Jump to content

2024 Texas Baseball


Hookem2147

Recommended Posts

5 minutes ago, chase25 said:

Skenes wasn’t Skenes until this year. His last year at Air Force he was topping out at 95. Burns had a phenomenal Freshman year, struggled a little bit this year but that was true of pitching across the board for the most part. Biggest thing he struggled with was keeping the ball in the park. Allowed 10 HRs in 72 IP, still coupled that with 114 Ks to just 22 walks.

He is the best pitcher in the portal.

 

Huh? Skenes had a 2.73 ERA last year with 96 strikeouts in 85.2 innings pitched. That's also while having 153 at bats. Skenes was already really damn good and focusing just on pitching was always going to be big for his improvement on the mound. 

I think Burns definitely has the most upside in the portal but I don't think he's anywhere close to as a "sure thing" as Skenes. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, Burns struggled more than "just a little bit" this past year. 

He was hammered in the middle of SEC play giving up 7 earned runs to Missouri, 6 earned runs to aggy, 5 earned runs to LSU, and 7 earned runs to Florida. Tennessee had no choice but to move him to the pen. 

With all that said, Burns definitely has Friday night stuff and I can understand why teams would try to money whip him. He's a top talent that just hasn't been able to put it all together. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

Huh? Skenes had a 2.73 ERA last year with 96 strikeouts in 85.2 innings pitched. That's also while having 153 at bats. Skenes was already really damn good and focusing just on pitching was always going to be big for his improvement on the mound. 

I think Burns definitely has the most upside in the portal but I don't think he's anywhere close to as a "sure thing" as Skenes. 

You and everybody thought Skenes was going to add 5 mph to his fastball in one offseason and be able to hit triple digits with it 40+ times in one outing? I don’t think anyone saw that type of improvement coming.

He had 96 strikeouts in 85 innings in a 1 bid conference whose best team UNLV finished 111 in the RPI. The two best teams he faced were Texas and Iowa. In those 2 starts he went 7.1 IP, 14 hits, 10 runs (8 earned), 2 walks, and 12 strikeouts. Good for a 9.82 ERA. 

I know he was playing both ways but to be as dominant as he has been coupled with the jump in competition, no one saw coming.

LSU did with Skenes what you do with anybody, which is bet on their upside, he wasn’t a sure thing. Burns had an average Sophomore year that followed him being a 1st team Freshman All American and 3rd team All American in 2022. 

Just saying people always evaluate with hindsight. 

Edited by chase25
  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, chase25 said:

You and everybody thought Skenes was going to add 5 mph to his fastball in one offseason and be able to hit triple digits with it 40+ times in one outing? I don’t think anyone saw that type of improvement coming.

 

I thought Skenes was definitely going to improve once his focus was on pitching. The strikeout numbers were insane in both his FR and So seasons while being a 2-way player. 

The guy had a 2.70 ERA in 100 innings pitched (combining 2 seasons) while being in the lineup on days he wasn't pitching. Regardless of the competition, that's elite-level talent. How much of an improvement was I expecting? No clue but it was pretty obvious Skenes was already damn good with room for improvement if he focused on pitching. 

But you are right there were some questions based on level of competition and struggles against the top competition. 

Edited by Rickylovesweed
  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

I thought Skenes was definitely going to improve once his focus was on pitching. The strikeout numbers were insane in both his FR and So seasons while being a 2-way player. 

The guy had a 2.70 ERA in 100 innings pitched (combining 2 seasons) while being in the lineup on days he wasn't pitching. Regardless of the competition, that's elite-level talent. How much of an improvement was I expecting? No clue but it was pretty obvious Skenes was already damn good with room for improvement if he focused on pitching. 

Not going to continue to hound the point but you evaluate the upside and what you project someone to be. That’s what I’m saying. Everybody now knows that Skenes is a generational talent, nothing about pitching well in the Mountain West says “sure thing”. If that’s how it worked then Chase Burns would have dominated this year after posting a 2.91 ERA his Freshman year.

There isn’t a single program that isn’t calling Burns first if they feel like they have a shot to land him.

Skenes had 112.1 IP with 126 strikeouts against average at best competition.

Burns had 152.1 IP with 217 strikeouts against the best competition in baseball.

The same points you are making for Skenes you could make for Burns had Chase Burns spent the first 2 years of his career in the Mountain West.

Edited by chase25
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, chase25 said:

Not going to continue to hound the point but you evaluate the upside and what you project someone to be. That’s what I’m saying. Everybody knows now that Skenes is a generational talent, nothing about pitching well in the Mountain West says “sure thing”. If that’s how it worked then Chase Burns would have dominated this year after posting a 2.91 ERA his Freshman year.

There isn’t a single program that isn’t calling Burns first if they feel like they have a shot to land him.

Skenes had 112.1 IP with 126 strikeouts against average at best competition.

Burns had 152.1 IP with 217 strikeouts against the best competition in baseball.

The same points you are making for Skenes you could make for Burns had Chase Burns spent the first 2 years of his career in the Mountain West.

Oh I agree, Burns has an insane upside and I understand why teams would want him. My main point was that I think Burns being a stud Friday night guy is much more projection than it was with Skenes. 

The problem with Burns is it's going to take top dollar to land him. Would you prefer Burns over the Bama/Xavier starters who are also good options and potentially arms you could get for cheaper while left-over NIL resources could be allocated to other portal options? 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The wildcard is the cost. I think you go after Burns unless the cost is extraordinary and limits other objectives.

It’s worth noting that Burns finished giving up 1 HR in his last 25 or so innings. Only 5 runs with 3 in one outing. Also as a team, Tenn was giving up HRs during that time from what I recall. Dollander had a stretch of 10 straight games giving up a HR. He only had 17 more IPs and 4 more HRs given up.

You have to at least kick those tires.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/24/2023 at 3:53 PM, Balcones said:

2021? Nixon, Witt and Hanson? Almost all of our post-season wins and saves that season were from these guys. Pretty sure they were all Freshmen All-Americans that season too.

 

On 6/24/2023 at 8:09 PM, Balcones said:

That wasn’t his point. He was asking for elite freshmen pitching.

Hanson was a Freshman All American in 2021. I guess COVID.

Yeah Witt was obviously great as a freshman, same as Nixon. But I’m talking more of the Chance Ruffin, Taylor Jungmann, Brandon Workman, Dillon Peters types. Dudes that are weekend starters the second they step on campus 

  • Drool 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Based on reports on other sites, twitter, and who coaches have followed these are the portal players I believe Texas has an interest in. A lot of big names. 

Pitchers: 

Chase Burns (Tennessee SP-moved to bullpen)

Luke Holman (Alabama SP)

Ethan Bosacker (Xavier SP)

Craig Yoho (Indiana relief pitcher)

Sam Garewall (Northwestern SP)

Payton Tolle (Wichita St SP-two way player)

Conner Thurman (San Diego relief pitcher)

James Gladden (VCU SP)

Outfield: 

Clayton Chadwick (Sam Houston State)

Mac Bingham (Arizona-draft risk)

Infielder:

Cannon Peebles (NC State catcher)

Kolby Branch (Baylor SS)

Elijah Hainline (Washington State SS/3B)

Christian Almanza (St Mary's 1B)

Jakob Christian (D2 1B and OF) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Hook 'Em 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just based off proximity, Branch and Chadwick seem likely to end up here. I’m guessing Branch was recruited by Rodriguez. Thurman may be a safe bet too considering our run of west coast studs. So can we have those 3, Peebles and Bosacker plz?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Fletch said:

Just based off proximity, Branch and Chadwick seem likely to end up here. I’m guessing Branch was recruited by Rodriguez. Thurman may be a safe bet too considering our run of west coast studs. So can we have those 3, Peebles and Bosacker plz?

Well if that happens Texas is going to be a top 5 preseason team next year so I'm on board. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

OB Mod portal update:

Texas misses out on DII power hitting transfer 1B Jakob Christian. He was down to Ole Miss and Texas but choses to stay closer to home and will attend San Diego.

Texas is very much in contention for a Non P5 3B that is in the final stages. He had a very productive year and would add some fire power to the lineup.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

I wonder if this is the 3B he's referencing

https://gotigersgo.com/sports/baseball/roster/logan-kohler/10460

Hit .306 with 17 homers. Yes please 

Assuming he comes here and Powell stays, do we slot this dude at 3rd, put Powell at first and Thomas in right? Or keep Thomas at first and have Powell play left?

Edited by Fletch
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We need to answer the question of "Why would a kid choose LSU/Baton Rouge, LA over UTexas/Austin?" and figure out a solution.  There's no reason we shouldn't be the Alabama of baseball and get pretty much whoever we want, but as it is, Tommy White, Dylan Crews, and Paul Skenes are wearing purple and yellow.

 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, Hondo said:

We need to answer the question of "Why would a kid choose LSU/Baton Rouge, LA over UTexas/Austin?" and figure out a solution.  There's no reason we shouldn't be the Alabama of baseball and get pretty much whoever we want, but as it is, Tommy White, Dylan Crews, and Paul Skenes are wearing purple and yellow.

 

It’s a real my$tery.

  • Haha 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

It’s a real my$tery.

That may be the answer to the question, but it begs another question - how does that happen?  Does LSU really have more money than Texas?  Does the LSU alumni base have more money than the Texas alumni base?  Does Baton Rouge have more money than Austin?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Hondo said:

That may be the answer to the question, but it begs another question - how does that happen?  Does LSU really have more money than Texas?  Does the LSU alumni base have more money than the Texas alumni base?  Does Baton Rouge have more money than Austin?

It’s helps when the CEO of Marucci is a Lsu alum. 

  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Hondo said:

That may be the answer to the question, but it begs another question - how does that happen?  Does LSU really have more money than Texas?  Does the LSU alumni base have more money than the Texas alumni base?  Does Baton Rouge have more money than Austin?

Does LSU have more money than Texas? Probably not. But when you get a 7 figure donation from Marucci in a sport like baseball it is going to put you about 10 steps ahead of everyone when it comes to the NIL game. Baseball isn’t a sport that people are usually lining up to give buckets of money towards. It’s not a money maker for 90% of schools. 

There seems to a lot of fans who just assume we are the leader in everything NIL without realizing there is actually action required to make that happen.

  • Hook 'Em 4
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don’t keep repeating the same point to be an ass. It’s just the reality and I don’t think all of our fans have accepted it. Many still seem to believe we are oozing NIL money and it’s some other thing that is keeping high profile transfers from Texas.

We aren’t broke by any means. It’s gotten better. But it needs to continue to improve if we want to be competitive against the best of the best.

Donations are still be matched through June so feel free to help out. Baseball donations go even further than majority of sports because most of these guys aren’t on full rides.

https://gift.idonate.com/texas-one/baseball

Edited by Hookem2147
  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, I get it.  My questions were more rhetorical than anything.  I've taken a lot of flack in other threads for saying "being Texas isn't enough anymore."  

There's zero reason we should be sucking hind tit to LSU in baseball, Alabama/Georgia/LSU in football, and Kansas in basketball.

Texas should be able to manage being the top dog in at least one major sport.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Hondo said:

Yeah, I get it.  My questions were more rhetorical than anything.  I've taken a lot of flack in other threads for saying "being Texas isn't enough anymore."  

There's zero reason we should be sucking hind tit to LSU in baseball, Alabama/Georgia/LSU in football, and Kansas in basketball.

Texas should be able to manage being the top dog in at least one major sport.

Sure, but google Jack Marucci and you have your answer. 

  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Hondo said:

We need to answer the question of "Why would a kid choose LSU/Baton Rouge, LA over UTexas/Austin?" and figure out a solution.  There's no reason we shouldn't be the Alabama of baseball and get pretty much whoever we want, but as it is, Tommy White, Dylan Crews, and Paul Skenes are wearing purple and yellow.

 

They might not want to go to school with a bunch of bed-wetting libtards.

/s

  • Haha 1
  • Fuck You 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jack Marucci was director of training (now director of sports innovation) at LSU for 25 yrs, and his company is headquartered in Baton Rouge.  it’s an advantage.  
 

and Hondo…fyi, Dylan Crews came to LSU out of high school, not by way of the portal.  in fact, the only position player out of the portal is Tommy White, the rest were signed out of HS. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LSU getting #7 will hopefully nudge everyone involved with baseball from donors on down. 

If we are going to judge Pierce against his peers, we are going to have to put him on a level playing field. 

High school recruiting is on the up swing in a big way. Next step is making sure we are in a position with NIL to do what LSU did this year. Maybe not on the same scale, because I doubt Texas will ever have 1 million to throw around in a single season in the near future, but at least at the level where we can go out and get an elite arm when we feel like everything is in place to make a run at a title.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Kyrie Eleison said:

Jack Marucci was director of training (now director of sports innovation) at LSU for 25 yrs, and his company is headquartered in Baton Rouge.  it’s an advantage.  
 

and Hondo…fyi, Dylan Crews came to LSU out of high school, not by way of the portal.  in fact, the only position player out of the portal is Tommy White, the rest were signed out of HS. 

Congrats on a great run.

Impressed by Jay Johnson's demeanor and ability to keep the players focused as a team.   Like most Californians, he is very cerebral and articulate.  He does have a unique style where he seems to make all in game decisions (including calling the pitches) without input from his assistants.   At least as portrayed on TV.    Will be interesting to see who replaces pitching coach Wes Johnson.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

yeah it's clear LSU is way out in front on this one. no reason we can't catch up and be perennial top 5 in NIL money. just needs to be done now that buying championships or at least championship rosters is legal. it's no different than MLB payroll fights - more is always better and will always put you at an advantage.

Edited by troph
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We need to answer the question of "Why would a kid choose LSU/Baton Rouge, LA over UTexas/Austin?" and figure out a solution.  There's no reason we shouldn't be the Alabama of baseball and get pretty much whoever we want, but as it is, Tommy White, Dylan Crews, and Paul Skenes are wearing purple and yellow.
 

C’mon man. Pretty simple for those 3….
….giphy.gif
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We havent had a player drafted in the top 30 since Jungmann in 2011. L$U has multiple guys every year.

Pierce is a good coach that can take mid teams and win his regional and get to Omaha every few years. Im not seeing how that is even close to Alabama of baseball

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, troph said:

yeah it's clear LSU is way out in front on this one. no reason we can't catch up and be perennial top 5 in NIL money. just needs to be done now that buying championships or at least championship rosters is legal. it's no different than MLB payroll fights - more is always better and will always put you at an advantage.


that Marucci money is hard to match. A winning lsu is great for their brand. Curious if there are tax advantages for NiL money or it’s just part of their marketing budget 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...