Is this a hangover from Pine Bluff?

[drt7891]

Or are we not that good?

 

[DamnGoodDawg]

I'm going with not the good at this point. Especially this abysmal pitching

 

[Palos verdes]

No hangover, we played a good team, but there are serious concerns. Biggest concern for me is being up 5-0, then 6-2 for several innings and losing 9-6. Our approach and mentality needs to change. Need to find some aggressiveness within the line up, and less attention focused on trying to look cool and trying to be cool. Need some loners, renegades and outlaws sprinkled in. ULL comes to mind. Need to take more of a business approach to games.

 

[engie]

The Sunday game was just an anomaly where the pitching staff struggled as a whole. Hasn't happened often under Butch Thompson. Got to get Fitts into a role he's comfortable and find a true closer. Not having a closer cost us at least 2 of the losses. We won't lose many this year when we score 6 runs. That said, hitting hasn't been what it was supposed to be for the past 2 weeks for whatever reason. Need to get some of the non-singles guys going. I believe alot of the bunt1ng we do costs us more runs than it creates for us as well. It's going to get better though -- as it seems Humphreys is really close to getting going and Collins just missed hitting 2 out this weekend. And we're trying to reintegrate Smith. Holland is the one that's been shockingly bad so far to me. And to a smaller extent Reynolds.

Since the pitching staff rebuild was complete(the year after the "team" rebuild was complete IMO), we are 78-11 when we score 6+...

ETA: All that to say -- to me, this was always going to be a tweener year. Almost no seniors or even really draftable juniors. The start made me rethink it a bit, but I'm just not convinced we can be truly elite this year. Next year -- depending on how the upcoming draft treats the signing class -- we'll start to really see how good we can be under this regime. Won't lose much off this team to graduation. And there's 10+ signees that I'd consider truly elite that are draft risks on some levels...

 

[patdog]

hitting hasn't been what it was supposed to be for the past 2 weeks for whatever reason.

Agree with most of what you said except this. I still think you are way too optimistic about our hitting, especially for power. Do agree all the bunting doesn't help at all. Statistically, the bunt is almost a losing effort, and that's even if you're successful and doesn't take into account the time we try to bunt, then wind up hitting with a 1-2 count (which happens WAY too often).

 

[DamnGoodDawg]

Am I just not watching the games games as yall?

 

[engie]

Agree with most of what you said except this. I still think you are way too optimistic about our hitting, especially for power. Do agree all the bunting doesn't help at all. Statistically, the bunt is almost a losing effort, and that's even if you're successful and doesn't take into account the time we try to bunt, then wind up hitting with a 1-2 count (which happens WAY too often).

We'll see -- when our power guys get going. The last couple of weeks certainly haven't been confidence-inspiring. Hell, we had Humphreys bunt1ng this weekend. Hard to hit bombs when you've got your best pure power guy bunting guys over to second when he comes up with RISP...

Hump can and will hit for power. Rooker will. Collins will. Rea can at times, but he's too off and on to bet on it at this point. Holland can, Reynolds can, Cody Brown can, Michael Smith can, etc...

The common denominator is that all of them, sans Cody Brown, are struggling. At the same time. It's almost unprecedented really. All we'll ever get from Vickerson, Robson, Gridley, Heck, Spruill is an occasional XBH -- but the vast majority of those guys' hits will be singles.

 

[engie]

Am I just not watching the games games as yall?

You are the guy that wants to run off what is, most likely, the best pitching coach in the country FOR Mississippi State. Who has built a perennial top 20 staff nationally which is actually among the 10 best cumulatively over the last 5 years. You aren't even living on the same planet as everyone else -- much less watching the same games.

 

[patdog]

The common denominator is that most of them have "struggled" for most or all of their careers.

 

[engie]

The common denominator is that most of them have "struggled" for most or all of their careers.

Huh? Rea is the only one of those players with a legitimate sample size at MSU.

Humphreys is a SOPH that played sparingly as a FR. He was something like #6 nationally in bombs his SR year in high school. His power is stupid obvious. He just isn't squaring balls up yet.
Rooker is a FR. He's got obvious power.
Rea is the only "known commodity" in the bunch. He led his summer league in bombs or came very close this past season, hence my hopes that he'd turn the corner prior to his final season. Thusfar, he hasn't from a power perspective.
Collins hit for power as a FR. Just didn't have quite enough to get it out of our yard. He's been to the plate 6 times so far -- and he's hit 2 moon shots foul already. He'll get one out in the next game or two and it's game on.
Brown is smashing -- just not getting any air under balls yet. He was second in his summer league in bombs I'm pretty sure(to Rea).
Holland had 24 XBH in 202 ABs in JUCO. 1.124OPS.
Reynolds had 24 XBH in 218 ABs in JUCO. 1.030OPS.
Smith had 16 XBH in 145 ABs in JUCO. .946OPS.

For reference, they have .608, .665, and .615 OPS right now -- against pitching minimally better than what they saw in JUCO. Indications are -- all of those guys can and will hit for alot more power than we've seen out of them thusfar. They may never all put it together at the same time -- but they aren't going to continue to all struggle at the same time either.

 

[Bulldogg31]

We'll see -- when our power guys get going. The last couple of weeks certainly haven't been confidence-inspiring. Hell, we had Humphreys bunt1ng this weekend. Hard to hit bombs when you've got your best pure power guy bunting guys over to second when he comes up with RISP...

Hump can and will hit for power. Rooker will. Collins will. Rea can at times, but he's too off and on to bet on it at this point. Holland can, Reynolds can, Cody Brown can, Michael Smith can, etc...

The common denominator is that all of them, sans Cody Brown, are struggling. At the same time. It's almost unprecedented really. All we'll ever get from Vickerson, Robson, Gridley, Heck, Spruill is an occasional XBH -- but the vast majority of those guys' hits will be singles.

I hear ya on the power hitters someday coming around and certainly hope you're right, but it seems the powerless hitting began when we left Omaha and has persisted. I've been "vocal" about equipment being a contributing factor, but it's not the only reason we've become a team of Punch & Judy hitters. Our philosophy of "get em on, bunt em over, knock em in" puts us in a lot of 2-out situations, which is why we rely on the two-out rally. It's not bad fundamental baseball and its beautiful when it works, but I'd love to see us strategize less and just play ball.

 

[KurtRambis4]

Don't feed the troll

*

 

[ronpolk]

Am I just not watching the games games as yall?

This is easy. You're just an idiot.

 

[patdog]

Himphreys - as a soph in a sport where you're only supposed to be there for 3 years, it's time to produce. He hasn't to date.
Rooker - we'll see. HS stats do not equal college success
Rea - He's really struggled for most of his career, other than the stretch run 2 years ago.
Collins - he's a stud
Brown - has looked pretty good in limited at bats (why doesn't he get more?)
Holland, Reynolds, Smith - JUCO succes does not equal college success. We'll see.

 

[DawgatAuburn]

HS stats and JUCO stats? Yawwwwwn. Wake me up when they do it consistently at this level.

Question: I thought Swinarski projected as a power bat too. I know he's really young even for a RFR, but he can barely find the field. Overrated? Not ready? Next year is his time?

 

[57stratdawg]

I agree. The pitching staff has played well in probably 15 out of 17 games this year. That's good enough for me, especially considering it was Ross Mitchell that really got roughed up.

I just hope the Humphreys, Rooker, Reynolds, and Holland can get it going. I think we have a small ball mentality to bleeds throughout the team, and it might hurt their approach.

 

[patdog]

Could have sworn players who were all-world in high school and didn't produce in college used to be called Gene's Page All-Americans, but I can't find that entry in the lexicon. But that's exactly what most of those players engie is hyping up have been so far.

 

[engie]

Could have sworn players who were all-world in high school and didn't produce in college used to be called Gene's Page All-Americans, but I can't find that entry in the lexicon. But that's exactly what most of those players engie is hyping up have been so far.

I'm not trying to "hype" them -- I'm telling you what our coaching staff thinks they are and expects them to be. Get there early and watch BP when they get turned loose -- your perspective will begin to change on some of these guys. It's a matter of translating it to the game, which happens at different paces for different guys, but I think it's going to happen for most of them this year. If it doesn't, it doesn't...

2 of 3 of Holland, Smith, and Reynolds are going to end up being excellent hitters before this season is out. They are just currently on the Pirtle trajectory of acclimating IMO, which is disappointing, but not all that surprising.

 

[57stratdawg]

Seems like it has take almost all of our high draft pics two full years - Stratton, Lindgren, Renfroe, etc.

 

[engie]

HS stats and JUCO stats? Yawwwwwn. Wake me up when they do it consistently at this level.

Question: I thought Swinarski projected as a power bat too. I know he's really young even for a RFR, but he can barely find the field. Overrated? Not ready? Next year is his time?

He's been hurt during key times for development(summer ball). Same thing with Humphreys. Both are about a year behind schedule because of it IMO. Worse, Swinarski was really struggling before he got hurt -- so he just doesn't have any confidence whatsoever right now...

With the practice time limitations, it really limits the amount of individual swing work our coaches are able to do with the players. Especially with the spotlight on us from the lawsuit allegations. Most guys are making the big swing adjustments with swing coaches in the summer without being confined to all the NCAA limitations...

 

[Hammer Down]

Seems like it has take almost all of our high draft pics two full years - Stratton, Lindgren, Renfroe, etc.

Agree with this. Most of our stars break out during their junior years. I am hoping that our up-tick in recruiting will cause that to even out as far as the power hitters go. Gavin Collins, Joey Swinarski and Reid Humphreys are the first true high level hitters we have gotten out of high school, so maybe Swinarski and Humphreys will get it together. All others have been projects like Renfroe, Norris (who never panned out), Stark and Flair.

Swinarski should have been a true freshman right now, people forget that. It is scary to think about how good we could be with him, Humphreys and Collins essentially playing for contracts next year. Add Rooker and Holland to the mix, a year older, with Robson and Brown as 4th-year players? Then Gridley as a sophomore? Look out.

 

[512taylor]

I'm going with not the good at this point. Especially this abysmal pitching

Abysmal pitching?

 

[KurtRambis4]

You must have been

gone the past few days. This retread has made a great deal of idiotic comments, over that time.

 

[RingN2012]

I think this weekend we **** the bed because it's the start of Spring Break. Just think like a college kid, all your classmates are at home or at the beach and you have to stay in town and play.
This is the perfect week for them to mess up and have Cohen take care of it because there is no school to interfere.