Cumbest is a Hugh void at the plate

[moturfdog]

 

[CochiseCowbell]

Hugh void? Like the Tampa kind?

 

[bruiser.sixpack]

Nah. That was a bad matchup for him the minute he decided to swing at a pitch 3 feet outside immediately following a 4 pitch walk. Head wasn’t in the at bat.

 

[PineGroveBully]

HEY HUGH!!

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

He's forcing it.

 

[MSUDawg25]

He does look lost some times. But he’s still batting like .340

 

[40 acres and a mule]

Cumbest is the prototypical Mississippi State athlete: Big. Strong. Fast. Great in High school. Looks great, on paper. Given chance after chance after chance to play. Underperforms, but the coaches still love him.

 

[8dog]

He won the game for us last Friday and drive in the game winning run Saturday. This Friday he was 1-3 with an RBI double and a walk. He is doing fine. He has hardly played and is gonna look bad at times. But worst case its a ton better than The other options

 

[40 acres and a mule]

Just to be clear, I have nothing against Cumbest. I hope he does great and makes a jillion dollars in pro ball. I do get sick of coaches who have blinders on, have a personal favorite, and no one else gets a chance.

 

[8dog]

He has literally been the guy that hasnt gotten a chance until last weekend.

 

[40 acres and a mule]

And what has he been doing since last weekend? Maybe, playing football? Spring practice, maybe? But now, he is magically the better option?

 

[8dog]

I dont understand what you are saying. There just isnt a better option but if you can make the case for one knock yourself out

 

[notoriousD_O_G]

Cumbest has some ABs that look terrible but with his power you gotta send him out there.

 

[40 acres and a mule]

No you don't understand. There is a team full of at least equivalent options. We won plenty of games with him at football practice.

 

[8dog]

Who is a better option in LF than Brad Cumbest that is on this team? Until you can make a case for someone I dont understand what your point is

 

[Russ Wheeler]

And what has he been doing since last weekend? Maybe, playing football? Spring practice, maybe? But now, he is magically the better option?

Mule has earned every bit of PT he's gotten. If anything, he's played less than he should have.

 

[Ralph Cramden]

If they ain't batting 350 or better bench em.

 

[Ranchdawg]

His footwork at the plate is terrible. He moves his feet around before he swings the bat when he strikes out. Sometimes he spreads them and other times he crosses them over. Ron Polk said the word is out in the SEC that he can't hit a breaking ball.

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

He’s batting .338 and is a plus defender. I don’t understand all the hate he is getting in this thread.

For all of his detractors, who would you play in LF? Skinner? He has one less AB than Cumbest and is batting .214

 

[johnson86-1]

Just to be clear, I have nothing against Cumbest. I hope he does great and makes a jillion dollars in pro ball. I do get sick of coaches who have blinders on, have a personal favorite, and no one else gets a chance.

Who in the hell are you looking to give a chance at this point? We've watched awful, awful at bats all year while Cumbest was barely given a chance, and produced really good stats in limited chances. If Lemonis has blinders on regarding Cumbest, it is that he inexplicably dislikes him based on how long it took for Cumbest to be given a chance as a more or less every day player.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

He should be batting .500 at least.**

 

[thekimmer]

Cumbest has some ABs that look terrible but with his power you gotta send him out there.

Exactly. The story on Cumbest is he will have some terrible looking ABs at times but he will get some hits and will absolutely punish anyone who makes a mistake against him. Bottom line, he has 71 ABs and is hitting .338 & slugging .592. Case closed, end of story.

 

[Junction John]

You say the team is 'full of options' but won't name who you would start in front of Cumbest.

 

[rynodawg]

Right now Cumbest is just night/day with runners on base. He is 6-29 (.207 average) with runners in scoring position, and has a .439 average in all other at bats. That tells me pitchers are just being more careful with him with runners on base, and he just needs to wait for strikes. When he gets fastballs he’s killing it.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

Right now Cumbest is just night/day with runners on base. He is 6-29 (.207 average) with runners in scoring position, and has a .422 average in all other at bats. That tells me pitchers are just being more careful with him with runners on base, and he just needs to wait for strikes. When he gets fastballs he’s killing it.

That and the steady dose of curves he's getting. But yes, agree that he just needs to sit fastball. Or maybe bunt him or hit and run or something to just get contact and move runners.

 

[bruiser.sixpack]

I am like everyone else waiting on 40 Acres to NAME a better option. Do you have a relative sitting on the bench?

 

[8dog]

But to add some context his two best ABs for us against TAMU were a double with no one on and a game winning RBI sac fly. Neither of those are hits with RISP. He is gonna look terrible at times but he is our best chance and our best chance to have a competitive lineup next year.

 

[rynodawg]

I don’t think there’s a better option this year. If anything those stats show he has massive RBI potential if he just can just see more pitches in the zone.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Just think of how many fewer repetitions during the course of a year he has compared to those full time baseball guys. With the success he has had on the limited practice I would think he could only get better.

 

[dog12]

That and the steady dose of curves he's getting. But yes, agree that he just needs to sit fastball. Or maybe bunt him or hit and run or something to just get contact and move runners.

Agree.

Cumbest has to KNOW that almost all of his at-bats will begin with a curveball. Thus, for every first pitch, he should be looking curveball all the way. If the pitcher hangs it, then Cumbest should crush it.

Another thing: Cumbest has to stop swinging at pitches that are non-competitive (e.g., > 6 inches outside the strike zone).

He should be trying to get to 1-0/2-0/3-1 counts, so he can look fastball on the next pitch and be ready to launch it into orbit.