Quote Originally Posted by sportsfanatic21 View Post
I have been one of the “it’s not as bad as you think” guys all year. And still am.

That said, I agree with a lot of your thoughts here.

I don’t think anyone could argue that there aren’t a couple guys that keep getting regular starts that just aren’t getting it done. It’s no secret. And having them in prime batting order spots is just baffling.

I also agree with MAT’s comment about how in the world Higgs doesn’t get more opportunities. His strike out rate is high (but no higher than some regulars) but his production when he does make contact is immensely better.

I wonder if having the captain’s “C” on jerseys has kind of bitten Deggs in the butt a little. If I’m being honest, I’m not a big fan of “captains” in baseball. Leaders lead. They don’t need a “C” on their chest. And having SO many of them makes it tough when a few are struggling.

Once Debarge is back, I’d like to see a lineup that consists of:

DH Robichaux
SS Debarge
RF Hood
CF Roccaforte
C Brock
2B Taylor
3B LeJeune
LF Veillon/Higgs platoon
1B Willis or Zambo

Use Marusak as a pinch runner and defensive replacement as long as Lejeune can hold the job at 3B. Stelly and Yuhasz from the right side, and Higgs and Zambo (if not in the lineup) from the left side as pinch hitters. Stick with it and let guys know their roles. And if Roccaforte continues to struggle (which I don’t think he will) swap he and Taylor in the order.

As for the pitching, I agree with a lot of what’s been said. Hammond is a good arm. But he’s a pen guy, not a starter, and definitely not a Friday night guy. Nezuh has had a great outing, a couple solid ones, and a couple stinkers. He’s a Sunday guy at best. Hopefully McGehee stays healthy the rest of the way and can settle in. Rawls has to be the guy on Fridays. He was solid last year, and if he wasn’t bothered by some nagging injury, underutilized. Like with some of the hitters, production matters. And we are now into the 2nd half of the season. The guy has been lights out. He’s allowing 5 hits, 3 walks and 6 Ks per 9 innings. Those arent eye popping strikeout numbers, like it seems everybody is awed by in today’s game, he just makes pitches and gets outs. There’s been some VERY successful pitchers here in the last decade or so that didn’t have big K numbers. But they got people out, and ate up quality innings. Robichaux, Baranik, Boutte, Leger, Schmidt, etc. All of those guys were VERY successful starting pitchers. None of them were big strikeout guys.

How I would line them up would be:
Fri Rawls
Sat McGehee
Sun Nezuh
Midweek Ray/Hill

That leaves you with solid options in the pen. Hammond, Fluno, Moody, and Christie from the right side. Tate, Marshall, possibly Lafleur, and hopefully Theut soon, from the left side. All of those guys are capable. And there are some other pen guys that can get an out or two. Things spun on Moody last night but he’s a good option down there and will bounce back.

I think the pitching will be better once McGehee and Theut are both back. It’s been painfully obvious that the staff is trying to sneak innings out of guys the last few weeks. Once a solid foundation of what roles each guy will fill is established, and hopefully that begins THIS weekend, this staff can be effective.

Last thing, in response to the poster saying that UL hasn’t had a pitching staff since 2017….go check the 2021 staff. You had two pros leading the way (Cooke and Arrighetti) that were both great. Carter Robinson was the 3rd guy and had a good year. Schultz and Perrin had good years out of the pen and Talley had a great season as the closer. I know it seems like forever, but it was just two years ago. That staff pitched to a 3.37 ERA in 2021. It was really good. Unfortunately the offense wasn’t very good.
Great post. And I do stand corrected. The 2021 staff did have some good arms. You're right, it does seem like years ago !