Wright State - Opening Weekend

[randerto]

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[randerto]

Concerning Maxwell, I watched him warm up and pitch. The only time he had consistent control was the second. He didn't in warm ups. The balls in the game were usually way out of the zone.

So imho, he should be in low risk situations like middle reliever. At least till he gets the control which has eluded him in our seasons and Cape Cod.

He'll get drafted based on potential alone. But winning games for GT should come before his development in higher risk situations.

Agreed - the concerns with Maxwell's control continue... I'm not clear if the coaches have really seen enough improvement in his control to justify turning him into a starter or if that's been done to appease him and perhaps avoid the portal... Ability is there but control doesn't appear to be better. Only one outing so let's see how he does next time out but we can't be screwing around like this come ACC play. Certainly understand all the upside here...

 

[randerto]

Lol on the stop sign since he scored. Maybe L'Ville doesn't believe in stop signs. Will be interesting to see how much he plays.

I watched game fine on Sling. Only gripe is that I can't record ACCNX stuff but can others ( ACCN ESPN)

Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't say how impressed I was with the pitching changes. Like the MLB. This time of year is the time to do it and get as many in as possible. I do discount the ninth to some extent since it was so cold. I'll wait to criticize until I see more. Before the ninth was very good.

Here's the good news on ACCN if you're not already aware. ESPN keeps those games in the "On Demand" section for a few days so you've got access to watch again if desired - essentially the same as being DVR'd automatically. I'm not sure exactly how long they stay there but I know it's at least 3 days or so...

 

[FredJacket]

I'm sorry but any time you take the bat out of the hands of your best player with the game on the line it's a horrendous strategic decision in my eyes. Not to mention Simpson is not a zero at the plate and could have gotten the job done himself or moved everyone along without giving himself up via hit or walk. I'm not against small ball as a rule but you can't just look at the score and inning to determine when it's time to employ it. You also have to look at your line up and anticipate what your opponent is going to do in that situation.

We played the what if game a bit earlier about a potential double play by Simpson so let's play here too. If Jenkins and Gonzalez don't get the job done there, which is a possibility, then we lose the game without even giving Parada the chance to affect the outcome there. That's a bad look and a very frustrating turn of events. I'm glad it worked out this time but I want Parada to be a factor there and he was completely neutralized. So we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

I'm not trying to add fuel to any debate here. I really enjoy the discussion. Squints makes good points. I've been VERY slow to come over to the "less small ball" team. It's taken years. But it's happening. This lineup should have very very few sac bunting situations (literally maybe none). I'll admit this specific situation on Fri night put me on the fence. Taking the bat out of Parada's hands was problematic, though.

If you listened to CDH post-game he essentially said they (the coaching staff) were sure they'd walk Parada. So... he seemed ok with doing that. It worked out... so I'd expect them to do it again... & again. Just to cage our expectations.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

I'm not trying to add fuel to any debate here. I really enjoy the discussion. Squints makes good points. I've been VERY slow to come over to the "less small ball" team. It's taken years. But it's happening. This lineup should have very very few sac bunting situations (literally maybe none). I'll admit this specific situation on Fri night put me on the fence. Taking the bat out of Parada's hands was problematic, though.

If you listened to CDH post-game he essentially said they (the coaching staff) were sure they'd walk Parada. So... he seemed ok with doing that. It worked out... so I'd expect them to do it again... & again. Just to cage our expectations.

I think a large part of the uncertainty concerning the advisibility of small ball in college is the lack of statistics and the continually changing capabilities of the players. @Squints have discussed this in the past and I think he's got a statistically based case in the MLB.

I think the likelihood of Chandler getting on with a bunt was probably close to his hitting percentage for the Wright State game. These guys are very rusty in the field since they can't practice outside and it shows.

With no outs, advance the runners and take away the dp. Or don't hit into a dp. Chandler could more likely hit into a dp where two leading runners are taken out than being thrown out at first.

Then a sac fly ties the game. We'd have a massive advantage going to extra innings.

So can we agree that the advisibility of small ball in college is greater than the MLB where the fielding is better?

 

[FredJacket]

So can we agree that the advisibility of small ball in college is greater than the MLB where the fielding is better?

Short answer... I doubt it.

But you raise a great question. As analytics continue to be incorporated... & specifically situational decisions like this one, I wonder what analytical data is used by college teams? How much MLB data informs their analysis?

 

[rodandanga]

Maxwell reminds me of Jason Neighborgall, has all the ability and talent in the world but just can't seem to get it under control.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

Short answer... I doubt it.

But you raise a great question. As analytics continue to be incorporated... & specifically situational decisions like this one, I wonder what analytical data is used by college teams? How much MLB data informs their analysis?

Asking unanswerable and rhetorical questions is what I do best. Even with the data, the underlying player performance has so much greater variability in college than the pros that we'll never get consensus.

To today's game, I'm excited to see Finateri. I expect us to win easily since we've depleted their best pitching. And our ninth inning debacle guys can come back for redemption. Especially Bartnicki.

 

[FredJacket]

Asking unanswerable and rhetorical questions is what I do best. Even with the data, the underlying player performance has so much greater variability in college than the pros that we'll never get consensus.

To today's game, I'm excited to see Finateri. I expect us to win easily since we've depleted their best pitching. And our ninth inning debacle guys can come back for redemption. Especially Bartnicki.

If data had all the answers I would have no interest in the game. Humans competing. Data gets you just far enough to think you "know" what will happen... & then you don't. It's glorious.

 

[Squints]

Secret ballot or everybody raise your hands either way can be manipulated and peer pressure is funny thing within team dynamics along with assistant coaches influence and very few players that have been there for the 5 + years , senior + players usually get the nod

I look forward to your press conference in front of Four Seasons Total Landscaping to tell us how the election of Georgia Tech's baseball team captains are fraudulent.

 

[Technicaljacket]

& the fielders (coach’s) choice being his hit for the season .. any other team would have someone else starting today and getting opportunities to build for the team not only for today but when Tres is drafted this year and 5 has moved on

 

[Squints]

I'm not trying to add fuel to any debate here. I really enjoy the discussion. Squints makes good points. I've been VERY slow to come over to the "less small ball" team. It's taken years. But it's happening. This lineup should have very very few sac bunting situations (literally maybe none). I'll admit this specific situation on Fri night put me on the fence. Taking the bat out of Parada's hands was problematic, though.

If you listened to CDH post-game he essentially said they (the coaching staff) were sure they'd walk Parada. So... he seemed ok with doing that. It worked out... so I'd expect them to do it again... & again. Just to cage our expectations.

It's not even the small ball aspect that's the major problem for me here. This is not a referendum on sacrifice bunting. It's Parada not getting a chance to hit. If 1st base is open they are definitely walking Parada. It's the smart move. If we had that 1st and 3rd situation with Simpson on 1st and he stole second I'd be howling about letting him do that too. I have a hard time believing they're going to walk Parada in an instance where it puts the winning in scoring position. That would be really ballsy. Maybe he's right though. He's got a lot more info then I do and he's in the dugout and I'm not. I just don't see that happening.

 

[New Old Guy]

It's not even the small ball aspect that's the major problem for me here. This is not a referendum on sacrifice bunting. It's Parada not getting a chance to hit. If 1st base is open they are definitely walking Parada. It's the smart move. If we had that 1st and 3rd situation with Simpson on 1st and he stole second I'd be howling about letting him do that too. I have a hard time believing they're going to walk Parada in an instance where it puts the winning in scoring position. That would be really ballsy. Maybe he's right though. He's got a lot more info then I do and he's in the dugout and I'm not. I just don't see that happening.

Maybe Parada should not be hitting behind Simpson?

 

[GTNavyNuke]

Maybe Parada should not be hitting behind Simpson?

Should the next highest obp player be next? (Only expected at this point)

That may be Parada.

 

[78pike]

Maybe Parada should not be hitting behind Simpson?

What? Parada hitting behind Simpson makes perfect sense. Simpson gets on base a lot which will result in Parada seeing a lot more fastballs unless they want to concede second base to Simpson and even if they do that then we have our best hitter with a man in scoring position. Parada batting behind Simpson is the biggest no brainer of the entire lineup.

 

[New Old Guy]

Should the next highest obp player be next? (Only expected at this point)

That may be Parada.

I certainly don’t claim the ability to construct the best batting order, but if the fear is that Simpson stealing likely takes the bat out of Parada’s hands, we either stop the steal (which negates an important weapon), change the order, or accept Kevin getting intentionally walked at times.

Maybe this is a good problem to have!

 

[Squints]

I think a large part of the uncertainty concerning the advisibility of small ball in college is the lack of statistics and the continually changing capabilities of the players. @Squints have discussed this in the past and I think he's got a statistically based case in the MLB.

Run expectancy matrices have been created for college baseball and its been found that conclusions still hold for college. At least the last time I checked. It's admittedly been a while.

I think the likelihood of Chandler getting on with a bunt was probably close to his hitting percentage for the Wright State game. These guys are very rusty in the field since they can't practice outside and it shows.

With no outs, advance the runners and take away the dp. Or don't hit into a dp. Chandler could more likely hit into a dp where two leading runners are taken out than being thrown out at first.

We disagree here. The other team is expecting a bunt here so unless it's a really well executed bunt the chances of getting on are lower then then if he was bunting for a hit in another situation. What we did was advance the runners to take away the dp, give up an out in the process, and let the other team make our best player irrelevant while reintroducing the double play where said double play would end the game. I also think the DP where the two lead runners get caught is flat out not going to happen. He'd have to hit a rocket right at the 3B for that to even be a possibility. The 3B was playing in guarding against the bunt so he hit a ball like that the 3B would have had to make a great play to even handle it. Let alone pull a 5-4 double play.

Then a sac fly ties the game. We'd have a massive advantage going to extra innings.

That's clearly what we playing for but there are other possibilities to aim for.

So can we agree that the advisibility of small ball in college is greater than the MLB where the fielding is better?

Not really. You always fall back on this but the opponent's fielding ability isn't the only thing to consider. You also have to consider game situation, where you are in your line up, the roster construction, and the talent disparity between you and the team you are facing. When I look at our team, the moment they were in that night, and who we were facing the situation to me says let them swing the bat. Hanging your hat on the other team possibly messing up a routine play isn't a great strategy imo.

 

[Squints]

Maybe Parada should not be hitting behind Simpson?

Over the course of a season it really doesn't make a huge amount of difference but you really want your best guy in the 2 spot. Traditional thinking would put him the 3 spot but that lineup spot comes up with 2 outs and no one base more than anywhere else. It could be problematic when Simpson steals bags as you mentioned but that might be a good problem to have and can be managed by giving Simpson the red light in certain situations. It's a bigger issue if we're asking Simpson to bunt late in games like he did on Friday because teams will bypass Parada every time there and be happy to do it. If that's gonna be our strategy going forward, which I clearly don't love, it's going to be up to the guys behind him to provide the protection to make other teams start to second guess whether that's the way to go or not. Fortunately for us, they're pretty good themselves so we might be able swing it. We'll see.

 

[FredJacket]

Good stuff @Squints ...I appreciate it.

 

[jatchet]

Can't believe Simpson stole 2nd... he took the bat out of Parada's hands. Gotta have better situational awareness.

Sarcasm... but yeah, guess I found the hill I'll die on.