Good series, but too much nail biting. LBJ has been a real enigma this year. About every 3rd or 4th game he pitches very well (like yesterday), and then he has 2-4 games where everything goes downhill and is occasionally disastrous. O'Dowd and Brown have not lived up to expectations, but we have other guys who have really stepped up to balance things out. Kennedy has gotten a lot of opportunities and has a lot of athletic potential and done reasonably well as a freshman, but needs to improve his hitting some and not make as many mental errors. Hopefully that all works out. Galvan and Schuessler have improved their hitting (and Schuessler has shown new power), Powell and Thomas have been good as expected (but Thomas has picked up a bit of a strikeout bug), Flores has really stepped up as has Belyeu, and Gasparino has held his own. Pitching has been the worst I have seen in years but Ace and Max have helped out in starting roles and a couple of guys have been solid relievers, particularly Duplantier and Boehm. Hopefully this string stays alive and we can get to a Regional and hopefully a Super Regional. Past that I am not sure our pitching can hold up to the CWS this year.
What's the rule on undergrads going to the draft? I thought they had to be 21 years old or finished 3 full years in college?
Here it is: "Players attending a four-year college are not eligible for the draft until after the completion of their junior year of college or if they turn 21 within 45 days of the draft." Thomas and Flores are both Sophomores, so unless they're already 21, they're not eligible for the draft this year. https://www.foxrothschild.com/sports-law-advice-for-amateurs
You do realize that there is recruiting going on to fill spots? This kinda goes on every year, don't it?
Thomas and Flores are indeed both old enough to be draft eligible. It happens with some sophomores or guys who might have been held back in school when young.
Phil, I always appreciate your passionate defense of this team, no matter the circumstances. It is possible to both enjoy the fact that the team seems to have found itself these last few weeks, but also bemoan the fact that with the talent this team has they underachieved and frankly should have won 40 plus games, been at least a regional seed and probably even a national seed. Both things can be true.
I don't know about you, but there aren't many freshman that can hit off a pitcher that's 3-4 years older than him. That #3 ranked class isn't going to help much next year. Recent history suggests only 1 freshman out of that class will have a meaningful impact. i.e. Thomas last year and Gasparino this year. Flores didn't help much at the plate last year. Pitching and defense has been sub par the last two years and the incoming class isn't going to solve it nor is any player on the pitching staff that's not already contributing. Ace and Grubbs are promising, i expect them to be serviceable next year but not dominating and we won't have nearly the offense to make up for the lack of pitching and defense. BLEAK outlook under current status in my opinion. We barely made this season worth while this year in a DOWN Big XII. Pierce is going to have to pull some serious pitching out of the portal for us not to get gang raped. Even if Thomas and Flores return, if we don't find a solution at pitching, it's going to be another long and even more frustrating season next year.
I think you forget just how much FWHORN has contributed to the baseball board over the years, Phil. He was THE play-by-play guy here until he retired 2 or 3 years ago. He's not as active as he used to be, but here's a link to his epic recap of our 2021 season, just to refresh your memory: 2021 End of Year Thoughts
I get that, I just don't think it is necessary, every time this team does something good, to constantly bemoan what could have been. It gets old and tiresome.
