Baseball Roster Observation

[CajunAmos]

Very interesting thoughts SF21.

I'm probably in the minority, but I think we lack grit a whole lot more than we lack talent. I think we lack baseball IQ, situational awareness and "buy in" even more than grit.

I just can't keep watching hitters try to pull outside pitches. Can't keep watching hitters not understand how to execute a bunt or use the opposite side of the field. Can't keep watching hitters miss pitchers' mistakes, game after game.

Half of our lineup swings for the fences. Waaay too much guessing in the box. Not jumping on Windy, but he had at least two at bats with a runner on and the right side open. Instead of going with the outside pitch oppo, he tried to yank the ball over and over. Head flying out, shoulder pointed at the damn dugout. That is flat out not understanding what your job is, and Wells or JT have GOT to correct that. It's not just Windy either. I'm glad OV hit the bomb last night, but 1-10 with 7 Ks is absolutely unacceptable.

I'll say again, until someone in this lineup makes a pitcher pay for mistakes, pitchers will continue to pound the zone and challenge hitters. They will attack until we fight back.

And btw, outfield defense has been atrocious. Mitchell made a great grab last night, but my god...

Not disagreeing as 1 for 10 with 7K's is not acceptable, but on Saturday's DH he was 4 for 8 with two runs scored and one RBI and 2 SO's. His .222 average isn't good but he does lead the team in OPS with a .819 and Slugging percentage at .519 which are items Robe has referenced.

[LifeTimeCajun]

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.

[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.