OK after today and previous few games, gotta ask the question

[R2Dawg]

Is this Cumbest's team? Dude is showing the rest how to get it done. I think a leader has emerged.

[RougeDawg]

Is this Cumbest's team? Dude is showing the rest how to get it done. I think a leader has emerged.

Said it last year. He was and still is raw but as strong as an ox. He needed to focus on baseball to have a professional career. He can be a beast with a couple minor and easy swing tweaks. I said the other day those tweaks would make him a 25+ HR guy. He may get close to that without them. He could be a 30-35+ HR guy over 60 games with a metal bat and moving his hands a few inches. Other guys hit line drives in gaps for doubles. His line drives all have a chance to go out. Every home run he has hit is a line drive in the park for just about every other hitter in college baseball.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

Said it last year. He was and still is raw but as strong as an ox. He needed to focus on baseball to have a professional career. He can be a beast with a couple minor and easy swing tweaks. I said the other day those tweaks would make him a 25+ HR guy. He may get close to that without them. He could be a 30-35+ HR guy over 60 games with a metal bat and moving his hands a few inches. Other guys hit line drives in gaps for doubles. His line drives all have a chance to go out. Every home run he has hit is a line drive in the park for just about every other hitter in college baseball.

I like Cumbest. But he ain’t hitting 30-35 homers in 60 games.

[EdwardDrayton]

Just one anecdote for what its worth. My son and I were sitting third base Saturday after Top 7 and Cumbest jogs in to the dugout with ?lets get some more runs fellas?.

Score went from 4-1 to 8-1 including a Cumbest double.

[RougeDawg]

I like Cumbest. But he ain?t hitting 30-35 homers in 60 games.

He already has 3 through 8 games with a raw, unrefined swing. A couple tweaks including getting his hands closer to his body and a slightly different bat path to keep his hands inside the ball, he would be a beast.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

He already has 3 through 8 games with a raw, unrefined swing. A couple tweaks including getting his hands closer to his body and a slightly different bat path to keep his hands inside the ball, he would be a beast.

The NCAA leader last year hit 23 homers. If you hit too many, teams quit pitching to you. 30-35 in just 60 games isn’t possible in my opinion when you face the caliber of pitching that SEC hitters face.

[Patrick Tibbons]

He already has 3 through 8 games with a raw, unrefined swing. A couple tweaks including getting his hands closer to his body and a slightly different bat path to keep his hands inside the ball, he would be a beast.

If he hit 35 home runs, that would put him at #6 all time in a college season?

In the last 10 years, only Kris Bryant has came close to that with 31.

We should be really happy if Mule can get to 15 HRs

[RougeDawg]

If he hit 35 home runs, that would put him at #6 all time in a college season?

In the last 10 years, only Kris Bryant has came close to that with 31.

We should be really happy if Mule can get to 15 HRs

Y?all are missing the point. He?s one of the strongest raw college hitters I?ve seen in my lifetime. and I?ve been watching this game a long time. That one he hit today, and his others have bad topspin. Hard for anyone to hit one that far with that much topspin.

I?m saying if someone tweaked his hands and swing to create more backspin he would hit over 30. His routine pop ups would be souvenirs if his swing created backspin. The baseball folks here know what I?m talking about.

[Coach34]

His pitch recognition is nowhere near where it needs to be to hit 20 HR's and I love the kid. It doesnt matter where his hands are.

He will have a solid season. As I told numerous people- I liked our line-up because we had 5 people that could hit at least 15 HR's. He is one of them. We just have to get going.

[Patrick Tibbons]

Y?all are missing the point. He?s one of the strongest raw college hitters I?ve seen in my lifetime. and I?ve been watching this game a long time. That one he hit today, and his others have bad topspin. Hard for anyone to hit one that far with that much topspin.

I?m saying if someone tweaked his hands and swing to create more backspin he would hit over 30. His routine pop ups would be souvenirs if his swing created backspin. The baseball folks here know what I?m talking about.

Yes, he is strong and raw. No, he will not get close to 30. I don?t care what you or Gautreau tell him to do with his hands. Could he get 15? Absolutely. He?s still learning to consistently hit a plus breaking ball, which he will see many of in SEC play.

30 home runs in a season would make him one of the greatest power hitters to ever play in the SEC. That would be more than Rooker, Clark, Castoria and Palmeiro ever hit in a season. You just aren?t being realistic.

[OLJWales]

To hell with all you experts who football bitched early on. Dude is gonna be a MLB Player. That Padre Scout convinced me before he enrolled.

[R2Dawg]

Just one anecdote for what its worth. My son and I were sitting third base Saturday after Top 7 and Cumbest jogs in to the dugout with ?lets get some more runs fellas?.

Score went from 4-1 to 8-1 including a Cumbest double.

Cumbest iis a leader on this team and he backs it up on the field so far. We need a few more to step up. I don't care where his hands are dude has delivered. The building of this team is just starting to take shape and Brad has made a step up.

[Really Clark?]

"Creating" backspin in hitting is an older philosophy that high level coaches are backing off. Pitchers creating more and more Revs started to cause batted ball spin rates to go too high and reduce carry...sometimes a significant reduction in carry. Ball may go higher but a short distance as the Magnus effect has become too high. High level instructors are looking to reduce backspin to around 2,000-2,500 rpm's depending on the launch angle and swing path. Working on those 2 areas and eliminating any thought of attempting to create more backspin has increase exit velocity and actual distance a ball travels. This concept has been out about a pretty good while but has spread exponentially the last 5-6 years.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

Rooker won the Triple Crown in the SEC. He hit 23 homers in 67 games. We are asking Cumbest to hit an additional 7-12 homers while playing 7 less games. I love Cumbest, but it’s just not realistic.

[somebodyshotmypaw]

I will tell you an impressive power number. With dead bats or balls in 2013, Hunter Renfroe hit 16 homers. The rest of the MSU roster only hit 15 homers combined (Renfroe hit 16 of our 31 homers). Our opponents only hit 21 homers the entire year.

[Todd4State]

Yes, he is strong and raw. No, he will not get close to 30. I don?t care what you or Gautreau tell him to do with his hands. Could he get 15? Absolutely. He?s still learning to consistently hit a plus breaking ball, which he will see many of in SEC play.

30 home runs in a season would make him one of the greatest power hitters to ever play in the SEC. That would be more than Rooker, Clark, Castoria and Palmeiro ever hit in a season. You just aren?t being realistic.

Yeah. 30 would be a MSU record and the SEC record is 40 from the LSU Gorilla Ball days which isn't coming back anytime soon.

Cumbest wouldn't do that for a variety of reasons.

[Todd4State]

I'm not sure who the team leaders are. From a distance I would guess Hancock, James, Sims, and LoTan. Maybe Leggett.

[R2Dawg]

I'm not sure who the team leaders are. From a distance I would guess Hancock, James, Sims, and LoTan. Maybe Leggett.

I agree those guys are the candidates. There are different kinds of leaders - those that vocally lead, those that lead with play on field and those that do both. Obviously you choose the last one but all 3 have significant value. Cumbest has gotten it done on the field and is the early type 2 leader on this team.

The leader is the one the team looks to in crunch time, when chips are down or when the going gets tough. TA and Rowdy and a few others did it last year. Every great team has several.

[SilentSteel16]

I don’t think there is a crunch time leader except Sims. Overall, my definition of a leader is someone like Legett or Hancock. Strong silent type that picks everyone up.

[confucius say]

He's hit 3 HR against garbage pitching. Let's calm down on 20-30 HR. 12 would be great.

[Johnson85]

I'm not sure who the team leaders are. From a distance I would guess Hancock, James, Sims, and LoTan. Maybe Leggett.

I feel like it's got to be Aaron Downs or Davis Meche. Highest batting average and slugging percentage on the teams, respectively.**

[Todd4State]

I feel like it's got to be Aaron Downs or Davis Meche. Highest batting average and slugging percentage on the teams, respectively.**
Stats don't lie!**

[R2Dawg]

I don?t think there is a crunch time leader except Sims. Overall, my definition of a leader is someone like Legett or Hancock. Strong silent type that picks everyone up.

Well so far Cumbest has answered the bell every time the team needed it. Not saying he will all year. Sims certainly was as closer last year with on the field performance. He is 0-2 this year and didn't pitch well in one of them at all. I think from a pitching end he will be. Sims only has impact 1 of 4 games a week.

The quiet or silent leaders are effective if their play answers the bell and the team has faith in them (follows them). A leader has followers, that is how you know a leader. People don't follow incompetence or those that don't perform at least not unless forced.

Every time the team sees the same guy deliver, their position of lead grows. TA got that last year by constantly delivering.

Agree Legget has had some moments too. An upper classman typically helps too.

[SilentSteel16]

You all do know that leadership is not always tied to onfield production right? I was apart of some very good MLB teams not as a player but trainer and attended just about every team called meeting and road trip for about 8 years. When you think Astros you think Biggio and Bags. Yes, Biggio was a huge part of that team and he was a leader, BUT the guy that everyone respected and listened to when those meeting were called was NOT Biggio in fact he hardly spoke and that is not a shot at his leadership but Brad Ausmus was the unquestioned leader of that team.

Ausmus at this point in his career was even splitting time behind the plate and was never a big time hitter, but he was hands down the leader of those teams. Reporters would flock to Biggio, Clems and Lee for obvious reasons but I can?t tell you how many times I saw Ausmus spending time with younger players especially if they were struggling. He was notorious for building people up and he was always the first to step up and try to right the ship.

Granted Ausmus I do not believe is on this team, but don?t for a second think that on field production leads to leadership and that stats prove leadership. Leadership does not mean that is who the team wants at the plate or on the rubber in crunch time. Leadership is who builds up others and offers helping hands to others. It is great when the leader is actually the best player on the team, TA I am looking at you, but that is not always the case. I would dare say that is more of the exception than the rule.

[OLJWales]

You all do know that leadership is not always tied to onfield production right? I was apart of some very good MLB teams not as a player but trainer and attended just about every team called meeting and road trip for about 8 years. When you think Astros you think Biggio and Bags. Yes, Biggio was a huge part of that team and he was a leader, BUT the guy that everyone respected and listened to when those meeting were called was NOT Biggio in fact he hardly spoke and that is not a shot at his leadership but Brad Ausmus was the unquestioned leader of that team.

Ausmus at this point in his career was even splitting time behind the plate and was never a big time hitter, but he was hands down the leader of those teams. Reporters would flock to Biggio, Clems and Lee for obvious reasons but I can?t tell you how many times I saw Ausmus spending time with younger players especially if they were struggling. He was notorious for building people up and he was always the first to step up and try to right the ship.

Granted Ausmus I do not believe is on this team, but don?t for a second think that on field production leads to leadership and that stats prove leadership. Leadership does not mean that is who the team wants at the plate or on the rubber in crunch time. Leadership is who builds up others and offers helping hands to others. It is great when the leader is actually the best player on the team, TA I am looking at you, but that is not always the case. I would dare say that is more of the exception than the rule.

Excellent read. Thank you.

[State82]

Leadership does not mean that is who the team wants at the plate or on the rubber in crunch time. Leadership is who builds up others and offers helping hands to others. It is great when the leader is actually the best player on the team, TA I am looking at you, but that is not always the case. I would dare say that is more of the exception than the rule.

Excellent analysis and observations.