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If we can retain the key position players the scenarios are pretty good going forward
Posted on 5/17/26 at 8:23 am
Posted on 5/17/26 at 8:23 am
This is all based on Milam not coming back. Obviously if her were then he would be the starting SS.
Braun- 1B/RF/DH(not likely to be just DH)
Cade- C/DH (has to play C)
Serna- C/1B/DH (has to play a position partially)
Patrick- CF/LF/IF (they talked about him for IF at some point this year)
Ruckert- 2B/3B/SS
Pearson-DH/3B/1B
So realistically between current roster, Portal, and guys we get to campus:
Looking for 2 OF better than Braun to push him to 1B if not we looking for 1 with Braun in RF
Looking for a better SS than Ruckert to keep him at 2B if not then just a 2B to move Ruckert to SS
A 3B better than Pearson to move him to 1B (if Braun is needed in OF) or to DH
Serna to play 1B or rotate C/DH with Cade.
I could see it where
Serna rotates at C and 1B
Cade rotates at C and DH
Pearson rotates at DH and 1B
Or just the same Serna and Cade C/DH rotation
Obviously some of that depends on how Jay plays match up. Pearson may not be in every line up if that’s the case.
I guess you could also find a dope 1B that pushed Braun to OF if the 1B is better than the possible OF options.
Braun is the flex. Pearson is the odd man out of it comes down to it.
Off chance you find a SS and 2B better than ruckert he could move to 3B I guess.
Braun- 1B/RF/DH(not likely to be just DH)
Cade- C/DH (has to play C)
Serna- C/1B/DH (has to play a position partially)
Patrick- CF/LF/IF (they talked about him for IF at some point this year)
Ruckert- 2B/3B/SS
Pearson-DH/3B/1B
So realistically between current roster, Portal, and guys we get to campus:
Looking for 2 OF better than Braun to push him to 1B if not we looking for 1 with Braun in RF
Looking for a better SS than Ruckert to keep him at 2B if not then just a 2B to move Ruckert to SS
A 3B better than Pearson to move him to 1B (if Braun is needed in OF) or to DH
Serna to play 1B or rotate C/DH with Cade.
I could see it where
Serna rotates at C and 1B
Cade rotates at C and DH
Pearson rotates at DH and 1B
Or just the same Serna and Cade C/DH rotation
Obviously some of that depends on how Jay plays match up. Pearson may not be in every line up if that’s the case.
I guess you could also find a dope 1B that pushed Braun to OF if the 1B is better than the possible OF options.
Braun is the flex. Pearson is the odd man out of it comes down to it.
Off chance you find a SS and 2B better than ruckert he could move to 3B I guess.
13
Posted on 5/17/26 at 8:26 am to Tigernomics
quote:
Pearson is the odd man out of it comes down to it.
Jay is going to try to find a player much better than Pearson. Pearson is basically Drew Bianco with the exception that Drew Bianco could be used at a lot more positions. Pearson does not need to be a staple in our lineup.
Posted on 5/17/26 at 8:31 am to Tigernomics
quote:
Cade- C/DH (has to play C)
This is bad. He is not a good catcher. If it’s possible to play another position we should give it a try. Maybe he can just DH
This post was edited on 5/17/26 at 11:39 am
Posted on 5/17/26 at 8:35 am to Tigernomics
I mean you are basically saying we are going to replace at least half of our lineup. Which is what we had to do last year
Posted on 5/17/26 at 8:58 am to lsufball19
quote:
Jay is going to try to find a player much better than Pearson
I’d love for Pearson to lock a position down but it didn’t happen. He’s either gonna have to be a pinch hitter/backup guy or be a Warhawk
Posted on 5/17/26 at 10:21 am to Tigernomics
The old axiom is you build a team up the middle.
Pencil in Rickert st 2B. He shows potential there.
SS????
CF??????
C Ambide, weak defensively.or Serna same thing
1B Cerna? I’m afraid if Crrna has no position we lose him. Where does he see himself at the next level?
Braun in left is my guess and after that we need a third baseman and a right fielder. We have candidates but none I’d pencil in.
We have a lot of work to do with every day guys and a ton of work to do with pitching.
Pencil in Rickert st 2B. He shows potential there.
SS????
CF??????
C Ambide, weak defensively.or Serna same thing
1B Cerna? I’m afraid if Crrna has no position we lose him. Where does he see himself at the next level?
Braun in left is my guess and after that we need a third baseman and a right fielder. We have candidates but none I’d pencil in.
We have a lot of work to do with every day guys and a ton of work to do with pitching.
This post was edited on 5/17/26 at 10:58 am
Posted on 5/17/26 at 10:27 am to Tigernomics
Have you seen the pitching staff?
Posted on 5/17/26 at 10:31 am to Tigernomics
There’s a nice offensive base but they ended the year with that in place
Fixing the infield defense with the idea that you’ll have to replace Milam too, is daunting.
You have to find a catcher that can catch the ball. Plain & simple.
Basic stuff that probably cost you 6,8,10 wins? Hard to directly quantify, but very low hanging fruit.
Fixing the infield defense with the idea that you’ll have to replace Milam too, is daunting.
You have to find a catcher that can catch the ball. Plain & simple.
Basic stuff that probably cost you 6,8,10 wins? Hard to directly quantify, but very low hanging fruit.
Posted on 5/17/26 at 10:32 am to Tigernomics
I may be an outlier with this opinion but I haven’t been impressed with Pearson, Patrick or Ruckert so I don’t see them as strong points on next year’s roster.
Posted on 5/17/26 at 10:39 am to Lester Earl
quote:
Fixing the infield defense with the idea that you’ll have to replace Milam too, is daunting.
You have to find a catcher that can catch the ball. Plain & simple.
Exactly.
And it’s not just the infield. Our entire starting outfield from day one will be gone. CF is a big piece too.
Posted on 5/17/26 at 10:43 am to Tigernomics
Serna and Bide are painful because their bats are good but they're bad C gloves which absolutely kills the position. I have seen some positives in both as the season went on there though.
I fear we might lose one of those 2 because I don't see Jay not bringing a great C defensively in and he's not coming in to sit behind both those guys. Who do you sacrifice at that point? I think it would be Bide because Serna shows more potential.
That's going to be the position group to watch the most in fear you might lose 1 of them I think. If he guarantees it to both then they'll probably stay but that's a huge risk when C was a big source of our glove problems this year especially first half of the season.
Bat wise those 2 are good to build around with the younger guys like Braun and Ruckert. LSU has some good pieces next year they just got to hope they keep developing and they fill some key cogs especially at SS and pitching. As far as finding a defensive C with a good glove, maybe they can find someone in portal who can play several positions good defensively so that gives them a chance to start somewhere else if they keep Serna/Bide but at least you know you'll have a good glove in case they don't develop there.
I fear we might lose one of those 2 because I don't see Jay not bringing a great C defensively in and he's not coming in to sit behind both those guys. Who do you sacrifice at that point? I think it would be Bide because Serna shows more potential.
That's going to be the position group to watch the most in fear you might lose 1 of them I think. If he guarantees it to both then they'll probably stay but that's a huge risk when C was a big source of our glove problems this year especially first half of the season.
Bat wise those 2 are good to build around with the younger guys like Braun and Ruckert. LSU has some good pieces next year they just got to hope they keep developing and they fill some key cogs especially at SS and pitching. As far as finding a defensive C with a good glove, maybe they can find someone in portal who can play several positions good defensively so that gives them a chance to start somewhere else if they keep Serna/Bide but at least you know you'll have a good glove in case they don't develop there.
This post was edited on 5/17/26 at 10:46 am
Posted on 5/17/26 at 10:48 am to friendlyobservation
quote:
I fear we might lose one of those 2
you have to wonder if you pay attention to anything
Posted on 5/17/26 at 10:52 am to Lester Earl
I don't see him letting either go because they have a lot of power which is exactly what LSU needs. Bat wise those 2 have a lot of potential for us especially Serna. I'm just worried their might be someone unexpected to leave with how bad things went and I'll be honest, Bide's demeanor at times is not impressive on the field and he looks lazy at times.
Going to be tough to fill some of the holes on the roster like Milam will be curious to see what Jay does. If either leaves it won't be because Jay was filling their spot, it will be because they didn't want to be at LSU anymore. At that point, you can't really do anything. I'm expecting someone somewhere to be an unexpected loss as this team was bad. You know other teams are tampering.
Going to be tough to fill some of the holes on the roster like Milam will be curious to see what Jay does. If either leaves it won't be because Jay was filling their spot, it will be because they didn't want to be at LSU anymore. At that point, you can't really do anything. I'm expecting someone somewhere to be an unexpected loss as this team was bad. You know other teams are tampering.
This post was edited on 5/17/26 at 10:56 am
Posted on 5/17/26 at 10:57 am to Lester Earl
quote:
You have to find a catcher that can catch the ball. Plain & simple.
I don’t think we can afford to anything that will push Cade or Serna out of the program. We need their bats to hit in the middle of the lineup. I think Cade could improve greatly over the offseason if he dedicates enough time and energy on blocking balls. Like 100 balls every day that he has to get in front of and block and not try to pick. And, since next year is he money year, he should be motivated. But yeah, there should be a 3rd guy who’s already a great defensive catcher. If he can hit, Serna and Cade can rotate at 1B and DH. Does Cade project as a catcher at the pro level or is he expected to be moved to 1st?
As far as the other positions go, I don’t think any are set in stone. Jay’s gonna get the best couple of bats he can get and if he has to switch returners around, he will. Braun could play LF, RF, or 1B. Ruckert could probably play all 3 infield spots. Not sure about the rest like Patrick and how versatile he can be.
Would be great if that big bat could play SS. Pearson could theoretically take a big jump after his 1st season of regular ABs against SEC pitching. Maybe something like hitting .275 with 15 homers. That would play. But if Jay finds a big, proven bat that can only play 3rd, well, Pearson may have to take a bunch of reps at 1st and hope he can get into the DH rotation, which will be hard.
So a lot of the returners positions will be dependent on the transfers. Or incoming freshmen if any are good enough to get into the lineup immediately like Braun and Serna did this year.
Posted on 5/17/26 at 11:01 am to Tigernomics
No to Pearson.
Posted on 5/17/26 at 11:03 am to Hot Carl
That's why I think Serna and Bide are the most complicated right now. You absolutely need a defensive glove there and you can't do what you did to Bide this year in hopes he took the jump. Which he definitely didn't with his glove. But you need their power in this lineup right now.
You just said it right there sliding them over maybe they're not okay with that? Is both okay with being a DH? Bide is in a money year he's going to want a guarantee he get his position not a DH role because you brought in a better catcher.
You just said it right there sliding them over maybe they're not okay with that? Is both okay with being a DH? Bide is in a money year he's going to want a guarantee he get his position not a DH role because you brought in a better catcher.
Posted on 5/17/26 at 11:03 am to Hot Carl
I think we need a better catcher coach.
I think we need Pearson in better shape.
I think we need to put Braun in a position and let him work on that spot.
Patrick is a good athlete. Is he a good hitter?
I think we need to go in a different direction at pitching coach. We throw too many pitches and walk too many hitters.
We need to add some speed to the lineup.
I think we need Pearson in better shape.
I think we need to put Braun in a position and let him work on that spot.
Patrick is a good athlete. Is he a good hitter?
I think we need to go in a different direction at pitching coach. We throw too many pitches and walk too many hitters.
We need to add some speed to the lineup.
Posted on 5/17/26 at 11:03 am to Hot Carl
quote:
I don’t think we can afford to anything that will push Cade or Serna out of the program.
you dont have to
Posted on 5/17/26 at 11:03 am to Tigernomics
they need a glove first catcher. Serna and arrambide can learn corner outfield.
Posted on 5/17/26 at 11:08 am to Lester Earl
So what are you proposing they do? Slide to different positions? Roll with what they got? If you bring another guy in someone is out at C and you have no idea how Serna or Bide would feel about that especially if they had to change positions or DH. Bide is the one in the money year so he's probably the bigger risk to lose if it came to that.
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