How about the tide tries out some new players in the outfield this weekend, just to change things around. Chad White and Ryan Beagle have proven they can hit, and Grooms and McCallister have gone 1-30 or somewhere around there. I know I am jumping to conclusions, but if these two cannot produce hits, then a change needs to be made. Just my 2 cents.
Team right now
- Thread starter bamafan967
- Start date
You are not jumping to conclusions. CJW has a luxury this year that he did not have last year...outfield depth. If he holds true to form, there will be a change for the weekend.
It's VERY early and baseball teams do not go undefeated. However, the biggest problem I see with this team is lack of leadership. Veterens are scarce and someone has to step up and be a leader. Brent Carter is a candidate, but it really has to come from an everyday player. Perhaps Rice or Welch or even the dark horse that has looked nothing but solid...Evan Bush. This team will mesh and grow comfortable with each other and begin producing. Enjoy the ride and endure some tough games because the future of this team looks very bright.
RTR
38
It's VERY early and baseball teams do not go undefeated. However, the biggest problem I see with this team is lack of leadership. Veterens are scarce and someone has to step up and be a leader. Brent Carter is a candidate, but it really has to come from an everyday player. Perhaps Rice or Welch or even the dark horse that has looked nothing but solid...Evan Bush. This team will mesh and grow comfortable with each other and begin producing. Enjoy the ride and endure some tough games because the future of this team looks very bright.
RTR
38
this team has three legitimate hitters, and a couple of more that could supply a supporting cast. The staff looks more than solid but as we found out last year you have to hit these days with the alumnimum bat to win. You did not see teams in the CWS last year that didnt have solid lineups from top to bottom
look at the 2001 team, big bats up and down that lineup, beau hearod hit 7th for that team with 11 homeruns and we all know the type of hitter beau hearod was. They ran into some bad luck in the post-season but that is the type of team it takes to win in the SEC and in the national spotlight, this team just lacks that offensively putting even more pressure on the staff. Its gotta be tough knowing you gotta be close to perfect each night out to win.
bottom line is pitching will only carry this team so far, and without solid bats in the lineup putting up runs the outlook isnt great for this team i realize that its early and hopefully things will change a great deal as you have to expect growing pains from guys that have yet to play at this level, but things need to change quickly the tide cant afford to lose these mid-week games or they could be in the same boat they were a couple of years ago when losing a lot of mid-week games costed them a shot at post-season play. Mid-Week games count just as much as any other game, and we'll need all the wins we can get before running into some solid SEC foes
look at the 2001 team, big bats up and down that lineup, beau hearod hit 7th for that team with 11 homeruns and we all know the type of hitter beau hearod was. They ran into some bad luck in the post-season but that is the type of team it takes to win in the SEC and in the national spotlight, this team just lacks that offensively putting even more pressure on the staff. Its gotta be tough knowing you gotta be close to perfect each night out to win.
bottom line is pitching will only carry this team so far, and without solid bats in the lineup putting up runs the outlook isnt great for this team i realize that its early and hopefully things will change a great deal as you have to expect growing pains from guys that have yet to play at this level, but things need to change quickly the tide cant afford to lose these mid-week games or they could be in the same boat they were a couple of years ago when losing a lot of mid-week games costed them a shot at post-season play. Mid-Week games count just as much as any other game, and we'll need all the wins we can get before running into some solid SEC foes
I agree with Busta....hitting(or lack of) could be the down fall of this team. What concerns me most......isn't the hitting supposed to be in front of the pitching early in the baseball season....as pitchers need/ work better in warm weather?
I will be at the games vs cincy and hope we see some offense this weekend.
I will be at the games vs cincy and hope we see some offense this weekend.
longtime reader, first time to post...
busta, you are talking about the 2002 team. The 2001 team did not make the postseason.
Runs per game 2003:
Fullerton 7.9
LSU 7.7
ALABAMA 7.6
Stanford 7.4
Rice 7.2
Texas 6.9
The big bats of Alabama 2002 - 7.3 runs per game.
We scored plenty of runs last season. We failed to get timely hits when we needed them on occasion, but was offense really the problem? No. Pitching (aside from Carter and maybe Reed?) and defense were the biggest weaknesses in 2003.
Pitching will carry you far. Look at Rice - their leading HR hitter only had 10 and they scored fewer runs per game than Alabama. True, their pitching was exceptional. Yet to say that you have to load up with offense in order to win is not entirely correct. Yes, a good offense is important, but it is not THE MOST important aspect.
I agree that we can't afford to keep losing the midweek games. We learned that the hard way in 2001 and were lucky to win the SEC Tournament last year otherwise we might have been in the same boat. Just give these hitters time. They are off to a slow start, but please - it is only the second weekend of the season and you seem to have already given up.
[This message has been edited by Crenshaw (edited 02-20-2004).]
[This message has been edited by Crenshaw (edited 02-21-2004).]
busta, you are talking about the 2002 team. The 2001 team did not make the postseason.
Runs per game 2003:
Fullerton 7.9
LSU 7.7
ALABAMA 7.6
Stanford 7.4
Rice 7.2
Texas 6.9
The big bats of Alabama 2002 - 7.3 runs per game.
We scored plenty of runs last season. We failed to get timely hits when we needed them on occasion, but was offense really the problem? No. Pitching (aside from Carter and maybe Reed?) and defense were the biggest weaknesses in 2003.
Pitching will carry you far. Look at Rice - their leading HR hitter only had 10 and they scored fewer runs per game than Alabama. True, their pitching was exceptional. Yet to say that you have to load up with offense in order to win is not entirely correct. Yes, a good offense is important, but it is not THE MOST important aspect.
I agree that we can't afford to keep losing the midweek games. We learned that the hard way in 2001 and were lucky to win the SEC Tournament last year otherwise we might have been in the same boat. Just give these hitters time. They are off to a slow start, but please - it is only the second weekend of the season and you seem to have already given up.
[This message has been edited by Crenshaw (edited 02-20-2004).]
[This message has been edited by Crenshaw (edited 02-21-2004).]
Crenshaw--- nice post
Yes i was meaning the 2002 team, and yes last year's team scored a lot of runs too and i totally agree that the pitching wasnt up to par last season aside from reed and carter. I wish you were on the board last season I was in many arguments stating the offense was fine and the pitching needed to brush up, a lot of people didnt see it that way
But of those teams you posted, outside of bama ALL of those teams were in the CWS, in this day of college baseball you must be able to hit, not saying its the most important aspect, but pitching doesnt carry you like it does in the big leagues. You have to have the solid mix, but in todays college baseball good hitting beats good pitching, but GREAT pitching will beat good hitting. Few staffs have great pitching....so all the more need for a good offense.
And i havent wrote off the season, just saying that this offense in a solid downgrade from the last two years, and i just dont see the promise that others see. The pitching should get the tide back into the post-season, but i dont think this club as the weapons offensively to get to the CWS. If carter and tankersley stay around, and with the offense only losing sosa, next year, with guys like bush, mcallister, leblanc, lyons and the rest of the youngsters all have more experience under their belts, will be the year bama has a true shot to get back to omaha.
Yes i was meaning the 2002 team, and yes last year's team scored a lot of runs too and i totally agree that the pitching wasnt up to par last season aside from reed and carter. I wish you were on the board last season I was in many arguments stating the offense was fine and the pitching needed to brush up, a lot of people didnt see it that way
But of those teams you posted, outside of bama ALL of those teams were in the CWS, in this day of college baseball you must be able to hit, not saying its the most important aspect, but pitching doesnt carry you like it does in the big leagues. You have to have the solid mix, but in todays college baseball good hitting beats good pitching, but GREAT pitching will beat good hitting. Few staffs have great pitching....so all the more need for a good offense.
And i havent wrote off the season, just saying that this offense in a solid downgrade from the last two years, and i just dont see the promise that others see. The pitching should get the tide back into the post-season, but i dont think this club as the weapons offensively to get to the CWS. If carter and tankersley stay around, and with the offense only losing sosa, next year, with guys like bush, mcallister, leblanc, lyons and the rest of the youngsters all have more experience under their belts, will be the year bama has a true shot to get back to omaha.
Actually busta, I wrote that Crenshaw post - just trying to see how you'd respond and keep you on your toes by throwing some stats at you on a slow night. Had I posted under my handle, I know you probably wouldn't have responded the way you did, but I don't take it personally. You bring up some legitimate points and make an excellent argument. Rice as an example is certainly an exception to the norm because that pitching staff was arguably the greatest in college baseball history. Combine that with the nation's top defense, and you generally don't need to score a whole lot of runs to guarantee success.
If most of this team can remain intact next season, as you mentioned, then we have an excellent shot at Omaha. I'm not eliminating any possibilities for the current season, by any means, I just see next season as the golden opportunity. It will be interesting to see whether Carter and Tank decide to return or not. If they come back, we'll be tough to beat. Should they opt for the pros, we should still manage to put together a highly competetive team.
38 Special brought up a great point about the luxury of outfield depth this season. The only question, though, is whether we can fully take advantage of it. Such is the nature of the "problem" of having the players we have - deciding who gets to play. Obviously CJW knows who he believes will be his best hitters, and even if some of them start out struggling, it's tough deciding whether to sit them because of the chance that they might break out. On the other hand, you've also got some good, proven bats on the bench that haven't been getting much of an opportunity to play. The argument there is that we may be selling ourselves short and effectively limiting our offensive productivity due to these bats remaining on the shelf in hopes that those that are in the lineup and struggling will snap out of their respective slumps. One could accuse me of being overly optimistic, but I tend to believe that McCallister and Grooms will come around sooner or later. Hopefully this year (hopefully this weekend, for that matter), definitely next year. I certainly want all of the players to succeed, but I also think that we should put together the most productive lineup that we possibly can. Give them each a fair shot, and everything will eventually fall into place.
I don't think anyone realistically expects this team to put up the kind of big time offensive numbers like the Gorilla Ballers in Baton Rouge, but with what looks to be solid pitching and improved defense, we can still win plenty of ball games. It may require manufacturing more runs and placing more emphasis on situational hitting than we have been used to in the past, but I think we've got the personnel that is perfectly capable of getting the job done. You've got to score runs somehow, and as busta mentioned, this team may not have the kind of offensive weapons that some of the elite CWS contenders do. But the way I see it, when you don't have those luxuries, you must make the best of what you've got on hand. Incorporating a philosophy that emphasizes your own strengths so as to maximize your potential in all areas of the game is much better than trying to emulate someone else's approach that may be totally contradictory to your own. We might not be able to play much "Gorilla Ball," but we can certainly find other ways to win. For a prototypical power hitter like Michael McCallister, in the midst of his rather difficult introduction to the college game, to lay down a bunt to move a runner to third (who scored during the next at bat) and come through with a picture-perfect RBI sac fly - that alone demonstrates to me that we are headed in the right direction.
[This message has been edited by JoJoforHeisman (edited 02-21-2004).]
If most of this team can remain intact next season, as you mentioned, then we have an excellent shot at Omaha. I'm not eliminating any possibilities for the current season, by any means, I just see next season as the golden opportunity. It will be interesting to see whether Carter and Tank decide to return or not. If they come back, we'll be tough to beat. Should they opt for the pros, we should still manage to put together a highly competetive team.
38 Special brought up a great point about the luxury of outfield depth this season. The only question, though, is whether we can fully take advantage of it. Such is the nature of the "problem" of having the players we have - deciding who gets to play. Obviously CJW knows who he believes will be his best hitters, and even if some of them start out struggling, it's tough deciding whether to sit them because of the chance that they might break out. On the other hand, you've also got some good, proven bats on the bench that haven't been getting much of an opportunity to play. The argument there is that we may be selling ourselves short and effectively limiting our offensive productivity due to these bats remaining on the shelf in hopes that those that are in the lineup and struggling will snap out of their respective slumps. One could accuse me of being overly optimistic, but I tend to believe that McCallister and Grooms will come around sooner or later. Hopefully this year (hopefully this weekend, for that matter), definitely next year. I certainly want all of the players to succeed, but I also think that we should put together the most productive lineup that we possibly can. Give them each a fair shot, and everything will eventually fall into place.
I don't think anyone realistically expects this team to put up the kind of big time offensive numbers like the Gorilla Ballers in Baton Rouge, but with what looks to be solid pitching and improved defense, we can still win plenty of ball games. It may require manufacturing more runs and placing more emphasis on situational hitting than we have been used to in the past, but I think we've got the personnel that is perfectly capable of getting the job done. You've got to score runs somehow, and as busta mentioned, this team may not have the kind of offensive weapons that some of the elite CWS contenders do. But the way I see it, when you don't have those luxuries, you must make the best of what you've got on hand. Incorporating a philosophy that emphasizes your own strengths so as to maximize your potential in all areas of the game is much better than trying to emulate someone else's approach that may be totally contradictory to your own. We might not be able to play much "Gorilla Ball," but we can certainly find other ways to win. For a prototypical power hitter like Michael McCallister, in the midst of his rather difficult introduction to the college game, to lay down a bunt to move a runner to third (who scored during the next at bat) and come through with a picture-perfect RBI sac fly - that alone demonstrates to me that we are headed in the right direction.
[This message has been edited by JoJoforHeisman (edited 02-21-2004).]
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