will come back to LSU for his senior season. I believe one of Dean's stipulations was that he be a position player this year where as he mainly DH'd last year. I was wondering how Dean's stats and where he was drafted compare and contrast with Connor Powers...and the possibilities of his return to State. I realize there are always different family and financial concerns but I just wanted to know how the two compare on the field.
Paging Todd...Just heard where Blake Dean turned down the pros and
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It always seems like LSU has someone like this coming back EVERY single year. Where is that God is an LSU fan poster?
Anyway
Conner Powers- 11 th round pick- 19 home runs, 53 RBI's, and a .301 Avg. Stuck out 64 times and walked 35- that's not real good, but as a State fan, I'm OK with that because I wanted him to be more agressive. Also had a .668 slugging PCT.
Blake Dean- 10th round pick- 17 home runs, 71 RBI's, and a .328 AVG. Struck out 37 times and walked 50- pretty good for a power hitter, and a .595 slugging PCT.
Dean's stats overall look better to me. I think in Dean's case, he probably feels like the reason he was drafted so low was because he was pegged as a DH only guy, and that if he can show that he can play in the field, he'll maybe be a top 5 round draft pick. I think it's a good gamble in his case.
If Conner comes back, he needs to get his average up, and he needs to cut down on his strikeouts while doing it if he wants to get the offer he wants.
Anyway
Conner Powers- 11 th round pick- 19 home runs, 53 RBI's, and a .301 Avg. Stuck out 64 times and walked 35- that's not real good, but as a State fan, I'm OK with that because I wanted him to be more agressive. Also had a .668 slugging PCT.
Blake Dean- 10th round pick- 17 home runs, 71 RBI's, and a .328 AVG. Struck out 37 times and walked 50- pretty good for a power hitter, and a .595 slugging PCT.
Dean's stats overall look better to me. I think in Dean's case, he probably feels like the reason he was drafted so low was because he was pegged as a DH only guy, and that if he can show that he can play in the field, he'll maybe be a top 5 round draft pick. I think it's a good gamble in his case.
If Conner comes back, he needs to get his average up, and he needs to cut down on his strikeouts while doing it if he wants to get the offer he wants.
What say you people if Petersen takes the next available SEC job? I suspect the next opening will be in this order.
UT
Auburn
UF
LSU
USC
Hell, maybe I am wrong about the order, but that is besides the point. The next opening or two will be much more attractive than State.
UT
Auburn
UF
LSU
USC
Hell, maybe I am wrong about the order, but that is besides the point. The next opening or two will be much more attractive than State.
it wouldn't be a bad idea for Powers to come back for his sake.
Powers is certainly capable of hitting 20 home runs, hitting at least .320, he plays great defense at first base- his fielding percentage was something like .996 last year. We're going to have a lot of seniors and juniors starting in our lineup next year, to. The pitching will be young, but likely improved overall. The pitching is still a concern just because we are going to throw so many Fr., but we should have a pretty good hitting team next year.
If he comes back, it will be interesting to see what Cohen does with Sneed, Parks, and Powers. If Parks comes around, we could very well see Sneed at the DH position, because I can't imagine that we would not put Powers there.
I just hope the JUCO's turn out good.
Powers is certainly capable of hitting 20 home runs, hitting at least .320, he plays great defense at first base- his fielding percentage was something like .996 last year. We're going to have a lot of seniors and juniors starting in our lineup next year, to. The pitching will be young, but likely improved overall. The pitching is still a concern just because we are going to throw so many Fr., but we should have a pretty good hitting team next year.
If he comes back, it will be interesting to see what Cohen does with Sneed, Parks, and Powers. If Parks comes around, we could very well see Sneed at the DH position, because I can't imagine that we would not put Powers there.
I just hope the JUCO's turn out good.
he isnt getting the money he asked for and is looking horrible (.188) in summer league...
I would go with your 90% chance.
I would go with your 90% chance.
I don't think having just Conner back will get us to the upper level of the SEC. If Powers comes back, that would be one of the few positions that we have with no questions. Virtually every position is going to be up for grabs this fall, and into the spring. We have some JUCO guys that I think have good potential, but how will they perform in the SEC? Also, we are going to have at least one true Fr., unless Ricky Bowen comes back AND has his head on straight, in our SEC rotation- probably CC Watson, and then our bullpen is going to be mainly made up of Fr. We also need to find a closer, and then we need to find some guys who can pitch midweek.
I do think we will be better next year, and that includes the pitching, Freshmen or not. At least we have Fr. with ability. I think the offense will be fine. If Conner Powers doesn't come back, it could be a little worse in the power department, but certainly acceptable. One thing that we need to do to, is get more athletic on defense. This went largely unnoticed because the pitching was so crappy, but there were times when there were balls that were hit that we just couldn't get to, and then there were times where we would make errors. If the JUCO guys can't hit, I hope they can field. I think we will finish in the middle of the pack in the SEC, but not the top half. Something like seventh to eigth place with 30 wins or so overall. (And no, that's not a potshot at you) For us to make the top half of the SEC, it's going to be because most of our JUCO's panned out and because our Fr. pitchers stepped up more than what was expected of them as Fr. Which could very well happen- anything can happen in baseball.
What's going to turn it around? I think we need to copy LSU. I think that was part of our problem. For years we were like, well, you can hit all those home runs, but we're going to do it with class. If we were smart, we would have asked them where in Mexico they were getting their roids. (I sadly know of such a place in Cancun. Right when you get off of the ship, look to the left.)
But I like Manieri has built his team. If it were me, and I think Cohen is at least trying to do this- I would do it this way.
1. Pitching- I don't care what kind of style of offense you have, there isn't a team in baseball history other than our 2005 SEC Tournament team that has won without pitching. I think Cohen has addressed this last year. Get three weekend guys, a good midweek guy, a LH set-up guy, a RH set-up guy, and a closer. I also like to have a submarine guy in the pen as a middle reliever because a lot of college hitters have trouble with that.
2. You build your team up the middle- you get two good catchers who can neutralize the running game and handle the pitching staff, and at least one who can hopefully hit a little bit, 2B, SS, and CF, you get some good athletes who can run down balls and make some plays for you, and want at least a couple of guys to be table setters for your offense. Guys like Jeffrey Rea who are going to get on, steal bases, and put the ball in play. I think Cohen is doing this now- Luwallen, CT Bradford, Adam Frazier, and maybe Garrett Pitts.
3. Then you add power on the corners and at DH- You get guys that can mash the ball and drive in those table setters. I think this is what Cohen is working on, or needs to work on more right now. Ethan Bright is a good corner type player. We need more- and we need more RH power bats in particular.
4. Then you build your bench. A lot of people forget about this, and this is where the walk-ons can really help you out. You get at least one guy who can pinch hit, a guy who can steal bases as a pinch-running type specialist, and a utility guy who can help you out on defense.
I think following that plan is what it's going to take to get us back on top. I don't know what Cohen would say, but I think he would agree with a lot of it. So, basically, it's going to take getting better players in, and making sure that we develop them. The other thing it's going to take is winning. We've had two losing seasons in a row, and these top prospects around the country are not going to want to go into a rebuilding project- which is how they view us right now. It seems like everyone wants to go to LSU right now, and I don't blame them. I like how we're recruiting Mississippi, it seems like we're starting to spread our wings a little bit to states other than Mississippi and Alabama, I like most of the pitchers from last years class, and I like most of the middle infield guys from this years class. Like I said, we need more power hitters. But, I think the group of guys that we've put together from last year, and this year are going to be the foundation for the future, to where we are getting those national recruits.
I do think we will be better next year, and that includes the pitching, Freshmen or not. At least we have Fr. with ability. I think the offense will be fine. If Conner Powers doesn't come back, it could be a little worse in the power department, but certainly acceptable. One thing that we need to do to, is get more athletic on defense. This went largely unnoticed because the pitching was so crappy, but there were times when there were balls that were hit that we just couldn't get to, and then there were times where we would make errors. If the JUCO guys can't hit, I hope they can field. I think we will finish in the middle of the pack in the SEC, but not the top half. Something like seventh to eigth place with 30 wins or so overall. (And no, that's not a potshot at you) For us to make the top half of the SEC, it's going to be because most of our JUCO's panned out and because our Fr. pitchers stepped up more than what was expected of them as Fr. Which could very well happen- anything can happen in baseball.
What's going to turn it around? I think we need to copy LSU. I think that was part of our problem. For years we were like, well, you can hit all those home runs, but we're going to do it with class. If we were smart, we would have asked them where in Mexico they were getting their roids. (I sadly know of such a place in Cancun. Right when you get off of the ship, look to the left.)
But I like Manieri has built his team. If it were me, and I think Cohen is at least trying to do this- I would do it this way.
1. Pitching- I don't care what kind of style of offense you have, there isn't a team in baseball history other than our 2005 SEC Tournament team that has won without pitching. I think Cohen has addressed this last year. Get three weekend guys, a good midweek guy, a LH set-up guy, a RH set-up guy, and a closer. I also like to have a submarine guy in the pen as a middle reliever because a lot of college hitters have trouble with that.
2. You build your team up the middle- you get two good catchers who can neutralize the running game and handle the pitching staff, and at least one who can hopefully hit a little bit, 2B, SS, and CF, you get some good athletes who can run down balls and make some plays for you, and want at least a couple of guys to be table setters for your offense. Guys like Jeffrey Rea who are going to get on, steal bases, and put the ball in play. I think Cohen is doing this now- Luwallen, CT Bradford, Adam Frazier, and maybe Garrett Pitts.
3. Then you add power on the corners and at DH- You get guys that can mash the ball and drive in those table setters. I think this is what Cohen is working on, or needs to work on more right now. Ethan Bright is a good corner type player. We need more- and we need more RH power bats in particular.
4. Then you build your bench. A lot of people forget about this, and this is where the walk-ons can really help you out. You get at least one guy who can pinch hit, a guy who can steal bases as a pinch-running type specialist, and a utility guy who can help you out on defense.
I think following that plan is what it's going to take to get us back on top. I don't know what Cohen would say, but I think he would agree with a lot of it. So, basically, it's going to take getting better players in, and making sure that we develop them. The other thing it's going to take is winning. We've had two losing seasons in a row, and these top prospects around the country are not going to want to go into a rebuilding project- which is how they view us right now. It seems like everyone wants to go to LSU right now, and I don't blame them. I like how we're recruiting Mississippi, it seems like we're starting to spread our wings a little bit to states other than Mississippi and Alabama, I like most of the pitchers from last years class, and I like most of the middle infield guys from this years class. Like I said, we need more power hitters. But, I think the group of guys that we've put together from last year, and this year are going to be the foundation for the future, to where we are getting those national recruits.
Todd, I know you seem to be high on Ethan Bright but his defense scares me. He is leading the Cotton States League in errors (7) with not many games. I have seen him play several times and have not been impressed except he is big. He seems clumsy around the bag. He just doesn't seem to fit into Cohen's style of play.
Thanks for the compliment, by the way Johnmother<17'n>Cohen is one my favorites on here.
The only way I would turn to the dark side is if Gene paid a sum with a lot of 6's in it and allowed me to write whatever I wanted.
But I do think that would be cool to do.
The only way I would turn to the dark side is if Gene paid a sum with a lot of 6's in it and allowed me to write whatever I wanted.
But I do think that would be cool to do.
I like what his potential in that I think he could be a very good power hitter for us 2-3 years down the road. I don't think he will contribute that much next year except as a role player- like pinch hitting. He has Big League size for sure, and I think with some coaching, he can become a pretty good player. You're right, he does need to work on his defense, hopefully the training staff will teach him some agility things, and I also think that he needs some very minor tweaks at the plate, like moving his hands slightly higher might benefit him.
Another thing I really like about him is the league he is playing in right now is a college wood bat league, and he's holding his own at the plate. I like the fact that he took the initiative to do that.
The good thing about him is if hitting doesn't work out, he has an excellent arm and can possibly be a relief pitcher for us.
I think Cohen and his staff are really going to help him out.
Another thing I really like about him is the league he is playing in right now is a college wood bat league, and he's holding his own at the plate. I like the fact that he took the initiative to do that.
The good thing about him is if hitting doesn't work out, he has an excellent arm and can possibly be a relief pitcher for us.
I think Cohen and his staff are really going to help him out.