Double Play MachineQuote:
Originally Posted by MaroonFlounder
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Double Play MachineQuote:
Originally Posted by MaroonFlounder
Hancock will have a big year for us.Quote:
Originally Posted by Leeshouldveflanked
3 last yearQuote:
Originally Posted by Leeshouldveflanked
But still.... try not to use facts when shooting down a bad take!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Really Clark?
Opinions only welcome hereQuote:
Originally Posted by Homedawg
You are confusing him with CumbestQuote:
Originally Posted by Leeshouldveflanked
Offense will be fine. Wasn't the issue last year.
The issue is we don't have an ace and we're going to have to use our bullpen a lot. Nixon and Dohm are huge additions. Pico adding velocity is encouraging. Holcombe looks promising. We have some freshmen that could help too.
The issue is Foxhall isn't very creative with how he uses the staff and he lets guys go way too long. He's going to have to channel his inner Butch Thompson to make this work.
I was there Friday. Dakota HR was the furthest ball I've seen hit there since Niko for ND. The analytics I was told was 450 ft and 113 exit velocity. It was 0-2 and pico tried to elevate a fastball. Cleared the stadium and landed at the base of the condos.
Dohm was very impressive. 96-98. Located well. Slider was 89.
Ledbetter hit two rockets for doubles to left center. That's oppo for him.
Hines hit a rocket HR to right.
Kellum tripled off the wall in center.
Highfill double off the wall in right. Oppo
Cade was sharp. KC was not.
You may be surprised.Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd4State
Hopefully I am. In a good way.Quote:
Originally Posted by basedog
Yeah, I think too many people are putting too much on last years melt down as a sign for this year. We also added some really strong pieces - but our inferiority complex says "we aren't good because LSU got better transfers".Quote:
Originally Posted by basedog
A lot of experts in this thread.
We really need Loftin or Loo to be Paul Maholm 2.0 as freshmen where they come in and are top of the weekend rotation caliber as freshmen. We lack an ace. It is what it is. Skenes would have addressed that. We can still be good but we're going to have to be forward thinking to do it. I think we have the talent to do it. Nixon, Dohm, and Holcombe are all mid-upper 90's guys. Tyler Davis has looked good and Pico has increased his velocity. We need all of those guys and we need them to stay healthy. We're going to need them to be 2-3 inning guys right out of the gate. Stinnett needs to step up but he's a head case. I think we should just let him start midweek and leave him there unless he melts down- again. Which is possible. Need some of the freshmen to contribute right away no matter what.Quote:
Originally Posted by BrunswickDawg
Oh and Foxhall can't "save" guys only to not use them on the weekend. That was complete BS last year. Especially when he's throwing our SS out there.
Base, outside of Cade, how do you feel right now about this pitching staff? Love your info.Quote:
Originally Posted by basedog
The dead Arapahoes gave us what we had begged for 2 years ago and then bitch-slapped us right back in our place last year by not only letting our hated rivals win it, but win it while we finished dead last in the SEC.
After this 1-7 SEC Basketball start, I ain?t buying into any positive thoughts having to do with a ball that is completely round.
Im not sure Skenes is an ace in the sec.Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd4State
Gartman had a better 2022 on the mound than Skenes when you look at their numbers and opponents. Better whip (under 1.0), strikeouts the same, innings the same, era .77 higher, but Gartman faced much better competition.
Skenes didn't pitch against a team all regular season that made the ncaa tourney. Not one. He only pitched against one power 5 team all regular season and was shelled, didn't make it through the 4th inning, and had a era of 11.
Then in the ncaa tourney he was shelled again, didn't make it past the 4th, and era was 9.00.
He didn't pitch against anybody else any good last year. Below are all his appearances.
Iowa - shelled
Navy - 19-26 record
Nevada twice - 29-26 record
Unlv three times - 36-22 record
New Mexico twice - 21-33 record
Fresno state twice - 27-28 record
Cal Baptist - 36-20 record
San Diego State - 18-38 record
San Jose State - 30-29 record
Texas - shelled
As we all know injuries last year to our pitching staff killed us. I will add, I also think we didn’t handle the off season very well with all of the celebrations, both players and fans.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cowbell
Practice is one thing but games are the measuring stick. If our pitchers stay healthy, I think we have a good chance to be pretty good considering all the arms we have. I have my doubts about a couple of guys, but I think we have enough to be in another regional.
I think this team will be better prepared and way more focused. I think we have more in the lineup and we should be good on defense.
After last season, I got to see it for myself against decent opponents.Quote:
Originally Posted by Offshore Dawg
Good freshmen and transfers are going to put pressure on veterans. If a dude starts to struggle or shows no developmental growth after 3 or 4 years, you must move on.
Game-1 lineup or first weekend pitching may not last very long. I mean that as a good thing. Means strong competition. 17 SEC wins is my expectation range but there are cats on this team that I have zero faith in.
Thanks for your insight - much appreciated. Ready for us to get started. Also hope the black bears had a bad offseason like we did last year.Quote:
Originally Posted by basedog
I think we're gonna mash at the plate, but I do worry if we have the horses on the mound. We don't have a legit ace, and we've still got some guys who haven't pieced it together yet.
But if Mershon ends up beating Lane out (I'll believe it when I see it) we wouldn't really have a weak spot in our lineup. I think we've got less HR or bust type guys too. We should be able to put the ball in play better than we did last year.
If the person that led the team in OBP last year isn't a regular in the lineup this year, that would be a really good sign unless it was because of injury or as you said, a hatcher type collapse.Quote:
Originally Posted by Really Clark?
Apparently Dakota Jordan just went oppo with a rocket over the fence. He may be a problem.
Logan Tanner was impressed with him when he saw him some in spring. Gautreau said in his interview that he was expecting the physical talent but wasn’t expecting the approach that he showed up to campus with. I’m hoping for another Hunter Hines type freshman.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cowbell
By all accounts, he is ahead of Hines at the same point so I'm excitedQuote:
Originally Posted by AlSwearengen
His first two at bats Friday he looked naked on breaking pitches. He can make the adjustment though. And will need to bc he won't see much straight.
He'll be like Hines was last year. He'll get off to a blistering start and then teams will start peppering him with junk. He seems a little more patient at the plate than Hunter was at this point last year so we'll see if that continues.Quote:
Originally Posted by confucius say
Hancock won't have the luxury to slump this year. Highfill is 10x the athlete he is already and if the bat continues to progress he'll be pushing Luke to start on weekends. This Freshman class is one of the best we've had in regards to instant impact guys. Cjintje, Dakota, Highfill, Loftin, Mershon.Quote:
Originally Posted by TNDawg35
How did the arms look Saturday and Sunday?
I'm a forsythe guy, but Mershon ain't gonna just rude pine all year. He's legit.
In the same Gautreau interview, he said that Mershon would play for a long time, meaning they see him as a possible major leaguer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cowbell
Were we expecting Mershon to possibly be as good as he apparently is?
Because we need someone that bats better than .215 and can get clutch when needed.
He hit .273 last year. Was pretty clutch in the CWSQuote:
Originally Posted by archdog
That's not bad but at this level it's also kind of the issue. OBP matters but despite what baseball stat nerds say AVG also matters. Someone with an OBP like Hancock needs to hit over .300 to hit higher in the lineup.Quote:
Originally Posted by Really Clark?
Otherwise he has value hitting lower in the lineup. But he needs to do more damage in addition to continuing to get on base.
I don't think so. Not a SS hitting oppo dingers off good pitching in preseasonQuote:
Originally Posted by AlSwearengen
The post I responded too was talking about Forsythe, I believeQuote:
Originally Posted by Todd4State
Oh. Thought we were talking about Hancock.Quote:
Originally Posted by Really Clark?
He definitely had some draft interest. Because of his size he was never going to be a high pick so he was perfect for us as a recruit.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cowbell
No problem!Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd4State
As the Senior Catcher, he can contribute in many non-statistical ways. Settling down pitchers and being influential with Foxhall on proactive pitching changes. Stuff that would be a stretch for a less experienced player. If he can help lower the bullpen ERA from nearly 9 to a typical MSU ERA of 3 to 4, that's already a huge gain. With a non-Chernobyl bullpen, MSU is a lock for Regionals and more.Quote:
Originally Posted by Todd4State
As a batter, I hope his 4 years in the program give him a new edge. Some think batting 300 is good, I think he could better than that.
Last year, he did lead in OBP, but with an OBP average that would not have lead any other MSU team in the last 10 years. Even in the dead bat seasons, the team had multiple players with +400 OBP. Plus the MSU OBP leader was usually a power guy that hit for average and forced opponents to walk him. The awesome exception to the Power hitters was Adam Frazier, who was near 500 in OBP with a 371 average and he could hit a double into a corner at any moment.
Mershon has struggled with the glove some