I feel like Lemonis has solidified his 2024 outlook

[57stratdawg]

We pretty much collapsed down the stretch last year, so anything is possible. But, if we can get series wins against some combination of OM, Auburn & TAM we should make Hoover. Maybe we can even work our way into the fringe Bubble discussion.

But, this club has some pop in the bats. And some of the younger talent is undeniable. I think that’ll be enough to get him another year.

 

[Faustdog]

The young talent is really good. Hopefully we hang on to them.

The upperclassmen though. Yikes.

Positives: Catcher is improving (couldn't get much worse), Cade is back, bats are solid

Negatives: Still atrocious in the field, still can't throw strikes, give up bombs like nobody's business

 

[Maroon Eagle]

It’s a real life “Major League” experience here…

 

[mcdawg22]

This board’s baseball view for 2023 in three GIFs.

 

[mcdawg22]

It’s a real life “Major League” experience here…

 

[patdog]

Got to love the eternal optimism of this board. We win one freaking series vs a pretty mediocre team and we're talking about regionals. We definitely look better than we did 2 weeks ago. But this team will still be doing really good to win 10 SEC games.

 

[HuntDawg]

The younger talent is undeniable is a head scratcher. Just because the younger talent on the team is better than the upper class talent, doesnt mean its on par with the younger talent around the league.

This team was never as bad as some people made them out to be, but they arent an upper tier team, and from a talent standpoint they are very average as well.

 

[ronpolk]

I’ll withhold judgement until the end of the season but I’m not sold he should stay. The roster is a mess. No doubt there is some younger talent but it’s so incomplete. We have way too many guys that can hit home runs but don’t have a position. We have way too many pitchers that can throw really hard with great spin rate but can’t throw strikes.

 

[Seinfeld]

Got to love the eternal optimism of this board. We win one freaking series vs a pretty mediocre team and we're talking about regionals. We definitely look better than we did 2 weeks ago. But this team will still be doing really good to win 10 SEC games.

A mediocre team that’s 4-8 in the SEC no less.

In fairness, I’ll admit that I like a lot of what I’m seeing out of this batting order, but I have absolutely no reason to believe in this pitching staff, and I’m not sure it’s even “fixable” by next season. If it is, it would require 4-5 top flight portal guys at a minimum, and this staff hasn’t proven that it can accomplish that.

If this team can somehow show some signs of life before year end, I guess I’m not 100% against given Lemonis one more year, but Foxhall has to go. Period

 

[8dog]

If we don’t make the ncaa tournament these last two years are the worst coaching job in sec baseball history considering the 5 year run that preceded it. Gonna be painful to hang onto him.

 

[HuntDawg]

If you look at the conference only stats. The offense doesnt look that great.

12 games. Team average of .284, striking out nearly 8 times a game. The alabama series does have our runs per game over 5 which is trending the right direction, but still below average.

We have only regulars with enough at-bats over 300 in conference play. We have two regulars hitting right at or below 200 in conference play (highfill, forsythe).

And I wont even get started on the pitching.....

End of the day this team still has a lot to prove from now til the seasons end and some of this talent and numbers people think we have certainly are NOT there.

 

[8dog]

If you look at the conference only stats. The offense doesnt look that great.

12 games. Team average of .284, striking out nearly 8 times a game. The alabama series does have our runs per game over 5 which is trending the right direction, but still below average.

We have only regulars with enough at-bats over 300 in conference play. We have two regulars hitting right at or below 200 in conference play (highfill, forsythe).

And I wont even get started on the pitching.....

End of the day this team still has a lot to prove from now til the seasons end and some of this talent and numbers people think we have certainly are there.

Actually runs/RBIs is where we struggle. We are top half of the league in virtually every other offensive cat. 3rd in BA. 1st in strikeouts(as in we strike out less than anyone). Its like their is a mental issue.

 

[mcdawg22]

We pretty much collapsed down the stretch last year, so anything is possible. But, if we can get series wins against some combination of OM, Auburn & TAM we should make Hoover. Maybe we can even work our way into the fringe Bubble discussion.

But, this club has some pop in the bats. And some of the younger talent is undeniable. I think that’ll be enough to get him another year.

We need to move quickly. Lane Burroughs is sitting there at 16-17. If we don’t act now somebody is going to scoop this diamond in the rough right from under our nose. How do I know he’s good despite never making it out of a regional and a sub .500 season in his 7th year in a bad conference? Because SPS told me so.

 

[HuntDawg]

Actually runs/RBIs is where we struggle. We are top half of the league in virtually every other offensive cat. 3rd in BA. 1st in strikeouts(as in we strike out less than anyone). Its like their is a mental issue.

I dont think its that. I think your SEC numbers are carried by 2 people.. Clark and Hines... They hit 350 and 370 in sec play, the have nearly half our homers in SEC play. 1/3 of the RBIs. They are also the only 2 with what you'd consider a quality OPS.

Each can be limited by left handed pitching. Each strike out a good bit, especially hines.

Also hurts chances to score when you have two guys hitting 8-9, that are hitting below or right at 200. Then the top two positions in your order are struggling as well (Ledbetter, Larry). Larry was hitting below 200 in conference games until this weekend and ledbetter was low 200s. When you have 4 spots in succession (8-9-1-2) in your order all hitting right at or below 200, you arent going to score runs.

The games we've scored runs in the SEC.. Hines and Clark have hit.. when they dont.. we dont score

 

[mdm3045]

“A mediocre team that’s 4-8 in the SEC no less.”

We’re actually 3-9 in sec play. Probably still a notch below mediocrity as of right now. But this upcoming weekend gives us an opportunity to show that we belong in the mediocre tier of the conference.

 

[Jacknut]

I just hope we don't get swept this weekend. Anything else is a bonus.

 

[stateu1]

We’re actually 3-9 in sec play. Probably still a notch below mediocrity as of right now. But this upcoming weekend gives us an opportunity to show that we belong in the mediocre tier of the conference.

He's talking about Bama.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Coaches weren't getting fired before 2024 season, no matter what the mouth-breathers here had to say.

 

[drummerdawg]

You're as good as your record and Lemonis should be judged on that at the end of season.

 

[57stratdawg]

Got to love the eternal optimism of this board. We win one freaking series vs a pretty mediocre team and we're talking about regionals. We definitely look better than we did 2 weeks ago. But this team will still be doing really good to win 10 SEC games.

I hear you, but our first 3 SEC series might all turn out to be national seeds. Vandy, UK and SC are currently a combined 29-6 in SEC play and 83-15 overall. We’re a part of that, but still.

We won a road series with very winnable series this weekend and next. Plus, hopefully our Friday night starter is getting healthy.

I feel like we’re trending towards Hoover and the back of the NCAA Bubble which is good enough to bring Lemonis back.

 

[ronpolk]

Actually runs/RBIs is where we struggle. We are top half of the league in virtually every other offensive cat. 3rd in BA. 1st in strikeouts(as in we strike out less than anyone). Its like their is a mental issue.

No, it’s not a mental issue. This coaching staff values power, HR, slugging %. There is no value or emphasis put on getting on base. Our coaches want home runs and so do our players. So, there is no problem with striking out, from the standpoint of our players or coaches. I’ve not noticed an adjustment of our hitters when they get in a 2 strike count. They don’t suddenly shorten their swing and just try to put a ball in play.

 

[ababyatemydingo]

Coaches weren't getting fired before 2024 season, no matter what the mouth-breathers here had to say.

Says a mouth-breather

 

[The Cooterpoot]

Why would anyone think we've turned any kind of corner yet? We have to actually win those games. We beat a weak AL and a bad UAB team. We still got run ruled one game against AL. I'll wait until we win games. Foxhall will not survive. I have a hard time justifying any of them staying still. We're going to lose a couple guys regardless.

 

[Faustdog]

No, it’s not a mental issue. This coaching staff values power, HR, slugging %. There is no value or emphasis put on getting on base. Our coaches want home runs and so do our players. So, there is no problem with striking out, from the standpoint of our players or coaches. I’ve not noticed an adjustment of our hitters when they get in a 2 strike count. They don’t suddenly shorten their swing and just try to put a ball in play.

We literally strike out less than anyone in the league.

 

[Perd Hapley]

If you look at the conference only stats. The offense doesnt look that great.

12 games. Team average of .284, striking out nearly 8 times a game. The alabama series does have our runs per game over 5 which is trending the right direction, but still below average.

We have only regulars with enough at-bats over 300 in conference play. We have two regulars hitting right at or below 200 in conference play (highfill, forsythe).

And I wont even get started on the pitching.....

End of the day this team still has a lot to prove from now til the seasons end and some of this talent and numbers people think we have certainly are NOT there.

How does all that compare to other league teams’ conference only stats? I mean, .284 in SEC only games against the caliber of pitching that we’ve faced honestly seems pretty damn good. I’m more concerned with SEC-only runs per game and OPS than average, but that seems to indicate we should be doing decently in both.

ETA - Looks like we are 5th in conference-only OPS, but tied for 10th in runs per game at 5.75 runs per game. But, we have faced the #’s 1, 2, 3, and 5 pitching staffs in the league in conference-only ERA. So all that considered, I’m saying hitting has been more than sufficient. Those runs per game will certainly climb against worse competition if all the underlying metrics stay the same.

Pitching is of course another story. Conference game only ERA for MSU’s entire staff is 11.2…..holy hell.

 

[The Cooterpoot]

We're basically a top 5 team offensively in conference. And our schedule is number 3 in the country.
I don't care about the stats. I just care about the W's.

 

[rynodawg]

We pretty much collapsed down the stretch last year, so anything is possible. But, if we can get series wins against some combination of OM, Auburn & TAM we should make Hoover. Maybe we can even work our way into the fringe Bubble discussion.

But, this club has some pop in the bats. And some of the younger talent is undeniable. I think that’ll be enough to get him another year.

Too early to say. That 9 game stretch of @UT, Ark, and @LSU could get REALLY ugly and destroy any goodwill Lemonis might get from an OM series win. Our SEC 11.0+ ERA doesn’t bode well for those games.

 

[BoDawg.sixpack]

We're basically a top 5 team offensively in conference. And our schedule is number 3 in the country.
I don't care about the stats. I just care about the W's.

Me too. At the end of the day parsing stats is an academic errand for people trying to figure out what went wrong. I don't care how hard our schedule is ...Lemonis and Foxhall should be on the hot seat unless we have a miraculous turn around this year.

 

[WrapItDog]

Maybe we can even work our way into the fringe Bubble discussion.

The 275th ranking in walks per 9 innings says not a chance at bubble discussion.

 

[8dog]

How does all that compare to other league teams’ conference only stats? I mean, .284 in SEC only games against the caliber of pitching that we’ve faced honestly seems pretty damn good. I’m more concerned with SEC-only runs per game and OPS than average, but that seems to indicate we should be doing decently in both.

ETA - Looks like we are 5th in conference-only OPS, but tied for 10th in runs per game at 5.75 runs per game. But, we have faced the #’s 1, 2, 3, and 5 pitching staffs in the league in conference-only ERA. So all that considered, I’m saying hitting has been more than sufficient. Those runs per game will certainly climb against worse competition if all the underlying metrics stay the same.

Pitching is of course another story. Conference game only ERA for MSU’s entire staff is 11.2…..holy hell.

10th in runs despite being top 5-6 in most everything else.

 

[HuntDawg]

How does all that compare to other league teams’ conference only stats? I mean, .284 in SEC only games against the caliber of pitching that we’ve faced honestly seems pretty damn good. I’m more concerned with SEC-only runs per game and OPS than average, but that seems to indicate we should be doing decently in both.

5th in OPS
10th in Runs

I agree BA is overrated, i was just using it as a baseline.

But again extremely top heavy:
Our team OPS is 879 in conference games

Here are our players:
Hines 1214-- great
Clark 1184-- great
Alfore 939-- solid (5 type hitter)
Hancock 803-- below average (7-8-9 type)
Highfill 749 (yes hes higher than ledbetter and larry, should tell you a lot)-- 8/9 hole guy
ledbetter 730-- not many sec lineups have players with this
Larry 644-- hard to justify playing
Forsythe 624-- hard to justify playing

Chance is 697 in limited actions, Jordan is 1480 neitehr have the at-bats to qualify.

So as you can see: we have 2 players very much carrying the weight, and only 3 of our regulars are at that number. Hence why we cant score runs. We basically have 2/3 players in our order producing in the SEC.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

5th in OPS
10th in Runs

I agree BA is overrated, i was just using it as a baseline.

But again extremely top heavy:
Our team OPS is 879 in conference games

Here are our players:
Hines 1214-- great
Clark 1184-- great
Alfore 939-- solid (5 type hitter)
Hancock 803-- below average (7-8-9 type)
Highfill 749 (yes hes higher than ledbetter and larry, should tell you a lot)-- 8/9 hole guy
ledbetter 730-- not many sec lineups have players with this
Larry 644-- hard to justify playing
Forsythe 624-- hard to justify playing

Chance is 697 in limited actions, Jordan is 1480 neitehr have the at-bats to qualify.

So as you can see: we have 2 players very much carrying the weight, and only 3 of our regulars are at that number. Hence why we cant score runs. We basically have 2/3 players in our order producing in the SEC.

This brings up an interesting thought that I continue to have........while I agree that OPS is a valuable statistic, why is it not batting average plus slugging, rather than on-base % plus slugging? Whether you walk or not is largely determined by what the pitcher does. So to me, a theoretical BAPS is a better predictor of what you WILL do in the future vs. good strike-throwing pitching, while OPS is a good measure of how productive you WERE, with a good portion of that dependent on your walks, which aren't totally in your control.

 

[NukeDogg]

No, it’s not a mental issue. This coaching staff values power, HR, slugging %. There is no value or emphasis put on getting on base. Our coaches want home runs and so do our players. So, there is no problem with striking out, from the standpoint of our players or coaches. I’ve not noticed an adjustment of our hitters when they get in a 2 strike count. They don’t suddenly shorten their swing and just try to put a ball in play.

but...but...but our players always pound their chest when they get two strikes...

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

We haven’t turned any corners yet
Bama isn’t good
Our pitching outside of maybe 2 guys sucks
Our hitting in SEC only games is well below average
Our fielding is somehow worse than our pitching
But most importantly
Lane Forsythe has naked pictures or Cannizzaro level dirt on Lemonis. He is a ****** to well below average fielder and is garbage at the plate. Mershon would not be any worse in the field or the plate and we’d at least be grooming him for the future. I’m almost certain Hujsak and Larry have both play shortstop and I promise they wouldn’t be worse in the field.

 

[HuntDawg]

We haven’t turned any corners yet
Bama isn’t good
Our pitching outside of maybe 2 guys sucks
Our hitting in SEC only games is well below average
Our fielding is somehow worse than our pitching
But most importantly
Lane Forsythe has naked pictures or Cannizzaro level dirt on Lemonis. He is a ****** to well below average fielder and is garbage at the plate. Mershon would not be any worse in the field or the plate and we’d at least be grooming him for the future. I’m almost certain Hujsak and Larry have both play shortstop and I promise they wouldn’t be worse in the field.

a lot of funny stuff in here but one thing I do agree with lemonis is loyal to certain players to a fault. That was a lot of the problem with last years team and agree looks to be that way with Forsythe.

and while not as bad, even Hancock. He’s an every day starter and middle of the order guy at an offensive position and shouldn’t be. He was recruited as a catcher, can’t catch at an adequate level, so we’ve em planted him at first and he’s a below average hitter for that position.

 

[JesterB]

It’s a real life “Major League” experience here…

I’m probably the only one just realizing this, but that’s Will Ferrell in the blue shirt.

 

[paindonthurt]

The younger talent is undeniable is a head scratcher. Just because the younger talent on the team is better than the upper class talent, doesnt mean its on par with the younger talent around the league.

This team was never as bad as some people made them out to be, but they arent an upper tier team, and from a talent standpoint they are very average as well.

We are 4th in the league in batting average.
6th in homeruns
6th in slugging

very average

 

[thekimmer]

We pretty much collapsed down the stretch last year, so anything is possible. But, if we can get series wins against some combination of OM, Auburn & TAM we should make Hoover. Maybe we can even work our way into the fringe Bubble discussion.

But, this club has some pop in the bats. And some of the younger talent is undeniable. I think that’ll be enough to get him another year.

Nope. Get back with me after the next two weekends. We MUST win four of those six games to even maintain a prayer of making it to a regional and that is the minimum performance I think we should expect before even discussing the possibility of him remaining at the helm.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

Do we even have 5 players on our roster that would make Vandy or LSU’s roster?

 

[aTotal360]

He's done enough to be the AD in waiting.