We are not speaking long term projections though, we are talking about this season. We have plenty of arms, no need to explore something when we all know what is on the other side of the ridge. He is a starter for us, plain and simple. If he cannot cut it as a weekend guy we will move him to midweek, if he cannot cut it as a midweek guy he will take the Evan Mitchell route, take the money and run.

He?s got an MLB starter arm, we all know this, as do the scouts. Nothing he does or does not do this year will change that fact. He is comparatively new to the game, and I am very confident he will figure it out at some point in his career, could be next week, could be 2 years from now in whatever organization takes him this summer. Either way this is his last year, he can continue to develop at school, or he can get a 7 figure signing bonus and develop in the minors where his only job is baseball.

He is a 3 pitch guy with ridiculous spin rate, once he develops his secondary stuff and learns to consistently locate his fastball IN GAMES, he will be hell on wheels as a starter. Lemo has said he has one of the best changeup he has ever seen and has high first round spin rate on his breaking ball. That aint a closer, thats a starter once he puts it all together. Mariana, he is a unicorn who found a once in a generation pitch, not a fair comparison.

With all this said, projections be damned, we are trying to win baseball games NOW. Right NOW, Eric has problems that lie beyond his physical capabilities, his problems are between his ears. You dont take a freakish arm with snakes in his head, who is struggling to handle the pressure, and throw him into the loneliest, and possibly highest pressure situation/position in sports, that is what this boils down to.

Closers are not necessarily the best pitchers or strongest throwers, especially not in college ball, arm talent is not the requirement, mental fortitude is. We will continue to give him a chance as starter with a short leash, until he either figures it out or shows he cannot do it. He is not moving to the pen, and most certainly not moving to the closer role. It literally makes zero sense. It would literally be the absolute worse thing you could do for him and the team. I get it in theory, he has strike out stuff, hard thrower, but he is not and never will be a closer for Mississippi State. End of story.