Returning pitching
- Thread starter Thor.sixpack
- Start date
I’ve seen other posters say that it will be a failure if we don’t make it to a super regional next year. As good as our offense should be, our pitching could be equally as bad if we don’t have several guys step up.
Small- True Friday guy if he stays.
Self- Solid closer.
Gordon- Good bullpen guy if he comes back.
James- Has the tools, but needs to put them together.
Libebelt- Got crushed this year. Possible candidate to be cut.
McQuary- Got to work on his control to contribute consistently.
Zane Stephens- Redshirted. No idea what he’s got.
Cole Marsh- didn’t pitch since we played at Kentucky.
Ashcraft- constantly hurt. Was a stud in high school.
Breaux— Tommy John in 2017.
Barlow— injured. Didn’t pitch much this year.
Price— really good reliever in 2017. Injured. Didn’t pitch this year.
Basically you have Small, Self, and Gordon who you can count on... and two of those could leave. However, I think Small comes back. I’m not sure what is in Gordon’s head.
I know we signed a good deal of JUCO pitchers. They will need to come in ready to throw. If not, we are counting on guys who have either been injured, wildly inconsistent or unproven.
Small- True Friday guy if he stays.
Self- Solid closer.
Gordon- Good bullpen guy if he comes back.
James- Has the tools, but needs to put them together.
Libebelt- Got crushed this year. Possible candidate to be cut.
McQuary- Got to work on his control to contribute consistently.
Zane Stephens- Redshirted. No idea what he’s got.
Cole Marsh- didn’t pitch since we played at Kentucky.
Ashcraft- constantly hurt. Was a stud in high school.
Breaux— Tommy John in 2017.
Barlow— injured. Didn’t pitch much this year.
Price— really good reliever in 2017. Injured. Didn’t pitch this year.
Basically you have Small, Self, and Gordon who you can count on... and two of those could leave. However, I think Small comes back. I’m not sure what is in Gordon’s head.
I know we signed a good deal of JUCO pitchers. They will need to come in ready to throw. If not, we are counting on guys who have either been injured, wildly inconsistent or unproven.
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Good analysis. I might say Gordon is hit or miss. Seems like he is either damn near unhittable or a mess. He appears to step up in the end, but has also struggled several times during the year.
Hate to say it, but it kinda reminds me of Ole MIss', "Good Bo" or "Bad Bo", except that Cole seems like a really good dude, while Bo Wallace was an *******.
Hate to say it, but it kinda reminds me of Ole MIss', "Good Bo" or "Bad Bo", except that Cole seems like a really good dude, while Bo Wallace was an *******.
Gordon was a different pitcher in the postseason. Hopefully he found something and that carries over if he comes back.
Can't we say the same about last year though? Gordon was dominating in the post season last year, then struggled some during the regular season. Believe me, I like Gordon. I think it takes some stones to step up when the stakes are high. But you gotta admit, when you see him being called to the mound in a situation where a walk, passed ball or hit-by-pitch can kill us...you hold your breath just a little bit more with Cole and say a prayer it's "Good Cole" this time.
I know I do. He's the guy I figure is either gonna come in and absolutely dominate...or he's gonna implode.
I know I do. He's the guy I figure is either gonna come in and absolutely dominate...or he's gonna implode.
I really like Tyler Spring from Jones JC. He started out at Alabama before having Tommy John surgery. The new pitching coach is kind of a wild card here. I could see some guys making some strides with a good hire.
Last year Gordon dominated Florida in the SEC Tournament and got shelled in the regional.
Gordon is done unless he changes his mind and Small has not made his decision yet. I think Small coming back will have more to do with him liking the pitching coach than anything else.
I think Gordon is ready to be done with baseball.
You're right. He got hammered by USM. Did OK vs LSU later, but came in in a bad situation as I recall, ultimately giving up several runs, even though he gave up just 2 hits in 3 and 2/3 innings.
Everyone forgets about Peyton Plumlee, eligible to return after his year suspension. He’s been absolutely killing it this summer. He had 11k’s in 5 innings in the perfect game collegiate league last week.
This is a very good synopsis of what we have next year from a pitching standpoint sans new guys. I have high hopes for Breaux and Price. If they are 100% you’re looking at a legit weekend starter and closer. I also think McQuary has potential to be an effective part of our staff. He may never be a weekend starter but he’s got the tools to be a big asset if he can throw strikes. I think he could be like Pollerana - if you need a guy to burn some innings, he could do it, and you could start him in a pinch and trust that he could keep you in a game.
Small definitely worries me. Why hasn’t he said something yet? Cole Gordon was very hot and cold. There’s no guarantee he would pitch well consistently given his history, but it would obviously be huge if he did. I have to think he’s still mulling his options because he also hasn’t said anything. I guess they want to see who the new pitching coach is.