Is this the best MSU offense ever?....

[thekimmer]

We have had teams with elite hitters in our past; Showalter, Thunder & Lightning, Renfroe, and Rooker to name a few but I don't believe we have ever had a better collection of hitters top-to-bottom on the same team. And it goes beyond just 1-9. There are at least 12-13 that can be used with little drop off. The lowest BA in the top 13 is Rowdy Jordan at .280. 10 of the top 13 are hitting above .300.

Oh, and to USC fans...wow. We know how you feel. We have been there ourselves.

 

[Fogdog]

The way I look at it is that the ceiling isn’t higher...we’ve always had a couple of really good bats in the lineup..,but the floor is higher. There is no hole, no drop off. Our 8 and 9 hole hitters could be plugged in about anywhere and we’d keep rolling. This really comes in handy when you lose a power hitting right fielder to injury. I mean, we don’t even feel that loss on offense right now. Think back to the national runner up team playing UCLA. No offense to those guys - I loved that team - but it’s just a night and day difference.

 

[Cat Duck]

No. Elite pitchers still shut us down. No pitcher ever got through the lineup without Clark or Palmeiro doing something.

 

[patdog]

This team has a LOT more depth in the lineup and in the pitching staff than 85 did. We had 2 or 3 guys below .220 in the starting lineup that year. And yeah, Clark and Palmeiro did get shut down sometimes. As good as those 2, Thigpen, Brantley, & Morgan were, they only made 1 CWS in 3 years together. This team is a better team that that one was, although that one obviously had more top-end talent.

 

[Puppychow]

Best base hitting team ever possibly. We’ve had better power hitting teams and teams with better OBP, but having this many .300+ hitters this late in the season is special.

 

[stateu1]

Plus, we don't strike out much at all. I only remember us swinging and missing a handful of times in the first several innings last night.

 

[Hankp22]

Yes

My recollection starts around 1990 and this is the best hitting team I've seen. When your 8-9 guys get the competitive at bats we are getting and it rolls over to the all time hits leader in the SEC.....we are a dangerous baseball team. And then you have two double digit HR guys and others with big time pop. I think everyone but Rowdey is over .300 and Rowdey has been on fire since conference play started. We have good team speed. There is a good mix of left/right at-bats. Plus we don't strikeout.

Keep in mind our second lineup is explosive as well. We have about 5-6 guys we can rotate in there that can produce at a high level tomorrow. Lemonis has managed those guys competing for that 8-9 spot in our lineup about as great as you can. He gets the guy getting good swings and competitive at bats in the lineup. He is pushing the right buttons getting the hot bat in our lineup. I bet that creates some competitive practices. He deserves a lot of credit for that. It makes each bat competitive within our own dugout and it creates a big time problem for opposing pitchers.

Baseball is a funny game and we may lose our first two baseball games in the regional because we don't hit. Whatever happens, this is the most potent MSU lineup I've seen.

Luke Hancock and Landon Jordan are going to be two very tough outs these next two years. And then you have the pop of Cumbest and Jones....we gone damn good next year too.

 

[thekimmer]

Best base hitting team ever possibly. We’ve had better power hitting teams and teams with better OBP, but having this many .300+ hitters this late in the season is special.

This plays very well in omaha.

 

[Cat Duck]

This team has a LOT more depth in the lineup and in the pitching staff than 85 did. We had 2 or 3 guys below .220 in the starting lineup that year.

Perhaps. I am still not sure that matters. I tend to believe the 80/20 rule. Usually 80% of your production comes from 1-2 batters. This year, just like 2016, I am not sure we have figured out who those two guys are. Mangum is one, who is the other guy we count on? Like Frazier and Renfroe. I tend to think it is Foscue. Westburg, Allen, McNamee, Jordan and Skelton have all been streaky and can disappear. Makes me wonder if we need to shuffle the order.

And yeah, Clark and Palmeiro did get shut down sometimes. As good as those 2, Thigpen, Brantley, & Morgan were, they only made 1 CWS in 3 years together. This team is a better team that that one was, although that one obviously had more top-end talent.

You done bumped your head.

 

[CadaverDawg]

Perhaps. I am still not sure that matters. I tend to believe the 80/20 rule. Usually 80% of your production comes from 1-2 batters. This year, just like 2016, I am not sure we have figured out who those two guys are. Mangum is one, who is the other guy we count on? Like Frazier and Renfroe. I tend to think it is Foscue. Westburg, Allen, McNamee, Jordan and Skelton have all been streaky and can disappear. Makes me wonder if we need to shuffle the order.


You done bumped your head.

Wut? Frazier and Renfroe stood out bc there was not this much around them. It's not that we don't have two guys this year....it's that we don't know which two guys you'd choose.

 

[Cat Duck]

This plays very well in omaha.

It plays GREAT in Omaha. We have a high OPS but not as high of HRs. A lot of doubles. Exactly what you need.

I have said all year that if get to Omaha we will win it. Got to get there first.

 

[Cat Duck]

Wut? Frazier and Renfroe stood out bc there was not this much around them. It's not that we don't have two guys this year....it's that we don't know which two guys you'd choose.

We had enough around them that we could bat them 1 and 3, rather than 2-3 or 3-4. Do not misinterpret what I am saying here. This is not saying other players are chopped liver, but you generally need a couple guys you can count on consistently.

Here lately I might say that second guy is Marshall Gilbert. Not even kidding, I might lead him off.

 

[CadaverDawg]

We had enough around them that we could bat them 1 and 3, rather than 2-3 or 3-4. Do not misinterpret what I am saying here. This is not saying other players are chopped liver, but you generally need a couple guys you can count on consistently.

Here lately I might say that second guy is Marshall Gilbert. Not even kidding. We might should bat him second.

That doesn't make sense. When you have a batting order where 8 of 9 are over .300, you can count on most of them consistently. That's why they have such great averages

 

[thekimmer]

Wut? Frazier and Renfroe stood out bc there was not this much around them. It's not that we don't have two guys this year....it's that we don't know which two guys you'd choose.

I agree completely. I think in a lot of instances the overall success of an offense is not defined by the top 3 hitters but by the bottom three. Automatic outs at the bottom of the lineup can really stymie things. We have all seen teams where we get something started and then, "Oh no! So-and-so is at the plate." It gives pitchers a reprieve and can put out the fire so to speak in a good inning. It allows teams to pitch around good hitters too. This team puts such relentless pressure on an opponent's defense. They are not perfect of course because people get in slumps and teams have bad games or even bad series (i.e. arky) but I don't know if I've see us bat around as often as we have this season.

 

[Cat Duck]

I agree completely. I think in a lot of instances the overall success of an offense is not defined by the top 3 hitters but by the bottom three. Automatic outs at the bottom of the lineup can really stymie things. We have all seen teams where we get something started and then, "Oh no! So-and-so is at the plate." It gives pitchers a reprieve and can put out the fire so to speak in a good inning. It allows teams to pitch around good hitters too. This team puts such relentless pressure on an opponent's defense. They are not perfect of course because people get in slumps and teams have bad games or even bad series (i.e. arky) but I don't know if I've see us bat around as often as we have this season.

I agree with this 100%. When the bottom of the curve is good, you have a great situation. But there still is often a curve, which drifts toward 1-2 batters at the top. The curve can be small or wide, but it is generally always there, on good teams.