Hunter Hines is coming back!
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Hunter Hines is coming back!
Yes and hopefully Mershon as well. Hopefully Hunter is driven to get better it's his last shot to get drafted high after next season
I say that is a no brainer. Glad he is coming back. I hope he has an awesome year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Commercecomet24
Right on!Quote:
Originally Posted by basedog
There is no dollar amount on the value of having Mershon and Hines back - they guarantee we atleast have leasership which has been our biggest hole over the last three years.
Value and leadership indeed. Very critical imo for next year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cowbell
Huge news. Feeling better about next season
that kind of power and experience is extremely valuable.
HH and DM are going to be hungry leaders. Need that.Quote:
Originally Posted by basedog
Would be cool if they recruited Dakota Jordan to come back for another season
Mersh is gone
He just wants to be a pro.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cooterpoot
Also, Hines needs a full on attitude adjustment if he's going to be a team leader
We are a Super Regional team next year.
We were one this year but we didn't get it done. I don't see it. I see a regional team with holes but better overall depth. Mershon leaving is a huge blow. CF and 3B are questions. Lots of guys that simply haven't done it at this level yet. Pitching will be good. Could it be a super team later in the season? Sure but still things to address.Quote:
Originally Posted by DownwardDawg
What is our pitching situation? That transfer from Indiana state is a starter, Pico and Ligon are guys where you'd expect 1 to make the jump to starter. Hardin and Black might develop into more reliable bullpen arms. Not sure where the other 14ish innings will come from but I don't know the roster that wellQuote:
Originally Posted by Cooterpoot
Pico was finally healthy at the end of the year. He is one SEC starter. Probably Sat or Sunday. We just need two more weekend guys out of Ligon and the transfers. It would be great if Loftin was healthy also.Quote:
Originally Posted by the_real_MSU_is_us
Hardin is done.Quote:
Originally Posted by the_real_MSU_is_us
Pico and our transfer are two starters. Juco transfer and Ligon look to battle for 3. But Parker could move guys around, because he's got a little depth now.
I'm cautiously optimistic about Grant being able to get a weekend rotation spot in the spring.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cooterpoot
I asked this a while back and I think Todd answered it but I can't remember what he said. Do you know how far along he is post-op?Quote:
Originally Posted by Commercecomet24
Just from what i've heard he's right on track in his rehab. We're being cautious and making sure he's 100%. He should be good to go in the springQuote:
Originally Posted by State82
Rosey reporting Mershon hasnt even begun talks yet about an Angels offer
Not surprised. I'm thinking and hoping he comes back.
Hines coming back helps a lot. Shame we couldn’t get DJ back too
He's also high on the JC pitcher coming in and another true freshman pitcher. He is concerned the pitcher transferring in from UK may sign with MLB.Quote:
Originally Posted by Coach34
2025 is going to be good year, we'll host and challenge for a top 8 national seed.
Got to wait on the guys ahead of him and compare the NIL/"desire to play pro". It's a dumb move to go but there's a lot of push to do it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Coach34
Top 8? Depends on how the dominoes fall bull with the moves being made, I feel a little better. Hosting is the damn minimum if things fall like I think!Quote:
Originally Posted by viverlibre
Who is the incoming Juco pitcher ppl are high on?
Can't remember his name, he signed with Kansas State, then transferred to Juco. Rosebowl said a MLB scout told him he was the best pitcher in Juco. It's in this pod:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas...=1000662650293Quote:
Originally Posted by bigbub50
Yeah it all comes down to is just ready to start pro ball. I agree it's a dumb move if he goes. If he's patient and stays another year he could really move up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cooterpoot
Yeah, ok.........Let's bookmark this thread.......We're closer to being in the bottom of the league than we are to hosting...........Quote:
Originally Posted by viverlibre
What is it about our fanbase that we have so many that expect us to and want us to fail? There's no way this kind of mindset is so engrained in other fanbases of successful programs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Saltydog
Eh I wouldn't go that far. We will go from 4 to 2 (at the most) holes in the lineup and Parker has enough talent that he'll put something together. Will it be the best offense? No. Will it be the lowest ERA? No. But both could be middling which could put us as a bubble team to hostQuote:
Originally Posted by Saltydog
Maybe. But the exact same thing was said last year at this time and that proved to be brutally wrong.Quote:
Originally Posted by Saltydog
This time last year I said we'd squeeze into a regional, lose it, and bring Lemo back for another bad year. I don't know if I was "brutally" wrong, but we did better than I thought and were a high 2 seed. 10 sports lower in RPI and we would have been a bubble team. I now think we'll make the tournament next year too, but I don't think we'll host.Quote:
Originally Posted by Homedawg
Ultimately, lemos in season management SUCKS. He DHs the wrong person at the wrong time, sticks with the wrong lineups for way too long, and pulls pitchers at the wrong time. He costs us a lot of games compared to our talents actual ceiling. We have to have 11 draft picks to be a 2 seed, as an example. Given that we have the NIL to poach starters from Kentucky, I worry Lemo will be kept on life support indefinitely; us always buying enough talent to just make up for Lemos bad coaching and keep him employed here
But we'll see next year. If we host or make a super he should get '26. If we miss both of those again... that's 4 years since he'll have hit the "state standard" and bringing him back again means we are now a "field of 32" program that doesn't expect to seriously compete. I could see next year playing out either way but I highly doubt we miss the tournament entirely
Commerce, basedog, other coaches?.
What does Hines need to do to change his draft perception?
I know many say he needs to hit to all fields. To me that could be difficult to change. He?s most likely been exclusively a pull hitter since he was a kid.
Is that really changeable?
To me, he needs to get jacked and strong as hell. He lost a lot of baby fat and looked pretty small this year.
It's more about chase and swing and miss with him. He chased a lot of pitches that were out of the zone last season, and he also had some swing and miss issues on some in the zone.Quote:
Originally Posted by SPMT
Theres a lot he can do to make the adjustments necessary to become a more complete hitter. He's always gonna be a high k guy because power hitters tend to be that way. He lacks plate discipline and he swings at so many pitches that aren't close, it looks as if he's decdided he's gonna swing before the pitch is even thrown. He needs to work on learning the zone better and pitch recognition. He's gonna have to put in some work and make some adjustments if he's gonna become the hitter he needs to be to earn a high draft spot. Very telling that he wasn't even drafted this year. Scouts are seeing the same things I've just mentioned and his lack of plate discipline and pitch recognition killed his stock. He's got work to do unless he's happy being a 15-20 hr, .260 hitter with 25% k rate, which means his career will end after next year.Quote:
Originally Posted by SPMT
I think u nailed it 24. But one thing he needs is confidence, he seemed pretty confused and lost at the plate. All athletes need to have confidence they can get the job done. Hitters can get hot and then they can also get cold. If it was me, I would cut down on my swing especially after two stirkes, but that is easy to say when I'm not batting.Quote:
Originally Posted by Commercecomet24
P.S. Seems Mershon has a nice NIL deal in front of him, around $250K from us.
There's an old drill(because I'm old), that i've seen work countless times and i've used it over and over. You have a guy stand in the box with no bat and have a guy throw pitch after pitching mixing fbs, breaking balls, changeups, etc. and have him call what kind of pitch it is and whether or not ball or strike. It can help a hitter learn the zone better and pitch recognition.Quote:
Originally Posted by basedog
ETA Mershon isn't gonna get that kind of money from the Angels. If he's wise he'll take our deal and comeback and improve his draft stock for next year and cash in.
That's a really good drill. Work it with dominate eye training, spin focus, large to small eye focus training, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Commercecomet24
Awesome advice and coaching techniques!Quote:
Originally Posted by Commercecomet24
I just think Mershon will be back, $250K for the coming year to stay in college is good money. Plus he can work on his game w/o much pressure and enjoy another year of college life.