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Mike Kaffee
SCRIMMAGE: SUNDAY 26 JAN 25
As Championship Sunday for professional football draws near, the energy in the air is electric. In an action-packed lead-up, we geared up for 7.5 innings of Miami baseball, serving as a crucial preview for the upcoming season. With the season's warmth on the horizon, a couple of our hitters are hitting their stride at the plate, showcasing impressive swings and solid connections. Our pitching staff is standing strong, displaying remarkable resilience even after the preseason pause.
However, we cannot overlook a critical concern—our defense is in shambles. With only two weeks remaining until we face Niagra, we must channel our focus and energy into resolving these defensive issues. It's time for us to tighten our strategy and demonstrate the full extent of our skill and potential as a united team. This needs turning around or we are in for a long season.
In today's preseason game, one player notably distinguished himself from his teammates, who had been struggling throughout the fall. Despite a lack of improvement in his performance at the plate on Friday, today Daniel Cuvet emerged as a standout player. His absence from Saturday's lineup may have provided him the time to reflect on the media's portrayal of him as one of the top talents in the game.
Cuvet, who has often been labeled with the phrase "strikeout or bomb out," demonstrated considerable improvement in his approach today. While home runs weren't in the cards, he exhibited a more composed demeanor at the plate, focusing on placement rather than sheer power. This shift in strategy resulted in an impressive 3-for-3 performance, including an opposite-field double. Although he had the opportunity to turn that double into a triple, he opted for caution—understanding the importance of avoiding potential injury during the preseason.
This performance is a promising sign of the Daniel Cuvet we have all been eager to witness, both in the field and at the plate.
Pitching remained the predominant force throughout the majority of today's game, with Brian Walters leading the way. He exhibited exceptional skill on the mound, striking out 6 of the 11 batters he faced. Walters allowed a single in the first inning and hit a batter in the second but maintained control overall. Opposing him was Carson Fischer, who, while not as dominant as Walters, proved to be equally effective. Fischer delivered a solid performance in the first inning, retiring all three batters he faced in a quick 3-up, 3-down outing.
In the second inning, a leadoff double by Daniel Cuvet stood at second base for the duration of the inning, as Fischer recorded two strikeouts and a groundout back to him (1-3), effectively minimizing the threat. Fischer's final inning could have concluded more favorably had the defense been able to execute a double play, which ultimately resulted in a run scored following back-to-back singles with one out.
Jake Dorn and Tate DeRias were brought in for the next three innings which showed a decline in pitching with the hitting taking the high road and the defense taking the very down road. Mental mistakes and just blame sloppiness marred the opening inning for Jake surrendering three runs mostly unearned in the 4th. Tate didn't face a similar fate with the number of miscues in his half of the 4th but still felt the bite of the defense relinquishing a run on a bad throw from home to third ending up in the outfield.
Jake's opening batter set a challenging tone for his outing, primarily due to CF Michael Torres's misplay. Daniel Cuvet capitalized on an error, turning a single into a two-base advancement after the ball slipped under Torres's glove in center field. This incident echoed a similar mistake the previous night with Bobby Marsh in left field, where Marsh attempted a shoestring catch but ultimately failed to secure the ball. For Torres, there was little justification for allowing the ball to get by him.
Jake subsequently walked Derek Williams, placing runners on the corners—setting the stage for my favorite strategic play: the squeeze. Tanner Smith executed the play flawlessly, resulting in no play at the plate, as the only option was to throw to first, which Smith successfully beat out.
Additional runs came about due to defensive lapses, particularly when a grounder to Todd Hudson at first base resulted in a poor throw to the catcher, allowing two runs to score. Hudson's struggles at first base were evident, raising concerns about his readiness for the position. While Renzo has shown superior defensive skills, it appears he may not be in consideration for the starting role. JD is likely to continue deploying Todd at first base until his errors become more costly to the team. I maintain that Todd would serve the team better as a designated hitter.
Despite the challenges he faced, Jake managed to regroup after the difficult fourth inning, striking out two batters in the fifth and concluding his game with a 5-3 double play.
As previously noted, Tate experienced the sting of the defense when an error cost him a run, leaving him momentarily frustrated. However, he bounced back remarkably in his final two innings, delivering an impressive performance by retiring all six batters he faced without giving up a single hit or walk.
Will Smith's one-inning appearance on the mound resulted in a run scored, initiated by Renzo's opening single, who then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Brandon DeGoti drove in his teammate with a solid RBI single.
Jackson Cleveland took the mound as the Closer for a full inning, delivering a better performance than Friday, but still falling short of what I would define as a true "Closer". While he didn't give up any runs, he did allow a hit along with a wild pitch. It's clear that JD needs to reassess and find a "Light's Out" pitcher if one even exists.
Following Cleveland, JD was determined to push for one more half-inning and called upon Michael Fernandez. Although Michael encountered a similar setback as Jackson with a wild pitch, he effectively prevented the runner from advancing beyond second base, securing three consecutive putouts. Michael Only a freshman but with the potential of contributing more in the upcoming season
Offensively, there was a notable improvement at the plate from two key players: Daniel Cuvet and Dorian Gonzalez, each delivering 3 hits. However, the rest of the lineup needs to step up, as we only managed four scattered singles. It’s crucial for our hitting to heat up quickly in the second week of preseason while our pitching solidifies. I have strong confidence in our starting trio for the weekend: Walters, Hugus, and Robert, though the order is still to be determined. The competition for the remaining positions, including the mid-week starter, is wide open. We have two weeks to refine our game before the first series and leading into the Florida series at the end of February.
The second week of the preseason is scheduled to start Wednesday at 630 for 6 innings. Further updates as they become available.
SCRIMMAGE: SUNDAY 26 JAN 25
As Championship Sunday for professional football draws near, the energy in the air is electric. In an action-packed lead-up, we geared up for 7.5 innings of Miami baseball, serving as a crucial preview for the upcoming season. With the season's warmth on the horizon, a couple of our hitters are hitting their stride at the plate, showcasing impressive swings and solid connections. Our pitching staff is standing strong, displaying remarkable resilience even after the preseason pause.
However, we cannot overlook a critical concern—our defense is in shambles. With only two weeks remaining until we face Niagra, we must channel our focus and energy into resolving these defensive issues. It's time for us to tighten our strategy and demonstrate the full extent of our skill and potential as a united team. This needs turning around or we are in for a long season.
In today's preseason game, one player notably distinguished himself from his teammates, who had been struggling throughout the fall. Despite a lack of improvement in his performance at the plate on Friday, today Daniel Cuvet emerged as a standout player. His absence from Saturday's lineup may have provided him the time to reflect on the media's portrayal of him as one of the top talents in the game.
Cuvet, who has often been labeled with the phrase "strikeout or bomb out," demonstrated considerable improvement in his approach today. While home runs weren't in the cards, he exhibited a more composed demeanor at the plate, focusing on placement rather than sheer power. This shift in strategy resulted in an impressive 3-for-3 performance, including an opposite-field double. Although he had the opportunity to turn that double into a triple, he opted for caution—understanding the importance of avoiding potential injury during the preseason.
This performance is a promising sign of the Daniel Cuvet we have all been eager to witness, both in the field and at the plate.
Pitching remained the predominant force throughout the majority of today's game, with Brian Walters leading the way. He exhibited exceptional skill on the mound, striking out 6 of the 11 batters he faced. Walters allowed a single in the first inning and hit a batter in the second but maintained control overall. Opposing him was Carson Fischer, who, while not as dominant as Walters, proved to be equally effective. Fischer delivered a solid performance in the first inning, retiring all three batters he faced in a quick 3-up, 3-down outing.
In the second inning, a leadoff double by Daniel Cuvet stood at second base for the duration of the inning, as Fischer recorded two strikeouts and a groundout back to him (1-3), effectively minimizing the threat. Fischer's final inning could have concluded more favorably had the defense been able to execute a double play, which ultimately resulted in a run scored following back-to-back singles with one out.
Jake Dorn and Tate DeRias were brought in for the next three innings which showed a decline in pitching with the hitting taking the high road and the defense taking the very down road. Mental mistakes and just blame sloppiness marred the opening inning for Jake surrendering three runs mostly unearned in the 4th. Tate didn't face a similar fate with the number of miscues in his half of the 4th but still felt the bite of the defense relinquishing a run on a bad throw from home to third ending up in the outfield.
Jake's opening batter set a challenging tone for his outing, primarily due to CF Michael Torres's misplay. Daniel Cuvet capitalized on an error, turning a single into a two-base advancement after the ball slipped under Torres's glove in center field. This incident echoed a similar mistake the previous night with Bobby Marsh in left field, where Marsh attempted a shoestring catch but ultimately failed to secure the ball. For Torres, there was little justification for allowing the ball to get by him.
Jake subsequently walked Derek Williams, placing runners on the corners—setting the stage for my favorite strategic play: the squeeze. Tanner Smith executed the play flawlessly, resulting in no play at the plate, as the only option was to throw to first, which Smith successfully beat out.
Additional runs came about due to defensive lapses, particularly when a grounder to Todd Hudson at first base resulted in a poor throw to the catcher, allowing two runs to score. Hudson's struggles at first base were evident, raising concerns about his readiness for the position. While Renzo has shown superior defensive skills, it appears he may not be in consideration for the starting role. JD is likely to continue deploying Todd at first base until his errors become more costly to the team. I maintain that Todd would serve the team better as a designated hitter.
Despite the challenges he faced, Jake managed to regroup after the difficult fourth inning, striking out two batters in the fifth and concluding his game with a 5-3 double play.
As previously noted, Tate experienced the sting of the defense when an error cost him a run, leaving him momentarily frustrated. However, he bounced back remarkably in his final two innings, delivering an impressive performance by retiring all six batters he faced without giving up a single hit or walk.
Will Smith's one-inning appearance on the mound resulted in a run scored, initiated by Renzo's opening single, who then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Brandon DeGoti drove in his teammate with a solid RBI single.
Jackson Cleveland took the mound as the Closer for a full inning, delivering a better performance than Friday, but still falling short of what I would define as a true "Closer". While he didn't give up any runs, he did allow a hit along with a wild pitch. It's clear that JD needs to reassess and find a "Light's Out" pitcher if one even exists.
Following Cleveland, JD was determined to push for one more half-inning and called upon Michael Fernandez. Although Michael encountered a similar setback as Jackson with a wild pitch, he effectively prevented the runner from advancing beyond second base, securing three consecutive putouts. Michael Only a freshman but with the potential of contributing more in the upcoming season
Offensively, there was a notable improvement at the plate from two key players: Daniel Cuvet and Dorian Gonzalez, each delivering 3 hits. However, the rest of the lineup needs to step up, as we only managed four scattered singles. It’s crucial for our hitting to heat up quickly in the second week of preseason while our pitching solidifies. I have strong confidence in our starting trio for the weekend: Walters, Hugus, and Robert, though the order is still to be determined. The competition for the remaining positions, including the mid-week starter, is wide open. We have two weeks to refine our game before the first series and leading into the Florida series at the end of February.
The second week of the preseason is scheduled to start Wednesday at 630 for 6 innings. Further updates as they become available.
