re: LSU Baseball - 2014 Post Season Thread

Hopefully sooner rather than later

tPOS Aaron Fitt and his write up on LSU

LINK

quote:

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Hitting: 60. LSU must replace four key regulars, including two of its three leading hitters in Mason Katz and Raph Rhymes. But Bregman established himself as one of college baseball’s very best hitters as a freshman, when he garnered first-team All-America and national Freshman of the Year honors. Like Bregman, Ibarra and McMullen are line-drive machines who walk as much as they strike out, and Hale is another promising gap-to-gap hitter. Stevenson made great strides in the Northwoods League last summer, hitting .363, and he looks ready to assume the leadoff role. Laird, the likely No. 2 hitter, has breakout star potential, and the scrappy Zardon is a tough out with a knack for putting balls in play. Cody Glenn (Photo by Andrew Woolley)

Power: 40. LSU isn’t physically imposing like its great teams of the ’90s—Hale is the only projected regular taller than 6-foot-1. Bregman, Ibarra and McMullen have plenty of strength in their compact frames, and all three should hit six to 10 homers. But Katz’s graduation leaves LSU without any true sluggers.


Speed: 65. The Tigers have exceptional speed in the outfield, where Stevenson, Laird and Foster are all plus runners and Chris Sciambra also has good speed. Bregman has slightly above-average speed and plenty of baserunning savvy.

Defense: 65. After six straight years with either Micah Gibbs or Ty Ross running the show behind the plate, LSU enters 2014 with a question mark at catcher, where Moore could share time with Chris Chinea and Kade Scivicque. The left side of the infield could be the best in the nation, as Bregman and Ibarra are rock-solid playmakers. Stevenson and Laird made plenty of sensational plays last year, and Foster or Sciambra will join them to form an elite outfield. The right side of the infield is inexperienced, but Hale and Zardon both impressed defensively in the fall.

Starting Pitching: 60. Nola’s uncanny command and control make him truly special, as evidenced by his absurd 8.45 career strikeout-walk ratio. He also has very good stuff: a lively 89-94 mph fastball from a low three-quarters slot, a plus changeup and an effective high-70s slurve. Glenn came into his own last year when he dropped his slot and learned to pitch to contact with an 84-87 fastball that bumps 88-89, rather than trying to overpower hitters. He also has solid feel for his changeup and curve. Poche has advanced feel for pitching with an 87-90 fastball, quality curveball and developing changeup. Three sophomores who pitched sparingly last year—RHPs Hunter Newman and Mitch Sewald plus LHP Hunter Devall—had good summers and will also compete for starts.

Bullpen: 55. Chris Cotton (1.16 ERA, 16 saves), Joey Bourgeois, Brent Bonvillain and Nick Rumbelow are gone, but LSU has several promising candidates to assume prominent bullpen roles. Leading the pack is Domangue, a sinkerballer whose “competitive zeal” and repertoire reminds Paul Mainieri of former LSU star Jared Bradford. Sr. RHP Kurt McCune is very experienced and versatile, capable of working long relief or setup with a solid but not overpowering three-pitch mix. The 6-foot-6 Sewald and Jr. RHP Joe Broussard give LSU two more good options from the right side. The Tigers have eight lefties on the roster, but all of them except Glenn need to establish themselves.

Experience/Intangibles: 60. LSU lost a bushel of key players from last year’s Omaha team. The lineup still has good leadership thanks to Bregman (who took charge of the clubhouse as a true freshman) and Ibarra, and the top two pitchers in the rotation have plenty of experience. But the rest of the pitching roles will be filled by unproven players, creating a bit of uncertainty.

Baseball America OFP: 65. The coaching staff is confident that the Tigers reloaded effectively and that its less experienced sophomores are ready to take on larger roles. The roster’s overall athleticism should ensure the Tigers remain an elite defensive team and a very good offensive club. With returning first-team All-Americans leading the pitching staff and the lineup, LSU has the star power to get back to Omaha.

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It's 23, snowing, and feels like 12.

FAF now stands for frick aaron fitt

I live in the Central area

Choup lives around Gardere

It's all good.

Y'all should get some stuff here shortly. Don't think it'll be as bad as they predicted. This storm started off more north than anticipated. Still a lot of heavy precipitation in the middle of it though.

Been sleeting for over an hour in Zachary.

It got me off of work. It's a winner for me.