Lets understand that when he was here previously he was “good cop”. Robe was “bad cop”. There is a much different dynamic when you have that situation. Now he(Deggs) is in a much different role. Its much easier as an assistant trying to get guys to run thru a brick wall for you than when you are the head coach and making every decision that affects the program, who plays and who doesnt, who you leave off a travel roster, who u cut from the team and who you keep. Its just different.
I saw a change in this team about 4-5 weeks ago. I cant say it was one thing or the other but i will say that i think the change came within the coaching staff. I think they finally decided to let a few things on the mound play out and let guys work thru some struggles instead of making a quick change. And offensively i think they clearly defined roles for guys instead of playing musical chairs with the lineup. When those things started to happen is when i think we saw this team turn the corner. So credit the staff for doing that.
The aggressive style is what everyone fell in love with here lately. Truth be told, our legs and running game is what put us in the situation we were in at the end of the season. I think we can all live with the aggressive style and what comes along with that. Pickoffs and bone head baserunning mistakes early innthe season is not being aggressive. Most were baseball IQ issues. Stretching a single to a double and getting thrown out is being aggressive. It happens. Getting picked off without the steal sign on is not.
I think returning to a regional was a great accomplishment for this team considering the first half of the year. We got hot when we needed to at the plate, used our running game enough to create offense, and had a few great outings on the mound. If it wasnt for that i think the narrative about the season could be a little different. I do believe we got every ounce of ability out of these guys. We looked more like a Cajun baseball team the past month of the season and that felt really good. I do think this staff has a big challenge ahead to replace what we will lose off this years team. Three weekend arms is not easy replace. And we all know we need more consistent depth in the pen. I do think another year for some of those guys will definitely help, but we need more pieces there. Offensively losing possibly 2 guys to the draft and a senior bat means we bring back a good nucleus to build off of. I think we need more fire power offensively so we dont have to rely as much on our running game. Lots of work ahead of us. But its something to be looking forward to.
Winning cures all. Lose & the head honcho takes a hit. That’s one of the pay perks.
Criticism is everyone’s right. But at least have a clue what you’re talking about when doing it.
Calling a player stupid for taking a fastball right down the middle…when the bases are loaded and the pitcher has thrown 5 straight balls??
Griping that a pitcher “threw it right down the middle!!!”
Those things make you look like a fool. I guess everyone also has a right to look like a fool though.
Well not all the detractors are eating crow. Most are though. Credit to Deggs and the team to get buy in from the majority of the fan base.
Saying “man, he caught too much of the plate with that pitch” is WAY different than “he threw it right down the middle!!!”
The foolishness shows when a fan thinks these guys can locate their pitches exactly where they want to every pitch. A 3-2 pitch that gets hammered was a pitch that had a margin of error of about 6-8 inches. A couple one way and its ball 4, and the fan gripes that the pitcher walked the guy. Right on and its an out (or possibly an unlucky hit allowed). A few inches the other way and “he threw it right down the middle!”
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