Apparently, they managed to get the scrimmage in, with another great job by Roger Tower on the writeup...

http://rubpa.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=399

Appears Chargois and Boogie A. were the pitching stars today, with a multitude of hitting stars (Sultzy, Rendon, Ratterree, Chargois, Simmons McDowell and Hague).

One question on Chargois, who's really been shining so far both on the mound and at the plate. Given he's a switch hitter, for those who have been attending scrimmages, does he appear to hit better from one side of the plate or the other (e.g., Diego is a better contact hitter from the left side, but appears to have a bit more power from the right)? If JT is strong from the left-side, and is earmarked for the bullpen, he could be a very viable left-handed DH option.

Don't miss MK's latest blog entry and conversation this afternoon with The OG...

http://ow.ly/ugKu

The topic was Freshman who were stepping up so far during Fall Ball (Ratterree, Chargois, Spurlin, McDowell, McNair, Perrott). Surprised no mention of Fant, who has also looked good in his first two outings. Also, WG indicated that both Fazio and Evers would finally take the mound in scrimmages this week. Great news!

I appreciate the updates. With Alan, RUBPA, Tower, MK et al, we've never been better informed at this time of year.

Per an earlier passing reference on RiceOwlsdotcom, here is the (lengthy) feature on Diego Seastrunk, a discussion that covers his transition from third base to catcher and the expectations he has for his senior season: http://ow.ly/uq2i

(10-14-2009 01:57 PM)MKBower Wrote:  Per an earlier passing reference on RiceOwlsdotcom, here is the (lengthy) feature on Diego Seastrunk, a discussion that covers his transition from third base to catcher and the expectations he has for his senior season: http://ow.ly/uq2i

Great piece, MK. But one thing you and others forget to mention when talking about GDG's low hit production last year was that he ended up the season with the 3rd highest OBP on the team, behind Rendon and Holt, but ahead of Fuda, Hague, Mozingo, and Sultzbaugh, all of whom hit in the solid .300s. The predominant factor was his discerning eye at the plate (probaby combined with the care with which pitchers threw to him), so he led the team in BB with 44, 10 more than second-place Holt, who had an additional 24 AB. If half of those BBs had been singles, GDG would've been only 4 points behind Rendon for the batting title!

(10-14-2009 04:49 PM)ColOwl Wrote:  

(10-14-2009 01:57 PM)MKBower Wrote:  Per an earlier passing reference on RiceOwlsdotcom, here is the (lengthy) feature on Diego Seastrunk, a discussion that covers his transition from third base to catcher and the expectations he has for his senior season: http://ow.ly/uq2i

Great piece, MK. But one thing you and others forget to mention when talking about GDG's low hit production last year was that he ended up the season with the 3rd highest OBP on the team, behind Rendon and Holt, but ahead of Fuda, Hague, Mozingo, and Sultzbaugh, all of whom hit in the solid .300s. The predominant factor was his discerning eye at the plate (probaby combined with the care with which pitchers threw to him), so he led the team in BB with 44, 10 more than second-place Holt, who had an additional 24 AB. If half of those BBs had been singles, GDG would've been only 4 points behind Rendon for the batting title!

Thanks, ColOwl. I didn't want to get too into comparing GDG's numbers to others, but it was interesting to note that his OB% was relatively unchanged despite his having lost 65 points on his BA. That walk total was remarkable considering the drop in ABs, but the increase in Ks negates that bump somewhat. GDG is a quality hitter, and while .350 might be a stretch, he could/should hit between .320-.335.

(10-14-2009 04:49 PM)ColOwl Wrote:  

(10-14-2009 01:57 PM)MKBower Wrote:  Per an earlier passing reference on RiceOwlsdotcom, here is the (lengthy) feature on Diego Seastrunk, a discussion that covers his transition from third base to catcher and the expectations he has for his senior season: http://ow.ly/uq2i

Great piece, MK. But one thing you and others forget to mention when talking about GDG's low hit production last year was that he ended up the season with the 3rd highest OBP on the team, behind Rendon and Holt, but ahead of Fuda, Hague, Mozingo, and Sultzbaugh, all of whom hit in the solid .300s. The predominant factor was his discerning eye at the plate (probaby combined with the care with which pitchers threw to him), so he led the team in BB with 44, 10 more than second-place Holt, who had an additional 24 AB. If half of those BBs had been singles, GDG would've been only 4 points behind Rendon for the batting title!

Mostly good points, but I'd suggest that going 22 for 44 (.500) swinging at pitches outside of the strike zone is an unreasonable expectation (per yer last sentence)

It's like saying, if 10 more of his singles would've been HRs, just imagine his slugging percentage.

But I agree that OBP is important, and he's certainly capable of a higher average next year.

(10-14-2009 06:47 PM)Rick Gerlach Wrote:  

(10-14-2009 04:49 PM)ColOwl Wrote:  

(10-14-2009 01:57 PM)MKBower Wrote:  Per an earlier passing reference on RiceOwlsdotcom, here is the (lengthy) feature on Diego Seastrunk, a discussion that covers his transition from third base to catcher and the expectations he has for his senior season: http://ow.ly/uq2i

Great piece, MK. But one thing you and others forget to mention when talking about GDG's low hit production last year was that he ended up the season with the 3rd highest OBP on the team, behind Rendon and Holt, but ahead of Fuda, Hague, Mozingo, and Sultzbaugh, all of whom hit in the solid .300s. The predominant factor was his discerning eye at the plate (probaby combined with the care with which pitchers threw to him), so he led the team in BB with 44, 10 more than second-place Holt, who had an additional 24 AB. If half of those BBs had been singles, GDG would've been only 4 points behind Rendon for the batting title!

Mostly good points, but I'd suggest that going 22 for 44 (.500) swinging at pitches outside of the strike zone is an unreasonable expectation (per yer last sentence)

I think his point is that 44 walks is more beneficial than 22 singles and 22 outs in those same plate appearances.

(10-14-2009 07:03 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(10-14-2009 06:47 PM)Rick Gerlach Wrote:  

(10-14-2009 04:49 PM)ColOwl Wrote:  

(10-14-2009 01:57 PM)MKBower Wrote:  Per an earlier passing reference on RiceOwlsdotcom, here is the (lengthy) feature on Diego Seastrunk, a discussion that covers his transition from third base to catcher and the expectations he has for his senior season: http://ow.ly/uq2i

Great piece, MK. But one thing you and others forget to mention when talking about GDG's low hit production last year was that he ended up the season with the 3rd highest OBP on the team, behind Rendon and Holt, but ahead of Fuda, Hague, Mozingo, and Sultzbaugh, all of whom hit in the solid .300s. The predominant factor was his discerning eye at the plate (probaby combined with the care with which pitchers threw to him), so he led the team in BB with 44, 10 more than second-place Holt, who had an additional 24 AB. If half of those BBs had been singles, GDG would've been only 4 points behind Rendon for the batting title!

Mostly good points, but I'd suggest that going 22 for 44 (.500) swinging at pitches outside of the strike zone is an unreasonable expectation (per yer last sentence)

I think his point is that 44 walks is more beneficial than 22 singles and 22 outs in those same plate appearances.

That I agree with. It just initially read to me as if, well Diego COULD'VE had as high an average if he'd had those at bats. Sometimes it helps to state your conclusion, even if you think its obvious, because the same statement could be read to imply several things.

My points were several:

1. GDG wasn't getting as many good strikes to swing at because pitchers were pitching around him. Hence BA is going to go down but OBP will go up with an inordinate amount of walks.

2. GDG had developed a very keen eye which allowed him to get free passes. Those BB were as valuable as singles, a fact which doesn't seem to get mentioned as a counterpoint when discussing his 65 point drop in BA.

3. If only half of his 44 BB, in which he reached 1B safely, had been singles, in which he reached 1B safely (i.e. same result), his BA would have been substantially higher. A less disciplined batter might well have been swinging on those 3-1 & 3-2 counts, maybe getting a hit, maybe not. We all know a batter tends to get better pitches to hit when it's a 3-ball count. Better pitches usually yield a higher percentage of hits. Had GDG not been as disciplned as he was, he would've been swinging on those 4th ball pitches and gotten his share of hits out of them, maybe 1/4 (11 H), maybe 1/2 (22 H). Either way, all of those extra hits would've yielded a substantially higher season BA for him.

As for next year, I hope to see Diego hitting .360 and drawing 45 BB.

Col, the only problem with that analysis is that Diego's hits and BBs were not distributed evenly throughout the year. If I recall corrently (and I could be wrong here), Diego started the year hitting very well, and his AVG was still up above .340 one month into the season. Furthermore, the vast majority of his BBs occurred the First Half of last season. Unfortunately, the wear and tear from playing catching for the first time began to catch up with Diego by late March/early April, and his AVG plummeted some 60+ points as he went into a 6+ week slump (during which he was striking out a ton and walking very infrequently). He caught a second wind at the plate the final 2 - 3 weeks of the regular season, and carried it through the post-season. Bottomline, when Diego was hitting well last year, he was also walking alot and showing much greater patience at the plate; during his extended slump, his plate discipline suffered as well, as he was clearly pressing.

The good news is that with a year under his belt, I would expect him to handle the rigors of catching a bit better this year, and would be very surprised if he fell into the extended slump he suffered through in '09.

IMO, everything said above can be said about most of our hitters last year. I get bored watching everyone try to hit every pitch out and hitting lazy fly balls to outfielders in the process. I really hope that Wayne and the coaches can get these guys to go with the pitches and take what is available. This is my bias, but I like contact hitting, especially when you are down in the count. My observation, and I could be wrong, was that players who went deep for us one day usually had really crappy days at the plate the next day. In addition, if the team had a great homer day, we weren't scoring much the next game. With this team, we have enough really good hitters that the homers will come anyway.

As I thought about this, you also have to consider where Diego hits in the line-up. I freely admit that I don't know crap about this so don't go off on me, but I would be interested in seeing Rendon hit third and let Sultzbaugh and Hague follow him. Clearly Rendon is the best one so why hit him fourth? How many times are the bases actually loaded for the clean-up guy? I think Sultzbaugh and Hague are going to have monster years and would love to see someone face those three back to back.

Owlmaha, The OG is clearly going to have some interesting lineup decisions to make. Rendon, Mozingo, Hague and Sultzy are all seasoned, middle of the lineup hitters, and all with both good speed and power. I have been very impressed so far this Fall (admittedly it's been only two weeks and 7 scrimmages) with the improved plate discipline and reduced strikeout frequency for both Rick and Steven. If they can continue to show progress in this area into the season it will be huge, as it was far too often last year when we had a guy on 3B with less than two outs, only to have the batter strikeout (when almost any ball hit into play would have scored the run).

We've got to find a leadoff hitter. Fuda continues to strikeout way too frequently for that role, leaving the most likely candidates as Jimmy and Ratterree. I do think Chad would thrive in that role, just as Holt and Henley in the past, but since all our other top hitters this year are right-handed, I think leaving Chad in the #5 hole (where he settled in for most of last year) and breaking up the parade of right-handed bats would be the prudent move (unless you want to move Chad up to #3 and take the pressure off Diego by sliding him down to the #5 or #6 spot). Similarly, batting swith-hitting Diego (or left-hand hitting Mozingo) #3 makes sense, as it again breaks up the right-handed hitters, making it tougher on the opposing Coach late in games to get the pitching matchup he desires. As good a hitter as Rick is, I actually like him in the #2 hole, even with his power potential. The reasons are several-fold: (1) he's likely to see more fastballs at the top of the order, (2) he's got good speed and has proven to be a very efficient base stealer, and (3) he's one of our better and more reliable bunters.

Of course, if Sultzy continues to hit at a better than .400 clip, as he did the final month of last season through the post-season, and he's continued so far into Fall Ball, one would have to consider moving him up higher than the #6 spot in the order. Bottomline, with guys such as AR, GDG, Rick, Chad, Sultzy and now Ratterree all in the same lineup, I'm not sure if it is really going to make all that much difference where they bat #1 - #7. IMO, the only given at this point (unless they can demonstrate that they've learned how to bunt consistently...have significantly cut down on their strikeout frequency...and have shown that they can accumulate BBs), is that Sultzy and Michael Fuda will not be batting in the leadoff or #2 hole.

I think the value of a traditional leadoff hitter is overstated. The most important thing for a leadoff hitter to do is get on base. It makes sense that he isn't a huge power threat and it helps if he has good speed. But if your leadoff guy doesn't get on base, then no amount of speed, baserunning ability, or anything else can make up for that one deficiency.

I was thrilled to see GDG's development with his batting eye last year. I felt like that was one of his main deficiencies his soph season and the improvement was honestly quite remarkable. You just don't see players make such a drastic improvement in their approach all that often.

If GDG can maintain that improvement while improving his consistency in a 2nd season of catching, then he will have a phenomenal year. And if Hague can improve his pitch recognition and plate discipline (which it sounds like may be happening from the fall ball reports), then our lineup will be insane. This has a good chance at being Rice's best lineup ever.

(10-15-2009 09:44 AM)mrbig Wrote:  This has a good chance at being Rice's best lineup ever.

....and that is saying A LOT given the offenses of the late 90s

(10-14-2009 10:46 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Col, the only problem with that analysis is that Diego's hits and BBs were not distributed evenly throughout the year. If I recall corrently (and I could be wrong here), Diego started the year hitting very well, and his AVG was still up above .340 one month into the season. Furthermore, the vast majority of his BBs occurred the First Half of last season. Unfortunately, the wear and tear from playing catching for the first time began to catch up with Diego by late March/early April, and his AVG plummeted some 60+ points as he went into a 6+ week slump (during which he was striking out a ton and walking very infrequently). He caught a second wind at the plate the final 2 - 3 weeks of the regular season, and carried it through the post-season. Bottomline, when Diego was hitting well last year, he was also walking alot and showing much greater patience at the plate; during his extended slump, his plate discipline suffered as well, as he was clearly pressing.

The good news is that with a year under his belt, I would expect him to handle the rigors of catching a bit better this year, and would be very surprised if he fell into the extended slump he suffered through in '09.

Isn't it also possible that Diego will do more DHing and less catching in 2010 than last season? We not only have returning Craig Manuel, the other catcher last season, but a freshman from Kingwood who is apparently capable of seeing some time behind the plate in 2010. MK quoted Coach Graham as calling Geoff Perrott a "steal".

(10-14-2009 11:33 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Owlmaha, The OG is clearly going to have some interesting lineup decisions to make. Rendon, Mozingo, Hague and Sultzy are all seasoned, middle of the lineup hitters, and all with both good speed and power. I have been very impressed so far this Fall (admittedly it's been only two weeks and 7 scrimmages) with the improved plate discipline and reduced strikeout frequency for both Rick and Steven. If they can continue to show progress in this area into the season it will be huge, as it was far too often last year when we had a guy on 3B with less than two outs, only to have the batter strikeout (when almost any ball hit into play would have scored the run).

We've got to find a leadoff hitter. Fuda continues to strikeout way too frequently for that role, leaving the most likely candidates as Jimmy and Ratterree. I do think Chad would thrive in that role, just as Holt and Henley in the past, but since all our other top hitters this year are right-handed, I think leaving Chad in the #5 hole (where he settled in for most of last year) and breaking up the parade of right-handed bats would be the prudent move (unless you want to move Chad up to #3 and take the pressure off Diego by sliding him down to the #5 or #6 spot). Similarly, batting swith-hitting Diego (or left-hand hitting Mozingo) #3 makes sense, as it again breaks up the right-handed hitters, making it tougher on the opposing Coach late in games to get the pitching matchup he desires. As good a hitter as Rick is, I actually like him in the #2 hole, even with his power potential. The reasons are several-fold: (1) he's likely to see more fastballs at the top of the order, (2) he's got good speed and has proven to be a very efficient base stealer, and (3) he's one of our better and more reliable bunters.

Of course, if Sultzy continues to hit at a better than .400 clip, as he did the final month of last season through the post-season, and he's continued so far into Fall Ball, one would have to consider moving him up higher than the #6 spot in the order. Bottomline, with guys such as AR, GDG, Rick, Chad, Sultzy and now Ratterree all in the same lineup, I'm not sure if it is really going to make all that much difference where they bat #1 - #7. IMO, the only given at this point (unless they can demonstrate that they've learned how to bunt consistently...have significantly cut down on their strikeout frequency...and have shown that they can accumulate BBs), is that Sultzy and Michael Fuda will not be batting in the leadoff or #2 hole.

Where are you predicting Jimmy will play if he's hitting leadoff? So far he's been playing shortstop with very little time at first. It is still early but Spurlin and Rathjen have been given a lot of time at first so far. None of these players have been exceptional at the plate thus far but Rathjen intrigues me. He put on an additional 20 pounds or so this summer which should give him some extra pop in the bat.

As for the bolded comment, I think the spot that's really important is who's hitting behind AR. They won't give him much to hit this season and we're really going to need somebody behind him that's going to put a little fear into the opposing pitcher. Though, like you've stated, if Sultzy keeps up his exceptional hitting I would bump him up to #5. He has very impressive power and with his improved plate discipline I'm betting his HR numbers go into double digit territory.

You stated Fuda strikes out too frequently to be a leadoff hitter and Chad would thrive though their SO frequency is nearly identical through all of last season. My batting order would go:

1. Ratterree
2. Fuda
3. Mo
4. AR
5. Sultzy
6. Hague
7. GDG
8. 1B
9. DH

Thoughts?

(10-14-2009 10:20 PM)ColOwl Wrote:  My points were several:

1. GDG wasn't getting as many good strikes to swing at because pitchers were pitching around him. Hence BA is going to go down but OBP will go up with an inordinate amount of walks.

2. GDG had developed a very keen eye which allowed him to get free passes. Those BB were as valuable as singles, a fact which doesn't seem to get mentioned as a counterpoint when discussing his 65 point drop in BA.

3. If only half of his 44 BB, in which he reached 1B safely, had been singles, in which he reached 1B safely (i.e. same result), his BA would have been substantially higher. A less disciplined batter might well have been swinging on those 3-1 & 3-2 counts, maybe getting a hit, maybe not. We all know a batter tends to get better pitches to hit when it's a 3-ball count. Better pitches usually yield a higher percentage of hits. Had GDG not been as disciplned as he was, he would've been swinging on those 4th ball pitches and gotten his share of hits out of them, maybe 1/4 (11 H), maybe 1/2 (22 H). Either way, all of those extra hits would've yielded a substantially higher season BA for him.

As for next year, I hope to see Diego hitting .360 and drawing 45 BB.

Agree with points 1 and 2.

i.e.,

1. less good pitches, the average goes down, assuming you're swinging at some less than desirable pitches.

2. 44 walks is better, generally speaking than 22 hits, or probably more appropriately 14 to 18 hits, representing a reasonable range of batting averages.

Don't get the last point. "either way . . "? If he hit away for those 44 at bats and got 11 more hits, that's a .250 average, which is not going to substantially raise his average.

Moreover, since he did walk, we'll assume that a bunch of those '3-ball' pitches were in fact, still out of the strike zone. I'd argue that a players batting average is generally LOWER when swinging at pitches out of the zone than, so it's even less likely he'd have raised his average.

Maybe your point is that if the pitcher had thrown him more strikes his average would've been higher. That's possible. I didn't see where that was what you were stating.

Walt seems to think he was chasing bad pitches during one stretch and that was a contributor to his average drop.

That makes sense, although I don't know how valid that observation was (ie. whether the fact he drew less walks in a stretch was really the result of bad plate decisions, or whether the pitchers just threw more strikes his way.

(10-14-2009 10:46 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Col, the only problem with that analysis is that Diego's hits and BBs were not distributed evenly throughout the year. If I recall corrently (and I could be wrong here), Diego started the year hitting very well, and his AVG was still up above .340 one month into the season. Furthermore, the vast majority of his BBs occurred the First Half of last season. Unfortunately, the wear and tear from playing catching for the first time began to catch up with Diego by late March/early April, and his AVG plummeted some 60+ points as he went into a 6+ week slump (during which he was striking out a ton and walking very infrequently). He caught a second wind at the plate the final 2 - 3 weeks of the regular season, and carried it through the post-season. Bottomline, when Diego was hitting well last year, he was also walking alot and showing much greater patience at the plate; during his extended slump, his plate discipline suffered as well, as he was clearly pressing.

The good news is that with a year under his belt, I would expect him to handle the rigors of catching a bit better this year, and would be very surprised if he fell into the extended slump he suffered through in '09.

Thanks for the critique Walt, but it's not relevant to anything I was saying. Yes, GDG started off the first 1/4 of the season well, batting about .340. He also drew 1+ BB/game during that time. Where do I say anything about Diego's offensive production being consistent througout the year? Answer: I don't.

Of course, I agree with his own analysis, as documented in MK's piece, that the wear and tear on his legs began to take its effect on his BA through the middle of the season. But there's nothing I've said previously that contradicts that.

Taking your post into account, if pitchers had not been pitching him so carefully, he might have well been hitting .400+ during the first 1/4 instead of .340.

Let's not lose our perspective when analyzing a player's performance. Sure, we could look at Berry's performance at the Supers and harp on that, losing sight of the TAMU, ND and USD games before he strained his arm. Same with GDG. Let's not just focus on BA and suggest he had a bad year when a more critical look at the stats offers a different perspective. Frankly, I wish whatever Diego did to develop such a discerning eye at the plate before February of last year was a virus that could infect the rest of the team like the swine flu.

(10-15-2009 10:14 AM)wheredidmypantsgo Wrote:  ....and that is saying A LOT given the offenses of the late 90s

Yeah, I was at Rice from 97-01. I missed out seeing the Berkman/Cruz Jr. teams, but got to see the 1998 team in all its powerful glory (Thames, Crosby, Williams, Baker, Richards, etc.) and the 1999 team (Thames, Ford, Gray, Williams, etc.). So in my mind, I was specifically thinking of these teams and comparing them with what the 2010 team can look like. Not a direct comparison, because the 1997 team played with more powerful bats (-5 ounce ratio, larger barrel).


ricebball - I don't like a lineup that has GDG at 7. Maybe if he slumps again, but at this point he has way to much offensive upside to be that low. Plus, as a switch hitter, I think he fits higher to create pitching matchup problems.

(10-15-2009 01:14 PM)ricebball Wrote:  1. Ratterree
2. Fuda
3. Mo
4. AR
5. Sultzy
6. Hague
7. GDG
8. 1B
9. DH

Thoughts?

I think you will find Rendon in the three hole and the four hole hitter will vary by the pitcher. It wouldn't surprise me to see Diego and Moz protecting him versus righties and Hague and Sultz protecting him versus lefties.

I am guessing that, for whatever reason, the only time Rendon isn't in the three hole, Mr. Hague will be there with AR batting in the four hole.

Mr. Lewis would look pretty good in this lineup as a firstbaseman, thus freeing up Jimmy to be the "super sub". Rathjen seems to me to be in the OF rotation. If you get off to a slow start and you are an outfielder, it would seem that others just might leapfrog you for playing time. I would expect Rathjen to play a lot this year and is probably the front runner for the CF job next year.

I like Ratterree in the lead off spot. He has good discipline and I never mind starting a game 1-0 after the lead-off man homers. How many homers did Brock hit last year? Maybe 12? The kid from Mem High has a lot of talent and I hope he continues to improve defensively. Working with Mike Taylor will polish a lot of natural skills.

I also think Diego will be an All-American this year.

I am guessing that the DH will change a from game to game.

Just my 2 cents...

David, I think that moving Anthony up to the #3 hole would be great, as it would probably give him another 5 - 7 ABs over the course of the season. However, unless you're going to bat Diego in the #2 hole (and I'm not sure he has the speed for that, though he is a prototypical #2 hitter in almost every other respect) in front of AR, it will likely mean your top of the order will be three consecutive right-handed batters (which is not ideal). I can also see the value in altnernating the two lineup spots immediately following Rendon, depending upon whether the opposing pitcher is right-handed or a southpaw. My only issue is that from the players' perspective and comfort level, there is a benefit to keeping the majority of the lineup as set as possible, with only a couple everyday players alternating between lineup spots. Personally, I like Hague in front of Rendon as it will maximize the number of fastballs he sees, but that only works well if AR is batting cleanup.

Ricebball, to answer your question-- Jimmy is likely playing SS during scrimmages because he is our backup SS (given that Rendon is our everyday third baseman and Ratterree will be playing either 2B or 1B). Jimmy is either going to play 1B (at least until Lewis rejoins the team), 2B (if Ratterree struggles to adapt to playing there defensively) or he will be "super-sub" as David suggested, being the first off the bench as a pinch runner and/or late inning defensive replacement...and available to give Rick, Anthony or Michael a day or two off if nicked up or ill. We haven't had that luxury in the past. Second, while I don't think Chad is an ideal leadoff hitter, I do think he can thrive there. He has a much better eye and plate discipline than Fuda, hits almost equally well against right-handed and southpaw pitching, and is arguably our best batter at going the opposite field and taking what the pitcher gives him. Fuda's BB:K ratio was a woeful 0.20 (he walked just 6 times in 187 plate appearances); whereas Mo's 0.54 was not particularly good, but more than twice better than Fuda's...and Chad was hampered by injuries which likely effected his strikeout rate. It may just be me, but I have a big issue with Michael F. at leadoff or in the #2 hole-- more do to his inability to lay down a sac bunt or take a BB, than his high strikeout frequency. You want guys in the #1 and #2 spots in the lineup who are going to have OBP above .400 and, ideally, who are very good contact and situational hitters.

If Ratterree continues to demonstrate above-average plate discipline, and proves to be a good baserunner, I think he'd be an ideal leadoff hitter. Jimmy, if he's playing 1B or 2B could also more than adequately fill that role.

I think we've got a number of legitimate all-american candidates this year, though in all likelihood Rendon will be the only one receiving the preseason honors. Seastrunk, Hague, Sultzy and Mozingo are all poised to have huge seasons in their last year playing for the Owls. If Sultzy has, in fact, put his struggles adjusting to D-I ball behind him, he could be scary good...and I'm not sure if there is another CF in the country with his all-around skill set (power, speed, AVG, gold glove defense). Ditto Mo, if he can fully recover from his injury woes and stay healthy. He had an outstanding Sophomore season despite missing 3+ weeks and playing the entire Second Half of the season with an injured wrist and two bum ankles.

Given the importance I place on lefty-righty balance in throughout the lineup, and the skillset I think is required of those at the top of the lineup, here is my batting order at this point (and I'll give two different orders-- one with AR batting #3 and one with him batting cleanup), and it presumes that Ryan Lewis will not be rejoining the team until April, following Spring Football Practice...

I. AR continues as our cleanup hitter
1. Ratterree/Comerota
2. Hague
3. Seastrunk
4. Rendon
5. Sultzy/Mozingo (depending on whether opposing pitcher is right-handed)
6. Mozingo/Sultzy
7. Fuda
8. DH or Manuel when he's catching (Rathjen, Chargois, McDowell, Spurlin, Gonzales, Simmons)
9. Comerota/1B

II. AR batting in #3 hole
1. Ratterree/Comerota
2. Seastrunk
3. Rendon
4. Sultzy/Mozingo
5. Mozingo/Sultzy
6. Hague
7. Fuda
8. DH or Manuel (when he's catching)
9. Comerota/1B

Again, no matter how you slice it, if Ratterree proves to be the hitter we're all expecting, I'm not sure any other team in the country can match our #1 - #7 hitters, and #8 and #9 are not exactly chopped liver, especially whenever Ryan Lewis and his potent left-handed bat rejoins the team.

Walt, I agree with your points about Fuda and the #2 spot. I didn't notice his BB's until after my post. Though in your first post you only mentioned his SO's as being an issue, I figured there may have been more to it than that.

I'm still hesitant to put Hague in the #2 though. I think Mo would be a better fit there. I would go maybe......

1. Ratterree
2. Mo
3. Hague
4. AR
5. Sultzy
6. Diego
7. Fuda
8. 1B
9. DH

I'm sure we'll see a lot of shuffling in the beginning of the year and we'll probably see all the lineups we're posting at least once. One thing for sure though is this lineup is VERY scary. I'm not too knowledgeable on other teams' lineups, but I would have to imagine this is the best 1-7 in the nation.

And I agree 100% with your post on Sultzy. I don't recall who the LHP was, but he caught Sultzy stealing on his pick off move and he still beat a perfect throw from 1st to 2nd. I hope he keeps it rolling.

Ricebball, it sounds like we agree that Rick, Chad and Diego are somewhat interchangeable in the lineup, although each has their own strengths. I like Mo and Sultzy hitting behind AR, as I think both of those guys are going to hit 10 - 15+ HRs this year. IMO, Mo has too much pop to "waste" in the #2 hole. The more I think about it, the more Diego in the #2 hole appeals to me (with AR batting #3). Except for not being a speedster (though he is a very smart baserunner), Diego is your prototypical #2 hole hitter (think a Felix Millian type of the late 1960s/early 1970s, or more current, a Derek Jeter type)-- outstanding bat control and plate discipline, good contact and situational hitter, exceptional OBP, and a great bunter...and he has improved his power each season. BTW, am I correct in remembering that Diego batted #2 late in his Freshman year, with Henley leadoff, and Friday-Savery-Luna #3 - #5?

(10-15-2009 09:37 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Ricebball, it sounds like we agree that Rick, Chad and Diego are somewhat interchangeable in the lineup, although each has their own strengths. I like Mo and Sultzy hitting behind AR, as I think both of those guys are going to hit 10 - 15+ HRs this year. IMO, Mo has too much pop to "waste" in the #2 hole. The more I think about it, the more Diego in the #2 hole appeals to me (with AR batting #3). Except for not being a speedster (though he is a very smart baserunner), Diego is your prototypical #2 hole hitter (ala a Felix Millian type of the late 1960s/early 197os)-- outstanding bat control and plate discipline, good contact and situational hitter, exceptional OBP, and a great bunter...and he has improved his power each season.

I was thinking the exact same thing with Diego as I almost put him in the #2 spot on my last lineup but his lack of speed kept me from doing so. Though I'm still not sold on AR hitting 3rd.

You think Mo will hit more HR's than Hague this season? Hague has shown very good improvement with his plate discipline so far which should help his numbers improve. And Mo will be healthy this season which will obviously help his numbers. I expect them both along with Sultzy to be in double digit HR's this season. I guess this is why they are so interchangeable. Though I do see Mo being more disciplined and having a better OBP than both which is why I would have him at the #2 before Hague, and his speed puts him there before Diego.

Now if our 1B turns out to be a very good contact hitter with a good OBP then he jumps to the #2 spot imo. I'm definitely with you on not wasting pop in that spot.

I also like the idea of Diego in the #2 spot. I'm not concerned about his speed, as I think that is overrated. I think he will be an OBP beast this year and having that skill directly in front of Rendon would be huge.

I think Rendon needs to hit 3rd. As Walt pointed out, hitting 3rd instead of 4th probably means 5+ extra at-bats over the course of the season. That may not sound tremendous and not all those at-bats will end up being significant, but they might be. It would be painful to see Rendon in the on-deck circle as a big game ends because he was hitting cleanup instead of 3rd (even though I have full confidence that whomever was hitting 3rd will also be a very good hitter).

I could see Diego batting second, although my main concern would be that he's led the team in GIDP each of the past two seasons.

(10-16-2009 11:21 AM)At Ease Wrote:  I could see Diego batting second, although my main concern would be that he's led the team in GIDP each of the past two seasons.

True, but it's not like he was a doubleplay machine last year, even during his extended slump. 8 GIDPs in 270 plate appearances is not a big problem, IMO...and Rendon had only one less in the same number of plate appearances (and both Hague and Sultzy had similar GIDP frequencies). Given he's a switch hitter (and one of only 2 - 3 left-handed hitters in the everyday lineup until Lewis rejoins the team), if Rendon does in fact bat in the #3 hole, Diego is the best fit for the #2 spot. I view guys such as Hague and Manuel as much more prone to hitting the ground ball than Diego and, as I mentioned above, Diego is an OBP machine and one of our best situational hitters (including the ability to bunt).

If AR bats cleanup, there are several more viable options. In fact, if he hits cleanup, as I opined above, I would have Hague bat #2 and either Diego or Chad in the #3 spot (with the other batting #5 against right-handers and #6 against southpaw pitching). Clearly, there is a lot of flexibility in this lineup, with Manuel and Diego the only guys without speed, and with 5 - 6 guys with the capability of hitting 10+ HRs.

BTW, don't look now, but Doug Simmons has put together his third consecutive strong outing on hill. His strikeouts were down yesterday, but most importantly, he walked just one batter in his three innings of work. Any left-hander who can navigate through our right-hand laden roster of hitters, yielding under one hit per IP is doing very well indeed. Keep it up, Doug-- you're perserverence is paying off!

According to Roger T., a hitters day at the old ballpark this afternoon, with the wind blowing out....

http://rubpa.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=199

Chargois and Ratterree continue to impress at the plate, with yet another multi-hit day for each, and Hague is now leading the team in Fall Ball HRs. Perhaps even more encouraging, strong outings today on the hill from Cingrani (3 hits and 4 Ks in his 3.0 IP, though as a southpaw, he was tatooed by back-to-back jacks by Ratterree and Hague), Reckling (just 1 hit and another 5 Ks in his 3.0 IP), Rogers (1 H, 2 Ks, 1 BB in 3.0 IP) and McDowell (3 hits, 1 K, 0 BBs in 3.0 IP). This lineup is going to give southpaw pitching, especially, nightmaires.

http://rubpa.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=399

Today recap is up.

Fazio strikes out the side for his one inning. Great job. I heard he brought some gas or some "cheddar" as the ball players say.

(10-17-2009 10:10 PM)hfd33 Wrote:  http://rubpa.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=399

Today recap is up.

Fazio strikes out the side for his one inning. Great job. I heard he brought some gas or some "cheddar" as the ball players say.

Can't remember a Rice team THIS decade that has come close to hitting as many HRs during Fall Ball as this year's version. Nice to see Andrew Benak finally get into the fray with a dominant outing.

For anyone who was at the scrimmage, who were Fazio's 3 strikeout victims? Anthony must have been pumped to finally get back out there.

One Rice baseball coaching question I've wondered about ... and maybe some Fall Ball observers/veterans can answer comment for me: It's seemed to me that our hitters do much better facing high-quality, high-speed pitchers rather than those who throw slower junk stuff. I can imagine that this might be due to facing so many of our high-quality pitchers in Fall Ball and other intrasquad practices/scrimmages. How does OG go about teaching our hitters to identify and hit changeups and slow curves? Is there the equivalent of scout-team pitchers who throw a high percentage of slow stuff for the benefit the hitters' experience/skills rather than their own pitching careers? I can imagine that if all of our pitchers are bringing heat (and cheddar!) all the time, that our guys would not be as effective as they might want to be identifying and hitting off-speed pitchers.

that's a good question. and i agree with your observation that we seem to struggle with pithcers who throw "junk". dunno either how we practice for it. maybe 13th owl can tell us since he sees a lot of practice (i think).

Rendon seems to be struggling a bit this fall. He may just be rusty from his lay off and injury but I hope it's not a case of his ankle still bothering him.

(10-18-2009 10:16 AM)Almadenmike Wrote:  One Rice baseball coaching question I've wondered about ... and maybe some Fall Ball observers/veterans can answer comment for me: It's seemed to me that our hitters do much better facing high-quality, high-speed pitchers rather than those who throw slower junk stuff. I can imagine that this might be due to facing so many of our high-quality pitchers in Fall Ball and other intrasquad practices/scrimmages. How does OG go about teaching our hitters to identify and hit changeups and slow curves? Is there the equivalent of scout-team pitchers who throw a high percentage of slow stuff for the benefit the hitters' experience/skills rather than their own pitching careers? I can imagine that if all of our pitchers are bringing heat (and cheddar!) all the time, that our guys would not be as effective as they might want to be identifying and hitting off-speed pitchers.

Mike, I think, in general, there's something to your point. Through Fall Ball and spring scrimmage, Rice hitters see more of Rice pitching than anybody else's (yea, I know just call me, Mr. Obvious). Rice pitching tends toward hard throwing than soft tossing, so you'd expect our hitters to be more comfortable facing fastball pitchers than "junk ballers".

But I think you can over emphasize that point. Remember that Fall Ball is a time of experimentation and evaluation for the coaching staff. Everybody gets to play - and most multiple positions. I haven't bothered to count them, but I'll bet between 15 - 20 guys have taken the mound this fall - of which about 8 - 10 will get the vast majority of innings when the games count. So during Fall Ball our hitters see all variety of pitching styles. Now how much that carries over throughout the season is a different issue.

Your question about how the coaches teach is an interesting one to me. I've been to many scrimmages over the years and I can't ever remember much coaching on skills and techniques during the scrimmages. There's lots of coaching of strategies and decision-making (i.e., "you should have tagged up", "you were the cut-off man", "why did you call for the change-up?", etc.). In addition, there are many between innings conversations with catchers and pitchers. Occasionally Coach Pierce or OG will stop to instruct a pitcher on technique (release point, follow-through, etc.). But I can't ever remember any coach stopping a scrimmage to talk to a hitter or fielder about hitting or fielding techniques or fundamentals.

Lest anybody think I'm saying that our coaches don't coach skills, techniques or fundamentals, let me say that our players are very skilled and technically and fundamentally sounds. I'm sure that the staff teaches these things & do it well. It just doesn't happen during the scrimmages. I guess during practices and one-on-one drills - sessions that I've never attended.

(10-18-2009 10:44 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Rendon seems to be struggling a bit this fall. He may just be rusty from his lay off and injury but I hope it's not a case of his ankle still bothering him.

FBO, I won't worry about AR. He looks completely healthy to me - just as quick as ever in the field.

(10-18-2009 10:49 AM)CoatzaOwl Wrote:  

(10-18-2009 10:44 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Rendon seems to be struggling a bit this fall. He may just be rusty from his lay off and injury but I hope it's not a case of his ankle still bothering him.

FBO, I won't worry about AR. He looks completely healthy to me - just as quick as ever in the field.

And he's batting .370, per Roger's stats.

Reviewing the Fall Ball-to-date accumulated stats through October 18th (and another BIG thank you to Roger Tower for his yoeman time and effort!)...

http://rubpa.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=576

...the highlights from my perspective are the following:

1. The consistent, day-in day-out hitting of true Freshmen Ratterree and Chargois. We know Ratterree is going to be in the everyday lineup (most likely at 2B), but JT's hitting has been somewhat of a surprise (at least to me), and the very fact that he's a switch hitter and can provide an additional left-handed bat in the lineup could prove extremely valuable.

2. Both Rick Hague and Steven Sultzbaugh have been on a tear from the get-go and, most impressively and importantly, both are showing dramatic improvement in the BB:K ratio and in reducing their strikeout frequency. Over half of Rick's hits have been for extrabases.

3. With regards to Rendon-- what struggle? Not only is he hitting a very solid .370, but his BB:K ratio is an off-the-charts 9:1. This is important as we go into the regular season, as opposing team's are clearly going to pitch AR very cautiously, and Anthony needs to show patience and have confidence that those behind him in the order (Sultzy, Mo, Hague?) will drive in if opposing pitchers are intent on pitching around him.

4. On the negative side, while I don't get to concerned with AVG during Fall Ball scrimmages, it is a bit concerning that Michael Fuda has to date shown absolutely no improvement in his plate discipline or high strikeout frequency (with a current BB:K ratio of 1:10). Unfortunately (given his speed and basestealing ability), this will keep him down in the bottom third of the lineup regardless to how high his AVG is.

5. Don't get to worked up about the ERAs of the pitchers, as with so few innings pitched, they are greatly influenced by a single bad outing (e.g., Cingrani's and Wall's first outing this Fall). I focus more on the hits per IP, K:BB ratio and strikeout frequency. Certainly, Simmons has been the big surprise so far, but many others have impressed and been consistently good-- including Spurlin (save for his relatively high walk totals), Fant, Rogers, McDowell and Anagnostau. Importantly, Reckling, Cingrani and Wall have all stepped it up their past couple outings. Also, keep in mind that our southpaws (Wall, Cingrani, Simmons, Gonzales, Hahn, McNair) are at a distinct disadvantage from a righty-lefty matchup perspective, especially with Mozingo and Lewis not participating in Fall Ball.

(10-18-2009 10:16 AM)Almadenmike Wrote:  It's seemed to me that our hitters do much better facing high-quality, high-speed pitchers rather than those who throw slower junk stuff. I can imagine that this might be due to facing so many of our high-quality pitchers in Fall Ball and other intrasquad practices/scrimmages. How does OG go about teaching our hitters to identify and hit changeups and slow curves? Is there the equivalent of scout-team pitchers who throw a high percentage of slow stuff for the benefit the hitters' experience/skills rather than their own pitching careers?

I think to some extent this fluctuates every year based on the pitching staff. I know when I was there in the late '90s, there were at least a couple finesse guys on the staff. I agree with the general premise that Rice hitters over the years seem to struggle with junk ballers. I think this tends to be even more true in big games when the guys get all juiced up (in the figurative sense, not the literal sense). I'm thinking particularly back to some games against Oregon State. I think it is a hard kind of thing to coach unless you have some drills that force your hitters to hit the ball the other way during BP. Maybe have your BP thrower take a little off and keep everything away from the hitters.

More coaching occurs during practices and drills than during intrasquads. Intrasquads are opportunities for guys to put their skills and what they've worked on with coaches to the test. Hitters can't really afford to try and think too much against live pitching, you need to develop the muscle memory before that. Pitchers can tinker a little more on the mound just because they are in control of the ball, but it is still much harder to tinker with stuff throwing to live hitters than in the bullpen where the player is under constant coach supervision.

(10-19-2009 09:15 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Reviewing the Fall Ball-to-date accumulated stats through October 18th (and another BIG thank you to Roger Tower for his yoeman time and effort!)...

http://rubpa.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=576

...the highlights from my perspective are the following:

Totally agree on #1. Love the fact that both Ratterree and Chargois are taking walks and not striking out excessively this early in their careers. Really, other than a couple guys, I am very impressed by the hitters' BB/K ratio.

On the flip side though, our pitchers are walking way too many guys. Not being there, who knows if this is a case of fall rust, good hitters working then count well, innings being thrown by guys lower on the depth chart, or something more concerning. But regardless, as good as the BB/K is for the hitters, it is pretty underwhelming for most of the pitchers.

Also of concern for the pitchers is how few guys are getting a strikeout per inning. Typically in shorter stints, pitchers will have more strikeouts. Typically in fall ball pitchers will have more strikeouts (they are often facing hitters that won't see the light of day during the regular season ... and I am qualified to make this comment!).

The combination of underwhelming strikeout totals and high walk totals is worrisome, but it is very early, sample sizes are small, and our hitters are awesome. Obviously, looking at BB/K ratios during intrasquads are never perfect. Almost impossible to not be disappointed with either the hitters or the pitchers when they are facing each other!

The pitching does appear to be coming around as we enter the third week of Fall scrimmages. On Tuesday, it was Simmons, Rogers and Duffey who came through with strong performances, and yesterday it was Wall, Cingrani, Anagnostau and Chargois. McDowell, Reckling and Benak all had quality outings over the weekend. Most importantly, the number of walks have come down dramatically since the first week, the number of strikeouts are increasing...and this is coming against one of the top offenses in college baseball (sans Mozingo and Lewis). BTW, Diego appears to be out of his slump.

So (displaying ignorance here), what kind of test will Texas State be giving our guys on Sunday? What's their caliber of play? Will our hitters be challenged? Will their hitters pose problems for our new pitchers? Anyone here know how their team is shaping up this year?

(10-23-2009 05:21 PM)Uncle Owl Wrote:  So (displaying ignorance here), what kind of test will Texas State be giving our guys on Sunday? What's their caliber of play? Will our hitters be challenged? Will their hitters pose problems for our new pitchers? Anyone here know how their team is shaping up this year?

Texas State has been an upper echelon Southland Conference team the past 3 years (along with UT-San Antonio and Sam Houston State). SHS is expected to have their best team ever this coming season, but Texas State should still be very competitive. Probably project to an RPI in the 70 - 85 range, which is quite good for a team playing in the SLC. I believe someone told me recently they have almost their entire pitching staff returning, though they have some holes to fill on offense; most notably 1B Goldschmidt, who seems to have been there forever and who has killed us over the years. They should provide us with a competitive test....but more importantly, a nice change of pace from the same ol, same ol scrimmages against the same guys.

(10-18-2009 10:28 AM)kinderowl Wrote:  that's a good question. and i agree with your observation that we seem to struggle with pithcers who throw "junk". dunno either how we practice for it. maybe 13th owl can tell us since he sees a lot of practice (i think).

Sorry to take so long to respond. Actually, there are many people who have gotten to see more practices than I have the last couple of years...

I think your question concerning pitchers who throw junk is really a twofold question. I think the idea that Rice doesn't face "junk" pitchers when they intrasquad is partially true. Traditionally Rice signs larger, more projectable, right-handed, strike throwers out of High School. Sometimes they throw harder than others...Since these pitchers tend to pitch from a more traditional physical delivery, you sort of eliminate the side-winder/submarine type people. It seems that only after review at the Fall Ball level, does ones pitching receive a radical make-over. Also, each pitcher is told in no uncertain terms, what the coaches think he should throw in order to have success at the Rice level. If they don't embrace any deletions of pitches, or fully learn a different tilt to a breaking pitch - their chances at playing time diminish. Oh yeah, and they have to throw strikes...

So, I believe the pitching they see in practice becomes more of what they will experience in games against "elite" pitchers instead of what they "might" have thrown at them. Of course there are exceptions to the rule like Eddie Deggerman. His motion was not textbook.

I think I will crawl way out on a limb but I don't think it is the "junk" that bothers Rice hitters. I believe it is the inconsistency created by an umpire whose strike zone is shaped somewhat like an squatty "L". The Rice pitchers are taught to throw strikes. Many team's catchers actually set up outside the plate. If the pitcher hits the catcher's mitt, it could have never been in the strike zone, but it might be called a strike. Diego hardly ever sets up outside. Perrott and Manual, in my opinion, both creep outside the dish. Why is this possiblly interesting? The Rice coaches will actually correct an umpire during an intrasquad game if they venture too far outside the plate. I doubt that happens anywhere else. When an umpire is not present during the fall, a coach will usually call balls and strikes. When that occurs, they call a traditional strike zone.

So, I think "junk" pitchers bother Rice because they don't face "alternative" or non-textbook pitching motions with regularity and Rice doesn't adjust to a non-textbook strike zone as well as some.

The strike zone adjustment makes sense to me, if you don't have anything that can get past someone in the strikezone, you had best not throw the ball in the strike zone. Sometimes the batter helps you out and gets himself out. Other times the umpire widens the plate and helps the pitcher with limited stuff out. Or, the umpire calls the strike zone as it was written, and the pitchers surrenders a lot of base on balls.

Sorry for the delay...I hope it makes some sense. It has been a long week...