Fall Baseball Wrap-up

[messageboardsuperhero]

So with only one more scrimmage left, what has impressed/stood out the most to you this fall?

For me, it's our MIFs. It seems like every one will be great options, both in the field and at the plate. At this point, it looks like Britton as SS and Pirtle at 2B, but we'll see in the spring- Hann and Heck can play too.

[Goat Holder]

You are very correct. Britton and Pirtle are foregone conclusions IMO to be starters, and they may be the best middle infield out there. Add Rea at 1B and we're pretty serious.

Cody Walker has stood out to me from what I've heard and read. Maybe he's our Stuart Turner. Jake Vickerson has hit well too.

Edited: If it was my ideal lineup, I'd go:

C: Walker
1B: Rea
2B: Pirtle
SS: Britton
3B: Humphreys
LF: Vickerson
CF: Bradford
RF: Henderson
DH: Detz

Garner, while he's hit well, just doesn't have a spot to take at this point. The Canadians will have to wait another year as well. Plenty of spots opening up next season though. Robson, Vickerson and Swinarski are probably the outfielders, while Hann takes over at 2B. No clue on 1B. Gavin Collins will play somewhere in 2015, and Garner may be the career DH.

[CadaverDawg]

http://www.nmnathletics.com/fls/16800/pdf/bb/FallStats111813.pdf?&ATCLID=209282637&SPSID=90857&SPID=10993&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=16800

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsr1l777oY1qbfs1zo1_500.jpg

[Todd4State]

The most impressive guy to me would have to be Brandon Woodruff especially in light of the fact that he is coming off of an injury. Trevor Fitts was very good and I think he will get a rotation spot during the weekend.

Catcher was a question mark, but the way that Walker and Garner performed I don't have any questions any more.

Reid Humphries hit very well which was expected.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Our catchers have looked great to me, at least offensively. Garner is a damn hitting machine, but Walker has been very good too.

At the very least, we will see offensive improvement over last year at catcher.

ETA: That being said, Cohen always goes for defense/pitcher handling over offense for catchers- so if Randolph is that much better than Garner and Walker at that stuff, he'll factor in too. Collins is the future though.

[maroonmania]

Our catchers have looked great to me, at least offensively. Garner is a damn hitting machine, but Walker has been very good too.

At the very least, we will see offensive improvement over last year at catcher.

So if I remember Detz is a LH hitter and I believe Garner is a RH hitter. Is Garner good enough to take the DH spot over Detz when facing a LH pitcher?

[Todd4State]

Detz is going to be in the line up no matter which hand the pitcher throws with.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Detz is going to be in the line up no matter which hand the pitcher throws with.

I agree. Detz, Pirtle, and Rea are the three most important bats in our lineup.

[Will James]

I'm impressed by our depth the most. Injuries occur but we are very prepared all around. We shouldn't have a "weak" bat in the lineup this year. While Randolph hasn't been as Supermannish as Walker and Garner he's held his own at the plate. Walker and Garner have been really ****ing good though. We still have spring ball so who knows. Catcher and OF are still up in the air. I'm not quite as ready to crown Britton 100% as the starter. Seth Heck has looked damn good.

[Goat Holder]

Seth Heck has looked damn good.

He looked bad when I saw him. Looked bad at the plate and weak arm. Britton was clearly a notch above him. But there again I didn't watch the early ones.

[Todd4State]

I'm impressed by our depth the most. Injuries occur but we are very prepared all around. We shouldn't have a "weak" bat in the lineup this year. While Randolph hasn't been as Supermannish as Walker and Garner he's held his own at the plate. Walker and Garner have been really ****ing good though. We still have spring ball so who knows. Catcher and OF are still up in the air. I'm not quite as ready to crown Britton 100% as the starter. Seth Heck has looked damn good.

Yes, and that depth will help us next year when we have to replace guys like Rea and whomever else leaves. It also allows us to match-up and it allows us to have a deep bench for pinch hitting and pinch running purposes.

At this point I think Heck and Britton will platoon unless one of them emerges like Detz did last year. We're going to use two catchers regardless.

[messageboardsuperhero]

I'm impressed by our depth the most. Injuries occur but we are very prepared all around. We shouldn't have a "weak" bat in the lineup this year. While Randolph hasn't been as Supermannish as Walker and Garner he's held his own at the plate. Walker and Garner have been really ****ing good though. We still have spring ball so who knows. Catcher and OF are still up in the air. I'm not quite as ready to crown Britton 100% as the starter. Seth Heck has looked damn good.

This.^ There are no weaknesses in our lineup or in the field- everyone we'll rely on is an SEC caliber player.

[WeWonItAll(Most)]

My boy Humphreys showed out like I said he would. He hit one about 9/10 of the way up the wall in dead right center Sunday. I thought I was going to witness my first oppo home run since BBCORs

[Ronny]

..he will aways surprise you with his line-up; I think it's impossible to say who his 1-9 batting order will be come the first game.

The depth & talent are there, and the competition seems fierce, so I am not writing anybody off as a starter.

The pitching is sick; there are so many quality arms available I am not even going to speculate about the pitchers.

[MsStateBaseball]

Go read my blog. Just posted lineup and pitching for 2014.

[bully99]

Pitching may be sick, but the pitching stats in the fall haven't been. Guess you could look at it two ways, bad pitching or we have awesome hitting.

[Todd4State]

Pitching may be sick, but the pitching stats in the fall haven't been. Guess you could look at it two ways, bad pitching or we have awesome hitting.

If you look closely at the pitching stats the veterans have been pretty good. The freshmen and the JUCO's have struggled for the most part. Lindgren got killed by one bad outing where he gave up six runs. Holder was shaky at the start of scrimmages, but he has improved steadily. When you only have 5-6 outings, one bad one can kill your ERA.

[Will James]

Can Heck play LF?

[Will James]

Pitching may be sick, but the pitching stats in the fall haven't been. Guess you could look at it two ways, bad pitching or we have awesome hitting.

I wouldn't take anything from pitching stats this fall. Nothing.

[Todd4State]

Can Heck play LF?

Probably. He has the skill set to do it. If that's a possibility they need to start working on it in January. Fielding the ball and taking angles in the outfield takes a little bit of practice to do it adequately. Ask Chipper Jones and Jhonny Peralta.

One of the biggest issues with left field at Dudy-Noble is it's a little bit bigger than most left fields, so you have a little bit more room to cover.

[Will James]

Probably. He has the skill set to do it. If that's a possibility they need to start working on it in January. Fielding the ball and taking angles in the outfield takes a little bit of practice to do it adequately. Ask Chipper Jones and Jhonny Peralta.

One of the biggest issues with left field at Dudy-Noble is it's a little bit bigger than most left fields, so you have a little bit more room to cover.

Heck-LF...Robson-CF...Vickerson-RF.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Also, with regards to pitching- supposedly the umpires were told to intentionally have a really tight strike zone this fall to condition the pitchers to shove the ball in the zone. That, along with some patient hitters, is a big reason why the walk numbers were so high.

With the talent we have on the mound, combined with Butch Thompson and our defense, I'm not worried about pitching. We'll continue to have a sub-3 team ERA and strike a ton of guys out- just like we've done for the past two seasons.

[bully99]

Todd or whoever, did Cohen have any recruits on campus this weekend?

[Lefthandersrule]

I think I've said it before but hitters will have the advantage when they see the same pitchers day in and day out for 23 scrimmages plus live BP. Now with that said, I do like how well the hitters have handled our pitchers this fall. I think we have the makings of a very good season ahead of us.

[Todd4State]

Heck-LF...Robson-CF...Vickerson-RF.

CT will be out there. You may not like his K/BB ratios, but he at least hit the ball well. He also has the best range of any outfielder on the team- which is very important at Dudy-Noble. And I'm not trying to say that his K/BB ratio isn't something to worry about or downplay it- but CT hasn't had as bad a spring as some would make it out to be either.

But because of the outfield specifically at Dudy-Noble, it makes more sense to put Vickerson in left field since he would be the more experienced outfielder and has the speed to cover it and then put Heck in RF which is smaller thus giving him less room to cover and exposing him to fewer right handed pull hitters.

Demarcus had a very good spring as well and he will play a good bit- probably platooning with Robson.

The smartest thing to do is to platoon Britton and Heck and see if one emerges and play them. If they both hit well and Robson/Henderson/CT whomever all struggle, then we might move Heck out there. My guess is Cohen would be more inclined to move Humphries out there before Heck and then let Detz play third- or possibly Britton/Heck at third and keep Detz at DH.

We'll figure out what the best lineup is the first 4-6 weeks of the season and we will get the best guys out there.

[Todd4State]

Todd or whoever, did Cohen have any recruits on campus this weekend?

Yes. There were several there.

[Todd4State]

I think I've said it before but hitters will have the advantage when they see the same pitchers day in and day out for 23 scrimmages plus live BP. Now with that said, I do like how well the hitters have handled our pitchers this fall. I think we have the makings of a very good season ahead of us.

And then add in a tight strike zone like someone else said. I like the new bats too. That's going to be an advantage for us until Manieri cries about it, which is ironic in every sense of the word.

[bully99]

Cohen plays a lot of scrimmage games, seems like a lot more than most teams. Followed Palmeiros kid at NC State this fall and only played a few games. The NC State Coach said Palmeiro was likely to start at first base in the spring, something that he most likely wouldn't be doing if he came to State. Good decision by him.

[messageboardsuperhero]

And then add in a tight strike zone like someone else said. I like the new bats too. That's going to be an advantage for us until Manieri cries about it, which is ironic in every sense of the word.

Rest assured, our new Adidas bats will upset people- and this guy will be leading the charge:

http://www.cdispatch.com/images/articles/l_jg8mf3182013121209AM.jpg

[Will James]

CT will be out there. You may not like his K/BB ratios, but he at least hit the ball well.

Just his BB%. 4 BB in 80 PA this fall. He's regressed offensively every year on campus. I'll take J-Rob in CF if he is giving us that production trend.

[Todd4State]

Rest assured, our new Adidas bats will upset people- and this guy will be leading the charge:

http://www.cdispatch.com/images/articles/l_jg8mf3182013121209AM.jpg

That's from the Kendall Graveman brushback game! LOL!

You can kind of tell that the homeplate umpire is like, "ummm....no. Seriously? You want us to kick their pitcher out over that?"

[Todd4State]

Just his BB%. 4 BB in 80 PA this fall. He's regressed offensively every year on campus. I'll take J-Rob in CF if he is giving us that production trend.

He has also been hurt both years. He didn't even finish his sophomore year out and he had shoulder problems last year. My hope is that him being healthy along with bringing his hands up will yield better results.

I think the rumors about him pitching and DHing more, if they are indeed true, will help keep him healthy too.

So, I'm thinking he will be better- at least that's my hope.

[Will James]

So, I'm thinking he will be better- at least that's my hope.

Another thing is he led the team in fly ball % last year. With no power or eyes for walking, that ain't good.

[AlSwearengen]

Any chance that we might redshirt Vickerson or someone else? We seem to have a possible logjam in the outfield and it will be magnified if we stay healthy all year. After this season, we will lose Bradford and Henderson, opening up a lot of playing time.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Any chance that we might redshirt Vickerson or someone else? We seem to have a possible logjam in the outfield and it will be magnified if we stay healthy all year. After this season, we will lose Bradford and Henderson, opening up a lot of playing time.

I don't think Cohen would redshirt a legitimate leadoff candidate. Besides, with three seniors graduating, I want players with experience to take over next year.

[engie]

I wish someone had screenshots from the SEC Tourney 2012 of Mainieri literally with tears in his eyes he was so pissed late in that game against us... I've searched high and low and haven't found it online.

I think I realized at that point that, while he has a title at LSU with Smoke Laval's recruits and while he's got a sterling resume -- he is destined to be Cohen's bitch in the longterm. We'll see if I'm right or wrong over time...

[Todd4State]

Any chance that we might redshirt Vickerson or someone else? We seem to have a possible logjam in the outfield and it will be magnified if we stay healthy all year. After this season, we will lose Bradford and Henderson, opening up a lot of playing time.

If the MLB draft operated logically, we would redshirt someone. I never have liked the three year rule. The NFL does the draft right.

We also lose Armstrong after this year. As far as 2015 goes, we're going to send Rooker and Swinarski somewhere this summer to get at bats and playing time so at least one of them will be ready for this year. Cole Gordon is very talented and could potentially win a job in the outfield in 2015, and Gavin Collins can play the outfield as well.

[Todd4State]

I wish someone had screenshots from the SEC Tourney 2012 of Mainieri literally with tears in his eyes he was so pissed late in that game against us... I've searched high and low and haven't found it online.

I think I realized at that point that, while he has a title at LSU with Smoke Laval's recruits and while he's got a sterling resume -- he is destined to be Cohen's bitch in the longterm. We'll see if I'm right or wrong over time...

I'm pretty sure Skip Bertman made sure that piece of video was destroyed.

It really is like the roles between us have gotten reversed. Now Orel Hershiser is talking about how "classy and nice" their players are. We on the other hand play our ass off and don't take anything from anyone. Even if they have a billboard.

[bully99]

Unfortunately they have 6 Titles,by hook or by crook. We have zero.

[messageboardsuperhero]

I wish someone had screenshots from the SEC Tourney 2012 of Mainieri literally with tears in his eyes he was so pissed late in that game against us... I've searched high and low and haven't found it online.

I think I realized at that point that, while he has a title at LSU with Smoke Laval's recruits and while he's got a sterling resume -- he is destined to be Cohen's bitch in the longterm. We'll see if I'm right or wrong over time...

I think the MSU-LSU rivalry was renewed when Stratton and Gausman had that showdown in Baton Rouge in 2012. Since then, the series is tied 4-4 and there have been several close games- now there is even some bad blood from last year's Graveman game.

I'm hoping to make it down for our series in BR this year- I know most of our players already have it circled on the schedule. It should be a lot of fun.

[Will James]

I don't think Cohen would redshirt a legitimate leadoff candidate. Besides, with three seniors graduating, I want players with experience to take over next year.

I don't think he'd redshirt a starter either. That's what Jake-Vick is.

[Ronny]

Pitching may be sick, but the pitching stats in the fall haven't been. Guess you could look at it two ways, bad pitching or we have awesome hitting.

..like MSU fan who watches a football spring practice, & if they defense plays well, he runs to the messageboards & yells about how our offense sucks this year.

Or if the offense plays well, he runs to the messageboards & bemoans how our defense is going to suck this year.

Moreover, you do realize our pitchers are pitching to the #2 team in the nation?

Who the hell do you think is going to consistently mow down the #2 team in the nation when they come to the plate?

[bully99]

Wow! Are you really that clueless. Number 2 in the nation doesn't mean number 2 in offense. That team won with pitching, not offense and the two best hitters, Renfroe, and Frazier are not there. UCLA didnt have any problem dominating our hitters. Idiot, did you even read my post, I said we could have a good offense and that may explain the bad pitching stats. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

[messageboardsuperhero]

This is why we shouldn't worry about fall pitching stats:

Fall of 2011- 4.78 ERA
2012 season- 2.58 ERA

Fall of 2012- 3.37 ERA
2013 season- 2.79 ERA

We will be fine on the mound. I couldn't care less what the team ERA is in the fall- Butch has a proven track record here and now he has more talent than ever.


That team won with pitching, not offense and the two best hitters, Renfroe, and Frazier are not there.

And by the way, we did lose arguably our two best hitters from last year, but I expect us to score as many, if not MORE runs this year. That's saying something considering we were (I believe) 3rd-4th in the SEC in runs/game last year.

Also, let's be real- Pirtle and Detz were better offensive players than Frazier was in the regular season last year. That's not to say we won't miss Frazier because he was GREAT in the postseason and a huge reason why we got to Omaha, but his regular season production isn't totally irreplaceable.

[dickiedawg]

If the MLB draft operated logically, we would redshirt someone. I never have liked the three year rule. The NFL does the draft right.
We also lose Armstrong after this year. As far as 2015 goes, we're going to send Rooker and Swinarski somewhere this summer to get at bats and playing time so at least one of them will be ready for this year. Cole Gordon is very talented and could potentially win a job in the outfield in 2015, and Gavin Collins can play the outfield as well.

What do you mean by this? These statements seem to be contradictory.

[engie]

What do you mean by this? These statements seem to be contradictory.

Only the absolute best 15-20 players go in 3 years in the NFL... College baseball loses infinitely more than that out of high school and probably 90% of really good talent after year 3 of college.

[Ronny]

Wow! Are you really that clueless. Number 2 in the nation doesn't mean number 2 in offense. That team won with pitching, not offense and the two best hitters, Renfroe, and Frazier are not there. UCLA didnt have any problem dominating our hitters. Idiot, did you even read my post, I said we could have a good offense and that may explain the bad pitching stats. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

..if I am understanding you, you attended a practice in person & you witnessed (in your opinion) some subpar pitching performance by some of our pitchers.

If you are going to take what transpired in an isolated practice & use that to formulate the trajectory of a whole season, I am going to call you out on such stupidity.

Put that in your pipe & smoke it.

[bully99]

No buffoon, I looked at the cumulative stats for the whole fall pending the last scrimmage today. They are all over the internet. Go look at the stats and tell me how great they are. Didn't base it on one scrimmage. Real man of genius.

[mek34]

I have not been to many scrimmages but like what I see from the stats

[Will James]

No buffoon, I looked at the cumulative stats for the whole fall pending the last scrimmage today. They are all over the internet. Go look at the stats and tell me how great they are. Didn't base it on one scrimmage. Real man of genius.

Tons of fall innings aren't even going to be on the roster. Also, if umpires were instructed to have a TIGHT zone it isn't even the same environment.

Take nothing from pitching stats this fall.

[Todd4State]

What do you mean by this? These statements seem to be contradictory.

The NFL doesn't sign players out of high school, and the way their draft is set up, the NFL encourages players to stay in college for four or five years and get a degree. Sure, you can come out after three years, but it's not the norm.

I just wish the MLB draft was only college players and you have to get screened by MLB to leave after your junior year.

[Todd4State]

This is why we shouldn't worry about fall pitching stats:

Fall of 2011- 4.78 ERA
2012 season- 2.58 ERA

Fall of 2012- 3.37 ERA
2013 season- 2.79 ERA

We will be fine on the mound. I couldn't care less what the team ERA is in the fall- Butch has a proven track record here and now he has more talent than ever.



And by the way, we did lose arguably our two best hitters from last year, but I expect us to score as many, if not MORE runs this year. That's saying something considering we were (I believe) 3rd-4th in the SEC in runs/game last year.

Also, let's be real- Pirtle and Detz were better offensive players than Frazier was in the regular season last year. That's not to say we won't miss Frazier because he was GREAT in the postseason and a huge reason why we got to Omaha, but his regular season production isn't totally irreplaceable.

Those pitching stats for the fall and the regular season are very interesting. Good work.