6 Days 'til Aggie Baseball: What we know vs. what we think we know

It’s that time of year! The Texas Aggie baseball team is set to open up the 2024 season on Friday against McNeese State at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park. We’re counting down the days with our 2024 Aggie Baseball Preview Series.

Acknowledging the difference between what you know and what you think can be a beneficial tool as we navigate life. For instance, as a newly married man, I've found that knowing what my wife wants is of far more utility than anything I think she may want.

In terms of being a baseball analyst, understanding those differences can also be useful when trying to prognosticate on a season in early February. However, because baseball is such a fickle game that has the propensity to make you look extremely foolish once you think you've figured it out, even some of the stuff you know going into a campaign can fly right back in your face by the time April rolls around.

Therefore, at the risk of some public swings and misses, let's take a look at what I know vs. what I think as we begin our walk to the plate for the 2024 Aggie baseball season.

Throwing strikes

What I know: This team will NOT set a school record for walks.
What I think: This team will go 10-12 arms deep with guys that will compete in the strike zone.

Look, it's no secret that a ton of the focus on this baseball team will be on new pitching coach Max Weiner and how quickly he can pull the Aggie pitching staff out of the doldrums in terms of their command. The fall games against Houston Christian and the University of Houston don't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to outcomes in the spring.

However, A&M pitchers only walking seven batters in the 28 total innings of those exhibitions was a highly encouraging marker of what may be in store this spring.

Jamie Maury, TexAgs

Having previously been the Seattle Mariners’ pitching coordinator, Weiner was hired by Texas A&M on July 10, 2023, following Nate Yeskie’s departure for LSU.

I honestly feel good about where this staff is at in terms of command. I've become a big fan of the plan Weiner has put together for the entirety of the staff, as well as what he's been able to do with the guys individually. It seems to me that, even for such a young coach, he has a solid grasp of how to handle things at both a macro and micro level.

I think that will manifest into a group of competitive, strike-throwers on the mound. I also think that the depth of the arms will allow the coaching staff to make quicker, more decisive decisions if a guy is struggling to throw the ball over the plate.

Outfield defense

What I know: The talent and depth of this defensive outfield is the best of the Jim Schlossnagle era.
What I think: The fourth outfielder will end up being a big piece to this puzzle.

Let's be honest, the Aggies struggled (mightily at times) in 2023 with their outfield defense. A combination of youth, injuries and lack of depth forced Schlossnagle and Michael Earley to trot out Kaeden Kent and Ryan Targac to left field at various points in the season.

This year's club shouldn't be bothered with those issues.

Obviously, Jace LaViolette and Braden Montgomery will hold their own with anyone in the country, and while I wouldn't necessarily put Hayden Schott in the same league as those two, he'll be a serviceable left fielder who looks to carry his weight and then some in the batter's box.

From there, freshman standout Caden Sorrell, along with veterans Travis Chestnut and Tab Tracy, can all really go get it. It's a good bet that one of those trio will see a lot of time, either late in games or get a smattering of starts, depending on how Montgomery is utilized as a two-way player.

Power Output

What I know: There's more power potential in this year's club than any Schlossnagle has had here...and maybe even anywhere.
What I think: Depending on weather patterns, I think this team can challenge the school record in home runs.

We put some numbers to this. I didn't just make it up. The school record is 125 round-trippers in 1999. This team absolutely has the power potential to flirt with that number or even go past it.

Michael Wade/SEC

LaViolette’s 21 home runs in 2023 rank third-most in a season by an Aggie behind Daylan Holt (34) and Craig Kuzmic (25).

Look at how many guys on this roster could soar past double-digit homers this spring.

• Jace LaViolette
• Braden Montgomery
• Hayden Schott
• Gavin Grahovac
• Blake Binderup
• Ryan Targac
• Ted Burton

You'd then look at a combination of Ali Camarillo and Kaeden Kent at shortstop, as well as Jackson Appel and Max Kaufer at catcher, and think collectively, it's possible for them to get into the 8-12 range. You'd have to look at the off-the-bench homers throughout the course of a season.

Regardless of what the actual numbers turn out to be, the raw power potential of this lineup is as good as I've seen it heading into a season.

Infield defense

What I know: It's going to be extremely hard to replace Trevor Werner and Hunter Haas on the dirt.
What I think: The Aggies have the pieces on the roster to get close to it.

Last year's infield defense was really good. Haas turned in one of the best seasons we've ever seen at shortstop, and Werner was as highly regarded a defender as anyone manning the hot corner in the SEC.

It's also worth noting that Austin Bost turned himself into a serviceable second baseman, and while Jack Moss struggled with his throwing, he was extremely reliable with the leather around the bag at first.

Even with similar or better athletes taking over at each position, taking care of the baseball at that rate this season will be hard to replicate. Still, it's not crazy to say that this club can at least get close to it.

Chris Swann, TexAgs

A product of California’s Villa Park HS in Orange, Gavin Grahovac was ranked as the No. 55 high school prospect by Perfect Game last year.

Grahovac may take some lumps early on at third base, but he has big-league tools and already made huge jumps with the glove this offseason. Camarillo and Kent are different in terms of style, but they both have plenty of talent to make every play.

Both Targac and Burton can play just about anywhere, but figure to make their biggest impacts on the right side of the infield. Don't forget that Targac was the starting second baseman on the most successful A&M baseball team in history. Burton is reliable and steady just about anywhere you play him, but he dealt with some arm issues in the fall, which mostly relegated him to first base.

Keep an eye on true freshman Jack Bell, as well. He's another youngster with a super high ceiling that moves like a pro with the glove already.

Catching

What I know: The position is in an infinitely better spot going into this season than it was last year.
What I think: Appel will be the starter and log a majority of the innings.

The Aggies got put into a bind about two weeks before the fall semester started in 2022 when transfer catcher Joe Powell decided to hang up the cleats out of nowhere. Schlossnagle and Nolan Cain had him pegged as the heir apparent to Troy Claunch, so they managed to nab Hank Bard out of the junior college ranks and then got Kaufer to enroll at the semester break to try and stem the tide.

Both of those kids did an admirable job, specifically Kaufer, who finished the season as the everyday guy behind the dish and noticeably started to turn the corner in a lot of areas. He and Bard return this spring with Appel, a Penn transfer and Houston native.

Appel is a switch hitter with a history of getting on base and an accurate thrower who has seen a lot of college baseball in his days. There's no question that the position as a whole has improved greatly from 2023, and I think the elder statesman in Appel will lead the line.

Depth

What I know: There will be highly skilled players sitting on the bench each game.
What I think: Somebody that starts the season on the outside will end up being an impact player on this ballclub.

It stinks that only nine can play. Schlossnagle has talked about the overall talent on this roster and how perhaps the hardest question to answer is how will the guys on the bench handle lineup decisions.

There's no question that this is the best collection of talent that he and Cain have assembled in College Station. I mean, we've got through this entire article and haven't mentioned Jett Johnston's name yet — a kid who lit the world on fire at the dish during the fall and consistently produces some of the highest exit velocities on the team.

It absolutely wouldn't surprise me if Johnston winds up being the DH at some point this season — or if Bell ends up being an everyday player in the infield, or if freshman right-hander Isaac Morton works his way into the weekend rotation.

The coaching staff has really started stacking the talent in earnest in their third season on campus.

How they manage that talent could be a pivotal piece to the success of the 2024 campaign.