Yeah it’s easy to see what Hill’s potential is. He just needs to harness some things. He had some BAD misses last night. I think his ceiling is really high.
I really wish McGehee would get healthy. He’s another that anyone with a baseball eye can see, has a high ceiling as well.
Credit to Deggs for sticking with Nezuh. I have to admit I didn’t see that coming. His command issues were really bad early. And, at least to me, his fastball looks pretty straight. So he has to be precise with location. The breaking stuff is really good. I didn’t see Sundays start coming at all. Hopefully that was a big step in consistency and being able to locate much better going forward. It was impressive as hell.
Nezuh came from FSU and pitched in the Cape. Mechanics were solid early, stuff was fine but he had way too many self-inflicted wounds. Left the ball up a lot. I don't think many people were surprised he continued to get chances.
If you don't know too many people that expected Caper to be a go to guy this season, you need to hang around different people. Rawls was underutilized last year and showed everyone what he was made out of up in Ruston, when he shut down one of the best hitting lineups that we faced last year. Being 4-0 is a little bit of an anomaly. I think 3 of those wins were in relief, maybe all 4. So maybe you have a point there. And 1.15 ERA is disgusting. But I'm certainly not surprised that he has been successful for this team.
McGehee looks to be ok, but these injuries have now plagued him at two stops. Starting to be a pattern. Availability is the number 1 quality. I know they're enamored with his spin rate (like Chipper, who he also thought would be very good, btw) but he certainly didn't stand above the rest in the fall or spring practice. By comparison, it was easy to see that Moody had great stuff, pitchablity and resolve. I came away thinking he was the most impressive pitcher I saw before the season started, not named Jake Hammond.
Well ill go this route with you. I never saw Hammonds to have the stuff it takes to be a friday night starter. Lets be honest, of all the guys being talked about in this thread, his “stuff” might be the least impressive of them all. Kinda always saw him as a reliever. But, what u cant measure on paper is compete and grit. And thats what he has. Ive been impressed so far. But the real challenges for a friday night guy is in the next few conference starts. Its gonna get tougher and its gonna get tougher pretty quick. im curious to see it unfold.
I'll go back to my comment before the season. When Preach got up and used the term "throwdown" I knew he'd have what it took. That's the stuff you can't measure.
You're right about Nezuh. His issue is, when the fastball gets up, it's flat. When he keeps it down, it moves. As we all know, good pitchers pitch off their fast ball.
I was just doing some research on what underclassmen we lost last year and who we added just to see how they compare.
So last year if my memory is correct, the underclassmen that left us were:
Jack Clark
Drew Shifflet
Bryce Calloway
Hayden Durke
Bobby Lada
Warner Rincones
Chipper Menard
Peyton Havard
Of these, I know that Chipper is at ULM and is 2-2 with a 5.78 ERA, Hayden Durke is at Rice, but not playing because of a suspected failed drug test, Peyton Havard announced he was transferring to Lamar, but is not on the roster, Bobby Lada was supposed to be at Southern but is not on the roster and I thought I remember Bryce Calloway going to Southern as well, but I don't see him on the roster either. The other guys mentioned I don't see anywhere in college baseball.
Here is what we got instead:
Landry Wilkerson-in limited duty as a 2 way player is batting .250.
John Taylor is batting .273 but is a stud on defense at 2B
Ben Robichaux is batting .471 and has solidified himself as the leadoff hitter on this team
Lee Amedee is hitting .267 in limited action
Luke Yuhasz is hitting .263 in limited action
Caleb Stelly is hitting .207 in limited action
Clay Wargo is hitting .200 in limited action
Peyton LeJenue is hitting .167 in limited action
On the mound:
Brendon Moody is a starter with a 3.38 ERA
Jackson Nezuh is a starter with an 8.39 ERA but looking better and better each week
Blake McGehee has a 0.00 ERA in limited action, needs to control his strike zone
Conner Doucet got his first action last night
Carson Fluno has a 2.92 ERA
Taylor Parrett has a 6.00 ERA
Jerry Couch has a 6.23 ERA
Sam Hill could be a potential starter with a 6.48 ERA
Steven Cash, JT Etheridge and Ben Tate have all contributed.
I know I left out some very good upper classmen that left last year, but I think overall the new group is light years better than the group that chose or was asked not to come back.
I like the way this team is built, its not perfect and I still don't think it is where Deggs wants it to be, but it is really close to being there.
So here is the question and or statement regarding the roster. This foundation of this program has always been
Built on HS seniors. When we had good teams it was bc we had guys who had been in the program for a few years. The portal can change the look of a roster overnight. While i think we will continue to use it…i think if we hit on another good signing class the future is gonna be very bright. To be successful in the current system Deggs uses, you have to be a specific kind of athlete. The portal doesnt always tell you that.
update Jack Clark is at something called Weatherford College in Bridgeport, TX. He is playing and hitting .300, but I am not sure anything about Weatherford College and what level ball they play and I know Drew Shifflett retired from college baseball, I believe.
I think the surprise to me is Bobby Lada and Warnner Rincones
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