re: Is our hitting issues a slump or a sign of poor offense?

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We will have issues all season....this is not a slump!

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I tend to agree with this. To me, it's has a lot to do with the philosophy, or lack thereof, of how this team approaches hitting. Two examples from Sunday's game against UGA...First, and I would say most glaring, is with bases loaded and 2 outs in extra innings Robertson is at the plate. He has a 2-0 count and our coach calls time out to talk to Kramer...he then proceeds to swing at the very next pitch and hits a lazy fly ball to center field. I don't know what CPM told him, but wouldn't you think the best thing to tell a player batting under .150 that has a 2-0 count is to take until you get 2 strikes especially with the winning run only 90 feet away and a walk would end the game? Several players I know who played for Coach Bertman said that is what Skip would have told him.

Secondly, while I understand McMullen is hitting descent for average he came up in consecutive plate appearances with runners at the corners and 1 out and swung at the first pitch he sees and then grounded into consecutive double plays on the very next pitch to end both innings.

Finally, I truly don't discount the affect that Blake Dean may have had on last years team hitting...he's gone this year and we still have Sanchez. Now Bregman has a year under Sanchez.

All of this may be circumstantial, but there is a pattern here. To me the pattern is reflective of a coaching style that seems to teach...this is the end of the bat you hold, step of to the plate on the side you're most comfortable and swing, swing, swing.

Just as pitching is more than just throwing the ball as hard as you can, there is more to good hitting than just swinging the bat as hard as you can.

Just my two cents.