Kendall Graveman

[CadaverDawg]

I think he needs a good confidence building start. Graveman kind of reminds me of a right handed Ross Mitchell, in that he is most effective when his velocity is down and he stays low in the zone. It seems like he is trying so hard to become that Ace, that he is overthrowing a little bit instead of just letting that natural sink have its' effect.

I could not care less about strikeouts when it comes to Graveman, I just hope he has a **** ton of groundouts tomorrow and scatters a few hits over about 6 or 7 innings and gives up 2 or less runs. That would be a really good outing from him considering we haven't really seen a sharp Graveman since SEC regular season play last year in my opinion.

Am I way off? I'm no baseball guru, but this is just an observation that I would like to get others' thoughts on.

ETA: I just saw where Evan Mitchell was starting tomorrow, not Graveman. Would still like to discuss Graveman though.

 

[Todd4State]

Graveman had surgery in the offseason. I think he had a sports hernia. He is what he is- an innings eater that gets a lot of ground balls when he is on. If he's off- we usually know pretty quickly. He's very competitive and he's smart from a baseball standpoint - and an off the field standpoint for that matter- which gets him by most of the time.

Eventually, I would like to see him pitch on Sunday because he is going to be a tough match-up for most anyone elses Sunday starter plus he can eat innings which gives us a little bit more bullpen flexibility on Friday and Saturday.

Ross is totally different to me. He will never start for us barring a plague of McNickle hitting our pitching staff. He throws about 10 MPH less than Graveman, and he gets by totally changing speeds. He reminds me more of Jon Harden than anything other than the fact he is left handed. Cohen likes to use him during the day because then he can use the shadows to supplement the movement that he gets. They are both smart players- Ross grew up in a MLB family, so I'm sure he has picked up some good tips along the way.

 

[CadaverDawg]

Graveman had surgery in the offseason. I think he had a sports hernia. He is what he is- an innings eater that gets a lot of ground balls when he is on. If he's off- we usually know pretty quickly. He's very competitive and he's smart from a baseball standpoint - and an off the field standpoint for that matter- which gets him by most of the time.

Eventually, I would like to see him pitch on Sunday because he is going to be a tough match-up for most anyone elses Sunday starter plus he can eat innings which gives us a little bit more bullpen flexibility on Friday and Saturday.

Ross is totally different to me. He will never start for us barring a plague of McNickle hitting our pitching staff. He throws about 10 MPH less than Graveman, and he gets by totally changing speeds. He reminds me more of Jon Harden than anything other than the fact he is left handed. Cohen likes to use him during the day because then he can use the shadows to supplement the movement that he gets. They are both smart players- Ross grew up in a MLB family, so I'm sure he has picked up some good tips along the way.

Yea, the only thing that I was referencing in the Mitchell comparison, was that neither need a ton of velocity due to their natural ball movement as long as they keep it down. I also think that if Graveman was just now joining the team, he would probably be a reliever. I think he is smart enough, and was successful before we were really having success under Cohen, so now he gets the benefit of the doubt as an experienced weekend starter. I really hope he has a good year, because I like the way he fights out there. And once again, I think if he doesn't try to do too much, and just let's that sinker work for him, he can and will have a good season.

And I agree that he would probably have even more success if moved to the Sunday starter role.

 

[Tom Emanski]

I think he needs a good confidence building start. Graveman kind of reminds me of a right handed Ross Mitchell, in that he is most effective when his velocity is down and he stays low in the zone. It seems like he is trying so hard to become that Ace, that he is overthrowing a little bit instead of just letting that natural sink have its' effect.

I could not care less about strikeouts when it comes to Graveman, I just hope he has a **** ton of groundouts tomorrow and scatters a few hits over about 6 or 7 innings and gives up 2 or less runs. That would be a really good outing from him considering we haven't really seen a sharp Graveman since SEC regular season play last year in my opinion.

Am I way off? I'm no baseball guru, but this is just an observation that I would like to get others' thoughts on.

ETA: I just saw where Evan Mitchell was starting tomorrow, not Graveman. Would still like to discuss Graveman though.

I agree. I like the change in approach he brings to the mound compared to some of our other starters. I don't think his approach with the emphasis on groundouts is something opposing hitters see a lot of and serves as a good change of pace. Also, when he is on and getting a lot of groundouts, I believe he might be our best starter; just haven't seen that from him yet this year. Last year's Florida game is the example of a perfect Graveman start. He gave up no runs and forced groundouts from 14 of 27 batters faced while pitching 7.2 innings despite facing a lineup littered with major league caliber hitters. It was the only time Florida was shut out all year.

Hopefully as the year goes on we'll get some solid 6 or 7 inning starts from him which would help tremendously with pitching depth for a regional.

 

[shoeless joe]

I think he needs a good confidence building start. Graveman kind of reminds me of a right handed Ross Mitchell, in that he is most effective when his velocity is down and he stays low in the zone. It seems like he is trying so hard to become that Ace, that he is overthrowing a little bit instead of just letting that natural sink have its' effect.

I could not care less about strikeouts when it comes to Graveman, I just hope he has a **** ton of groundouts tomorrow and scatters a few hits over about 6 or 7 innings and gives up 2 or less runs. That would be a really good outing from him considering we haven't really seen a sharp Graveman since SEC regular season play last year in my opinion.

Am I way off? I'm no baseball guru, but this is just an observation that I would like to get others' thoughts on.

ETA: I just saw where Evan Mitchell was starting tomorrow, not Graveman. Would still like to discuss Graveman though.

graveman is my favorite pitcher on the staff. i love watchin a sinker baller work. no matter the jam they are just one pitch away from getting out of trouble. only problem is when
those type pitchers are up in the zone they become very hittable. also sometimes a "tired arm" can benefit these type guys and early in the year when their ball jumps a little better it actually works against them. i think graveman will be fine as long as we catch it behind him.

 

[99jc]

As a former pitcher I think Ross Mitchell has better stuff than Evan Mitchell.

And Holder is the best reliever since Pete Young.