Ok guys, I know everyone is still enjoying this one, but you knew a thread like this was coming sooner or later. Realistically what are our chances of repeating next year? Coming in, it looks like Texas may be the preseason no. 1 because they are returning pretty much the entire team. For us, I guess the first step would be to see who's all coming back. Coleman, Mitchell, and LeMahieu are pretty much gone. Shimpf as a 5th round pick is most likely leaving as well. That leaves Dean and Ochinko. As 10th/11th round picks, what are the odds of them returning? Even still, those are some big shoes to fill. We'll still have a solid core with players like Ranaudo, Ott, Mahtook, Landry, and Hanover, plus a No.1 recruiting class coming in, but will that be enough? My biggest concern going into next season would be hitting for power and depth of pitching, particularly the starters. Do we bring Matty in from the pen and make him our No.2 starter behind Ranaudo? What say you?
Ochinko is done. I think Von Rosenburg will fit in to a weekend starter and they may bring Ott out of pen
about as good as anyone's. there is a nice core (you left out gibbs and nola), but need a lot of non-contributors from this year (existing and newcomers) to stepup. and you never know. several Fr will need to contribute (von rosenburg, colvin). as well as older players that havent contributed yet---dishon, dozar mahtook, nola and hanover need to become better hitters (likely). very possible, but others that keep up with baseball recruiting would know better.
i was getting ready to say gibbs is the biggest loss since having a great catcher is a key component often overlooked, outside of pitching. he is so good it forced ochinko to change positions. yet hes only a sophomore? thought for sure he was gone. if dean returns we have a much better chance to repeat. hes the imposing figure in that lineup and will change the way we are pitched to if he returns. id say 2009 was the best team LSU has ever fielded. felt this way before they won it all due to the defense at almost every position. remember the dudes Skip used to march out there just for their bats? some atrocious defense from guys like jim greely and others. easily the best defensive and fundamentally sound team and that will carry them a long way next year.
Whoa, Jim Greely is a blast from the past. I guess you must also lump my all-time favorite catcher, Adrian Antonini, into the bad bat/good defense category. It would also take him two and a half days to lug his big butt (which I admired greatly) around the bases.
greely was bad glove good bat. wild thing antonini was a crowd favorite when he cut his hair like charlie sheen in major league. and closed games. some forget he became our midweek closer.
Oh, not me! I remember everything about him. Loved, loved, loved him. But I was completely po'd @ Skip for replacing him @ catcher as a senior! And, my bad, I was agreeing with you, but used an opposite example.
who was that funny looking guy that could mash---i keep thinking chris corchiani, but i know thats a NCSt pointguard. he was a juco transfer i think. played OF and some 3B maybe, well, "played".
didnt like him, cocky NY attitude. (right around the dice clay period). cannon behind the plate, though.
