re: LSU’s 2026 pitching staff by the numbers

On the link you provided, there is a toggle button at the top that you can change it to “conference” stats.

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Not trying to make anything look better/worse, just trying to get a normalized schedule as much as possible between all teams to compare

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SEC only stats would be more meaningful. But, my instinct tells me there's a ton of validity to the point you are making either way.

I (mistakenly) made the statement last year right before the postseason that Yeskie had to go. He just wasn't developing the middle and bottom of the staff enough. In both of his years, the staff was VERY shallow. But, the run last year shut me up pretty quick and made me rethink that the strategy is intentional.

Following that logic, I think we are seeing that the strategy just doesn't always work. The top of the staff isn't elite (and he hasn't been able to get them to be elite)...and the middle and bottom of the staff just can't execute the strategy consistently. More concerning, we aren't seeing improvement ANYWHERE on the staff.

Jay acknowledged that he was questioning the decisions he made from a philosophy standpoint heading into this year on offense. He chased "power" but gave up a fundamental tenet of what he though he needed at the plate as a result.

I just HAVE to believe that he's having the same thoughts about the pitching staff. Either he and Yeskie are going to adjust the approach...or Yeskie is going to be let go. It has just been too bad top to bottom.

Baseball has been changing, obviously. I think Jay was tinkering with the overall strategy of trying to build a modern offensive team that hits a lot of HRs and a modern pitching team that strikes out a lot of batters. Unfortunately, he failed in almost all aspects of that. The power didn't show up and he gave up way too much from a fundamentals standpoint (fielding %, walks, etc.) to be competitive. This team was completely run over this year as a result.

All of this to say, I don't think this was just a talent issue. Obviously, talent has something to do with it. But, I think Jay flew a little too close to the sun from a strategy standpoint.

I really enjoyed listening to Jay give his thoughts on the offensive philosphy and where things went wrong. That told me a TON about what's coming...and we've already seen him move to the young players. I think offensively, this team has already evolved into a legitimate challenger and would be even moreso if Brown was still healthy.

I'd LOVE to figure out a way to get Jay to talk about the pitching philosophy in the same way.

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I don't know. The power hasn't been horrible. At the end of the regular season last year, we only had 89 home runs. We didn't get to triple digits until the super regionals. We have 86 this year with two games left. We're in the top 20 nationally in HRs believe it or not.

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What I'm referencing is Jay's comments on who he brought in this year and why and how he was going to change course. The power just didn't show up. I think less than 20 of those HRs were from guys brought in to start.

But, his intent was to end up with an infusion of power...not just replicating last year. Jay has said he intends to adjust course...and I think he already has by committing to the guys that he thinks can give better overall at bats.

I think that idea applies to pitching as well. There's a macro philosophy issue here that I think he's going to address.

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These guys are just getting worse across the board, Yeskie has done an awful job developing a ton of these guys. He took a guy who was NOT a control issue pitcher into absolutely being one now in Lachenmayer

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I think in the case of a guy like Lachenmayer, he just isn't getting as much chase as he did in a much worse conference. Like, "lefty with great breaking stuff" is the perfect pitcher for the Summit League where guys will just chase up and down, inside and out.

The scouting in the SEC, and just overall talent, will kind of always make those numbers worse. See Loer in 2024.

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See Loer in 2024.

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Loer is one of my least favorite transfers we've brought in on the pitching side. Couldn't throw a strike but also seemed like a turd. Lachenmayer doesn't seem like a turd.

I’m gonna say half of the wild pitches are actually passed balls due to our shitty catching.

Just think how many more K’s they could have had if they cut down on the walks.

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How do we strike so many dudes out, yet are so wildly out of control at the same time?

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Because the batters are scared to death of what will come from the pitchers.