re: John Pearson and Arrambide at the plate.

Frey got up 2-0 then 3-1 last night vs a LHP and it just did not look like he was up there hunting in these extreme hitter counts

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Reaves has a shot at 3b with matchups etc.

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Braswell has to figure it out

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I predicted Reaves would move Braswell to a late inning defensive replacement by sometime in/before SEC play. I haven’t seen nearly as many games as I normally would have by now, but I know Reaves started off like 1-9 or 1-10 and I think he’s booted a couple at 3rd.

That doesn’t play, but y’all are saying he’s had some bad luck lately, so he may have just been off to a slow start and is starting to come around. Remember Jay started Berry and Tanks for 2 years at 3rd in his 1st 3 seasons. Put Jobert there some when Berry was hurt to get his bat in the lineup.

I don’t think he puts a very big premium on that position defensively. As long as guys can make the routine plays and not kick the ball around, the best bat is gonna wind up sticking there. I don’t think John Pearson is out of the mix there yet like others have mentioned. He doesn’t have to have great range, just make the routine play and hit.

A lot of us have been focused on the battle in the OF/DH, but I think there’s a pretty big one at 3B happening too. We’ll see how it shakes out.

John Pearson should've learned to catch in the off-season. I haven't seen him play 3rd but I'm guessing he's not very good at it since Jay hasn't put him out there. Which means his only other option is 1B which would require Jones to catch. Which I'm not totally opposed to trying out

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But his mannerisms on the 3-1 take made me think he was up there looking for a walk rather than looking for something to hit.

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Yeah, that’s not great. We need him up there trying to do damage. But while staying within himself. Really, really difficult to do both, but we need him to if he’s gonna be a regular in the lineup.

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The lack of consistent playing time over the last couple years is definitely having an effect, but also the nature of his issue last year. I wonder how much the shoulder injury had him adjusting what he would normally do and now he's in his own head about trying to adjust back now that he's healthy.

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You’re 100% right. His lack of ABs the past 2 years has definitely stunted his growth. Like I mentioned earlier, he’s not the typical power hitter going into his 3rd season trying to break out, but with a bunch of ABs behind him. He’s like Bear as a freshman (how long into Bear’s 1st year did it take him to get to Frey’s career total right now?). And again, Bear was getting consistent ABs in one of the longest lineups in college baseball history in ‘23.

But Frey’s shoulder injury not only stunted his growth, it likely developed some bad habits. I said I could tell almost immediately towards the end of ‘23 that Tanks’ shoulder was starting to really bother him.

(I “played” an entire season with a torn labrum. And by “played,” I literally just mean “practiced.” And I obviously was no Tanks and we didn’t face arms anywhere close than he did).

But even Tanks, one of the best college hitters of the past decade, if not even all time considering the arms he faced and the bat he used, had to eventually start guessing and cheating. And when dudes are running it up there 95+, even as good as he was/is, it just puts you at such a huge disadvantage, even just having to start just a fraction of a second early. He was fouling off dick high fastballs right down the middle that would normally have been turned around and left the park at like 108 mph on their way to a 420+ feet ride. He was completely missing balls up that he would have either crushed or been able to lay off of.

And Frey’s no Tanks, so I can only imagine how much earlier he’d have to start, how much he’d have to have “cheated.” And there’s no way he wasn’t pressing last year, trying to make the most out of every opportunity. I have no doubt it affected his confidence and probably created some bad habits. I hope he continues to get better with every AB, but I do wonder if his bad luck will wind up being just too much to overcome once the pitching talent ramps up.

However, as much as Jay loves LHH, Frey’s being RH is actually an advantage. Or could be. I don’t think Jay cares nearly as much about the righty on righty matchup as he does the opposite. John Pearson’s gotten ABs against RHH, for example. So I don’t think Frey’s only relegated to platooning against LHP, necessarily.

I think he just worded it wrong. I can't imagine anybody would post in a baseball thread if they knew so little to think we would dh for anyone but the pitcher

I have been watching Pearson at 3B since the fall and he is approving defensively. His arm seems strong and accurate, he also has quick feet but not a lot of straight line speed. He has flashed a good glove and also flashed a bad glove. I believe with repetition he will be pretty good there but that might not be this year.

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DH for whoever is struggling in the lineup.

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Do you mean PH late in games?

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Reaves has played a better 3B than Braswell

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I'm trying to understand this take and just cant. Braswell is light years ahead of Reaves in terms of defense. The biggest reason Reaves will struggle to see the field is his fielding is pretty atrocious in the infield. Ask anyone who went to scrimmages or watch the player warm up pre-game. He definitely has his struggles in the infield.