1 Day 'til Aggie Baseball: Shewmake and Doxakis leading from the front

Every day leading up to the start of the 2019 Aggie Baseball season, the TexAgs baseball coverage team will post a story diving into various storylines surrounding the A&M squad. Be on the lookout for daily articles from Gabe Bock, David Sandhop, Ryan Brauninger and Heath Clary between now and Opening Day, February 15th against Fordham. You can keep up with the full series here: 2019 Aggie Baseball Preview Series.

I had a coach tell me one time, “You can’t lead from the back.” Typically, there are a group of seniors that can be relied on to take the reigns in this department, and while there are some key contributors exercising their final year of eligibility, a key cog in the leadership group of this 2019 A&M baseball team will be the junior class, most notably Aggie household names Braden Shewmake and John Doxakis. So, how do the best position player and the best arm take the next step this spring both on the field and off? I’ll attempt to answer that. 

SS Braden Shewmake

For two years, Shew has been at the heart of everything A&M has done. He burst on the scene in his first year at second base and produced one of the best freshman seasons in Aggie baseball history. In year two, he transitioned to shortstop where I thought he was pretty dadgum good defensively all things considered. I always found it funny when national writers questioned whether he would be able to handle the move to the other side of the diamond. Regardless of his dimensions, Braden is an outstanding athlete and his feel for the game is through the roof. At the plate, his power numbers dipped in his second season, but it wasn’t an unproductive year by any stretch. 

Kyle Steel

If Shewmake can elevate his power numbers, his already dynamic impact could skyrocket.

So, how does Shewmake elevate his game and get those power to return this year? To me, it’s being an overly simplified version of himself. When he did get in trouble last year, I felt like it was because he was swinging at pitches he could hit, not that he should hit. That happens with guys that are so talented in the box. Will Bolt even expressed as much recently on TexAgs radio. Shewmake’s elite hand-eye coordination, athleticism in the box, and efficient bat path means he can move any baseball he can reach, and often times, move it in a hurry. The next step for Shew is understanding that and curtailing his approach to it. There’s nothing he hasn’t seen in this conference. Be picky. Know when to take your walks, and know when to take your chances. I believe he’ll do just that, and I believe the A&M fan base will be treated to one final year of witnessing Shew’s greatness on a baseball field before he’s an early round selection in this year’s draft. 

I’m also highly interested to see how he takes charge of the defense at shortstop and how he leads when times get tough because it’s going to happen in this conference with this schedule. In my mind, he’s an elite defender. He fielded .955 last season in his first year as a collegiate shortstop where he made 13 miscues in 171 chances. I’m fairly confident in year two that fielding percentage number will go up. There are a thousand types of groundballs that can be hit. As an infielder, you better possess the entire repertoire of approaches to field each one. Shew has that arsenal with his feet and lateral quickness, and he’s also a 90+ mph arm across the diamond. 

Shewmake’s impact on the clubhouse and the locker room will also be vitally important. He’s the lead dog. He’s the three-hole hitter. He’s the shortstop. He’s the guy the kids want to get for autographs. He’s the guy...and he knows that. In talking with Braden and folks around the team, I get the sense that he understands his role and is eager to take it on. I also believe there’s a little bit of a chip on his shoulder as some of the national writers are back to doubting him again. When your best guy plays with an attitude and with some extra ‘get after it’, it’s infectious. 

LHP John Doxakis

Brian Okosun

Doxakis now has the opportunity to show off his elite stuff in the Friday night role.

At this time last year, many folks who cover the Aggie baseball team had former Houston Lamar standout John Doxakis penciled as the Friday night starter - the ace of a staff that desperately needed an ace. As a freshman, Dox flashed the sort of stuff and potential that made up the roster of Friday night guys in the SEC. The expectations were high, and with a pitcher of his talent and potential, that probably should have been. However, the final few weeks before the 2018 opener were a little rough for Doxakis. He struggled to put away hitters in preseason scrimmages and was bumped from the opening weekend rotation. However, in the Saturday game versus Rhode Island, Dox came on in relief of then-freshman Chandler Jozwiak who exited after just three innings. The southpaw dazzled for six innings and got the win when the Aggies walked off the Rams in the ninth. 

That’s when I first saw the mental side of Doxakis that I wanted to see. That takes toughness. He didn’t let his role discourage, and he picked himself up off the mat to help his team to a win. In the grand scheme of the season, it may not have been a big deal, but personally, for the kid, I bet he grew up a lot that day. Doxakis finished the year 8-5 with a 2.70 ERA. 

To be a Friday night starter in this league, you have to be tough. The guy opposite you is, like Dox, likely a highly projected draft pick. Your offense is probably going to struggle. You can’t look at stuff like that. You’ve got to keep making the next pitch. I think Dox made leaps and bounds in that department last season, and it culminated with his performance against Auburn in Hoover and against Indiana in the Austin regional. 

The next step for Dox is building on that confidence and bulldog mentality he found at the end of last season. The stuff is there...in a big way. It’s probably one of, if not the, best sliders in the conference, which means it’s one of the best ones in America. He’s done a great job of developing the fastball to his glove side so that it and the slider come out of the same plane. He’s also got a groundball, get-out-of-jail pitch in the changeup that can turn into inning-ending double plays. 

He’ll also need to be a cool head for a plethora of young, talented left-handers in Rob Childress’ stable of arms. He’ll have to talk to guys about how to approach hitters, how to handle failure, how to handle coaching, and how to adjust from pitch to pitch. It’s a key responsibility. 

To close, the talent won’t be an issue for Shew or Dox. I’m confident they’ll take their skill and production to the next level. I think the bigger factor for the entire team will be how both do in their leadership roles with their group of seasoned juniors (Coleman, Foster, Blake) helping the lead the line.