Former outfielder J.B. Moss 'very impressed' with Ags start to SEC slate

Riding a 21-3 record for the No. 4 rank in the country, the Texas A&M baseball team is cruising to start the season. Former Aggie outfielder J.B. Moss joined Tuesday's edition of TexAgs Radio to chat about the Maroon & White's solid 3-3 start in the Southeastern Conference.

Key notes from J.B. Moss interview

• Before we start down the baseball track, let's give a special shoutout to Buzz Williams' bunch. The way they competed on Sunday night was special. I know we're not in the business of moral victories, but I thought the way they played the last two weeks was awesome. I was proud of their fight and effort over the last two weeks, and it was exciting to watch.
   
• There are teams that can have that fight regularly, and I thought Williams' 2023 team certainly had that. I hated to see them not come out with a victory because if they had made a couple more free throws or had a little bit better shot selection, they could have come out with a win. That was high-level basketball, and Houston is really, really good.
   
• I've been impressed by the Texas A&M baseball team. The last time we talked, they were still undefeated, and I'm just as impressed as I was then. I'm impressed with their offensive approach. They're hitting around .300 as a baseball team. They have under a 3.00 team ERA. They're checking all the boxes.
   
• This is the SEC. It's 10 weeks and 30 games. It's the ultimate grind, and I equate it to an MLB season. If you go look at the MLB standings, whichever team is winning 55 percent or 60 percent of their games, they're going to win the division. The SEC is just like that. If you go 20-10 in the SEC, you're winning your division. We know Jim Schlossnagle talks about getting to 15, and that's .500 baseball. You'll take your lumps and series losses, but if you stay the course, you'll be really happy with where the Aggies stand at the end of the year.
   
• When you have the 12th Man behind you, it breeds confidence, and guys need to play off that confidence. If you're going to go .500 or better, you have to win at home. The atmospheres on the road are so tough. It's so hard to win on the road, and everything is stacked against you. It's very important to win the series at home, and if you can get a sweep, you take it.
   
• The teams that win it all can win in multiple facets. In 2022, A&M would outscore everybody, and every baseball guy you talked to would tell you it wouldn't work and wasn't sustainable. It's a miracle that it went as far as it did because you can't count on timely hitting. When timely hitting isn't there, having starting pitching that can get you deep into a ballgame, that's when you have an elite team. I equate starting pitching to having a good starting quarterback. We've learned the hard way at A&M that you can have a good team without an elite quarterback, but you can't have an elite team. The same is to be said about high-level college baseball. Seeing what Ryan Prager and Justin Lamkin are doing certainly gets you excited for the rest of conference play.
   
• Lamkin is more confident. Your sophomore year is where you make your biggest jump. I think the evolution of pitching begins and ends with fastball command. Can you throw a fastball for a strike? Can you throw a breaking ball for a strike? Can you use both sides of the plate with fastball command? That's where you take your next step as a pitcher, and that's what we saw last weekend with Lamkin. He was spectacular. With Prager and Lamkin, it's exciting to see what they're doing right now. I love that they're left-handed, and it's fun to see them having success.
   
• We should recognize and compliment Prager on not having the most experience. He's still feeling it out. He's not a third-year junior with three years of starting experience in this league. This is only his second year, and he has under a 2.00 ERA. He's filling up the strike zone and is holding batters to under a .200 average against. I'll be the first to say that I was skeptical. Nothing jumps off the screen at you. He doesn't light up the radar gun. I can't get a feel from video of how sharp the slider is. What I've been told by Max Weiner and the staff is that Prager has such great extension. He's very long. He has a lot of reach. His 90 mph fastball plays more like 94-95. It's so exciting to see these guys continue to develop.
   
• Gavin Grahovac has been incredible. I want you guys to understand how hard it is to play as a freshman at this level. I listened to Schlossnagle yesterday. There are very few people who can play at this level at 18 years old because it's so competitive, and the people you're playing with are a few years older. Grahovac, in my opinion, should've gotten drafted, and A&M is reaping the benefits of that. Talk about the evolution of a hitter. Can you hit a fastball? Can you pull a fastball for a home run? Can you hit a breaking ball? Can you use the whole field to hit? Lastly, can you control the strike zone? That's one of the last things you see in the progression of a mature hitter. Grahovac isn't perfect in all of those, but he is more developed than 99 percent of freshmen. We are lucky to have Grahovac, and I hope he stays healthy.
   
• Our top of the lineup, I haven't seen that much talent at the top of the order for as long as I've been around the program. Credit to Nolan Cain and all those guys for assembling all that talent.
   
• I'm not saying Grahovac could be in the Major Leagues. I'm saying he could be a pro player. There is a huge difference.
   
• Schlossnagle's reputation was that of a CEO, and that could have a negative connotation. I think it's the exact opposite. The fact that these guys are playing so well is a testament to Schlossnagle being a great baseball CEO. He puts a lot of emphasis on the mental side of the game, and I think that's very important. They put a lot of money and effort into the mental side. It helps you not get sped up, and it allows your talent to be on display. Schlossnagle gets the talented kids on practice. He has done that with Jace LaViolette and Grahovac. At the end of the day, the testament goes to the kid because they're the one with the talent and putting the work in. It's the perfect recipe for any young man to come play baseball at Texas A&M and be successful. I don't think there has been a better time to be an Aggie baseball player.
   
• The first time I noticed Jackson Appel offensively was against Texas. The guy is hitting close to .400 right now. The least important offensive positions to me are catcher and shortstop. Ali Camarillo and Appel and what they're doing at the plate is a bonus. That's what takes a good offense to a great offense when you're getting production from those guys. This staff has hit on Appel. His offensive production has done wonders for this club.
   
• Braden Montgomery is amazing. There is no other word to describe it. He's hitting .375 and has 12 home runs. He doesn't even have 100 at-bats yet. What will take Montgomery from a first-round pitch to a top-ten pick is his control of the strike zone. He has more free passes than strikeouts. When you have average, power and more free bases than strikeouts, that's where the elite live. If you can do those three things at this elite level, you're just preparing yourself for Major League Baseball. He seems like such a great kid. I love his energy in the dugout. I want him to keep having success.
   
• If I had a concern, it would be bullpen arms. Schlossnagle would tell you that it begins and ends with starting pitching, and I believe that. When you have good starting pitching, you set yourself apart. Where A&M can improve the most is the consistency of its bullpen arms. You have to throw strikes and get the first guy out. Outside of Evan Aschenbeck, who has been incredible, I need to see more evolution from guys like Shane Sdao. I think Sdao will get back on track, and along with Chris Cortez and Brad Rudis, if those guys can continue to develop, that's what A&M needs to get back to Omaha.
   
• Aschenbeck is the calm to the storm. I need a person smarter than me who knows pitching to tell you what he's doing. He's very, very calm. He's even-keeled. He gets on the rubber, takes his sign and throws a strike. That sounds simple, but it's not easy to do. There is no moment too big for him. When he comes into the ballgame, I feel very, very confident that he's going to get the job done.