Ongoing UF Baseball Commentary

I agree on the differences re winning. However, the behind the scenes stuff is starting to wear thin. Quite bizarre, yet most is self inflicted.

 

And yet we have only 3 pitchers listed on Perfect Games list of commitments coming in for next year.

 

And a Happy Easter to you and yours!

 

I’m going to go ahead and say this. Perfect Game lists gives you their evaluations of a player. Nothing about the players heartbeat for the game. You have a tremendous amount of compiled statistics.

I liked it better when our recruiting was more hands/eyes on. You get to see for yourself a player’s drive, his passion for the game, his commitment to his desire to play at the top of his game, his toughness as a young man, his mental strength to compete throughout the peaks and valleys of the way this great game is played.

That’s just me but that’s what I’m missing.

 

Half the guys listed went pro. Hard to blame the coach for guys going to get their money. I like Acton and Carrion, but they’re both .200 hitters, and not really much different defensively than what we still have. Those two were not going to help this team, sorry.

We did have a couple pitcher transfers that I think could have contributed this year, but that’s happened every year since the portal made it so easy, and really even before that.

I don’t think the turnover last year was really that unusual. We lose a few guys to the pros we hoped we’d get back just about every year. We lose a few decent fielders that struggle at the plate every year. We lose a few young pitchers that see opportunities elsewhere every year.

 

Completely agree. Aleman could have made more money by coming back but he was a JUCO guy. On a percentage basis without knowing anything about him, school may not have been his favorite thing.

Specht quit playing baseball.

Acton and Carrion wouldn’t have played.

Hickey could have made more money too and he is one that you look at and think, maybe something was off. But he was a reasonable draft pick and signed well.

JY doesn’t have elite measurables. Great ball player but nothing he could do would improve his measurables. Might as well get started assuming he wants to be a pro player.

To me, the turnover was expected, necessary, and didn’t hurt that much. I must admit though, having Hickey at 1B, JY in the outfield, Thompson at 2B and Halter at 3B would be a much better lineup…

 

Hickey was a 5th round pick and is already 22 years old. 95% of the time those guys are gone. Jud is an extreme outlier. Crazy how logic goes out the window when there's a narrative you want to believe.

 

So you're saying he has a zero ERA this year.

 

I would have loved to get Hickey and JY back. Think Hickey got some extra money because Jud didn’t sign though, so not sure he would have made a bunch more by coming back. He may have improved his draft slot a bit, but just don’t know how much difference it would have made money wise, and he got to go to a good organization. I think JY is who he is. Coming back wouldn’t have changed his draft stock much. He’s a scrapper and I’d have loved to have him back, but can’t really get mad at him for moving on. I’m not mad at the coaches for those guys moving on either.

 

Hoping kid from other coast Clemente comes. Power arm and dominating. Gotta get him to campus. Remember we have the big kid from FSW also I believe he 6’5 or 6’6and should come and ready to throw last year.
Will have to grab 1-2 JC kids and a portal guy at the very least.

 

You said it!!!

I mentioned like Belmonte and his 40 years and Cardozo and his experience and them talking exactly about what you talked about ….”eye test”. Does the kid have some passion and fire, does the kid keep his emotions calm when things aren’t going his way, Is the kid baseball smart, is the kid a gamer, can the kid bunt, I don’t care if he’s 94… Can he spot it up, does he have a good change up or curve, is he maybe only 87 but has a ton of movement and understands how to pitch inside, is he 88 but hides it well so it looks like 91……

I could go on and on and I agree and again I’m very glad you said it because occasionally someone say that’s my perception and my way of looking at things.

i’ve been to 1 million perfect game tournaments and seeing plenty of big-time coaches there. My son was recruited based on his performance and head coach watching him. Not sure if Florida still had a presence at these tournaments but going back 4-5 years ago they used to. They also used to have big time travel orgs bring players by and Gator coaches would watch them.

 

I think the transfer turnover of the guys below hurt:
Centala- would have been a major contributor 2-0 w 2.13 era so definitely would have helped.

Hunter Mink- 2-1 w 6 saves on a not great USF team. Would have been a big help this year.

Ryan Cabarcas-not sure he would have helped as much as the other two but again lefty and veteran… Two things we seem to be missing this year in the bullpen.
We knew JY and Hickey but we didn’t know transfers And at least two if not all three of them will it take from the rules this year based on experience alone. There’s also some talent with each one of them for sure

 

Florida's initial success was Sully's relationship with the Ford family from PG.
Jerry loved Sully.

 

Agree, but I’d also say he had great success with the burn organization and Faulkner for sure

 

Neely is really establishing himself. Question is who will finish today

 

Neely as Sproat was has been great!! Hopefully he can give us one more inning at least

 

Here we go.
Today and @74nole would second, we have to hit.
I’d say this, manufacture a daggum run!!!!

4 to 1 or 5-1 is a big difference.