Starters:
1B- Ryan Collins- I thought that this was an interesting move, but it makes us more athletic and allows us to play our three best outfielders. Obviously, I don't expect Collins to replace Conner Powers for us. He had a very good freshman year, but then he got hurt, and he hasn't performed as well the past two years at the plate. He is a senior and we really need for him to be at least a .300 hitter for us. I can tell you right now that his power doesn't profile for first base. He does add speed to our lineup.
2B- Sam Frost (sigh)- I really should put an asterisk here because I really think that Adam Frazier and Demarcus Henderson will take over by the end of the year. Frost is a player that a lot of people hate on- and rightfully so. He is very small, and quite honestly he looks like a kid out there. People will point out that he didn't hit well- and that's true for much of the year. I say that because in his defense, he actually got his average up to .250, which is respectable for a freshman. And that's the best thing I can say about him is he at least statistically improved as the year went on, and he really shouldn't be any worse. He can steal bases, and I think his long term future at MSU is as a role player. The reason I say that is because I think Frazier is simply going to be the better player. I really don't understand why Frost is the starter right now other than experience. And really I think Demarcus Henderson will be better as well.
3B- Jarrod Parks- I know that Nick Vickerson is also probably going to start some here, but let me say that doesn't really make much sense to me. If you have a player that is clearly superior to another defensively, and his bat is productive, and you can put that other player at the DH spot, you go with the better defensive player. Common sense. Now, in Vickerson's defense, I will point out that he did improve defensively as the season went on. Parks might very well lead the SEC in being hit by a pitch. I don't think he will get to Travis Chapman's stratosphere in that category, but Cohen has called him a "baseball magnet".
SS- Jonathan Ogden- I like Ogden as a player because he's scrappy. And because he reminds me of Willie Mays Hayes because they both had the same problem- remember when Hayes was in the cage in spring training with the Indians and he was popping everything up- what did the manager tell him to do? Hit it on the ground and use his speed. Ogden has never hit anywhere. Not high school, not JUCO, and not last year. And I hate to say it, but I don't think he'll hit next year either- unless he starts to hit more balls on the ground. I would gladly trade his five home runs for at least 50 points of batting average- and that would get him up to .275. Now, he does do a lot of things well- mainly defense, if he is not playing Ole Miss. And sure, he saves some runs with his defense. But, much like Frost, if someone like Demarcus Henderson can play comparable defense AND hit, you've got to play him. Ogden can run at least, and I know that he has worked really hard on his bunting.
Top upperclassmen back-ups:
Nick Vickerson- 3B/1B/OF/DH- I listed him first because I think he is going to be our DH. He is one of our better hitters, and we need him to have a good year at the plate. Regardless of his defense, he will play somewhere. One thing I like about him is he has the ability to hit a lot of places in the batting order.
Brett Bozeman/Cody Freeman- 1B- They're both catchers, so I'll talk about them more with the catchers, but know that they may play some at first base, but really I don't think they will play that much over there. Bozeman would play there more than Freeman.
Freshmen:
1B- Daryl Norris- He was the Alabama player of the year, and he is dual position guy who was drafted by the Rangers. I think he will see some action next year, and in reality, he may be our back-up first baseman. I think he will be a very good player for us, but we'll see how quickly he adjusts to the SEC and college baseball. He really is probably our third baseman of the future, and as far as pitching- he could be a starter if he refines some of his pitches, but if he doesn't, I think he could be a fairly effective relief pitcher. His pro future is probably as a pitcher.
1B- Wes Rea- This is our first baseman of the future. He is very, very strong. He hit 14 home runs last year in 6A, and his team didn't make the playoffs, and he didn't have a whole lot of protection in the lineup. Why is he not talked about a whole lot? Because he is recovering from an arm injury sustained in high school, and the doctors want to really limit his throwing. He is actually very good defensively- better than people would think given that he is 6'5" and 270-ish. Now, he can play next year, but it will be in a role type situation- probably as a pinch hitter and possibly even DH. I think he will be very good for us as well, and he could be a dual position guy if his arm ever gets better. He didn't pitch last year in high school beause of the same arm injury.
2B- Adam Frazier- I really like this guy. He is a baseball junkie and he holds the Georgia state record for doubles. I read an article about him and he would go watch games at UGA during his free time to try to learn more about the game. He hit over .500 his last two years and I don't think he will hit for a ton of power, but I do think that he will be a good hitter who will steal bases and play great defense. I think he is our second baseman of the future.
3B- Brayden Jones- He is going to be a Rusty Thoms type player. He is a walk-on that is going to play hard and do things that help your team win. He is from Madison Central and helped them win a State Championship as a junior and he also helped them make it to the finals as a senior. Jones won the Gatorade Mississippi Player of the Year. I think he is going to be a good role player for us as a pinch hitter and I think eventually he may be our third baseman when he is a senior. He may redshirt this year. Our fans will like him even though he is not going to be Will Clark.
SS- Demarcus Henderson- He is a very athletic player, and I think he may play some second base for us this year- especially against left handed pitching. Cohen has said that he thinks that Henderson is a possible top three round guy. Personally, I disagree with him on that, but he is a very good player, and I do think he is certainly a pro prospect. He is probably our SS of the future and he was drafted by the Astros. He played QB at Wayne County and he pitched for them- he actually can throw a knuckleball, and you better believe that I would be tempted to let him get on the mound and throw some knucklers in a midweek game. It is possible that he could develop into a five tool guy, but that may not happen until he gets into pro ball.
Hunter Renfroe- could see some time at first base or even third, but I will talk about him more with the catchers.
Taylor Stark- I talked about him with the outfielders. But again, he has the ability to play any infield position adequately. I would like to see us use him as a utility man to rest guys that are slumping.
1B- Ryan Collins- I thought that this was an interesting move, but it makes us more athletic and allows us to play our three best outfielders. Obviously, I don't expect Collins to replace Conner Powers for us. He had a very good freshman year, but then he got hurt, and he hasn't performed as well the past two years at the plate. He is a senior and we really need for him to be at least a .300 hitter for us. I can tell you right now that his power doesn't profile for first base. He does add speed to our lineup.
2B- Sam Frost (sigh)- I really should put an asterisk here because I really think that Adam Frazier and Demarcus Henderson will take over by the end of the year. Frost is a player that a lot of people hate on- and rightfully so. He is very small, and quite honestly he looks like a kid out there. People will point out that he didn't hit well- and that's true for much of the year. I say that because in his defense, he actually got his average up to .250, which is respectable for a freshman. And that's the best thing I can say about him is he at least statistically improved as the year went on, and he really shouldn't be any worse. He can steal bases, and I think his long term future at MSU is as a role player. The reason I say that is because I think Frazier is simply going to be the better player. I really don't understand why Frost is the starter right now other than experience. And really I think Demarcus Henderson will be better as well.
3B- Jarrod Parks- I know that Nick Vickerson is also probably going to start some here, but let me say that doesn't really make much sense to me. If you have a player that is clearly superior to another defensively, and his bat is productive, and you can put that other player at the DH spot, you go with the better defensive player. Common sense. Now, in Vickerson's defense, I will point out that he did improve defensively as the season went on. Parks might very well lead the SEC in being hit by a pitch. I don't think he will get to Travis Chapman's stratosphere in that category, but Cohen has called him a "baseball magnet".
SS- Jonathan Ogden- I like Ogden as a player because he's scrappy. And because he reminds me of Willie Mays Hayes because they both had the same problem- remember when Hayes was in the cage in spring training with the Indians and he was popping everything up- what did the manager tell him to do? Hit it on the ground and use his speed. Ogden has never hit anywhere. Not high school, not JUCO, and not last year. And I hate to say it, but I don't think he'll hit next year either- unless he starts to hit more balls on the ground. I would gladly trade his five home runs for at least 50 points of batting average- and that would get him up to .275. Now, he does do a lot of things well- mainly defense, if he is not playing Ole Miss. And sure, he saves some runs with his defense. But, much like Frost, if someone like Demarcus Henderson can play comparable defense AND hit, you've got to play him. Ogden can run at least, and I know that he has worked really hard on his bunting.
Top upperclassmen back-ups:
Nick Vickerson- 3B/1B/OF/DH- I listed him first because I think he is going to be our DH. He is one of our better hitters, and we need him to have a good year at the plate. Regardless of his defense, he will play somewhere. One thing I like about him is he has the ability to hit a lot of places in the batting order.
Brett Bozeman/Cody Freeman- 1B- They're both catchers, so I'll talk about them more with the catchers, but know that they may play some at first base, but really I don't think they will play that much over there. Bozeman would play there more than Freeman.
Freshmen:
1B- Daryl Norris- He was the Alabama player of the year, and he is dual position guy who was drafted by the Rangers. I think he will see some action next year, and in reality, he may be our back-up first baseman. I think he will be a very good player for us, but we'll see how quickly he adjusts to the SEC and college baseball. He really is probably our third baseman of the future, and as far as pitching- he could be a starter if he refines some of his pitches, but if he doesn't, I think he could be a fairly effective relief pitcher. His pro future is probably as a pitcher.
1B- Wes Rea- This is our first baseman of the future. He is very, very strong. He hit 14 home runs last year in 6A, and his team didn't make the playoffs, and he didn't have a whole lot of protection in the lineup. Why is he not talked about a whole lot? Because he is recovering from an arm injury sustained in high school, and the doctors want to really limit his throwing. He is actually very good defensively- better than people would think given that he is 6'5" and 270-ish. Now, he can play next year, but it will be in a role type situation- probably as a pinch hitter and possibly even DH. I think he will be very good for us as well, and he could be a dual position guy if his arm ever gets better. He didn't pitch last year in high school beause of the same arm injury.
2B- Adam Frazier- I really like this guy. He is a baseball junkie and he holds the Georgia state record for doubles. I read an article about him and he would go watch games at UGA during his free time to try to learn more about the game. He hit over .500 his last two years and I don't think he will hit for a ton of power, but I do think that he will be a good hitter who will steal bases and play great defense. I think he is our second baseman of the future.
3B- Brayden Jones- He is going to be a Rusty Thoms type player. He is a walk-on that is going to play hard and do things that help your team win. He is from Madison Central and helped them win a State Championship as a junior and he also helped them make it to the finals as a senior. Jones won the Gatorade Mississippi Player of the Year. I think he is going to be a good role player for us as a pinch hitter and I think eventually he may be our third baseman when he is a senior. He may redshirt this year. Our fans will like him even though he is not going to be Will Clark.
SS- Demarcus Henderson- He is a very athletic player, and I think he may play some second base for us this year- especially against left handed pitching. Cohen has said that he thinks that Henderson is a possible top three round guy. Personally, I disagree with him on that, but he is a very good player, and I do think he is certainly a pro prospect. He is probably our SS of the future and he was drafted by the Astros. He played QB at Wayne County and he pitched for them- he actually can throw a knuckleball, and you better believe that I would be tempted to let him get on the mound and throw some knucklers in a midweek game. It is possible that he could develop into a five tool guy, but that may not happen until he gets into pro ball.
Hunter Renfroe- could see some time at first base or even third, but I will talk about him more with the catchers.
Taylor Stark- I talked about him with the outfielders. But again, he has the ability to play any infield position adequately. I would like to see us use him as a utility man to rest guys that are slumping.