Woodruff

[Tough Dawg]

He's out of the weekend rotation. This kid unfortunately is borderline being a pretty big bust. So far situations like this is when he should have taken the money out of high school. Hindsight I know.

[CadaverDawg]

Has Cohen announced the weekend rotation for this weekend? What is it?

[Bob Sacamano]

Friday - Bracewell
Saturday - Fitts
Sunday - TBA

Per @hailstateBB

[preachermatt83]

yes!! Sunday will be brown if he can go... Best rotation we can put out there and some of us have been calling for it for 3 weeks now.. YES!

[MafiaDawg]

I have no sympathy for guys who have all world talent but can't figure it out between the ears.

[preachermatt83]

I have no sympathy for guys who have all world talent but can't figure it out between the ears.

I agree.. However I am not so sure that maybe we were overestimating his initial ability.

[Sandman14]

I agree.. However I am not so sure that maybe we were overestimating his initial ability.

Garbage. Pure garbage.

Someone with inside knowledge correct me if I'm wrong, but as the other post indicated, this is an example why you ALWAYS take the money out of high school. The kid came in and was awesome, as expected, but began to have arm issues. With pitchers, it's weird. You can have things happen with your arm and suddenly find that your fastballs don't have the natural movement they formerly had. Or maybe you lose some control or velocity. It's a sad case because he had the option to cash in. Maybe not life-changing money, but worth a ton more than some injury-plagued college campaign with no highlights. The risk is just too great. Take the money and assume you won't make the bigs. If you do, great. If you don't, go right back to college (and play football if you can).

I feel nothing but sympathy for Woody. He's the man. He's always been the man. He was the man in high school, and he was the man once he got to MSU. He's still the man. Only his arm won't do what it formerly was capable of doing. His body has failed him.

I say scratch the pitching for this year and get him in the outfield. He's an awesome talent all the way around. Didn't he play in the outfield some as a freshman?

[Homedawg]

Scratch it and start hitting? His stuff isn't the problem. It's still big league stuff. It's his command. He has had a hard time reading his arm side run and his cutter away from arm side. It's not like he's Evan Mitchell and can't come close to the plate. His misses are around the plate. I'm not saying he should start fri. He shouldn't. However, I repeat, if we want to be really good he will have to be a factor. If he isn't, and he might not be, we will be nothing more than an avg club.

[Steakonastick]

I still bet he starts on Sunday. Only exception would be if lindgren does not throw before then. Cohen is not going to start Preston Brown after throwing 101 pitches Wed.

Now if we lay an egg Sunday. We will see brown next Sunday.

[messageboardsuperhero]

Scratch it and start hitting? His stuff isn't the problem. It's still big league stuff. It's his command. He has had a hard time reading his arm side run and his cutter away from arm side. It's not like he's Evan Mitchell and can't come close to the plate. His misses are around the plate. I'm not saying he should start fri. He shouldn't. However, I repeat, if we want to be really good he will have to be a factor. If he isn't, and he might not be, we will be nothing more than an avg club.

I agree with everything except this. He's not missing by too much, and his stuff is still really good.

We can't reach our potential without Woodruff, but we could still be a good team if he doesn't contribute- we essentially had one starter last season and that worked okay for us.

[bully99]

Florida announced Karsten Whitson won't be in their rotation. How do you think this guy feels, Didn't pitch last year because of arm problems and now he's in the bullpen. He turned down 2.1 million out of high school.

[CadaverDawg]

I still bet he starts on Sunday. Only exception would be if lindgren does not throw before then. Cohen is not going to start Preston Brown after throwing 101 pitches Wed.

Now if we lay an egg Sunday. We will see brown next Sunday.

Bingo

[engie]

Why do our fans always do this? It's premature as hell to be calling him any sort of bust.

We should cut Girodo and Pirtle too shouldn't we? Stratton should have been long gone before his JR year breakout as well...

He's struggled a little with command. That's it. He's going to get there for us when it really counts...

[Sandman14]

Scratch it and start hitting? His stuff isn't the problem. It's still big league stuff. It's his command. He has had a hard time reading his arm side run and his cutter away from arm side. It's not like he's Evan Mitchell and can't come close to the plate. His misses are around the plate. I'm not saying he should start fri. He shouldn't. However, I repeat, if we want to be really good he will have to be a factor. If he isn't, and he might not be, we will be nothing more than an avg club.

Last year, once we shut him down, he never pitched again. My point is that if we get there this season, seems to me he should be working elsewhere. He was good enough to see the field as a true freshman.

Karston Whitson is an even better example than Woodruff.



2012: Dual-position performer with starting and reserve duty in 16 games as a corner outfielder and pitcher • Came off the bench to make his collegiate debut in right field and registered his first career hit Feb. 25 against Mississippi Valley • Drew his first career start later that day in left field vs. Kansas • Collected his first career RBI Feb. 29 with a run-scoring single in a start vs. Memphis • Made 12 pitching appearances, posting a 1-2 record with a 2.65 ERA over 34.0 innings • Retired three of the five batters he faced in a shutout inning of pitching in his mound debut March 4 vs. Lipscomb • Registered six strikeouts in a 3.1-inning relief stint at Southeastern Louisiana March 14 • Fanned a career-high eight batters in his first career pitching start against South Alabama April 10 • Blanked the Jags with no-hit pitching over a season-best six innings and retired 18 of the 19 batters he faced • Took the loss April 17 with a 3.2-inning start against Ole Miss in the Mayor’s Trophy Game in Pearl, Miss. • Also pitched four innings of shutout ball April 24 in a no-decision start against Southern Miss in a game which was also in Pearl, Miss. • Yielded just one run but took the loss in a four-inning start in a 2-0 setback against Central Arkansas May 15 • Earned his first career win in a May 22 start vs. Arkansas with five scoreless innings in State’s SEC Tournament-opening 9-1 win in Hoover, Ala. • Drew the start again in the SEC Tournament title game against Vanderbilt May 27, blanking the Commodores over three innings with one-hit pitching • One of seven Bulldogs named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll • Played summer league baseball in the Cape Cod Collegiate League, posting a 4-2 record and 3.38 ERA for the champion Harwich Mariners.

HIGH SCHOOL: Five-year starter as an outfielder/pitcher at Wheeler High School • Coached by John David Horn • Led the Eagles with a .618 batting average and three home runs en route to all-state and all-division honors as a senior • Drove in 19 runs and posted a 1.62 ERA in 21.2 innings of mound work for the Eagles • Paced Wheeler with a .534 batting average and five home runs as a junior • Selected to play in the 2010 Under Armour All-American Baseball Game held at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Ill. • Fashioned a 5-3 record with a save, a 2.98 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 49.1 innings of pitching • Earned first-team all-division honors • Division MVP and First-Team MAC All-State as a sophomore in 2009 after hitting .565 with 31 RBIs, nine home runs, a 3-3 pitching record, a 1.20 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 18 innings of pitching • Also earned first-team all-division honors in both football and basketball • Member of the Future Farmers of America (FFA), the Beta Club, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Wheeler High School’s Higher Flight Chorus • Played summer league baseball for two seasons with the Booneville Braves, coached by Shane Henderson, and in 2010 and 2011 with the Tupelo 49ers, coached by former MSU signee and first-round draft pick Kirk Presley • Helped lead Tupelo to the championship game of the American Legion World Series in Shelby, N.C. • Joined Bulldog teammate Will Cox on the all-tournament team and was named the recipient of the James Daniel Jr. Sportsmanship Award at the ALWS.

DRAFT HISTORY: Chosen by the Texas Rangers in the fifth round of Major League Baseball’s 2011 First-Year Player Draft.

PERSONAL: Born Brandon Kyle Woodruff on Feb. 10, 1993 in Tupelo, Miss. • Son of Belinda and Richard Woodruff of Wheeler, Miss. • Majoring in kinesiology.

[engie]

Last year, once we shut him down, he never pitched again. My point is that if we get there this season, seems to me he should be working elsewhere. He was good enough to see the field as a true freshman.

Karston Whitson is an even better example than Woodruff.



2012: Dual-position performer with starting and reserve duty in 16 games as a corner outfielder and pitcher • Came off the bench to make his collegiate debut in right field and registered his first career hit Feb. 25 against Mississippi Valley • Drew his first career start later that day in left field vs. Kansas • Collected his first career RBI Feb. 29 with a run-scoring single in a start vs. Memphis • Made 12 pitching appearances, posting a 1-2 record with a 2.65 ERA over 34.0 innings • Retired three of the five batters he faced in a shutout inning of pitching in his mound debut March 4 vs. Lipscomb • Registered six strikeouts in a 3.1-inning relief stint at Southeastern Louisiana March 14 • Fanned a career-high eight batters in his first career pitching start against South Alabama April 10 • Blanked the Jags with no-hit pitching over a season-best six innings and retired 18 of the 19 batters he faced • Took the loss April 17 with a 3.2-inning start against Ole Miss in the Mayor’s Trophy Game in Pearl, Miss. • Also pitched four innings of shutout ball April 24 in a no-decision start against Southern Miss in a game which was also in Pearl, Miss. • Yielded just one run but took the loss in a four-inning start in a 2-0 setback against Central Arkansas May 15 • Earned his first career win in a May 22 start vs. Arkansas with five scoreless innings in State’s SEC Tournament-opening 9-1 win in Hoover, Ala. • Drew the start again in the SEC Tournament title game against Vanderbilt May 27, blanking the Commodores over three innings with one-hit pitching • One of seven Bulldogs named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll • Played summer league baseball in the Cape Cod Collegiate League, posting a 4-2 record and 3.38 ERA for the champion Harwich Mariners.

HIGH SCHOOL: Five-year starter as an outfielder/pitcher at Wheeler High School • Coached by John David Horn • Led the Eagles with a .618 batting average and three home runs en route to all-state and all-division honors as a senior • Drove in 19 runs and posted a 1.62 ERA in 21.2 innings of mound work for the Eagles • Paced Wheeler with a .534 batting average and five home runs as a junior • Selected to play in the 2010 Under Armour All-American Baseball Game held at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Ill. • Fashioned a 5-3 record with a save, a 2.98 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 49.1 innings of pitching • Earned first-team all-division honors • Division MVP and First-Team MAC All-State as a sophomore in 2009 after hitting .565 with 31 RBIs, nine home runs, a 3-3 pitching record, a 1.20 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 18 innings of pitching • Also earned first-team all-division honors in both football and basketball • Member of the Future Farmers of America (FFA), the Beta Club, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Wheeler High School’s Higher Flight Chorus • Played summer league baseball for two seasons with the Booneville Braves, coached by Shane Henderson, and in 2010 and 2011 with the Tupelo 49ers, coached by former MSU signee and first-round draft pick Kirk Presley • Helped lead Tupelo to the championship game of the American Legion World Series in Shelby, N.C. • Joined Bulldog teammate Will Cox on the all-tournament team and was named the recipient of the James Daniel Jr. Sportsmanship Award at the ALWS.

DRAFT HISTORY: Chosen by the Texas Rangers in the fifth round of Major League Baseball’s 2011 First-Year Player Draft.

PERSONAL: Born Brandon Kyle Woodruff on Feb. 10, 1993 in Tupelo, Miss. • Son of Belinda and Richard Woodruff of Wheeler, Miss. • Majoring in kinesiology.

For every ying, there is a yang.

What about Tyler Beede? Who is expected to go top 5 now -- after being picked 21st in high school?
What about Ryne Stanek? Who was picked 99th(3rd rd) in high school and went 29th after 3 years at Arkansas?

Just as many guys improve their draft stock by coming to college as hurt it.

[bully99]

So you can pick out two players and extrapolate that theory...WOW

[Goat Holder]

I feel nothing but sympathy for Woody. He's the man. He's always been the man. He was the man in high school, and he was the man once he got to MSU. He's still the man. Only his arm won't do what it formerly was capable of doing. His body has failed him.

What a terrible way of looking at it. Brandon Woodruff, not Goat Holder of Sandman14, is responsible for making his own life decisions.

[Sandman14]

What a terrible way of looking at it. Brandon Woodruff, not Goat Holder of Sandman14, is responsible for making his own life decisions.

Sure he is. And so are Vince Young and Jamarcus Russell. Who knows. Some people would rather drink purple nurple than be an NFL QB. It's just a commentary on what is the wisest move. You don't have to live wisely. It's a choice. Just sad when you don't live wisely and get bitten by it, as seems to be the case with where Woody is trending.

As for Beede, being 21st out of high school v. being 5th out of college....I'm sure there is a difference in the money, but these high school kids that go in the first round can leverage quite a bit of cash. I'm just not sold on that being anything more than a baseline. He certainly needed to improve or it would be a disaster. What do you want? OK so he went 5th. Big deal. He might be inking his second MLS contract, this one for $60MM, if he had gone on to MLB after being taken 21st.

It's a horrible argument and absolutely flat wrong to say that just as many kids improve their stock as those that end up regretting passing up big league cash (top 5 or 6 rounds).

[SignalToNoise]

So you can pick out two players and extrapolate that theory...WOW

What theory? All he did was name two players that improved their draft standing by playing college baseball.

Maybe I missed it but I didn't see any other arguments or theories presented.

[bully99]

Earth to Noise, Did you read engies last paragraph. SMH