Exit velocity and Milam

I am sure someone may have posted on this, but I am amazed how much pop Milam has in his bat. It used to be that if you had a 100 exit velocity, you were a slugger. Milam led the team yesterday with a 105 exit velocity!

To put that in perspective, Travinski had a 106 exit velocity on the bomb he hit off the scoreboard Friday night. But look at Jones and Travinski, these guys look like NFL tight ends. Milam is listed at 5’ 8”, but he cant be that tall. He weights only 170. How is it physically possible for a little guy like that to have so much pop?

It’s not an anomaly either. According to his bio, Milam led the state of New Mexico in slugging % his senior year in high school.

LSU is so loaded with top talent. The fact that Milam as an undersized college freshman has found himself in the starting lineup at LSU tells you a lot about what potential Johnson sees in him.

When I see a little infielder like that I think of guy that has to earn his living with his glove and being a scrappy base runner. And I think of a guy that is buried on the roster until he is a junior or senior. It’s a plus if you get a middle infielder that can hit too and hit with power now and then.

I was a bit skeptical of Milam’s high school slugging numbers, who knows what caliber pitching he was seeing. But exit velocity is pure apples to apples. I was shocked to read Milam had a higher exit velocity swing Saturday than all other players. White had the nest two highest speeds and Jones after that.

Think about it, as a freshman Milam hit harder in a game than White and Jones did?

Milam could end up being a very popular player at LSU, a little guy who plays big. He might have moved Pearson out of 2b already. He’s a more natural second baseman than Pearson. I think Pearson is a better outfielder than infielder anyway.