Changes I’d like to see

[Allabouttheu95]

Stealing bases at all levels of baseball has become a difficult task. Pitchers have gotten to the point where they are almost all quick to the plate with the slide step or a modified delivery. Combine that with them throwing harder across the board than ever (same thing with catchers), and stealing a base has become a much lower percentage play.

You just don’t see hardly anybody trying to run like they used to. Kind of sucks because I love the stolen base, but it makes sense. The highest percentage move up in today’s game is reading balls in the dirt and moving up that way.

You're right and I agree I love the stolen base as well. I still would be trying more late in games than I have seen so far. But we have been burned quite a few times this season by not only bad jumps but balls in the dirt that the catcher makes a tremendous play on.

 

[Gooner#44]

Tuero raked as a freshman too before he got hurt. Legit might be the best pure hitter we have outside of Del. Obviously Dimare thought he could hide Paige's poor bat and that his glove would outweigh that but it was a complete failure. Tuero has to be out there every day.

As for speed, we're probably middle of the pack in the ACC. Fast outfield, slow infield. Gabe Rivera actually is faster than either Jenkins or Lala, and could steal bases if he were on more. Obviously losing Zamora was a huge blow. With him, we'd be able to put a lot more pressure on other teams' fielding.

We are slow overall as a team, that's a fact. And no way I believe Rivera can outrun Lala or Jenkins. Especially in a quick twitch scenario like base stealing where jump is as if not more important than speed. I like Rivera, I want him to win the everyday RF job, we need some power from one of the OF postions.

As far as Tuero being the 2nd best pure hitter I'm not taking that leap.. He has looked good in limited ABs but he is no Toral/Vilar/ADC type hitter. He should have started 2B from Day 1, makes we wonder what Gino was thinking, Paige's D is not that much better, esp at an easier position like 2B. I hope he keeps hitting though, I want to see these guys make it to Omaha.

 

[rok]

Rivera took second base with ease on Sunday when he hit a gapper into left center. Jenkins was lucky not to get thrown out at third on a sac fly to shallow RF on Sunday. A perfect throw was made but the tag wasn't applied perfectly so he made it in safely. That said, he had just stolen second base if I'm not mistaken. To allabouttheu95's point, I'd like to see Lala and Jenkins at the top of the order being aggressive on the base paths.

 

[Gooner#44]

Rivera took second base with ease on Sunday when he hit a gapper into left center. Jenkins was lucky not to get thrown out at third on a sac fly to shallow RF on Sunday. A perfect throw was made but the tag wasn't applied perfectly so he made it in safely. That said, he had just stolen second base if I'm not mistaken. To allabouttheu95's point, I'd like to see Lala and Jenkins at the top of the order being aggressive on the base paths.

So we put our fastest OF in RF?



Base stealing is dying in baseball, the risk is no longer worth the reward. Our team is not built to steal bases. It is built for Lala to walk, Vilar to double to RC gap, ADC to triple off the wall, Toral, Gil, Gates, Rivera to all hit HRs, the Jenkins/Tuero start it over as bottom of the order "lead off" types. We are not the 87 Cardinals and the game is not SB friendly anymore.

 

[rok]

So we put our fastest OF in RF?



Base stealing is dying in baseball, the risk is no longer worth the reward. Our team is not built to steal bases. It is built for Lala to walk, Jenkins/Tuero to slap one through the hole between 1st and 2nd, Vilar to double to RC gap, ADC to triple off the wall, Toral, Gil, Gates, Rivera to all hit HRs. We are not the 87 Cardinals and the game is not SB friendly anymore.

Looks like you've got Vilar batting 3rd in this scenario!

 

[Gooner#44]

Looks like you've got Vilar batting 3rd in this scenario!

Typo, I fixed it for you rokE, but my point stands, this team is not built to steal bases. It is built for power/xb hits.

How you feel about our chances tomorrow night? I'm not real confident ina midweek game at good UCF team.

 

[Gooner#44]

My ideal lineup right now:

Lala
Vilar
ADC
Toral
Tuero (feels odd putting him behind Toral but he is the best option right now)
Rivera
Gates
Gil (can't bench him yet, but his leash is short, may see easier pitches in 8 hole)
Jenkins (basically a double leadoff with him and Lala)

 

[Allabouttheu95]

My ideal lineup right now:

Lala
Vilar
ADC
Toral
Tuero (feels odd putting him behind Toral but he is the best option right now)
Rivera
Gates
Gil (can't bench him yet, but his leash is short, may see easier pitches in 8 hole)
Jenkins (basically a double leadoff with him and Lala)

That bottom of the order is a black hole at the moment.

 

[Gooner#44]

That bottom of the order is a black hole at the moment.

Gil is killing the entire lineup, if teams get through ADC and Toral they know they can throw 3 pitches on the outside of the plate and get a K. I actually really like Jenkins in the 9 spot. For this team to reach its offensive potential Lala has to stay hot and Gil/Gates/Rivera need to be mashing balls.

 

[Allabouttheu95]

Gil is killing the entire lineup, if teams get through ADC and Toral they know they can throw 3 pitches on the outside of the plate and get a K. I actually really like Jenkins in the 9 spot. For this team to reach its offensive potential Lala has to stay hot and Gil/Gates/Rivera need to be mashing balls.

Rivera, Gates, Gil are auto outs at the moment until proven otherwise. Need at leasr 1 of them to get back to last season form. My money is on Gates. Gil is a disaster and so is Rivera IMO

 

[rok]

Lala and Jenkins at the top of the order has potential from a speed standpoint. Even if Lala gets on and Jenkins grounds into a force at 2B, we still have a potential base stealer standing on 1B in TJ with Del at the plate, followed by Toral, Vilar, Tuero, eventually Gil.

As for UCF, I'm not super confident but we're playing a lot more loose lately so maybe we show up.

 

[rok]

Rivera, Gates, Gil are auto outs at the moment until proven otherwise. Need at leasr 1 of them to get back to last season form. My money is on Gates. Gil is a disaster and so is Rivera IMO

Rivera did hit a couple base hits hard into left over the weekend and is up to .289.
I'm sure Thomas will remain in the RF mix until someone separates themselves.
Gates also smashed one to right center on Saturday that got knocked down by the wind.
Gil swings out of his shoes and, if he even connects, hits a chopper to 3B or a tapper back to the pitcher.
He shouldn't be out there right now.

 

[Gooner#44]

As a manger would you ever tinker with you Fri-Sat-Sun starters to win a midweek game? Just curious. Like this week for example. VT is not a good team, UCF is a good team and in our own state. Would you ever consider throwing a weekend starter Wed and then let say Keysor start Sunday?

I used to coach a legion team a few years back and we ran it pretty by the book, a group of starters and some mid-relief guys and then we had a setup and closer (7 inning games). If we were facing say the 2-3-4 in the 6th I would throw our closer and then throw the set up kid if the closer threw over 25 pitches. Sometimes baseball coaches become robots to habit IMO and they actually miss matchup advantages. Just a thought.

 

[Gooner#44]

Rivera did hit a couple base hits hard into left over the weekend and is up to .289.
I'm sure Thomas will remain in the RF mix until someone separates themselves.
Gates also smashed one to right center on Saturday that got knocked down by the wind.
Gil swings out of his shoes and, if he even connects, hits a chopper to 3B or a tapper back to the pitcher.
He shouldn't be out there right now.

I think Rivera should be the every day RF for now. Gil needs to move 6 inches closer to the plate, he is getting ABUSED on pitches away. I'm still like Gates as well.

 

[Allabouttheu95]

I think Rivera should be the every day RF for now. Gil needs to move 6 inches closer to the plate, he is getting ABUSED on pitches away. I'm still like Gates as well.

I can't get behind this what so ever. Did you see his performance in right defensively this weekend?

 

[rok]

As a manger would you ever tinker with you Fri-Sat-Sun starters to win a midweek game? Just curious. Like this week for example. VT is not a good team, UCF is a good team and in our own state. Would you ever consider throwing a weekend starter Wed and then let say Keysor start Sunday?

I used to coach a legion team a few years back and we ran it pretty by the book, a group of starters and some mid-relief guys and then we had a setup and closer (7 inning games). If we were facing say the 2-3-4 in the 6th I would throw our closer and then throw the set up kid if the closer threw over 25 pitches. Sometimes baseball coaches become robots to habit IMO and they actually miss matchup advantages. Just a thought.

Which has a bigger effect on RPI: beating UCF or losing to VT?

 

[Gooner#44]

Which has a bigger effect on RPI: beating UCF or losing to VT?

It's not a "if than this" scenario though my man, think about it. Who says that happens, let's say CMac beats UCF 3-2, a game we lose most likely with Keysor if we only score 3 runs. Than BVB/Slade/Keysor all win. 4-0 week with a win over a recruiting rival and #12 team. I know he won't but I might make that call.

That being said VT has a pretty nice team ERA right now and just played GT to a deathmatch, so maybe I am underselling them. Their Sunday starter struck out 14 Yellowjackets.

 

[Gooner#44]

I can't get behind this what so ever. Did you see his performance in right defensively this weekend?

He is a decent athlete and a good bat, he is my choice out there. I don't give up on kids as quick as you do my man, lol.

 

[rok]

It's not a "if than this" scenario though my man, think about it. Who says that happens, let's say CMac beats UCF 3-2, a game we lose most likely with Keysor if we only score 3 runs. Than BVB/Slade/Keysor all win. 4-0 week with a win over a recruiting rival and #12 team. I know he won't but I might make that call.

That being said VT has a pretty nice team ERA right now and just played GT to a deathmatch, so maybe I am underselling them. Their Sunday starter struck out 14 Yellowjackets.

Winning our division is probably more important in the long run. GT hosted a regional last year and we didn't. So while I'm not opposed to your hypothetical, there's a lot to consider when making that type of call. Gino strikes me as pretty robotic so I'm sure he'll keep the rotation intact. Good question.

 

[Gooner#44]

Winning our division is probably more important in the long run. GT hosted a regional last year and we didn't. So while I'm not opposed to your hypothetical, there's a lot to consider when making that type of call. Gino strikes me as pretty robotic so I'm sure he'll keep the rotation intact. Good question.

Yeah, I think most would tbh, because of "tradition" and the conference thing you brought up.... but when you see what guys like Counsell are doing in MLB by saying ***** tradition it brings up interesting points. You think he throws the staff game again with AMac starting??