Gator Baseball 2022 Roster/Lineup/Batting Order

Just saw where Christian Scott signed with the Mets yesterday for $350,000. I think he's the only Gator drafted who has signed a contract so far.

 

Somebody better notify @wingtee! It can get ugly if he thinks he’s supposed to know something and don’t….

 

As long as Armstrong hits. He and Calilao are two major keys next year.

 

Keep saying that he and Kris gotta play. 64,000 question was why KC sat so much. If Armstrong plays 100% his home run totals could be very impressive.

 

My whole point to this is to me Calilao is a natural in RF and doesn’t hurt you at 1st—I’m for BOTH the best offensive and defensive lineup we can put on the field/in the game.
Thompson will need to play but I don’t really think his strongest defensive position is RF. Yes, Armstrong needs to be swinging every day.
Again, I just want to see our best/strongest lineup on the field/in the game every day.

 

Thompson was an adventure at times in RF. He can certainly put in the work and learn the position, but I'm not sure it will be natural for him. Armstrong can handle first, IMO we need KC in the OF with what we likely have returning out there.

 

Agree with you about Thompson, but disagree with you about Armstrong. Armstrong started the season at 1st base and was a defensive liability. I remember him dropping a couple of easy throws and he was not good at all scooping throws from short and 3rd that were in the dirt. The first baseman doesn't get charged with errors when he doesn't scoop low throws, but Calilao and Butler saved some errors on infielders by consistently getting outs on bad throws. Armstrong is a solid hitter and apparently won the 1st base job in the pre-season, but Sully took him off 1st pretty early on because of his defense. Butler was the first option and was good defensively, but when his bat went to sleep, he ended up settling on Calilao, who handles first very well. He's also an excellent right fielder, but if Armstrong improves his defensive skills at first that could be his position. Remember, Armstrong came to Florida primarily as a pitcher who threw both right and left handed. He also played third base and catcher in high school when he wasn't pitching, so 1B is a new position for him, having first played there with 7 starts during the COVID season. Personally, I'm much more comfortable with Calilao at 1st. Again, it will be interesting how it all works out.

 

Andrew Painter signed with the Phillies for $3.9 million on Saturday.

 

I think sully will try and get back to basics of pitching and defense. He got away from that this year . We’ll see how things shake out. Transition year to me. I don’t have high expectations. I think we will be solid, but don’t have big expectations.

 

I would agree KC was better at 1B, but that experience you mention Armstrong lacks is the reason I think he will be fine. He just needs reps, kid is athletic and will pick it up. He's an elite atlete.
I'm guessing that need to learn the position is also a prime reason he came back for another year.....Sully likely told him the 1B job is his to lose.

 

Makes sense. Hope you're right. I think we agree that Armstrong, Calilao and Thompson all need to be in the lineup somewhere.

 

Jake Fox is currently in Arizona, either where Cleveland's rookie league team is located
or their Spring Training is. Wouldn't hold my breath on him showing up in Gainesville.

 

NCAA Ruling Gives Baseball Teams More Flexibility In 2021 Roster Construction

Good article on roster management. While waving the max number of players on a roster for next year, still limited on number of scholarships the coach can provide. 11.7 ships needs to be increased. MLB draft reduced in rounds and kids get an extra year of eligibility and don’t increase ships??? Crazy

 

Fox already posted on his Twitter account that he's ready to get to work for the Indians, but until the contract is signed there's always hope.

 

Agree as Calilao was a missing piece until he got the chance late. Right Field definitely an adventure at times last year.

 

From a hitting perspective, there were too many strikeouts last year. OBP needs to be a focus. Can’t be enamored with the long ball. Need more walks and to put the ball in play. Need to take opposing pictures deeper into the count and get their total pitch numbers higher.

Not sure what happened to pitching last year. Did not resemble a Sully coached pitching staff. Pitchers had trouble with walks and location. Seemed like opponents were waiting on certain pitches. Did not have a strong closer for much of the year. Certainly nothing that resembled the talent of a Vandy staff or a truly dominant pitcher. Will we have a dominant pitcher next year? Will we have a reliable closer?

 

It is funny because statistically this isn’t true yet it felt that way.

2017 vs 2021:
529 IP, 175 BB, 541 K, 2.98 BB/9IP, .249 BAA, 62 HBP, 60 HR, 1.29 WHIP

644.1 IP, 219 BB, 649 K, 3.06 BB/9IP, .253 BAA, 52 HBP, 34 HR, 1.30 WHIP

Ultimately the stats suggest 2021 was just as good as 2017 EXCEPT two categories: HR and ERA.

The other massive difference is fielding… My gut tells me that more than just pure fielding percentage, the 2021 team struggled to make almost any exceptional plays.

No matter how you slice it, this 2021 edition just had something off even though it isn’t obvious in the stats. Because everyone seems to feel they weren’t as good yet most of the numbers suggest they were.

 

Greg—

To me the major difference falls into an untracked category. This 2021 team lacked team unity/leadership. No, that’s not a recorded or watched stat—but lack of it is surely recognizable as the season wears on and in sharp focus at the season’s end.

 

He played 2B, SS, and 3B for Gatorball