Quiet in here. Off season check in thread

[leatherneckjacket]

We can agree to disagree. You can find exceptions to every rule. LF is the weakest outfield position. 1st base is the weakest position on the field. Any light research will prove this out.

I guess we have another topic for which you have no clue as to which you speak. The list is getting quite extensive.

 

[forensicbuzz]

I guess we have another topic for which you have no clue as to which you speak. The list is getting quite extensive.

There you go with the personal attacks, again. Instead of supporting your statement, you try to belittle another’s opinion. Do some research instead of making yourself look foolish with such comments.

A simple google search of “easiest baseball position” will give you hours of reading about how LF is where you put your weakest arm and is typically an easier outfield position.

I’ll make it easy for you; here’s one link to get you started.

Link 1

 

[Bogey]

We can agree to disagree. You can find exceptions to every rule. LF is the weakest outfield position. 1st base is the weakest position on the field. Any light research will prove this out.

I agree 100% with this.

 

[TampaBuzz]

We can agree to disagree. You can find exceptions to every rule. LF is the weakest outfield position. 1st base is the weakest position on the field. Any light research will prove this out.

I am not sure how to take this. If I am the manager and we are playing a team full of mostly right handed pull hitters, I am not gonna put a weak outfielder in left. I would speculate that the manager will configure his outfield to provide the best match up against a particular opponent. Of course, if you only play three outfielders during the season, then you just have to make a decision about where each of those three can best help the team. For the Atlanta Braves, the data suggests the Acuna is the worst outfielder (doesn't judge balls well and gets late jumps), but has a excellent speed and a terrific arm - he plays right. I don't know; I personally would not be making any blanket claims about positions.

 

[leatherneckjacket]

There you go with the personal attacks, again. Instead of supporting your statement, you try to belittle another’s opinion. Do some research instead of making yourself look foolish with such comments.

A simple google search of “easiest baseball position” will give you hours of reading about how LF is where you put your weakest arm and is typically an easier outfield position.

I’ll make it easy for you; here’s one link to get you started.

Link 1

LOL! Well, if some guy named Alex Chester says it, it must be true.

Again, who you play in which outfield position depends more on the field in which you play most of your games and not some universal rule that your better fielder with the better arm always in right field. For Yankee stadium, they put the better fielder in left and in Fenway, they put the better fielder in right.

I will add that more balls are hit to left field than to right due to the preponderance of right handed batters. Why would you put your worst fielder in the position that gets the most balls hit to him? How about doing some research before you continue to make yourself look foolish.

 

[LargeFO]

I'm hiding my weakest OF in right. But hey, to each their own.

 

[Shanna]

I'm really hoping Ellis and Jones get drafted. They deserve it after their performances this year. And I really think that we are safe on Walker and Rogers. They are guys that would command over a million in a signing bonus. That usually doesn't happen on the 3rd day of the draft, but it is also not unheard of as you mentioned.

A lefty topping at 86 is not getting drafted. Sorry but it's just the way that works. I said before - he is good competitor but he will not play past college unless he goes to an independent league. I think Ellis was hurt by his age. MLB teams are "typically" looking for younger guys, not 25 year old men. They are both great young men though! Wish them the best!

 

[Shanna]

In the past hour we've mentioned 14 position players who should get playing time next season. Since CFDH only plays about 11 position players by the time conference play starts, that means 3 of these mentioned will not see much action. And that assumes no more transfers are brought in. Unless these new guys are complete stiffs, I think our lineup will be fine.

Pitching on the other hand....do we have any other than McKee, Ballard, and Stanford? Hopefully we hit nearly 100% on these transfers coming in. And hopefully one or two of the incoming freshmen can hit the ground running. Who are the most likely from this group to give us good innings next season?

Pitching is and will be an issue under this coaching staff. They cannot get "elite arms" right now due to the inner turmoil. Zeke quit and took a job at Kent State. He worked with catchers and they loved him. Behind the scenes needs to be fixed before GT can recruit like UGA/Clemson/UF/Alabama/FSU. Kids don't want to go where coaches are in-fighting.

 

[78pike]

I agree with this. Typically, if you're trying to hide someone in the outfield, they're in left. All these guys are athletes and left gets to most true ball flights. Right needs the guy who can go get that ball slicing towards the corner and make that throw to 3rd. Right is typically a really good defensive outfielder and left is where you put your Bobby Bonillas.

If we look at our own recent history we have tended to play our weakest defensive outfielder in right. Last year it was Zmarzlak. The previous couple of seasons it was Stephen Reid. And a couple of years before that it was Baron Radcliff. So based on our field configuration, which is the only thing that matters, right field is where we tend to place our weaker defensive outfielders despite what any unknown online sources may think.

 

[Shanna]

Great pitchers are not coming to GT. We will struggle pitching again and likely be towards the bottom of the conference. Unless we get a couple proven P5 studs we are gambling like the past years. I also think Taylor is a bust, but I will stay open minded as he dives into year 2.

FINALLY!!! Someone else actually SEES the issue! Taylor is NOT what we need. I agree that he is a bust. He is not what people "thought" he was. And it's starting to show. Hopefully this will change in 2026 but I am afraid this season will be worse than last year with all the pitchers graduating/draft/portal.

 

[Shanna]

My confidence level in the GT baseball program (which I love) is at an all-time low.
Can’t win without pitchers. Not worried about our hitting.

Agreed.

 

[78pike]

Pitching is and will be an issue under this coaching staff. They cannot get "elite arms" right now due to the inner turmoil. Zeke quit and took a job at Kent State. He worked with catchers and they loved him. Behind the scenes needs to be fixed before GT can recruit like UGA/Clemson/UF/Alabama/FSU. Kids don't want to go where coaches are in-fighting.

Zeke left for a promotion at Kent State not because of some imagined infighting in the coaching staff as you claim.

 

[THWG]

A lefty topping at 86 is not getting drafted. Sorry but it's just the way that works. I said before - he is good competitor but he will not play past college unless he goes to an independent league. I think Ellis was hurt by his age. MLB teams are "typically" looking for younger guys, not 25 year old men. They are both great young men though! Wish them the best!

I wasn't thinking about him getting drafted as a pitcher. It doesn't matter now though.

 

[78pike]

I don't think anyone will disagree with the fact our pitching needs to improve. Despite some of the Taylor haters on here it felt like. to the naked eye, that our pitching did show some improvement. I know the ERA was not anywhere near where we want it to be but we did show some improvement in certain areas. For example, we went from dead last in the league in walks to ninth and were just a total of 7 walks from being 6th in the conference. That is a huge improvement.

Someone in here alluded to the fact our pitching will be much worse next year because of the number of pitchers with the most innings graduating. Well keep in mind those are the same guys that were responsible for our high ERA and giving up the most long balls. So I'm not sure that you can assume we will be worse when the guys responsible for the poor overall performance are leaving. Logic would seem to dictate that there is a greater chance of improvement. We have some good young arms that are returning and signed some pretty talented pitchers as well.

 

[Killerbees]

Someone in here alluded to the fact our pitching will be much worse next year because of the number of pitchers with the most innings graduating. Well keep in mind those are the same guys that were responsible for our high ERA and giving up the most long balls. So I'm not sure that you can assume we will be worse when the guys responsible for the poor overall performance are leaving. Logic would seem to dictate that there is a greater chance of improvement. We have some good young arms that are returning and signed some pretty talented pitchers as well.

We all bank on a freshman or transfer stud, but the reality is that typically does not happen at the pitching position. We had pitchers drafted this year that were in/out of the line up all year. Taylors job was to develop them to stay in the line up. To say our ERA will improve by losing players to the draft does not make me feel any better.

 

[forensicbuzz]

LOL! Well, if some guy named Alex Chester says it, it must be true.

Again, who you play in which outfield position depends more on the field in which you play most of your games and not some universal rule that your better fielder with the better arm always in right field. For Yankee stadium, they put the better fielder in left and in Fenway, they put the better fielder in right.

I will add that more balls are hit to left field than to right due to the preponderance of right handed batters. Why would you put your worst fielder in the position that gets the most balls hit to him? How about doing some research before you continue to make yourself look foolish.

If you don't understand physics, then I'm not going to be able to explain it to you. I'm done trying to inform someone who wants to remain ignorant. Continue being you. I won't see how you respond.

 

[forensicbuzz]

I am not sure how to take this. If I am the manager and we are playing a team full of mostly right handed pull hitters, I am not gonna put a weak outfielder in left. I would speculate that the manager will configure his outfield to provide the best match up against a particular opponent. Of course, if you only play three outfielders during the season, then you just have to make a decision about where each of those three can best help the team. For the Atlanta Braves, the data suggests the Acuna is the worst outfielder (doesn't judge balls well and gets late jumps), but has a excellent speed and a terrific arm - he plays right. I don't know; I personally

If you're a smart manager, you would. You have to be careful with the term "weaker." Most of these guys are not that far apart.

It has to do with how the ball comes off the bat. Left-fielders get a truer ball flight from a right-handed batter. A RF gets a slice from a RH batter. Most batters are right-handed. In addition, the longest individual throw for an outfielder (all throws home tend to be the same or similar length) is from RF to 3rd base. LF never throws to 1st. IN GENERAL (there are exceptions to every rule), your right fielder has the strongest arm in the outfield.

This started as a discussion about college outfielders, so to use professionals as examples is a little of a reach, although I used a PRO example with Bobby Bonilla in my original comment. There are times when you might face a team with more lefties or there may be a weird field, but those are uncommon occurrences that prove the rule rather than disproves it.

To your example of Acuna, Dale Murphy was a gold glove center fielder in the early 80's (originally came into the organization as a catcher). When the Braves brought Brett Butler up from the minors, they moved Dale to RF and put BB in center. This was because Dale was an outstanding outfielder with a strong arm. At the time, they played in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, which was a uniformly symetric field.

 

[TampaBuzz]

If you don't understand physics, then I'm not going to be able to explain it to you. I'm done trying to inform someone who wants to remain ignorant. Continue being you. I won't see how you respond.

You and Leatherneck must be best friends....that just spend all your time together arguing needlessly and laughing about it the entire time. Like me with my brothers....argue for the sake of arguing. Y'all must be hell on wheels when it comes to talking politics or religion.

 

[FittedJacket]

We had three pitchers drafted into professional baseball this year. They all have high ceilings and were chosen because a major league organization believed they can each pitch at the pro level. I think we can agree that GT didn’t get the most out of three very talented arms. Not sure what the solution is but the problem seems to be development.

 

[MWBATL]

We had three pitchers drafted into professional baseball this year. They all have high ceilings and were chosen because a major league organization believed they can each pitch at the pro level. I think we can agree that GT didn’t get the most out of three very talented arms. Not sure what the solution is but the problem seems to be development.

QFT.

This is my biggest grudge with the GT baseball program.