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Post by Lark11 on May 8, 2022 10:12:53 GMT -5
So, I was watching a bit of the Florida Gator and Mississippi State game. Freshman Jac Caglianone stepped to the plate for the Gators and proceeded to drive a pitch into the left-centerfield gap. As a lefty, it was an opposite field drive that seemed to keep carrying and carrying until it reached the warning track. Caglianone is 6-5 and has size 17 shoes. From the one AB I saw, I was impressed. He's one I'll be watching as his Florida career progresses. floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/jac-caglianone/15113
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Post by floydgator on May 16, 2022 13:06:37 GMT -5
We aren't very good this year. We've rallied enough to claim some respectability and move from the bubble to fringes of hosting conversation, but when Barco went down (TJ surgery), any real chance of a return to Omaha went down the tubes.
We have a handful of really, really good players. Wyatt Langford and Sterlin Thompson are studs. We have some good young arms that finally seem to be coming around.
Then we have Jud Fabian. Do not draft this guy. He's bad.
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Post by floydgator on May 16, 2022 13:11:17 GMT -5
Out of pretty much nowhere, Tennessee is having a historically strong season. They've choked a couple of games away recently yet they are still 22-5 in the SEC. I read a top prospects for this draft article recently that still showed more Gators in the top 100 than kids from Tennessee. Maybe they have a lot of underclassmen, but the 2 teams aren't comparable. At all.
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Post by floydgator on May 16, 2022 13:15:54 GMT -5
Here's one from mlb.com:
28. Astros: Jud Fabian, OF, Florida (No. 29) Fabian turned down more than $2 million from the Red Sox as a second-rounder in 2021 and it looks like his gamble will pay off as he has made more contact this spring without sacrificing any power. Other college bats who could go in the first round who haven't been mentioned earlier: Mississippi State catcher Logan Tanner, Oklahoma shortstop Peyton Graham and Stanford outfielder Brock Jones.
Yes, he's striking out less. It would be impossible not to. He's also hitting .245 overall with an OPS over 1.000. That doesn't sound horrible until you realize it was based on mashing against bottom feeders. He's hitting. .162 with an OPS of about .700 in 27 conference games. With a lot of strikeouts.
Draft Thompson in the first round. Don't draft Fabian. At all.
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Post by Lark11 on May 16, 2022 17:35:07 GMT -5
What about Caglianone? Has he shown you anything this year?
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Post by Lark11 on May 16, 2022 17:43:07 GMT -5
Also, curious to get your thoughts on Florida State LHP Ross Dunn. Watched him pitch this weekend and came away impressed. I don't believe he's 2022 draft eligible as a sophomore, but he looked good.
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Post by floydgator on May 17, 2022 21:05:32 GMT -5
BOOM!!!! Right on cue!!! Sterlin Thompson with a walk off HR that went about 876 feet to win the series against FSU. Again. 19 of 23 against the clowns!!!
We are a 3 man team, but those 3 are excellent. Fabian remains awful.
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Post by floydgator on May 17, 2022 21:06:04 GMT -5
Also, curious to get your thoughts on Florida State LHP Ross Dunn. Watched him pitch this weekend and came away impressed. I don't believe he's 2022 draft eligible as a sophomore, but he looked good. I know he is uneducated and makes poor choices in life.
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Post by floydgator on May 17, 2022 21:06:38 GMT -5
Substandard Gator team. Still wins series vs Miami and FSU.
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Post by floydgator on May 17, 2022 21:07:07 GMT -5
What about Caglianone? Has he shown you anything this year? He’s going to be really good. We will rely on him heavily next season.
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Post by tnredsfan on Jun 9, 2022 22:18:45 GMT -5
Out of pretty much nowhere, Tennessee is having a historically strong season. They've choked a couple of games away recently yet they are still 22-5 in the SEC. I read a top prospects for this draft article recently that still showed more Gators in the top 100 than kids from Tennessee. Maybe they have a lot of underclassmen, but the 2 teams aren't comparable. At all. Tennessee fan here: I really have to say, not humblebragging, but Tony Vitello has done an incredible job as UT's skipper. I know it's a cliche to say he's "changed the culture," but he really has. The team plays with swagger and confidence. Fan interest has gone from virtually zero to through the roof. Renovations and expansion of our stadium are coming.
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Post by Lark11 on Jun 13, 2022 0:33:56 GMT -5
Out of pretty much nowhere, Tennessee is having a historically strong season. They've choked a couple of games away recently yet they are still 22-5 in the SEC. I read a top prospects for this draft article recently that still showed more Gators in the top 100 than kids from Tennessee. Maybe they have a lot of underclassmen, but the 2 teams aren't comparable. At all. Tennessee fan here: I really have to say, not humblebragging, but Tony Vitello has done an incredible job as UT's skipper. I know it's a cliche to say he's "changed the culture," but he really has. The team plays with swagger and confidence. Fan interest has gone from virtually zero to through the roof. Renovations and expansion of our stadium are coming. Well, ouch. Tennessee gets dumped by Notre Dame. Damn tough way to go out, falling short of Omaha.
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Post by Lark11 on Jun 13, 2022 0:40:05 GMT -5
I caught an AB or two of Stanford freshman Braden Montgomery today and he has done enough to intrigue me. He apparently pitches, too, but I've only seen him at the plate and he's got an impressive swing and a real physicality to his game. He'll be one I'm watching going forward, as he'll need to tighten up his K and walk rates, which is typically improved upon over the course of a collegiate career. On the season, Montgomery is hitting .299/.358/.603 with 17 homers and a 69/15 K/BB ration over 234 ABs.
Here's a look at his swing, I love the way the back elbow works in the swing and the explosiveness of it:
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Post by floydgator on Jun 13, 2022 14:38:22 GMT -5
Tennessee fan here: I really have to say, not humblebragging, but Tony Vitello has done an incredible job as UT's skipper. I know it's a cliche to say he's "changed the culture," but he really has. The team plays with swagger and confidence. Fan interest has gone from virtually zero to through the roof. Renovations and expansion of our stadium are coming. Well, ouch. Tennessee gets dumped by Notre Dame. Damn tough way to go out, falling short of Omaha. I haven't seen a team in any sport since the 80s Miami Hurricanes that I wanted to lose more based solely on how they conduct themselves.
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Post by tnredsfan on Jun 14, 2022 21:03:14 GMT -5
Well, ouch. Tennessee gets dumped by Notre Dame. Damn tough way to go out, falling short of Omaha. I haven't seen a team in any sport since the 80s Miami Hurricanes that I wanted to lose more based solely on how they conduct themselves. I totally get this. If I weren't a UT homer, I would loathe us. And I know the college baseball world is dunking on us right now for choking vs. Notre Dame. As FDR said, I welcome their hatred. We'll be loaded again next year, probably pre-season #1.
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