re: Official Adam4848 Baseball Preview Feb 10th (Prospects & SEC prediction)

RELIEF PITCHING

Bugg

Norman

Devall

Person


Russell Reynolds So. 6’2 190lbs (45)
Hunter Newman So. 6’3 195lbs (55)
Hunter Devall Jr. 5’8 180lbs (12)
Zac Person Sr. 6’1 180lbs (49)
Doug Norman Fr. 6’3 190lbs (21)
Jesse Stallings Fr. 6’2 195lbs (37)
Parker Bugg So. 6’6 210lbs (46)
Alden Cartwright So. 6’0 190lbs (32)
Austin Bain Fr. 6’1 185lbs (18)
Collin Strall So. 5’10 170lbs (30)
Brady Domangue Sr. 6’0 170lbs (13)
Ryan May Fr. 6’1 155lbs (40)

The bullpen loses Joe Broussard and Nate Fury, two flamethrowers who were consistent to a T last spring. Yet when I glance over the depth chart I see depth, depth that was not a luxury Mainieri had out of the pen a year ago. It was a gift having Nola and Poche eat up innings, the bullpen was a weakness he could easily cover up. As a whole this group is talented but unproven. Guys I see getting a good deal of innings include but is not limited to Doug Norman, Colin Strall, Hunter Devall, Zac Person, Parker Bugg, Alden Cartwright, Jesse Stallings, Russell Reynolds, Hunter Newman, and Austin Bain.

Russell Reynolds and Hunter Newman are two hard throwing righties who showed a great deal of promise in 2013 before both sustaining injuries which sidelined both in 2014. Reynolds is going to be rusty after hurting his non-throwing arm in an off the field incident, Mainieri has already made this known. Because of this and the lack of pitches I’ve seen out of him I can’t make a true estimate on how he’s going to be used or how many innings he’ll get a look at. Newman was that freshman that worked his way into gigs late in the year even having a stellar performance in the SEC tourney two years ago earning a win against Arkansas. His tools are there, same story as Reynolds but I think he’s further along in the healing process.

Hunter Devall has impressed me a ton and he's going to show up big in SEC play. He’s developing his 12-6 curve ball into a go to pitch and is able to locate it efficiently, one he can use to pitch backwards in counts setting up his fastball. As one of the main lefties out the pen he’s going to be a late inning reliever who is going to be used in situational events either to get one to two guys out or stretch an inning. Don't expect him to go more than an inning at a time in appearances.

Zac Person the other lefty uses his long frame and arm action to hide the ball along with a sweeping curve he uses as an out pitch. Person will sit in the upper 80’s on his fastball who can touch 90mph with added adrenaline. Expect more of the same this year as one of the first guys in relief with the ability to go 1-2 innings if needed.

Doug Norman is that fourth freshman arm who may still wind up in a starting gig when it’s all said and done; however I chose to focus in on him in a specific role. In the windup he uses his momentum to bring the ball and glove to his head before a slight little hitch where the ball is hidden for a split second. Pairing this with a fastball he runs up to 91mph on a consistent basis and control of his pitches and you come up with the ideal makeup of a shutdown reliever. The mature nature Norman has shown is rare and he’s starting to shine a light on how deep this freshmen crop really is. Norman might not be the most heralded of the power arms but he's going to impress...watch out for this name.

Jesse Stallings a local Louisiana native hurt his arm his senior season and received a medical redshirt in 2014, to date he’s a bit of an unknown to tiger nation. His recovery and velocity have both far exceeded expectations to where he’s reaching 92-93mph on a consistent basis only weeks into spring practice. He’s going to have a major role in the pen if he’s pitching the way he’s been as of late. Definite dark horse to emerge into something big and by the looks of it Mainieri may give him the first shot at a closer role.

We get to Parker Bugg and Alden Cartwright, both returning sophomores from the right side, both who figure to be share prominent roles in relief. Two totally different looking players who eerily bring the same type stuff to the plate. Both sit in the mid to late 80’s with an above average changeup. Cartwrights velocity has improved, he's been hitting low 90's on occasion. I look for both Bugg and Cartwright to be long relievers out of the pen, arms plugged in to eat up innings.

Austin Bain is the true two way player out of the freshmen class who throws absolute gas from the right side reaching up to 92mph as well as the glove to play a middle infield spot. After a discussion with coaches it was mutually agreed upon that the mound would be his fastest way to playing time. He won’t be thrown into the lion’s den too early and I fully expect Dunn to develop him in bullpen sessions to get a feel on when he’ll be ready and how his off speed stuff is improving. Still with this being said his fastball will get him playing time.

Colin Strall is the JUCO transfer and sidewinder, he's your typical junkie off speed arm who will make hitters look like absolute fools on a few swings as long as he doesn't need to rely purely on his fastball.

Brady Domangue and Ryan May figure to see relief in mop up duty.

Bottom line, the bullpen is not proven and until then it will receive its doubts until results arrive. I think we’ll see a majority of Bugg, Cartwright, Devall, Newman, Person, Stallings, Reynolds, and Norman with the closer spot going to one of the hard throwing freshmen or Stallings. I’ll rate the 4 in Bugg, Norman, Devall, and Person.

Bugg
Arm Strength---------50
Movement-------------55
Stamina----------------50
Control-----------------65

Norman
Arm Strength--------- 60
Movement-------------60
Stamina----------------55
Control-----------------60

Devall
Arm Strength--------- 45
Movement-------------60
Stamina----------------45
Control-----------------55

Person
Arm Strength--------- 50
Movement-------------60
Stamina----------------55
Control-----------------50

FINAL GRADE: 55