offense is so good right now we can weather it until they figure it out. But they have to figure it out.

Pretty good when our hole, which it isn't really one, in the lineup is our DH. Our offense is salty and it's not a peak and valley group. Too many guys that grind every pitch every night. It's contagious and bc it's a mentality it can last the season. We are hell to deal with.

Staff. Phenomenal job. Looks like a great hire.

Off topic but not...did they change the rule of how many and who dresses? Saw a lot of names in handshake line that won't ever step on the field and there were a lot of players in quantity. Curious on that one as I don't know....

[The Federalist Engineer]

I love Combest but I would expect him to pick football or baseball. Its going to be hard for him to do both and be as good as he can be, he has a legitimate chance to be the best TE/H back we have on the roster and Moorhead loves to use those guys in the RPO game.


Be Mike Trout or catch 2 passes against UAB during a homecoming game that no one will remember?

I'm sure Gautreau will give Big Brad a true Scott Boras Corporation level assessment of his baseball potential.

But why a conflict? if Oklahoma can have a QB play two sports, certainly a 3rd/4th string TE can play two sports. Only problem is that MSU is a real university and OU is not. Kyler probably had no major, never took a test, and walked around with a backpack full of Snickers bars instead of books.

[SheltonChoked]

Nope. I didn't say that either.

I said Rowdey had a hitch in his load that will always make him streaky. It's still not fixed, but it is on time right now.


Rowdy's mechanical issue can't be fixed. ... Just throwing that out there. Not everything can be fixed.

LOL

[Homedawg]

Sorry i wasn't around much for the series but I did catch most of Friday (drunk) and all of Sunday. Was in Las Vegas for March Madness. That said I have a lot of the same thoughts that are in this thread. Guys have a lot of good stuff in here so no need to reinvent the wheel just add a few thoughts of my own.

Mea culpa on a couple with caveats...
Skelton...Shit I'm glad he didn't get thrown away. BUT he is getting his ass coached off and he has responded. He finally grew up and made the decision to be good. We are the beneficiary.

Halter...He just needed time. Staff has handled him perfectly all the while knowing what he could do in his role. Sat him at times when needed but stuck with him and now he's a huge part of our success hitting 9 and playing defense.

Cumbest...he is now SEC ready. Tremendously fast learner and as said earlier potential superstar. Kid went really quickly from overmatched to acting like a baseball Gronk (also noted earlier)

Opposite of mea culpa....Rowdey will hit. Where y'all at you know who you are.

Keegan has got to quit pitching like a *****. He has too much talent to hold back and nibble. Throw the ****ing baseball and compete. Turn it loose. 2 innings or 5 innings or whatever pitch like your ass is on fire and see what happens. He can be the guy he just has to decide. Staff is sticking with him for now but it has to be frustrating knowing the talent he won't turn loose. If he will turn the corner it is beyond huge obviously and it also helps our bullpen by shortening the hitters they have to see.

Bullpen needs to start locating better. Way too inconsistent which is very evident. We've still got talent down there but they need to rally. Our offense is so good right now we can weather it until they figure it out. But they have to figure it out.

Pretty good when our hole, which it isn't really one, in the lineup is our DH. Our offense is salty and it's not a peak and valley group. Too many guys that grind every pitch every night. It's contagious and bc it's a mentality it can last the season. We are hell to deal with.

Staff. Phenomenal job. Looks like a great hire.

Off topic but not...did they change the rule of how many and who dresses? Saw a lot of names in handshake line that won't ever step on the field and there were a lot of players in quantity. Curious on that one as I don't know....

I believe you can dress everyone at home. Of course, some of those are not on your participating roster

[BuckyIsAB****]

Be Mike Trout or catch 2 passes against UAB during a homecoming game that no one will remember?

I'm sure Gautreau will give Big Brad a true Scott Boras Corporation level assessment of his baseball potential.

But why a conflict? if Oklahoma can have a QB play two sports, certainly a 3rd/4th string TE can play two sports. Only problem is that MSU is a real university and OU is not. Kyler probably had no major, never took a test, and walked around with a backpack full of Snickers bars instead of books.

Cumbest has a real shot at significant playing time at TE/H. He is legit. Him and Spivey are both freaks and like I said, watch Moorhead at Penn St when he had it humming and their TE/H back got the ball plenty.

[Todd4State]

With Cumbest I think it would depend on what he has a better shot at playing in the pros. I'm not sure what his football ceiling is although I think he could be a pro prospect. With baseball I think he could possibly develop into a first round pick. He reminds me a lot of Hunter Renfroe. Except Cumbest is bigger and further along at this stage.

[The Federalist Engineer]

With Cumbest I think it would depend on what he has a better shot at playing in the pros. I'm not sure what his football ceiling is although I think he could be a pro prospect. With baseball I think he could possibly develop into a first round pick. He reminds me a lot of Hunter Renfroe. Except Cumbest is bigger and further along at this stage.

Aaron Judge was also a TE prospect with scholarships to ND, Stanford, and UCLA to consider. He went to Fresno State to play baseball and he will be signing a half-Billion dollar contract to play baseball in couple of years

Not saying that Cumbest is going to be Judge, guaranteed, but he can play for a baseball program that routinely has #1 draft picks. I would rather be the MSU right fielder than a MSU TE if this is about the future.

[Todd4State]

Aaron Judge was also a TE prospect with scholarships to ND, Stanford, and UCLA to consider. He went to Fresno State to play baseball and he will be signing a half-Billion dollar contract to play baseball in couple of years

Not saying that Cumbest is going to be Judge, guaranteed, but he can play for a baseball program that routinely has #1 draft picks. I would rather be the MSU right fielder than a MSU TE if this is about the future.

Yes. And I saw something on ESPN about pro salaries and MLB had the highest of the sports world in America (didn't list soccer) at least at the high end. So MLB had the highest highest salary. Also with football you look at guys like Gronk who retire at 29 and I'm sure he will probably do some TV stuff and whatnot...but in MLB the odds are that if you make it (meaning become a regular starting player) you can probably play at a high level until about age 36 meaning you get more millions over a longer number of years unless you play QB which is a position that the NFL protects.

Those are things that would factor into my decision if I were in his shoes. We're going to have to see how things pan out for him in three years because honestly unless he is the top TE in the draft I would guess that odds are his best career move would be to play baseball.