Looking back on 2012, I have a few thoughts on the program and would like to share them.
Starting pitching -
I begin with starting pitching because it's where Rob Childress has really excelled in his time here in Aggieland. I think that a lot of Aggie fans take our starting pitching for granted. Michael Wacha wasn't drafted out of high school but was the 19th overall pick in this draft. That's amazing. By the end of this season, Daniel Mangden had really developed, and we had four solid starting pitchers. Year after year we have great starting pitching, and as an Aggie who takes this for granted, I am sure that 2013 will be no different.
Relief pitching -
It's amazing that I can be so pleased with our starting pitching year after year and so unhappy with our bullpen, but that's how it is seemingly every season. I first complained late in the 2008 season that RC used too few arms from the pen too often, and that they were worn out by post-season.
This season, we had Estevan Uriegas and Kyle Martin, and for most of the season, that was it. Este is a short reliever, which compounded the problem. I am not going to pile on K-Mart. He is who he is, a hot and cold pitcher who is good probably three out of four times and brutal that fourth time. That's fine for a reliever, but not a go to guy. Things got a little better late in the season as Jason Freeman began getting regular appearances.
Maybe my memory is selective, but during the Mark Johnson/Jim Lawler era, I don't every remember having so many pitchers on the roster who never saw action. Denny Clement, Gandy Stubblefield (disappeared after a few early mid-week starts), Ross Hales, Derrick Hadley (up and down as a mid-week starter last season). Thinking back to the MJ years, I remember Derrick Adams, who pitched very little in his time here, and yet was one of my favorite players! I don't ever remember so many on one team though.
Offense -
I might be in the minority here. I am not sure, but I like a speed/small ball offense. Whitey Herzog's 80s Cardinals were a blast to watch, and Augie has won two nation titles in Austin using small ball.
Early in the season, we got runners on, stole bases, laid down good bunts, and turned singles into doubles. It seemed like everything was working. In mid-April, we lost the last game in Lawrence, went into a funk, and I don't think that our offense really ever recovered. I haven't looked at the numbers to confirm that, it's just how things "seemed to go" as the season went on. Remember that when Ross Stripling threw his no hitter, it was a 1-0 final, and I don't think that our run was even earned.
In the last part of the season, Stein, Wood, Reynolds, Bratsen, and Juengel were all cold. Alleman was cold, and then got mono and spent the post-season on the bench. When you can't get guys on base, a small ball offense is just hideous to watch. I wanted to see some experimentation with the lineup to try to maximize OBP and speed and minimize strikeouts. What we got was very little change, except that when Allemand got sick, we saw a lot of Mitchell Nau, probably the slowest guy on the team.
Here is where being an Aggie baseball fan gets frustrating. RC has nothing to do with the offense. That's Andy Sawyer's realm. Only "Saw Dog" doesn't do interviews. At least, I've never seen or read an interview with him. I was curious enough about a few things offensively last season that I sent him an email. He didn't reply. That leaves me wondering why Nau was playing so often when he, in my mind, was a bad fit for our offensive philosophy. I suspect that it's because he hits for power. I don't attend practices, so I don't know that for sure.
Defense -
Back in 2005 I read the book Moneyball. I enjoyed it, and although I am not a hard core Sabrematrician, it did change how I look at defense. In general, I believe that you put your seven best hitters on the field and find a place for them. They have a limited number chances each game, and if the difference between a good fielder and a poor fielder is 5% (50 points), then that doesn't really amount to much over the course of a season. BTW, I say "seven" best fielders, because I think that the catching position is an exception to this thinking.
Our early season defense was wretched. I am pretty sure that Matt Juengel was fielding just under .900 when he was moved from 3B to DH. (Oddly enough, when Alleman got sick, Matt played very well at 3B.) Alleman struggled at 2B, but was better at 3B. Reynolds fielded well at SS but had a number of bad throws. House was solid at 1B, as was the outfield. Stein isn't a bad defensive catcher by any means, but he is no Gonzo.
Overall, the defense was okay. I haven't looked at our final stats, but I suspect that it balanced out to look average, or maybe even above average in the end. This is an area where I wonder if we are unusually streaky. I would like to see a stat geek look up the number of 3+ error games this season for maybe all of the Big 12 and SEC. I have a hunch that we would be higher in that list than you would predict based off of our overall numbers.
Conclusion -
This team underachieved, and the season was a disappointment to me. We had most of our talent back from a tough 2011 team that scrapped in Tallahassee and made the CWS. Our starting pitching was even better than last year, when you consider the Stilson injury. We had the potential to be a national seed and return to Omaha.
Next season is going to be tough. We will be playing some of the best talent in the country in the SEC and losing a number of key players. There is one thing that I know though, we will have good starting pitching!
[This message has been edited by dabo man (edited 6/14/2012 3:04p).]
Starting pitching -
I begin with starting pitching because it's where Rob Childress has really excelled in his time here in Aggieland. I think that a lot of Aggie fans take our starting pitching for granted. Michael Wacha wasn't drafted out of high school but was the 19th overall pick in this draft. That's amazing. By the end of this season, Daniel Mangden had really developed, and we had four solid starting pitchers. Year after year we have great starting pitching, and as an Aggie who takes this for granted, I am sure that 2013 will be no different.
Relief pitching -
It's amazing that I can be so pleased with our starting pitching year after year and so unhappy with our bullpen, but that's how it is seemingly every season. I first complained late in the 2008 season that RC used too few arms from the pen too often, and that they were worn out by post-season.
This season, we had Estevan Uriegas and Kyle Martin, and for most of the season, that was it. Este is a short reliever, which compounded the problem. I am not going to pile on K-Mart. He is who he is, a hot and cold pitcher who is good probably three out of four times and brutal that fourth time. That's fine for a reliever, but not a go to guy. Things got a little better late in the season as Jason Freeman began getting regular appearances.
Maybe my memory is selective, but during the Mark Johnson/Jim Lawler era, I don't every remember having so many pitchers on the roster who never saw action. Denny Clement, Gandy Stubblefield (disappeared after a few early mid-week starts), Ross Hales, Derrick Hadley (up and down as a mid-week starter last season). Thinking back to the MJ years, I remember Derrick Adams, who pitched very little in his time here, and yet was one of my favorite players! I don't ever remember so many on one team though.
Offense -
I might be in the minority here. I am not sure, but I like a speed/small ball offense. Whitey Herzog's 80s Cardinals were a blast to watch, and Augie has won two nation titles in Austin using small ball.
Early in the season, we got runners on, stole bases, laid down good bunts, and turned singles into doubles. It seemed like everything was working. In mid-April, we lost the last game in Lawrence, went into a funk, and I don't think that our offense really ever recovered. I haven't looked at the numbers to confirm that, it's just how things "seemed to go" as the season went on. Remember that when Ross Stripling threw his no hitter, it was a 1-0 final, and I don't think that our run was even earned.
In the last part of the season, Stein, Wood, Reynolds, Bratsen, and Juengel were all cold. Alleman was cold, and then got mono and spent the post-season on the bench. When you can't get guys on base, a small ball offense is just hideous to watch. I wanted to see some experimentation with the lineup to try to maximize OBP and speed and minimize strikeouts. What we got was very little change, except that when Allemand got sick, we saw a lot of Mitchell Nau, probably the slowest guy on the team.
Here is where being an Aggie baseball fan gets frustrating. RC has nothing to do with the offense. That's Andy Sawyer's realm. Only "Saw Dog" doesn't do interviews. At least, I've never seen or read an interview with him. I was curious enough about a few things offensively last season that I sent him an email. He didn't reply. That leaves me wondering why Nau was playing so often when he, in my mind, was a bad fit for our offensive philosophy. I suspect that it's because he hits for power. I don't attend practices, so I don't know that for sure.
Defense -
Back in 2005 I read the book Moneyball. I enjoyed it, and although I am not a hard core Sabrematrician, it did change how I look at defense. In general, I believe that you put your seven best hitters on the field and find a place for them. They have a limited number chances each game, and if the difference between a good fielder and a poor fielder is 5% (50 points), then that doesn't really amount to much over the course of a season. BTW, I say "seven" best fielders, because I think that the catching position is an exception to this thinking.
Our early season defense was wretched. I am pretty sure that Matt Juengel was fielding just under .900 when he was moved from 3B to DH. (Oddly enough, when Alleman got sick, Matt played very well at 3B.) Alleman struggled at 2B, but was better at 3B. Reynolds fielded well at SS but had a number of bad throws. House was solid at 1B, as was the outfield. Stein isn't a bad defensive catcher by any means, but he is no Gonzo.
Overall, the defense was okay. I haven't looked at our final stats, but I suspect that it balanced out to look average, or maybe even above average in the end. This is an area where I wonder if we are unusually streaky. I would like to see a stat geek look up the number of 3+ error games this season for maybe all of the Big 12 and SEC. I have a hunch that we would be higher in that list than you would predict based off of our overall numbers.
Conclusion -
This team underachieved, and the season was a disappointment to me. We had most of our talent back from a tough 2011 team that scrapped in Tallahassee and made the CWS. Our starting pitching was even better than last year, when you consider the Stilson injury. We had the potential to be a national seed and return to Omaha.
Next season is going to be tough. We will be playing some of the best talent in the country in the SEC and losing a number of key players. There is one thing that I know though, we will have good starting pitching!
[This message has been edited by dabo man (edited 6/14/2012 3:04p).]