Baseball Roster Observation

[CajunEXPRESS]

We simply have too many streak hitters, and not enough that the mean and average are similar. Additionally we simply don't hit da ball often enough. Nothing kills like strikeouts except 0/1 pop ups.u

[MetryCajun]

Interesting thread. I have not read every response here, but I have always thought our best teams are ones with a strong Texas flavor. Right now I don’t think we have enough players from Houston/Dallas corridor. Not sure private/public makes too big of a difference. Few of these kids are evaluated by their HS accomplishments. Showcases are what matter now.

[ConfusedFan]

Kasuls needs to be in the 3-4 hole. Monica needs to be in the 8 hole. Lahare could hit 3-4 but the before last night he’s struggled to say the least. Breaux should be in the 1-2 hole. Idk where to put everyone else. Just too many dead outs. Monica is killing us the last 2 games. He left at least 8 runners on base in scoring position.

So Kasuls hit in the 4 hole last night. And wasn't Breaux in the 2 hole? Unsure Lahare is ready for 3-4 hole, especially since BA is below the mendoza line and Slugging% is terrible. Don't think they will ever move Monica because he is their alpha male supposedly. Don't have anyone hitting the cover off the ball right now so it's kind of difficult to put a lineup together at the moment.

[Rougarou]

We simply have too many streak hitters, and not enough that the mean and average are similar. Additionally we simply don't hit da ball often enough. Nothing kills like strikeouts except 0/1 pop ups.u

Absolutely. We lack consistency and not only with hitting this year.

[cajun55]

Let’s look at where this team is at going into conference play....

As bad as our hitting has been, we have to give credit to our pitching staff. Despite some bullpen issues due largely to inexperience our pitching has been good. Not a surprise considering our head coach is in my opinion one of the best pitching coaches at the college level.
4.11 team era (98 out of 300 D1 teams)
Fielding has been solid despite some mistakes.
.972 fielding percentage (95 out of 300) percent
Hitting has been very subpar
.238 average (222 out of 300)
4.5 runs per game (225 out of 300)
This team is above average in speed, but you can’t steal your way home.
2.18 steals per game (21 out of 300)
Power is slightly above average.
0.71 homeruns per game (110 out of 300)

Traditional Robe coached teams will pitch and field above average. We pretty much take this as a given year to year. Those that call for changes at the top might want to take a step back and realize how HUGE this is at the college level.
Hitting seems to fluctuate largely based on who the hitting coach is and our recruiting. In my eyes this team currently is performing at its floor which is a .500 team with potential to be much better with only average hitting (.270-.280ish). Pitching should only get better as roles are defined and with more experience.

The hitting is a real concern and hopefully going through a transition period with a new hitting coach in Wells. Keep in mind 17 games is a really small sample size in baseball. A few hitters struggling at the same time equates to a team slump. The reality could be we just don’t have the bats needed to be a serious contender this year. I’m not at a point to concede that as I believe we do have some very capable bats and just need better timely hitting and more consistency at the plate 1-9.

Offensively it has been a very disappointing start to the year, but despite a .238 average this team could just as easily be 10-7 vs 7-10. I think everyone would be alot more optimistic if we got a few more late game bounces our way and were 10-7 right now heading into conference play. Regardless we have to accept where we are at and hopefully Improve our offense and continue to solidify our pitching staff for the rest of the year.

Obviously our expectations for this program have grown to a level that is not easy to replicate year to year. We are top 20 in attendance yearly, new beautiful renovated ballpark, four years past a #1 ranking, but 2 straight winning seasons without a regional appearance. The expectations chould not be higher for this program. If you look back at our season to season records and results for the past 20 years there is normally a 1-4 year transition period between great teams and average to good ones by our standards. We have been fortunate to sustain winning seasons throughout the process.

Basically what I’m asking is have our expectations outgrown the reality of what it takes to be successful? Or should we be an elite team consistently based solely on recruiting with huge talent that can sustain us on a level of winning that is consistent top 25 year to year. We have never been that but that seems to be the next step for our program based on expectations. Cal State Fullerton being the best example of a non power conference school to perform consistently at that elite level. Can a Sun Belt school in the south do it? I think its possible, but recruiting is the key. Not just regionally but getting players from outside our region. Texas/California/Florida etc...I think this is more important than public vs private school.

[CajunVic]

Let's look at where this team is at going into conference play....

As bad as our hitting has been, we have to give credit to our pitching staff. Despite some bullpen issues due largely to inexperience our pitching has been good. Not a surprise considering our head coach is in my opinion one of the best pitching coaches at the college level.
4.11 team era (98 out of 300 D1 teams)
Fielding has been solid despite some mistakes.
.972 fielding percentage (95 out of 300) percent
Hitting has been very subpar
.238 average (222 out of 300)
4.5 runs per game (225 out of 300)
This team is above average is speed, but you can't steal your way home.
2.18 steals per game (21 out of 300)
Power is slightly above average.
0.71 homeruns per game (110 out of 300)

Traditional Robe coached teams will pitch and field above average. We pretty much take this as a given year to year. Those that call for changes at the top might want to take a step back and realize how HUGE this is at the college level.
Hitting seems to fluctuate largely based on who the hitting coach is and our recruiting. In my eyes this team currently is performing at its floor which is a .500 team with potential to be much better with only average hitting (.270-.280ish). Pitching should only get better as roles are defined and with more experience.

The hitting is a real concern and hopefully going through a transition period with a new hitting coach in Wells. Keep in mind 17 games is a really small sample size in baseball. A few hitters struggling at the same time equates to a team slump. The reality could be we just don't have the bats needed to be a serious contender this year. I'm not at a point to concede that as I believe we do have some very capable bats and just need better timely hitting and more consistency at the plate 1-9.

Offensively it has been a very disappointing start to the year, but despite a .238 average this team could just as easily be 10-7 vs 7-10. I think everyone would be alot more optimistic if we got a few more late game bounces our way and were 10-7 right now heading into conference play. Regardless we have to accept where we are at and hopefully Improve our offense and continue to solidify our pitching staff for the rest of the year.

Solid analysis 55. They are still doing enough to keep me in my seats. While frustrating at times, there is hope. Unfortunately at this juncture, absent an immediate move towards consistency, our only realistic chance at post season play will be to win the conference tournament. It’s been done before and it can be done again.

[CajunNation]

... Showcases are what matter now.

Underwear Models

[ryan.hess1986]

Solid analysis 55. They are still doing enough to keep me in my seats. While frustrating at times, there is hope. Unfortunately at this juncture, absent an immediate move towards consistency, our only realistic chance at post season play will be to win the conference tournament. It’s been done before and it can be done again.

Agree. And like March Madness, sometimes it matters when you peak, not how long you peak for.

[GreatestStory]

Basically what I'm asking is have our expectations outgrown the reality of what it takes to be successful?

One of Tony's strengths is his history of "doing more with less". He took us to a high level with minimal resources.

Since the new stadium has gone up, so has the price of being a fan (tickets, parking, concessions, personal seat donations, etc.). When people are shelling out more money, they expect a return on their investment, which has not been the case since Russo Park was constructed. We have seen a decline in the product on the field while the program has more funds and better facilities than ever.

SUMMARY: A lot of fans would rather being paying what they were paying 5 years and watching us go to regionals/supers as opposed to paying more money and us missing the post season tournament.

[CajunVic]

One of Tony's strengths is his history of "doing more with less". He took us to a high level with minimal resources.

Since the new stadium has gone up, so has the price of being a fan (tickets, parking, concessions, personal seat donations, etc.). When people are shelling out more money, they expect a return on their investment, which has not been the case since Russo Park was constructed. We have seen a decline in the product on the field while the program has more funds and better facilities than ever.

SUMMARY: A lot of fans would rather being paying what they were paying 5 years and watching us go to regionals/supers as opposed to paying more money and us missing the post season tournament.

What you are saying is that we have “priced” ourselves out of the “pass”

[Dad04]

I watched the 1st 5 innings. Painfully fugly baseball. It would have been very possible to beat that team last night. Our HS pitching top 2 (when healthy) would be very competitive, way better than the UNO arms last night....our HS hitting would lag at bottom of order. Our top of order would (TCU/OSU commits) are same or better than what UL top of order showed last night.

I see the same thing. Nuttin to write home about.

[cajun55]

One of Tony's strengths is his history of "doing more with less". He took us to a high level with minimal resources.

Since the new stadium has gone up, so has the price of being a fan (tickets, parking, concessions, personal seat donations, etc.). When people are shelling out more money, they expect a return on their investment, which has not been the case since Russo Park was constructed. We have seen a decline in the product on the field while the program has more funds and better facilities than ever.

SUMMARY: A lot of fans would rather being paying what they were paying 5 years and watching us go to regionals/supers as opposed to paying more money and us missing the post season tournament.

I agree but I also think we are seeing the same process play out that it always has the past 20 years. A couple years with a great team followed by a solid-good team rebuild for another few years until the next very good to great team. Only difference now is we are not seeing immediate results and freaking out over a 7-10 start. Are we getting the kinds of recruits we should be or is this solely on coaching at the hitting level? Seems like we addressed some recruiting concerns in the offseason by shifting roles and as fans we are not allowing the process to play out.

Just my opinion that we need to be patient, but I understand wanting to replicate what we had so quickly. I just don’t think its that easy, especially as a mid major in the Sun belt conference. I think its still going to be a process and not a yearly expectation of greatness based on bringing in huge recruits ala top SEC programs.