What's the latest on Nick Routt?

[JacksonDevilDog]

I know these first 20 games or so are against competition that we should match up pretty well against. I'm wondering if they are waiting on throwing him around mid March or so and keep an eye on him in practice/bullpens. I don't believe that he threw an inning this weekend when we cleared the bullpen and bench against Akron and Lamar. If he doesn't pitch at all this year, we are really in trouble for that third starter.

 

[weblow]

We are shaky on our number three and I don't believe that Routt will be ready to throw. Don't know anything for certain but just basing it on what I have read. Todd would be the one to give you a better answer.

If we can find a 3rd starter, we have a chance to be a decent team this year, without it, we are at the bottom of the SEC again.

 

[Shmuley]

Just hate the thoughts of sticking a true freshman out there as a weekend starter.

 

[jeremyrbrown]

He was decent. Only pitched 4.2, but only gave up 4 hits and 2 walks. Not great but better than Statz.

 

[Todd4State]

His scrimmage outing was good, and he was up to throwing 60 pitches.

I hate to say it, being the homer that I am- but I don't think he will be back this year at 100%. Just my personal opinion. I think we will end up pitching some for us midweek.

We have to find a Sunday starter- right now that is the weak spot of our team as far as I can tell.

 

[jcdawgman18]

Didn't pitch at all this weekend.

 

[Todd4State]

And he does have some SEC starting experience.

 

[DowntownDawg]

...consider Ole Miss last season. They had two very good weekend arms and had absolutely nothing on Sunday. They had a good year, but almost always dropped that Sunday game.

Our situation this year is that we don't have two very good weekend arms. We've got two guys who are going to be average SEC material at best right now. That means that there's a good chance that we'll split a lot of Friday and Saturday games. We've got to find somebody to step up and be serviceable as a Sunday guy to give us a chance to win some weekends.

 

[basedog]

He may be the third guy, he can pitch one or two innings Friday and come back. Didn't the coaches say he has a rubber arm? I wouldn't be surprised to see a freshman step up and be the 3rd starter, we've done a bunch of times and so do other SEC teams.

 

[alabamadog]

He started out well in relief last year, then got worse and worse when he was used as a starter. By the end of the season, you could tell he had thrown too many innings when he quit throwing sidearmed.

 

[Todd4State]

starting is that the deception is over after the first time through the order, and then they get teed off on typically. They're all about deception- hitters are taught to pick up the ball ASAP from the pitchers hand, and they are used to looking up for a 3/4 delievery. When a guy throws a ball submarine style, the hitter has to adjust by looking a lot lower than what they're used to, and it can be really tough on the hitter.

That's why they are good for a couple of innings or so and are bascially exclusively used as relief pitchers beyond the high school level in America.

Although, there is a guy in Japan that is a starter that throws submarine named Shunsuke Watanabe- aka Mr. Submarine. He is awesome, and I have wanted the Cardinals to get him for years to use out of the bullpen. Pitched on Japan's WBC team. He has a hesitation move, and his knuckles touch the ground sometimes.

But, Caleb needs to stay in the bullpen because he has a lot more value to us there than starting. He is a pretty good pitcher.

 

[Goat Holder II]

Routt, I don't think, has the toughness we need. He's got enough talent to keep around though, for sure. But he doesn't just 'want it' like he should. They are basically having to make Bracewell take it slow. Not so much Routt.

 

[Todd4State]

is pain.

In his defense, it's not uncommon for players that are coming off of surgery to be reluctant to go 100% after their surgery.

Pitching is a violent act that is hard on the body- it is not uncommon for pain to be involved. That's why there is all of the ice and such that they use and go through.

I'll be honest though- I wouldn't be shocked at all if Routt doesn't ever come back. At this point in time, I think that's more likely than him coming back at 100%. Now, like I said, I think he will pitch some midweek this year, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if he left the team after this year.

If I was on the coaching staff, I would already be looking at other options- namely Daryl Norris and Evan Mitchell for the Sunday spot, and I sure wouldn't count on Routt.

I think Ben will be back pretty soon too- I think you're right on the money with that.

 

[Goat Holder II]

and it's really easy for a guy like me to say that, since I'm not the one feeling the pain. And it's easy for us fans to believe that the Cohen recruits are tough, and the Polk guys aren't. But, in my defense, my opinion was formed from information heard straight from the horse's mouth (not Cohen).

 

[Todd4State]

Cohen had a very interesting comment about Routt in the Starkville Daily News blog a week or two before the season, and it worried me about Routt.

It was something to the effect of, and I paraphrase - "But he has to throw at some point".

I wasn't entirely sure what he was saying, but it sure sounded like he was questioning Routt's toughness at least a little bit. I could be reading way too much into that quote, though. But, there certainly seemed to be an underlying message there of some sort.

Also, I found it a little odd that it was leaked that Routt was "looking really good in the bullpen" and then about two weeks later, it's reported that "Routt was nowhere near ready to pitch". That just seemed really contradictory to me- I had thought that maybe Routt had hurt himself again or overdid his bullpen session. BDJ was the website that had leaked that Routt had looked good, followed by Gene, and I have to wonder if that was intentionally done by the coaching staff to try to build some confidence in him. I believe his Dad is on BDJ as a reader.

I will now go find a place for my black helicopter to land.