Who Steps Up In 2008?

[verbeak]

We lost 3 really good hitters in Sublette, Schermerhorn, and Brown, how are we going to fill those holes?

Conor Gillaspie and Andy Dirks are very solid.

Josh Workman steps in for Sublette.

Tyler Hill, Brett Bascue, and Ryan Jones can play outfield, but how will they hit?

Tyler Weber and Dusty Coleman are great defensively and hopefully both will have breakout years at the plate.

Clinton McKeever can hit. He will either play 1st or DH.

Who else is supposed to make an impact this year?
What returning players did I miss?
Impact freshman?

[t7017s]

Re: Who Steps Up In 2008?

We lost 3 really good hitters in Sublette, Schermerhorn, and Brown, how are we going to fill those holes?

Conor Gillaspie and Andy Dirks are very solid.

Josh Workman steps in for Sublette.

Tyler Hill, Brett Bascue, and Ryan Jones can play outfield, but how will they hit?

Tyler Weber and Dusty Coleman are great defensively and hopefully both will have breakout years at the plate.

Clinton McKeever can hit. He will either play 1st or DH.

Who else is supposed to make an impact this year?
What returning players did I miss?
Impact freshman?

Well to answer your questions...
1) the pitching staff
2) the pitching staff
and...
3) Moldanado

[verbeak]

i know the pitching staff is going to be great once again. i was looking more for position players

[BostonWu]

Pitching simply can't get much better. This team will only go as far as the bats will take them.

[RipEmUpShox]

RYAN JONES.
thats my call on who steps it up.
i think we'll see him start hitting for average.

[verbeak]

RYAN JONES.
thats my call on who steps it up.
i think we'll see him start hitting for average.

I hope you're right. I love his speed. If he can hit for average I think we have found our new right fielder.

[haysdb]

Dusty will have a better year offensively. I agree that Ryan Jones could fill one of those holes. Andy Dirks will top his numbers from last year and will be a key guy hitting in the leadoff spot. I'm hoping this is the year Josh breaks out.

If things fall together right, there won't be a soft spot in the order.

A few questions I have...

1. Who hits cleanup? T-Web or Clint possibly. I think you have to bat Conor 3rd. That guarantees he gets to the plate in the first inning.
2. How do we get Cody Lassley's bat in the lineup? DH or left field are about the only options, although he will spell T-Web occasionally.
3. Kyle Sisney impressed me last fall in the two games I saw. He will be a hell of a defensive second baseman, and he's a switch hitting GNAT, and I mean that in a good way. But if you put him at second that pushes Josh back into the DH.
4. Will Kenny Williams get it together this spring and make it hard to chose who to put in the outfield?
5. Bret Bascue showed signs last spring that he could be something special. I loved his approach at the plate most of the time. I thought he went up there with a good idea of what he thought he'd get and what he was going to do with it. He's also a solid and even spectacular defender.

Except for #1 these are mostly good "problems" to have. For a program to have Cody, Bret, Kenny, and Kyle sitting on the bench because there is someone better in front of them is the kind of problems you like to have.

BTW, I didn't put Clint McKeever in that list because I just KNOW he's going to be good. Clint could be a difference maker. Clint could be the secret square. OK, maybe co-square with Ryan. These are two guys who contributed little last spring, and yet could be key players this year.

I have no feel for which of the true freshmen could challenge for a position. There won't be any in the lineup on opening day, but you just never know who is going to get a chance, take advantage of it, and never look back. The fall is always an adjustment period for freshmen. We could see something quite different in the spring.

[haysdb]

Here is who I see as the top two (three in two cases because the voting between my multiple personalities was so close) at each position:

C: Weber, Lassley
1B: McKeever, Hill
2B: Workman, Sisney
SS: Coleman, Dreiling
3B: Gillaspie, Muncrief (FR)
CF: Dirks, Jones, Williams
RF: Jones, Bascue? (shoulder?)
LF: Hill, Bascue, Williams
DH: Lassley, Hill, Bascue, ...?


Newcomers who made a good impression in the fall:

• Cameron Maldonado (FR) - P. Possible midweek starter.
• Grant Muncrief (FR) - 3B/P. This guy isn't even on my list of recruits. Was he a late sign? Looked very good defensively at third. Will likely be used mostly as a pitcher this spring since we already have a third baseman we like.
• Logan Hoch (JR) - P. Rail thin left hander, but he can BRING IT. Will likely play a significant role out of the bullpen.
• Tyler Fleming (JR) - P. Didn't have very good numbers in the fall, but I still heard many positive comments about him, and the coaches are very high on him. Was picked in the 20th round of the amateur draft last June according to my notes.

[verbeak]

How is McKeever defensively? I don't think I've ever seen him play in the field.

[haysdb]

How is McKeever defensively? I don't think I've ever seen him play in the field.

I didn't see a lot of him - just two games in fact, but I thought he looked comfortable and he's quicker and more agile than you'd expect from a 245 lb guy. He's also a catcher, so he's well accustomed to catching the ball and flagging down balls in the dirt.

[RipEmUpShox]

Our Starting Closer... Andy Womack

[1972Shocker]

One sleeper on the pitching staff that caught my eye during the FWS was Justin Kemp, the young man from Baxter Springs.

On the offensive side of things Dusty Coleman looks like he is ready to break out.

Big Clint McKeever was impressive at the plate, in the field, on the base paths and on the mound. He runs, very well for BIG man and he has good reflexes at 1st base.

I would just love to see Conor G. have one of those years where teams just can't get him out.

:goshocks: