re: Has CPM recruited for small ball? Size indicates so, but why no small ball?

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I said power guys TYPICALLY aren't small guys. That's unequivocally true.

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LOL. No it isn't. You don't have to be big to have a power arm either.

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LOL. No it isn't. You don't have to be big to have a power arm either.

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Also, let's look at the top power hitters in the MLB last year:

Chris Davis- 6'3 230
Miguel Cabrera- 6'4 240
Pedro Alvarez- 6'3 235
Edwin Encarnacion- 6'2 230
Paul Goldschmidt- 6'3 245
Adam Dunn- 6'6 285
Alfonso Soriano- 6'1 195
Mark Trumbo- 6'4 245
Adam Jones- 6'3 225
Evan Longoria- 6'2 210

Sure seems like most power hitters are big. I'm not saying you have to be, as Jose Bautista is only 6'0 190. But I"m saying MOST power hitters have size. How you can deny that is beyond me.

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Of course it's about talent, but it's more likely that talent comes in a bigger frame than 5'8 175. do me a favor and look at the top 100 prospects in MLB. Let me know how many sub 5'11 and sub 185 lb guys you find. I'll wait.

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Look, here's the bottom line. I will give you that most professional athletes are big guys. However, we are not talking about major league baseball players though. We are talking about kids that being recruited out of high school to play college baseball. There is something to be said for someone that is bigger having more durability than someone who is small. That size will help them get through the grind of playing a 162 game schedule with one off day per week. That's not what we are talking about though.

Just because there are short guys on a roster doesn't mean you can't have power in your lineup though. LSU was ranked 23rd in the country last year in homeruns. They were not a big team by any means, but they most certainly had power. Katz, Bregman, Jacoby were/are most definitely power hitters in college. The only one out of those that is big is Jacoby. It's tough to compare college baseball to professional baseball because the games aren't even close. And what we are discussing is the recruiting of high school kids to play college ball.

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Look, here's the bottom line. I will give you that most professional athletes are big guys. However, we are not talking about major league baseball players though. We are talking about kids that being recruited out of high school to play college baseball. There is something to be said for someone that is bigger having more durability than someone who is small. That size will help them get through the grind of playing a 162 game schedule with one off day per week. That's not what we are talking about though.

Just because there are short guys on a roster doesn't mean you can't have power in your lineup though. LSU was ranked 23rd in the country last year in homeruns. They were not a big team by any means, but they most certainly had power. Katz, Bregman, Jacoby were/are most definitely power hitters in college. The only one out of those that is big is Jacoby. It's tough to compare college baseball to professional baseball because the games aren't even close. And what we are discussing is the recruiting of high school kids to play college ball.

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I agree. I'm just saying typically a lineup our size is not powerful, nor should we expect it to be.

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Well we've pinpointed where we disagree at least. I would certainly expect this LSU lineup to present a balanced offensive approach this season. I would expect guys like Bregman, Ibarra and Chinea at a minimum to be able to run the ball out of the ballpark. I expect guys like McMullen and Stevenson to be table setters. I would expect even Foster to be able to run a few balls out of the park. The bats are so dead these days that I think 5-6 homeruns in college is decent power numbers. That does not mean that a guy is a big time MLB prospect though that projects to be a power hitter at the next level.

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I believe Bregman and Chinea to be the only true guys to expect power from this year. I believe Ibarra is more of a gaps hitter despite his stats from last year.

Foster is a huge unknown due to limited play IMO. I think since Bregman will end up with 7-9 HRs and Chinea will probably have 7-9, that still warrants a whole lotta small ball. The past 3 championships have been won using small ball, almost exclusively. LSU must adapt. We won't win another title like 09 with bombs and gappers.

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I thought wanting longer taller pitchers had more to do with given the batter less reaction time do to the release distance from the plate and the length of the step and not so much the potential for velocity

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It does. But the frame of that body type is also better for durability to throw that velocity. There's a strong correlation to size and velocity. You won't find many guys who can be 5'11 185 lbs who can throw 90+. There are some, but they're the exception. Your power pitchers are usually 6'2+ and 200+.

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Why is everyone taking small ball like it's an insult? I don't care if we play smashball or small ball, just win.

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I'm not sure. I just stated that we should play small ball being as we recruited smaller, more athletic players.

Everyone took that as an insult and proceeded to mock me and call me a "size queen." Not sure why it's such an outlandish thing to people when stating the obvious that larger players USUALLY, but not always, means more power and less small ball.