I was curious who can give me the $.50 run down on who comes back next year, impact recruits we signed and who we could/will lose to the draft?

I'm happy to see the baseball team get an upgraded Olsen Field to play/recruit with and plan on bringing the wife and 2 boys up for multiple games next year.

Thanks in advance for any information.

ask me again in two weeks...

-Statboy
@StatBoy203

We lose
Jackson
Gonzo
Alcazar
S-Mart
Hino
Fleece
and apperently Collazo (I didn't know he was a SR)

I don't know who we are getting. I also heard on the presser, that Smith might be leaving? Did I hear that way wrong or was he drafted highly?

I couldn't tell ya what they are gonna do, but if Stilson and Strip came back text year... I don't even want to imagine how scary good we will be.

Back:

RF: Naquin
CF: Bratsen
LF: Wood
3rd: Smith
SS: ?
2nd: Curl
1st: House
C:?
DH: Juengel

Bench: Arthur, Statum

P: Wacha, Stripling (hopefully), Parrent, Hadley, Mendoza, K. Martin, and Uriegas

Recruits: CP Gandy Stubblefield

I can't remember any more of the recruits, but I know we are bringing in a guy who is supposed to be a good starter.

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I don't know who we are getting. I also heard on the presser, that Smith might be leaving? Did I hear that way wrong or was he drafted highly?

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Smith got drafted by the Yankees in the late rounds as a pitcher. I thought for sure he was a solid to return...

Don't see Smith returning.

I think Stein will be the catcher next year. He got some playing time early in the season and seemed to be an excellent hitter with great power. He will be a sophomore next year.

Stud from Brenham: Ty Schlottmann, LHP, 9-2, 2.20 ERA

Think that was the guy that's supposed to compete for the Sunday starter...

Here is the list of guys that signed:

Name Pos Ht Wt B/T Cl-Exp Hometown (High School)

Chance Bolcerek OF 5-10 185 L/L Fr-HS Brenham, Texas (Brenham)

Jason Jester RHP 5-10 185 R/R Jr-TR Hallsville, Texas (Tyler JC)

Matthew Kent LHP/OF 6-0 160 L/L Fr-HS Waco, Texas (Midway)

Cole Lankford C/INF 6-0 190 L/R Fr-HS Houston, Texas (Lamar)

Daniel Mengden RHP/C 6-2 190 R/R Fr-HS Houston, Texas (Westside)

Mitchell Nau C 5-10 195 R/R Fr-HS Houston, Texas (Klein)

Corey Ray RHP 6-3 180 R/R Fr-HS Houston, Texas (Klein)

Mikey Reynolds SS 5-9 170 S/R Jr-TR Glendale, Ariz. (Paradise Valley CC)

Ty Schlottmann LHP 6-1 185 L/L Fr-HS Brenham, Texas (Brenham)

Gandy Stubblefield RHP 6-4 190 R/R Fr-HS Lufkin, Texas (Lufkin)

Dillon Thomas OF/1B 6-2 195 R/R Fr-HS Houston, Texas (Westbury Christian)

Link with a small write up for each one: http://www.kbtx.com/texasam/headlines/109028784.html?storySection=story

We have a chance to be even better next year. Impressive!

Just curious jkag, why don't you think Smith would come back?

I never even knew he pitched, if he stays healthy he has a better chance at moving up in the draft from this year to next year.

His fielding is great pretty much all the time and his batting has come on strong earlier each year.

Smith needs to get more consistent and another year would likely help him! He has had a good last 1/3 of the season.

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why don't you think Smith would come back?

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They want him as a pitcher, not a position player. Nothing he will do at the plate or in the field will make him more valuable to a team that likes him as a pitching prospect.

He won't attempt to pitch in college. If he does and it doesn't work out, then he will be lucky to be drafted as high in next year's draft. Also, seniors don't have nearly as much leverage as juniors when it comes to negotiating their pro contract.

I can't see him as a hitter at the next level, unless he can fix his swing. His swing has way too many holes in it.

He's got a rocket for an arm, has powerful legs, and doesn't get often. As a late round pick, he would definitely be a project. Because of this I have a hard time believing the Yanks will spend a ton of money on him.

Either way, he's a project. Personally, I hope he comes back. He's always been a favorite of mine.

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I can't see him as a hitter at the next level

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His main problem is that he isn't a reacting hitter, but instead a guesser. You can tell that he sits on pitches. If he guesses right, then he crushes the ball. If he guesses wrong, then it's a wasted at-bat.

The Big Question Mark is Stilson. There were a number of discussions right when he got drafted.

His situation is:

Drafted by Blue Jays, The MLB reccomended signing bonus is going to be around 200k.

If he were healthy, he would have gone first round and probably 1-1.5 mil signing bonus.

So its a very hard decision for him: If he comes back next year and has the same or close to the same level of success, he is looking at the huge $$$.

My quasi-educated guess is that he has about a 75% chance of coming back. So if he signs, he leaves a lot of money on the table, plus he doesnt get the degree right now. My guess is that if he negotiates it w/ RC, RC gives him 75-100% ship for coming back.

So it becomes a matter of how much Risk he can live with and how much he wants to stay in school. Shane Minks said play it safe and take the money. My gut disagrees, but Shane Minks knows a hell of a lot more about this process.

Jh, look at Carlos Lee and some of the other fat boys that do the same thing.

Smith pitching would be interesting but I can't see it. But I have no clue what he could do or can do. He does have a cannon though.

I'd like to see Naquin on the bump as well. I'd be scared crapless knowing how well he can throw from the outfield.

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My quasi-educated guess is that he has about a 75% chance of coming back

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If you're paying 3:1, then I'll take the other side of the proposition. If Stilson doesn't regain his form after the injury or requires surgery, it is in his best interest to be on the payroll when it happens. I would love to see the same rotation on the mound again next year, but I don't think that is going to happen.

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I'd like to see Naquin on the bump as well

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Check Youtube. He had some nasty stuff in high school.

I believe Shane is right on Stilson. I don't know how well pitchers recover from non-surgery fixed torn labrums or how severe his injury is, but I think, sadly, his injury might remind us of Ross and Nick. Where they never came back to their old selves.

I wish him the best but also think the smart thing to do is probably take the money.

WOW! Lot's of great info here and Sea Bass FTW with the link!

Rookie question re: Stilson. When does he have to decide to either go with the Blue Jays or come back?

It is just my gut feeling but I do not think he has particularly enjoyed playing ball at the college level. When I say that I do not think he dislikes A&M or has anything against the coaching staff or his team mates but I think he wants a fresh start in his baseball career. He may comeback if he is dead set on being a position player but unless he has a spectacular senior season he will not improve his position in the draft enough make difference contract wise.

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His main problem is that he isn't a reacting hitter, but instead a guesser. You can tell that he sits on pitches. If he guesses right, then he crushes the ball. If he guesses wrong, then it's a wasted at-bat.

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I completely agree.

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I believe Shane is right on Stilson. I don't know how well pitchers recover from non-surgery fixed torn labrums or how severe his injury is, but I think, sadly, his injury might remind us of Ross and Nick. Where they never came back to their old selves.

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Here's what I could find on torn labrums:
http://www.hopkinsortho.org/labrum_tear.html

It looks like it's fairly easy to make a full recovery. Not sure what the chances of a repeat injury are. But if they said 6 weeks of recovery time, then it's not like he's gonna go out there and start pitching. I would think he would do excercises and gradually start pitching again. If you don't allow enough time for it to heal fully, then you'll have to start all over again. I wouldn't expect Stilly to be on the hill until the end of summer, at the earliest.

I thought he was gone for sure, but it sounds like there's a chance he might make it back. If he did, it would be the greatest pitching staff ever to wear the Maroon and White.

If Stilson doesn't come back then what does our starting rotation look like?

Stripling, Wacha ?

what other options would the Ags have at third base without Smith? (as an aside, folks were surprised last year when Shofner didn't come back)

for next year's lineup, I hope the Ags can find another reliable hitter to bat in the top 2 spots with Bratsen, so Naquin can hit in the 3-hole. And Juengel & House can slide down to 4 & 5.

Wow, couldn't have been more wrong about a full recovery. Looks like this is pitcher killer #1 in the MLB.

http://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/Bedard-s-injury-seldom-leaves-players-the-same-1285680.php

Surgery is the killer. Surgery is not the recommended course of treatment for a high level athlete. Most of the time they will recommend physical therapy.

Keep in mind that Stilson's injury was not a new injury. He has been playing with a torn labrum for the past six or seven years. Only this year did the pain get to be too much too handle. With rest and rehab, he has a good chance of coming back as a closer. As long as he limits his innings, then he should be good going forward.

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I hope the Ags can find another reliable hitter to bat in the top 2 spots with Bratsen

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Right now, I would hope that Brandon Wood or Charlie Curl would be able to step up and take that spot.

Per Gabe Bock, Mikey Reynolds is a stud.

I would expect Stilson to go for that kind of money. You can't pass that up.

As for everyone else, you just can't know. Some players just want to get their career started and don't care where they were drafted. Justin Rugiano was picked in the 20s or 30s rounds and left early. Smith can either play one more year of college or get his shot at the pros as a pitcher started now. Nothing will change for him by staying a year.

I'm still worried about Strip. He could get paid enough to go, especially if he performs in the CWS.

We've got Stein plus 2 fish coming in at catcher. We should be okay there.

We've got a JUCO SS coming in.

Not sure about 3B if Smith leaves. Juengel could give it a go if need be.

We've got several arms coming in to compete for starting and bullpen spots. Gandy might sign, but everyone else is coming. We need immediate help in the pen with KMart being the only reliable arm returning.

On second thought, I don't care about next year yet because we're still playing this year.

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Gandy might sign, but everyone else is coming. We need immediate help in the pen with KMart being the only reliable arm returning.

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Had a buddy hang out with Gandy as recently as last week. Said Gandy was sold on A&M. He fully expects to be the starting closer next year.

As for Mikey Reynolds, the kid was an absolute beast in JC. He's really small though. Think he hit close to .550 in 2010.

Here's another good write up by our own Gabe:

http://v4.texags.com/Stories/867

I'm not sure what the draft status is on these kids, but I'll try and find out. If I remember right, I don't think any of the kids went really high.

I know Gandy went in the 14th, but he's coming to A&M as of last week.