re: Baseball Preview 2022 Season (Feb 10th - Pro Prospects & SEC Predictions)

I normally post this in the recruiting thread but it's anchored.

The first few summer assignments are coming out now.

In the Northwoods League:

LaCrosse: Leto, Holt, Stevenson, Priester

Madison: Merrifield

Willmar: Safford

A named not mentioned at SS is Holt. Jay seemed to like him a lot before he got hurt in the fall. I think he a RS candidate but I guess you never know.

I think Holt and Cranford are similar players. Holt might have a little more power. Cranford's experience gives him the edge here. I think redshirt is very likely.

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Josh Smith

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I don't know why he always slips my mind when we talk about SS at LSU. His last season his batting average was .346.

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Have to disagree with you if you think Thompson is better than Josh Smith

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Agree with you. Smith gets forgotten because of the injury year I think.

Josh Smith was a dawg

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Have to disagree with you if you think Thompson is better than Josh Smith

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Josh didn’t play a lot of shortstop here. He played 3rd his freshman year. Was hurt the majority of his Sophomore year and Covid cancelled his Junior year before conference play.


One of the biggest shames of that covid cancelled year was not seeing Smith and Henry in their money years.



ETA: don’t mind me. I’m a dumbass and all ^that^ shite is wrong. Just ignore it.

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Cabrera too

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Oh yea. Him too.

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Smith got drafted in the second round of the 2019 draft to the Yankees fellas. The year we lost to Florida State in the supers in which Fontenot pitched the game of his life. Mike Martins final year

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shite


You’re right. I don’t know why I thought he was a part of the covid shortened year. I guess we did get a whole year of Josh Smith at SS that I completely blacked out on.

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DH. Just based on the Fall, Berry is a below average 3B, Merrifield is an above average 3B. Merrifield can hit as well. Merrifield at 3B and Berry at DH is our strongest lineup and I think that is what you will see when it matters.

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I agree. Merrifield’s combo of glove and bat plays, even in this crowded lineup. I know JJ told Berry he’d get work/development/starts in the field to help better prepare him for the draft. And doing that for a player is not only ethically the right thing to do, but keeping promises is the smart long-term move relative to recruiting. However, 1) I don’t think he promised Berry he’d start in the field all year, 2) Berry’s bat plays so much in the bigs that teams are gonna draft him high regardless and figure the rest out later, but 3) his most important obligation is to put the best 9/10 on the field that gives this team the best chance of winning championships.

And I think that’s with Merrifield at 3rd and Berry at DH. Whether or not Morgan plays CF or 1B is gonna wind up depending on whether or not JJ wants Jobert or Beloso in the lineup at 1st or Pearson/Drost/Stevenson/Gio in the lineup in the OF. I personally think with just a few reps, Crews is capable of being our best CF, whatever that means for the lineup. I’m probably biased because I’m from WM and kept up with him, but I think Pearson is mature beyond his years as a hitter, will adjust quicker to college pitching than most freshmen, and will hit his way into at least a platoon situation by SEC play.