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Texas A&M Baseball

What does Aggie baseball need to take the next step?

June 5, 2012
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Howdy TexAgs,

I was not expecting to be writing my farewell article of the season to you during the first week of June, but as you know by now the season was abruptly ended at the hands of the TCU Horned Frogs on Sunday at the College Station Regional. 

Before I get into the nitty gritty, I want to personally thank each of you who have read my articles this spring as it has truly been a great experience for me. I did not come into this gig with any professional journalistic experience, so thank you for giving me the latitude to express my feelings about all things Aggie baseball. 

Andrew Kilzer, TexAgs The Aggies' lack of power and attitude did them in during the regional, putting an early end to the season. {"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"The Aggies\u0027 lack of power and attitude did them in during the regional, putting an early end to the season.","MediaItemID":18668}
I did not want this to be a technical piece in any way, but I wanted to focus on the stories and history of Texas Aggie baseball that have meant so much to me and presumably to you over the years. In addition to the readers, a big thank you goes out to Hunter and Gabe for orchestrating this whole thing with me at the end of last year. Thanks guys, it’s been a blast!

Now, on to the team. I am not a pot-banger and this article is not going to be a witch hunt, so if that is what you are looking for you will have to get back to the boards to release your anger and frustration. I will, however, give an honest assessment about this team and where it stands moving forward.

First, you have to look at the coaching staff. I’ll be the first to admit that I like Rob Childress as a human being as well as a coach and I still believe the same thing I’ve said all year long: This program is by far and away the closest to a national title compared to the other two sports that comprise the big three, and I believe Coach Childress is a big reason for this positioning. However, (not to rub salt in the wound), the past two weeks have shown us that we are not quite as close to the pinnacle in baseball as I thought.

Nonetheless, we have a solid program and the recent history proves that. You cannot be ranked in the top 20 as long as this team was if you are not a solid club, so that makes the loss hurt all the more. 

The great news is Coach Childress believes that he is going to bring a championship to Aggieland during his tenure. Don’t miss that; it’s extremely important. And this is not some whimsical hope of great things to come, he truly in his heart of hearts is confident in his ability to win the whole enchilada, and that lends me to believe it will happen.

The question is this:
• What adjustments will be made in practice, recruiting philosophy, coaching philosophy, travel arrangements, pre-game meals, uniforms, and everything else associated with Texas A&M baseball to better position this program to win a national title?

Andrew Kilzer, TexAgs While the move to the SEC will ultimately benefit the Aggies, it's time to take a look at the program from the big details to the smallest. {"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"While the move to the SEC will ultimately benefit the Aggies, it\u0027s time to take a look at the program from the big details to the smallest.","MediaItemID":18707}
I’m kind of kidding about some of those things ... who am I kidding? No I’m not! The staff has to take a look at everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, and measure this season against its pre-season goals to improve the team moving forward. To pull from my analogy in the last article, it does not matter what professional field you are in, what matters is the process you implement and how you measure your success year-over-year, and the process for the Texas A&M baseball program is no different. The good news is the staff will do this; and I look forward to seeing the progress based on the learning experience from this year’s team.

Now it’s time to discuss the players. The team went out the way it did because of the issues that have been present since the beginning of the year. The Aggies did not have a deep or strong bullpen, and the lack of power ended up really hurting it as well. The team was going to have issues due to its inability to deliver the clutch three-run home run or wall-bruising double in a pressure situation with the game on the line, and this is exactly what the Aggies needed against Ole Miss in the late innings on Saturday night.

The only difference is I thought they would need that home run or gapper against a big-time arm. Nothing against the guys they faced last weekend, but they were not big-time arms. The truth is there was not one player in the Aggie line up that stirred up fear in the opposition and that is a problem.
 
Many times in baseball you will see pitchers step off the mound, shake off a sign, or call the catcher out because he is just flat out uncomfortable. This happened a week and a half ago when Josh Hamilton hit the game winner against the Toronto Blue Jays. The pitcher on the mound was nervous and you could see it, and when he finally decided to serve it up, BOOM, the game was over. 

I am by no means comparing Josh Hamilton to a college baseball hitter, but my point is this: There are hitters all over this NCAA tournament that look the part. Their stances, their statures, their presence, their uniforms, all of it screams “if you throw this ball over the plate it’s going to get ripped.” That is what I am talking about, and that is what the Aggies need. The Aggies did not have that type of presence in the lineup and it showed. Opposing pitchers were not fearful or uncomfortable on the mound, and this has to change as the Ags move into the hyper-competitive SEC.

With regards to the pitching, we all saw the depth issue rear its head over the course of the year, but I was really hoping that our two big horses would get us over the hump. I don’t buy the idea that the pitchers pressed because they knew the team was strapped offensively. To me that’s an excuse. We needed one of our top two pitchers to put the team on his back and will it to a hard-fought playoff victory against a quality opponent when it counted most; that didn’t happen.

Matt Sachs, TexAgs The loss of pro prospects like Wacha, Stripling and Tyler Naquin (pictured) will hurt; A&M must develop more. {"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"The loss of pro prospects like Wacha, Stripling and Tyler Naquin (pictured) will hurt; A&M must develop more.","MediaItemID":16233}
My sentiment takes nothing away from Wacha and Stripling, they are great pitchers and the Aggie faithful should be thankful they got to witness those two guys pitching for the Maroon and White. I wish them the best of luck in their pro endeavors; and I know they will proudly represent our university at the next level and beyond.

So that leaves me with my formula for success. I strongly believe that you have to have two to three guys on the roster who are legitimate pro prospects, and we had that this year. These legitimate pro prospects need to absolutely dominate the collegiate game because of their superior talent level, posting ridiculous stats and bringing game-changing presence to the clubhouse and out on the field. 

The team also needs a big portion of the roster to be above-average college players. Not great, but guys who will get the opportunity to dabble in the minor leagues for a couple of years. These types of players are crucial to bridge the chasm between the pro prospects and the average to below-average players on the team. In my opinion, this area of the roster was the biggest problem for the Aggies this season. This team just did not have enough above-average college players, and lacking talent in this group is what ultimately led to a premature ending to the year.

Finally, the team needs to round out the roster with scrappers. These guys are never going to play a day of pro ball, but their love for the game, chip on their shoulder, and relentless pursuit of winning brings a contagious energy to the team. The Aggies undoubtedly had some scrappers on the roster this year, but in years to come this segment of the roster has to step up and “pester” the opposition much more than it displayed throughout the course of this season. The players in this segment cannot EVER miss a bunt, a cut-off man, or make a mistake on the bases. This group has to make up for its lack of talent with off the chart fundamental prowess. 

Moving on, the biggest negative about the weekend is the Aggies didn’t bring confidence and attitude to the table. Ole Miss brought that attitude. TCU brought that attitude. Texas A&M needs to bring that attitude next year. By the way, the coaching staff cannot force that on a team ... it has to come from the inside. You need some tough-nosed kids that had to scratch and claw just to get a scholarship to play baseball at Texas A&M. You need everyone (whether a pro prospect or not) on the roster to display this attitude.

TexAgs The SEC's quality as a baseball conference will add the toughness in the clutch that this A&M team seemed to lack. {"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"The SEC\u0027s quality as a baseball conference will add the toughness in the clutch that this A&M team seemed to lack.","MediaItemID":10979}
The SEC has a league full of players like I am describing. I’m talking about guys who want to kick your rear end whether it’s competing over ping pong or over golf or over a collegiate baseball championship. You know the type. You either are one or you’ve had your rear end kicked by one, but you know the type. 

This is where I see the biggest advantage of moving to the SEC. A&M will be forced to develop this edge or the team will get embarrassed, and that goes for every sport. No one is going to give the new guy a break when we join the league on July 1; it’s going to be a battle from the start. 

The aforementioned swagger is what gets me excited about the move to the SEC. Texas A&M was never going to achieve its full potential (winning a national title) in the Big 12; the league was just too weak in more than one area. With the move east, the Aggies will be bruised, battled, and scarred by the time the playoffs come back around and that will help the team tremendously. Just look at the success the SEC has in baseball (and all sports for that matter) and you can undoubtedly trace it back to the edge created by running the gauntlet during the season.

So, until the eternal hope of spring rolls back around and we find ourselves asking all of these questions again, that’s all I have for you in 2012. Thank you again for your support throughout the year, and I look forward to returning to launch TexAgs’ coverage of Texas A&M baseball into its inaugural SEC season.
 
Until then, Gig ‘em Aggies.
Discussion from...

What does Aggie baseball need to take the next step?

11,153 Views | 16 Replies | Last: 12 yr ago by tamusaf
John Scheschuk
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AG
What does Aggie baseball need to take the next step?
merc
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Let's get some hitters in here. Thanks for all the articles really enjoyed reading them.

[This message has been edited by merc (edited 6/5/2012 1:24p).]
Verne Lundquist
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Paddle gloves for the infield
MallalieuAg
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Ags #1
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Great article but to me it all starts at the top. Even if that attitude has to come from within the team Childress is responsible for recruiting those types of players.
S.A. Aggie
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Thanks for the articles and I appreciate your inside vision. However, I have to disagree with you. The coaching staff did not have the players mentally ready for this regional. In my opinion, they had far better talent than the other teams but did not come out prepared to play agressive. Childress is a good coach. I am just no longer sure he and his staff are the ones to take us to a national championship. Anytime the coaches let a home regional slip through, they need to be reviewed and certain replacements made.

[This message has been edited by S.A. Aggie (edited 6/5/2012 2:51p).]
twk
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Agree with John 100%.
Expert Analysis
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quote:
In my opinion, they had far better talent than the other teams but did not come out prepared to play agressive.

our talent was not far better if it was better at all. one of our better hitters was out, another was fighting injury. even with everyone healthy we had defensive issues. our bullpen was weak which is a killer when you are looking at playing 3-5 games and your offense cannot give you enough runs to rest your starters.

our attitude was definitely off. I think they knew the offense was struggling and that carried over to the defense and the pitching.

[This message has been edited by Expert Analysis (edited 6/5/2012 3:13p).]
W
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Thanks for the article.

IMO a couple of interesting things to keep an eye on going into the SEC...

- does A&M adjust some of their offensive philosophy. Ideally every hitter would have great speed & great power, but usually that's not the case. Do the Ags stay with empasizing speed-first or start to lean towards more power.

- also in the early years of the Big 12 when the league was really, really tough and winning on the road in conference very difficult...I seem to remember the approach of the visiting team to be: do whatever if takes to win the first game/Friday game if you have the lead in order to immediately eliminate the possiblity of getting swept.

In other words, the scheduled Saturday or Sunday starter would pitch in relief on Friday to lock down & guarantee at least 1 win in the series. I haven't followed the SEC close enough to see if visiting teams do this especially when they play in the tough environments like LSU and Arkansas
TMartin
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Six years with Childress and every team looks the same.....great pitching and not enough sticks. Childress is dedicated to small ball but the rabbits are supposed to play good defense which the Aggies do not. Only TN hits in the clutch. Every Aggie hitter takes at least the first pitch and the opposing teams know this. A&M runs the very real possibility of getting embarrased in the SEC next year. It's looking more and more like the Childress epitaph is going to read great pitching coach but not head coach material.
SABUILDERAG
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Big John said exactly what I have been thinking all year. That said, I agree with the statements above,about Childress not recruiting and fostering the attitude that John talks about.

Everybody who has played this game at any level knows those guys when they see them. I don't understand why our staff can't get them on campus.
rokshox
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I think we need to manage our pitchers better. We have great arms, But our starters seem to go 100+ pitches a game. I believe this was first time in last 3 or 4 yrs that we haven't had a starter hurt his arm. Our setup and closers hurt us, so maybe that's why the starters go so deep, just think if we managed our pitchers better, that could be fixed.
Statboy203
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As much as I hate to say it...power. We have everything else. We just need 2 consistent big bats in the lineup...
DocCrowe
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I was concerned with the late season lineup tweaking. Isn't that for early season non-conference games. I realize that some was due to injuries.

I think the pitchers were "on" one game and "off" the next.

The performance with Baylor was not energetic.

Did the Bluebell facelift help performance this year?

Doubledown 2447
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We need a kid like Ramsey from Fl State - he make the whole lineup better. And a coaching staff more dedicated to productive hitting not hopeful hitting. Pulling Brandon Wood in the Regionals for a struggling M Nau just hoping fir a hit was baffling - the whole team and even fans knew it would fail.
tamusaf
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The team needs to develop a hitting philosophy. That means stepping into the batter's box and daring the pitcher to throw anything near the strike zone. Too often, A&M batters try to be umpires instead of hitters. They try to out-guess what the umpire is going to call instead of seeing what his strike zone is, for that game, and adjusting to it.

I also agree that they look at way to many first pitches. All pitchers want to get ahead in count, so they often throw the first pitch in the strike zone. Watching the teams in the final four at the CWS, it's readily apparent that they offer at the first pitch if it's anywhere near the zone. That's why they are in the final four and A&M is watching on TV.

Aggie batters often look at two strikes before getting the bat off their shoulders. Pitchers see that and take advantage to get ahead in the count. Additionally, they don't understand the concept of protecting the plate with two strikes. Those problems are on the coaches, not the players. If coaches settle for hitters who stand in the box and watch strike after strike go by without swinging the bat, they are the problem and need to be replaced. I think John was just too kind to say that.

Runs follow hits and smart base running. This team lacked both down the stretch. You can't rely on pitchers throwing no-hitters to win 1-run games. The bull pen may not have been strong, but the overall hitting game was the weak link. Fielding was down 10 points from last season, but more runs will often negate most fielding problems. They need a good hitting coach, as the one they have now is not getting the job done.
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