Two Weeks Out Projected Starting Lineup for Baseball
Closer- Ben Davis. I think he gets the first crack at it based on what I have heard. I would not be surprised if others step up and take the job though.
Relief Ace- Tyler Pitzker. I thought he would be our closer at first and I think he closes some but I also think that we use him in a 2-3 IP role as opposed to a traditional 1 inning closer type.
Set-up- Dane Burns. I love his upside and I think he puts it together this year.
Middle relief- Brandon Sweeney. SEC experience and can throw multiple innings
Middle relief- Maddux Webb. Former Citadel closer with a good breaking ball and low 90's fastball that could contrast well with our starting pitchers.
Friday- Tomas Valinicus. He's a legit Friday night ace and is going to be really good for the next two years. He's probably my favorite pitcher on the staff right now.
Saturday- Ryan McPherson. He's ready for this spot and I think he takes a jump forward this year too.
Sunday- Duke Stone/Charlie Foster. One of the things I want to see how the staff manages are these two. Lots of interesting possibilities and could be match up based if both perform well. A four man staff like this going into the season would be John Cohen's dream.
Midweek- William Kirk. Certainly could be Stone or Foster but Kirk has improved over the fall and spring and is a potential future potential rotation piece. Obviously, this could be Stone or Foster and it could be a spot that Jack Bauer or Parker Rhodes take over too depending on where they are at. We'll bring Bauer along slowly but I would not be surprised if he ends up having a major role out of the bullpen by the time the regionals start.
C- Kevin Milewski. Mike Piazza style catcher who is more hit over defense and has 15 home run potential or more if he plays everyday.
C- Andrew Raymond. Solid catcher who is a LH hitter with some pop and is a better defensive option.
1B- Noah Sullivan/Blake Bevis/Reed Stallman. Noah will be in the lineup everyday. Except for opening day because he is suspended for getting ejected in the final game last year. Playing 1B will open up DH for some other players and Bevis and Stallman are good RH/LH match up options when Noah DH's.
2B- Gehrig Frei/Drew Wyers. I think Frei will be in the lineup and will mostly hit LH and Wyers is a really good player who I think will play a lot also. Frei and obviously DH and play the OF too and Wyers can play SS.
3B- Ace Reese. Golden Spikes candidate and I think we see an improved defensive version of him this year. Very possible that he hits 20+ home runs this year.
SS- Ryder Woodson. If I have a concern anywhere right now it's at SS and wanting to see how Woodson adjusts to the SEC. I think he will be fine and I think he starts opening day. But if he struggles, I think we put Wyers here or maybe Gatlin Sanders who has been practicing a lot at SS. Gat can also play 2B too if that ends up working out better with Wyers at SS and we can also use Chone James at 2B as well in addition to Frei of course.
RF- James Nunnalee. He's a leadoff type hitter but that's probably next year honestly. Has good speed and is very good defensively and will be tough to strike out. If we go the match up route with him, I think this is where Vytas Valinicus could play some. He is more of a traditional RF with power who has good defense.
CF- Aiden Teel. He's an everyday guy who could play himself into the first round with a strong season. Very close to a five tool player.
LF- Bryce Chance/Frei/Justin Parker. This is an interesting and probably polarizing group. Chance is a solid player and he will likely start on opening day. He has become much better defensively and will be moving back to a position that suits him better IMO. Without him being one of the star players on the team I hope we see his strikeouts go down with the pressure off of him. Getting better match ups will help him too. Frei obviously can play here. Of all the freshmen hitters, I think Parker is the one that might bust out and have a big year. I actually think he is a bit underrated as this is a guy who has won national Home run hitting contests. Would not be shocked at all if he is starting by the time the postseason starts.
DH- Noah. And friends.
There will be a press conference on Monday so it will be interesting to see what Brian O'Connor has to say about the team and see if my thoughts and his align and also how they differ.
