Baseball: Who was our RAT?
- Thread starter Maroon Eagle
- Start date
Hitter: I would say Dubrule. He was constantly getting on base in Omaha.
Pitcher: Preston Johnson really pitched out of his mind in Omaha.
Certainly the JUCO bandits rose to the occasion vs Texas in the 4th game. But if you’re talking about the whole CWS, I’d go with Dubrule.
Pitcher: Preston Johnson really pitched out of his mind in Omaha.
Certainly the JUCO bandits rose to the occasion vs Texas in the 4th game. But if you’re talking about the whole CWS, I’d go with Dubrule.
It was such a team effort it is hard to narrow down.
A case could easily be made for Leggett and Skinner as you mentioned, plus:
Forsythe (didn't he have at least 4 hits in the championship series? not to mention his glove)
Cumbest (had key at bats throughout the tournament)
Dubrule (clutch hits, plus one of the best walks I've ever seen to get the 8th started against UVA. Back from 0-2. So f'ing huge. Oh, and his defense)
Plus I bet you could find a couple of coaches who would call Kellum Clark a RAT. I think he had like 4 HRs all year, but his two bombs against UVA and Vandy were stuff of legend.
A case could easily be made for Leggett and Skinner as you mentioned, plus:
Forsythe (didn't he have at least 4 hits in the championship series? not to mention his glove)
Cumbest (had key at bats throughout the tournament)
Dubrule (clutch hits, plus one of the best walks I've ever seen to get the 8th started against UVA. Back from 0-2. So f'ing huge. Oh, and his defense)
Plus I bet you could find a couple of coaches who would call Kellum Clark a RAT. I think he had like 4 HRs all year, but his two bombs against UVA and Vandy were stuff of legend.
Preston Johnson. In the NCAA Tournament:
13 Innings
2.76 ERA
16K
4BB
I hope he gets to compete for a starting role this Fall. He looked good 70+ pitches in against Vandy in game 2.
13 Innings
2.76 ERA
16K
4BB
I hope he gets to compete for a starting role this Fall. He looked good 70+ pitches in against Vandy in game 2.
I gave Forsythe hell during the season for his bat but he had some great AB’s in the postseason AND some great defense in big games late.- IE: TX game with runner on 3rd.
Everyone on that team stepped up at some point and made plays when we needed it. One amazing stat we may be talking about 30 years from now is NOT 1 single error in the entire CWS !!
Everyone on that team stepped up at some point and made plays when we needed it. One amazing stat we may be talking about 30 years from now is NOT 1 single error in the entire CWS !!
Forsythe’s contributions to the season were immeasurable. As many complained about him and his bat early in the postseason, I correctly told you after Game 1 in Omaha that we’d have been sitting at home if not for Forsythe. We had no good defensive option at SS other than him when James couldn’t handle the field there. Forsythe, as a true freshman, played SS just about as well as it can be played in the field. We don’t even sniff Omaha without his defense, much less win a national title. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the names of anybody on this team. But I know I’ll never forget his. What a job he did all year.
Our defense went from a liability to flawless. If RAT doesn't have to be a human... it was our defense.
Dubrule is our human RAT. Guy just went up to the plate and battled every at-bat. In the championship game, I think he went to a full count on every at-bat. Forsythe is a great honorable mention.
But let's not forget Leggett hitting that laser in the semis, either.
He is a good starter candidate for us. We have about 6-7 solid possibilities- Sims, Cade Smith, Walling, Johnson, Fristoe, or Tepper. Even Brandon Smith, Stinnett, or Stone Simmons if they make strides this offseason.
We just need our 2022 starters to get us through the order twice and we’ll be good with our bullpen depth.
Bednar. It sounds counter-intuitive, especially knowing what we know now, but his jump in Omaha was why we won. He was a good pitcher all year, but he wasn't great. We had clowns all over this board complaining about our starting pitching, talking about how we couldn't beat the elite teams. He got blown out by Arkansas, Ole Miss, lost to Mizzou, then blown out by Tennessee. Neither Samford or Notre Dame games were anything special, but we got the win anyway.
Then just lights out in Omaha. I don't think anybody here (or any other fanbase we played) expected anything like that.
Then just lights out in Omaha. I don't think anybody here (or any other fanbase we played) expected anything like that.
So many of them stepped up and played their biggest on the big stage. Johnson and Bednar.... damn! Even Rorsythe.
But I am going with Scotty, who seemed to come through in every big moment and he was in a lot of them.
Good point and one I very briefly considered.
But the big reason why I wouldn't say Bednar is that the coaching staff showed their great expectations of him when he was moved to the #1 slot in the regionals and that brings me to this somewhat heretical thought...
I also briefly considered the coaching staff as a RAT candidate but decided against it because MSU is a great program with a great coaching staff and I'd think a nomination might be considered insulting. With that said (and I know I'm not the first to say this), the coaches made great moves during the postseason.
But the big reason why I wouldn't say Bednar is that the coaching staff showed their great expectations of him when he was moved to the #1 slot in the regionals and that brings me to this somewhat heretical thought...
I also briefly considered the coaching staff as a RAT candidate but decided against it because MSU is a great program with a great coaching staff and I'd think a nomination might be considered insulting. With that said (and I know I'm not the first to say this), the coaches made great moves during the postseason.
It had been over a month. He had 2 in the series vs Bama:
https://static.hailstate.com/custompages/stats/bb/2021/plyr_31.htm
Lots of candidates, as people have said, but one that hasn't been mentioned other than referencing the defense in general is James's defense at 3B. He went from defensive liability at 3B to making some really good plays. Hopefully that was him fulfilling the potential that made him a SS candidate to begin with. Would be really nice for us if he is a plus defender at 3B for 2022.
Dubrule is another one that has been mentioned a lot. He had really become solid well before the CWS, but he stepped up his ABs in the CWS. Had 5 hits and 9 walks in 7 games for an OBP of .452 (if I'm mathing correctly). Got on base in each post season game at least once except for against Samford and the first ND game. Reached base 7 times and scored 4 times in the three games against Vandy.
He never became the hit machine that he was at Jacksonville St, but can't complain about his production in the CWS.
Dubrule is another one that has been mentioned a lot. He had really become solid well before the CWS, but he stepped up his ABs in the CWS. Had 5 hits and 9 walks in 7 games for an OBP of .452 (if I'm mathing correctly). Got on base in each post season game at least once except for against Samford and the first ND game. Reached base 7 times and scored 4 times in the three games against Vandy.
He never became the hit machine that he was at Jacksonville St, but can't complain about his production in the CWS.
Team full of rats. Cumbest and Clark weren't even starters until May. Dubrule working the count, drawing walks, finding any way he could to get on base. Forsythe playing lights out defense at short. Leggett and Skinner for the win. Bednar with 15 Ks in game 1, 5 hits in 18 innings of work - we knew he was good, but he's now a CWS legend.
And of course the ultimate, "defensive replacement" Hatcher getting on base and scoring a run in that UVA 8th inning. We have to take back every bad post made about the guy earlier this year.
And of course the ultimate, "defensive replacement" Hatcher getting on base and scoring a run in that UVA 8th inning. We have to take back every bad post made about the guy earlier this year.
I get your point, but by definition, I don't think a first round pick can be a RAT.
Preston was a starter in HS and at Hinds and THOUGHT he'd be in the mix for a starting position when he got to State. I think he'll have an opportunity this fall. He definitely has the physical makeup to be a starter. However, it would be hard to lose him AND Sims out of the bullpen. I would hope one would get a starter's role and the other stay as our closer.
I think Stinnett and Tepper might be in the mix for the closer role too. I would not be shocked to see Sims, Walling, and Johnson starting the weekends with Fristoe/Cade Smith midweek and long relief. I feel like the coaches have to push Fristoe. He will be draft eligible next year I believe and with his stuff and frame, he will probably go early in the draft.
But then you still have Brandon Smith. What do you do with him?
Smith's overall numbers are skewed by 2 outings against Arkansas and Florida when the whole team was ****. If you remove those 2 games (3 innings combined) here is what Brandon Smith's season looked like:
19 Games
36-1/3 IP
ERA 2.72
K 40
BB 8
WHIP 0.86
Lot's of arms... lot's of arms. We need a 2B and a 1B to step up so Hancock and LT can catch and DH. Then it could be a big, big year.
But then you still have Brandon Smith. What do you do with him?
Smith's overall numbers are skewed by 2 outings against Arkansas and Florida when the whole team was ****. If you remove those 2 games (3 innings combined) here is what Brandon Smith's season looked like:
19 Games
36-1/3 IP
ERA 2.72
K 40
BB 8
WHIP 0.86
Lot's of arms... lot's of arms. We need a 2B and a 1B to step up so Hancock and LT can catch and DH. Then it could be a big, big year.
I hadn’t seen the stats, Johnson86-1, but that doesn’t surprise me at his on base percentage. As good as the stats are, it felt like it was even higher than that. If I was the opposing team, the guy that would frustrate me most is a guy that you say, “Who the heck is this guy? I keep getting ahead of him with 2 strikes, but how in the hell does he keep getting on base?!? How do you get him out?!?” That’s the RAT to me. And that was Scotty Dubrule for sure.
It's hard to have a RAT in baseball. Football it could be a running back who gets the ball every offensive play or in basketball a guy who jacks up ten 3-pointers. It also has to be somebody unexpected and is thought to be worse than the player he's replacing. This excludes Skinner because he had a better BA than Forsythe. The best shot at a RAT would be a pitcher. Of all our pitchers, Preston Johnson is the one who showed up big when nobody thought he'd be performing like he did.
That's because we made it up on this site. But it should really be a term that everyone uses, don't you think? Sort of like sarcasterisks**
Yeah. A RAT has to be putting in a ton of the effort in the game. It can't be a bench player who hits a buzzer beater jump shot but only scored 2 points in the whole game or a pinch hitter for the nine spot.
Two conditions have to be filled for the RAT. First, the star player has to be out or having a sub-par game. If you have a star quarterback and he hits the no-name WR for 250 yards and 4 touchdowns, the no-name WR is not a RAT because the QB is the star. The QB could be hitting any of the receivers probably. If the backup QB comes in and hits the no-name WR for 250 yards, the backup QB is definitely a RAT. The second condition is the RAT has to be having a lights-out performance. It is not sufficient that the RAT is having a good performance. The RAT has to be having a performance that is better than the star player. It does not necessarily have to be a whole game performance though. Matt Wyatt against Auburn in 1999 is a perfect example of this. Madkin (the star) was having a bad game and got injured. The unexpected backup comes in for the second half and leads an improbable comeback. RAT.
Two conditions have to be filled for the RAT. First, the star player has to be out or having a sub-par game. If you have a star quarterback and he hits the no-name WR for 250 yards and 4 touchdowns, the no-name WR is not a RAT because the QB is the star. The QB could be hitting any of the receivers probably. If the backup QB comes in and hits the no-name WR for 250 yards, the backup QB is definitely a RAT. The second condition is the RAT has to be having a lights-out performance. It is not sufficient that the RAT is having a good performance. The RAT has to be having a performance that is better than the star player. It does not necessarily have to be a whole game performance though. Matt Wyatt against Auburn in 1999 is a perfect example of this. Madkin (the star) was having a bad game and got injured. The unexpected backup comes in for the second half and leads an improbable comeback. RAT.
Maybe. Clark is a 1B or RF in my mind. I am currently thinking Cumbest-Davis- Skinner/McDonald if one or both can get the bat going this fall. From player development and draft potential, I think you have to get a guy like clark in the field. It would destroy his draft stock if he never gets to play defense. I think Clark was a 3B/Pitcher in High School and I know he could hit the mid 90's off the mound. So if he can't play first I think RF is the most logical other spot on the field for him with his big arm.
His future looks like its at 1B to me as he grows into that frame. With the new grad transfer RJ Yeager coming in it may change some stuff up, but I want somebody with some stretch at 1B. Hancock came along nicely at the end of the year, but I want him giving LT some days off behind the plate. So if those 2 can hold down catching/DH. We need to solve 1B. Maybe that's Clark.
So maybe we look at something like this as our primary line up? Hopefully some newcomers make a splash too, but this lineup looks good and the defense has a high ceiling if Cumbest can manage in left and Clark can put in some Yeoman's work this Fall at 1B. He's been playing a little 1B in the Cape and has 3 errors already so, work is needed.
1. Jess Davis - CF (Bats L)
2. Kamren James - 3B (Bats R)
3. Luke Hancock - DH (Bats L)
4. Logan Tanner - C (Bats R)
5. Kellum Clark - 1B (Bats L)
6. RJ Yeager - 2B/SS (Bats R)
7. Brad Cumbest - LF (Bats R)
8. Brayland Skinner - RF (Bats L) (Alternative Kyte McDonald Bats R)
9. Lane Forsythe - 2B/SS (Bats R)
His future looks like its at 1B to me as he grows into that frame. With the new grad transfer RJ Yeager coming in it may change some stuff up, but I want somebody with some stretch at 1B. Hancock came along nicely at the end of the year, but I want him giving LT some days off behind the plate. So if those 2 can hold down catching/DH. We need to solve 1B. Maybe that's Clark.
So maybe we look at something like this as our primary line up? Hopefully some newcomers make a splash too, but this lineup looks good and the defense has a high ceiling if Cumbest can manage in left and Clark can put in some Yeoman's work this Fall at 1B. He's been playing a little 1B in the Cape and has 3 errors already so, work is needed.
1. Jess Davis - CF (Bats L)
2. Kamren James - 3B (Bats R)
3. Luke Hancock - DH (Bats L)
4. Logan Tanner - C (Bats R)
5. Kellum Clark - 1B (Bats L)
6. RJ Yeager - 2B/SS (Bats R)
7. Brad Cumbest - LF (Bats R)
8. Brayland Skinner - RF (Bats L) (Alternative Kyte McDonald Bats R)
9. Lane Forsythe - 2B/SS (Bats R)
Nitpicking here, but other than the time period of the 1st and second game of the LSU series (Because skinner went 3-3 in game 1 against LSU and was 4-6 on the season at that point), Skinner never had a higher batting average than Forsythe. Forsythe was batting over .300 still in the Ole Miss series and Skinner had dropped below .225 by then and never reached .225 again. Forsythe ended at .231 vs .205 for Skinner.
Forsythe was bad the last half of the year. Skinner was bad all season except for 1 game. If you take that 3-3 game against LSU out of the mix Skinner hit .175 in 80 at bats. He only had the 1 multi hit game in 21 starts. Hatcher had 7 in 39 starts and Forsythe had 11 in 58 starts. It almost seems statistically impossible that Skinner had such a bad year since he "only" struck out 28% of the time.
Not that Skinner did anything to deserve RAT status, but man he and Hatcher would have been more than RAT qualified based on the seasons they had.
Forsythe was bad the last half of the year. Skinner was bad all season except for 1 game. If you take that 3-3 game against LSU out of the mix Skinner hit .175 in 80 at bats. He only had the 1 multi hit game in 21 starts. Hatcher had 7 in 39 starts and Forsythe had 11 in 58 starts. It almost seems statistically impossible that Skinner had such a bad year since he "only" struck out 28% of the time.
Not that Skinner did anything to deserve RAT status, but man he and Hatcher would have been more than RAT qualified based on the seasons they had.
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