This weekend I'll be watching 2 key things. First is how does our 4th batter in the line do at the plate. So far our 4th batter in the lineup has gone 0 for16 over 5 games and that's with KC and Langford. This not about any certain player but more about the importance of production from our 4th spot in the order. Pick whoever you want in the order but we have to get results from the 4th batter. This is probably why we have struggled so much at scoring runs among a myriad of problems. Second its important to see how Manning does back as a starter. With SEC play only a few weeks away we have to nail down the weekend rotation soon. We are looking at 5 possibilities between Barco, Manning, Coppola, Sproat and the soon return of Pogue. Sully said last night that Pogue was doing great and would start throwing to live batters today. If anyone gets by practice today any sightings of Pogue would be awesome. Sproat certainly has a chance at a spot as well but I believe Sully will trust Pogue's experience more once he gets back to normal appearances.
Made 16 appearances in 2019 with 4 starts, went 1-1 and 1 save in 34 innings. Made 7 appearances in 2020 with 2 starts, went 1-1 with 1 save in 10 innings pitched. Sat out 2021. Here is his 2020 info... 2020 (Sophomore): Made seven appearances, including two starts (Marshall, Feb 16; Florida State, March 10) Posted a 5.23 ERA across 10.1 innings, finishing with a 1-1 record and a save In five relief appearances, posted a 0.00 ERA and allowed just five hits across 5.1 innings Had a season-high five strikeouts in three innings against Florida State Logged three-plus strikeouts in four of his seven appearances
Coming back after Tommy John surgery can be a tricky thing. Some recover fully and are better than ever; others never never get their "stuff" back. Pogue had his surgery in mid-February 2021. Surgical procedures have improved as doctors have become more expert at doing the surgery since it was first done in 1974, but it's not a guaranteed success and rehab can take anywhere from 1-2 years. Apparently Pogue's rehab has gone well. Time will tell if he gets his old velocity and ball movement back. Would be great for the young man, and the team, if he's as good or better than before because he could be a key cog in the wheel. As an aside, he got his Bachelor's in Psychology in August 2021. Here's what WebMD says about the Rehab process: Tommy John Surgery Rehabilitation Rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery usually takes about a year. In some cases, up to 2 years are needed for athletes to return to their previous level of ability. Other types of UCL surgery may not need this much rehabilitation. Rehabilitation should be closely monitored by the patient's doctor and physical therapist. Some rehabilitation programs follow a three-phase process: Phase I. After surgery, patients take these steps: Wear a splint for 7 to 10 days to immobilize the elbow. Do gentle range-of-motion exercises for the wrist, hand, and shoulder. Wear a range-of-motion brace to gradually regain full motion of the elbow joint. Do exercises to strengthen the arm and shoulder. Perform total-body conditioning exercises. Phase II. Starting about 6 weeks after surgery: Most patients can begin to perform elbow-strengthening exercises. For at least the next 4 months, most patients are advised to avoid activities that overstress the graft. SUGGESTED Phase III. In the final phase of rehabilitation, patients typically take these steps with their surgeon's approval: About 4 or 5 months after surgery, athletes may toss a ball without a wind-up motion. After 6 months, athletes may start to use an easy wind-up when throwing. After 7 months, baseball pitchers may return to the mound. After 9 months, pitchers may throw in competition if they are pain-free and have regained their normal strength and range of motion. When surgeon Frank Jobe, MD, performed the first UCL reconstruction on Tommy John in 1974, a torn UCL tear was considered to be a game-ending injury for most players. But now, up to 85% of patients who undergo this surgery are able to resume their sport at, or even above, their previous level of competition.
This thread is tremendous. I really appreciate you guys putting out all the information, especially Matherly, and discussing all of the nuances of the game and our team. I always check out the threads in this forum for what's going on with the team. Thanks, so much!
Even with Manning’s single inning against Stetson, Coppola has still been much better. Maybe it is rest but Coppola has earned the Saturday start compared to Manning in my view.
Oh, I don’t argue that for a minute-I was just offering an explanation for moving Manning from Sat to Sun.
You're welcome and we really like doing it. If you can tell I'm a stats guy on the hitting side and I leave much of the pitching thoughts to @74nole who I appreciate for all of his time on here. If you haven't noticed I try to keep reviewing the original post a few times a month and tinker with the lineup and batting order. Its always in flux for a reason since I'm always hoping to see Sully make a few changes. That gives us all something to ponder and get other's opinions as well.
I'm hearing if Manning impresses he could lock down the Sunday spot for some time. Nothing against Coppola, who I agree has been the better of the two, but he is still a true freshman. Imagine if Pogue makes it back or if Sproat stays consistent for the Saturday starter spot then we could have both Coppola and Nick Fic as mid relievers along with Hartman, Abner, Purnell, and Slater to work with. That's not even mentioning if Nesbitt will be able to contribute. Give Sully a little more time and this thing just might come together if the pitching settles in and the hitting comes around. That will leave Milchin and the rest of the young guys to handle the midweek.
Funny what a difference a week makes....gone from worrying exclusively abou the pitching to now being much more concerned with the hitting.
Pogue/Nesbitt haven’t pitched in live real baseball in a long time. All of a sudden working their way into a Saturday role scares me more than the current situation. By late May, sure. But mid March, I don’t see it. As we all like to say, it is a marathon and not a sprint.
Glad your mentioning Nesbit. I’ve mentioned him several times and think he’s just as important as Pogue in many ways. We talk about Pogue’s stats but Nesbit flashed with: 1-0 0.00 era 11 ip 7 hits 17 k’s impressive numbers!!!
Nesbit seen as a huge cog out of pen. See my post above. When he went down w injury was throwing very well.
My previous post is not to draw attention to or away from either Coppola or Pogue or Sproat, only the significance of the opportunity that Manning still has if he puts a few good starts in order. I'm not 100% sold on any of them other than Barco but Manning will be getting a lot of attention going forward.