Next year's hitting

[Ta town]

Reaching for something positive.

So if Bayliff returns (I believe academically he is a senior) I am almost optimistic about next years hitting.

Bayliff, Gillespie, Dearman, Baker, Green are pretty solid. Also Bobbit was coming around when he broke his hand and Simpson the transfer will be eligible.

Pitching is what is kind of scary to think about next year.

[SB Shock]

Reaching for something positive.

So if Bayliff returns (I believe academically he is a senior) I am almost optimistic about next years hitting.

Bayliff, Gillespie, Dearman, Baker, Green are pretty solid. Also Bobbit was coming around when he broke his hand and Simpson the transfer will be eligible.

Pitching is what is kind of scary to think about next year.

I'm buying Bayliff, Gillespie and Baker. But Deerman with his 0.299/0.386/0.326 (Avg/OBP/SLG) has some work to do be considered solid. I think Haddox could be really solid if he can continue to develop over this summer.

[1972Shocker]

Micah Green also can become a good hitter if he can become more consistent.

However, the real key with our offense IMHO is we need more productive at bats with men on base and with men in scoring position. Way to often do we fail to move runners up when we have the chance.

[WSUwatcher]

I'm buying Bayliff, Gillespie and Baker. But Deerman with his 0.299/0.386/0.326 (Avg/OBP/SLG) has some work to do be considered solid. I think Haddox could be really solid if he can continue to develop over this summer.

Well, SB, I'd say that .386 is a perfectly acceptable OB% for a leadoff man, so I think Dearman will be just fine as long as he's placed correctly in the lineup. I sure wish for the days when the Shocks had some HR punch, though, and it's hard to see much of that ahead unless Chase Simpson really muscles up (he has yet to hit a D-1 homer), or some complete newcomer does. This year's team has 20 HR total, almost half of them by one guy -- where can the long balls possibly come from?

[WSUwatcher]

Micah Green also can become a good hitter if he can become more consistent.

However, the real key with our offense IMHO is we need more productive at bats with men on base and with men in scoring position. Way to often do we fail to move runners up when we have the chance.

Yes and more yes, especially about productivity and good at bats. Green shows some promise, but it's much harder to be consistent when you'll swing at anything, which is his weakness. I'd just like to see guys put the ball in play, ideally to the outfield, with a runner on third and less than two out. Some situational hitting, please!

[SB Shock]

Well, SB, I'd say that .386 is a perfectly acceptable OB% for a leadoff man

I guess if your satisfied with numbers make him 7th out of 8 teams in the league for lead off hitters. The best lead-off hitters in the league have OBP running 0.425 to 0.518. Valley leadoff hitters also have slug % ranging from 0.380 to 0.600. You don't have to have hit HR's to have a decent slugging pct - but you have to be a little better than a singles hitter.

[WSUwatcher]

Fair enough, SB, but I'm also expecting continued improvement from Dearman. He is a freshman, after all, and pretty small, so he may grow and get stronger. Also, he's shown some strike zone judgment and wiillingness to draw a walk and to use his speed to get on.

Now if he doesn't continue to develop -- if what we see now is what we're going to get -- as is unfortunately sometimes the case, I'll buy your concern.

[SB Shock]

Fair enough, SB, but I'm also expecting continued improvement from Dearman. He is a freshman, after all, and pretty small, so he may grow and get stronger. Also, he's shown some strike zone judgment and wiillingness to draw a walk and to use his speed to get on.

Now if he doesn't continue to develop -- if what we see now is what we're going to get -- as is unfortunately sometimes the case, I'll buy your concern.

15 years ago, the numbers Deerman put up would mean that he would likely be 0.375 BA / 0.475 OBP guy his soph year - but when has last time we really see this coaching staff develop hitters? I guess that is where my ultimate cynicism lays. Maybe there will be new hope next week.

Anybody catch on Gene show after the CU series - Gene was asked why CU had improved as hitting team - he said they had hired a new hitting coach. :boxing:

[1972Shocker]

We only lose Johnny Coy, who had a poor senior year, and T.J. McGreevey to graduation.

What we do not know at this point is what impact, if any, will the MLB draft have on next year's roster. While it doesn't appear we are at a high risk of losing any position players to the draft, it is possible that both Garrett Bayliff and Micah Green could be drafted this year.

The risk of losing players to the draft seems much higher among the Shocker pitching staff with Cale Elam, Brandon Peterson, Albert Minnis and Aaron LaBrie all possibilities. Kris Gardner is also draft eligible but my guess he will either not get drafted or, if he is, it will not be a high enough draft to entice him to sign.

If the draft goes against us with the pitching staff then next years hitting may be a somewhat of a secondary concern.

[Veritas]

How many players return if Gene and his assistants are let go?

[SB Shock]

How many players return if Gene and his assistants are let go?

Probably depends on who is hired to replace them. I mean when you are pinch running for you best hitter in a game when there is still plenty of game left - some of players might actually be happy for a competent baseball coach be hired.

[1972Shocker]

How many players return if Gene and his assistants are let go?

As @SB Shock points it it probably depends on how the players veiw the replacment staff. It will also depend on what happens with Gene and Brent and if they end up somewhere the players want to follow. Also will depend on what alternatives are availiable to the players and how willing they are to sit out a year.

The Shocks have 15 juniors on this year's roster and they are not likely to want to transfer. We have 9 sophomores who might consider transferring unless they think they will be drafted as juniors (i.e. Casey Gillaspie) plus others will simply not want to sit out a year. Perhaps the 7 member freshman class is the most vulnerable to transfer although outside of Garrett Brummett I'm not sure we have any irreplaceable pieces in that class.

The most likely place we will lose players would be from the incoming recruiting class.

I think we are most vulnerable with the pitchers because of Brent.

I suppose more or less the same situation we would have been faced with had Gene stayed at OU in 2005.

Hard to predict how many players we will lose. Bound to be some but my guess is the great majority of players would return.

[Shocker85]

Hard to predict how many players we will lose. Bound to be some but my guess is the great majority of players would return.

It might be hard to convince 18-20 year old kids of this, but honestly this program is now bigger than its head coach or assistants. There is a pretty good sized group of staunch supporters who will support the program solidly no matter who is the head coach. Many of the boosters who supported heavily with $$$ early on are no longer around. The younger boosters understand the value of the facility and the program at large and I think will get firmly behind the right new head coach and the team.

I can say for certain I am included in this group. I love baseball. I love Shocker baseball. I look with disdain upon the direction of the program right now.

--'85.