Changes I’d like to see

To anyone not willing to make any changes right now, here's my question - if it's "too early" to make changes now, when the fvck do you make them? Wait until ACC play? Wait until ACCT? Wait until Regionals? Super Regionals?

Or is your actual answer "never" because of this long-term viewpoint?

What must be done eventually must be done immediately. Anyone eschewing change for the sake of patience or leaning on the law of averages is just hoping in one hand and sh1tting in the other.

A few things that are needed changes are as follows:

1) **Disclaimer - this can't be done during the season - too **** late** Get Lala/Vilar/Paige/etc in the ******* weight room. How one can be a starter at Miami and allow a bat to swing them instead of them swinging the bat is beyond me. And yes - this is my main bone to pick right now and I'm not gonna let it go, mainly because it shows 1) lack of gumption/motivation by those players to get stronger as they needed to, and 2) lack of foresight by the coaches/trainers to make that happen if those players weren't going to do it on their own (like they should have). This is a lot more glaring w/o Zamora in the lineup, but that's the reality we're living with this season.

2a) Find a pecking order in the bullpen and 2b) stick with it. Unless you have multiple lights-out type guys in the bullpen, you have to have defined roles. We simply don't have a singular closer right now. Take the next few weeks, figure out who your middle/short relief guys are, and find a closer. Once that is settled, don't tinker unless you have to with injuries involved. Once Gates or Keysor supplants Federman as the closer, you make sure each guy knows their job and is in the mindset to execute said job.

3) Approach at the plate doesn't need to change completely, but one philosophy has to improve - when you're in an obvious fastball count, and you get said fastball, swing like your life depends on it. We let too many of those go by in the name of plate discipline. If it's 2-0, and the opposing pitcher is just trying to get a fastball over for a strike...square that thing up and do something with it. This goes double for the ones that needed to hit the weight room and obviously didn't. Stop trying to work to 3-0, and put a good swing on possibly the easiest pitch you'll get to hit that whole AB. After that...feel free to try to work the walk.

4) Jenkins does need to be either 1 or 2 in the lineup. He is actually one of the smallish guys who seems to have gotten stronger, and has good control of the bat. Jenkins wasn't high on my list coming into the season, but he's performed well early and seems to have turned the corner a little. Reward him.

5) Underrated piece here...but figure out what the issue is on the basepaths. Our stats so far: steals = 7, caught stealing = 6. Without looking up last year's stats, I'm assuming we've greatly regressed there. We've got to figure that out. This could be the "curse" part of having a bunch of lefties in our lineup...that we're facing more lefties on the mound as a result with better moves to first to hold guys on. That could be part of it, could be something else mixed in too.
 
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@BWCD spot on:

We have plenty of arms to figure out the pecking order. I think it's time JD takes over decision making here. Something has to change.

In regards to the base paths I really have no idea what to say right now. It's mind boggling. We're talking about kids who had the green light all last year and were fairly successful doing it are scared to steal now or given the red light? I can't believe what I saw this weekend in obvious stealing situations but yet we didn't budge. The only kid I saw be aggressive this weekend and get a good jump was Rivera. That's why I'm leaning towards moving him up to 2 hole until Lala figures it out.

Approach was frightening for me. Never seen so many backwards K with runners in scoring position and 2 outs in a series (not to mention while facing a sweep or down 0-1). That's coaching.

All in all this team is an absolute mess at the moment. For all the hype surrounding the program this weekend showed glaring deficiencies in the program: Our manager is awful at the moment, our player development is awful at the moment, The same mental errors that have plagued this program for so many years are still there, if not worse.
 
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Gino is playing favorites with Paige at 2B. He made several mistakes over the weekend and Tuero should get a shot. The batting order can't afford black holes at SS and 2B.
 
Disappointing/maddening weekend would be the under-statement of the year. The sad thing is I don't think we are that different from UF talent-wise. O'Sullivan reminds me of Morris in his prime - attention to detail, teaches fundamentals, pushes all the right buttons w in-game decision-making, etc. Dimare on the other hand has proven he can recruit, but player development and in-game moves have been terrible and show no signs of improvement from last year.

And the defense and base-running might actually be worse than last year, incredible as that sounds. In addition to the physical errors, the mental lapses and lack of situational awareness indicate an unprepared team, e.g. UF's 2nd run on Sunday should have never scored: Vilar has to realize their runner was practically at 2B before the ball was hit and throw to first for the 3rd out; and then Paige still could have easily thrown the runner out at home but he was looking around for two - three seconds, at the umpire I guess. That play summed up the whole weekend for me - their aggressiveness vs our head up our *** in key situations. And they rub it in w their smack talk on top of everything and we do nothing about it.

There is still plenty of time to turn things around, but only if the coaches and players accept that this past weekend was a wake-up call and that changes and adjustments need to be made.
 
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I just thought this would be worth posting to show where we stand from a defensive point statistically in the ACC through the 1st couple weekends.
 

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@BWCD spot on:

We have plenty of arms to figure out the pecking order. I think it's time JD takes over decision making here. Something has to change.

In regards to the base paths I really have no idea what to say right now. It's mind boggling. We're talking about kids who had the green light all last year and were fairly successful doing it are scared to steal now or given the red light? I can't believe what I saw this weekend in obvious stealing situations but yet we didn't budge. The only kid I saw be aggressive this weekend and get a good jump was Rivera. That's why I'm leaning towards moving him up to 2 hole until Lala figures it out.

Approach was frightening for me. Never seen so many backwards K with runners in scoring position and 2 outs in a series (not to mention while facing a sweep or down 0-1). That's coaching.

All in all this team is an absolute mess at the moment. For all the hype surrounding the program this weekend showed glaring deficiencies in the program: Our manager is awful at the moment, our player development is awful at the moment, The same mental errors that have plagued this program for so many years are still there, if not worse.

we have too many fat kids who can't run from here to there without falling down.

ron fraser had it right: "give me the 9 fastest guys in college baseball on my team. because when the bats run dry, and they certainly will, I can hit and run, steal, bunt, draw walks, cause havoc, and manufacture runs. that we can do every day at the ballpark, regardless of how big the fence, or how the wind is blowing in from the outfield."

the day gino forgot that lesson, is the day he became useless as a coach.
 
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we have too many fat kids who can't run from here to there without falling down.

ron fraser had it right: "give me the 9 fastest guys in college baseball on my team. because when the bats run dry, and they certainly will, I can hit and run, steal, bunt, cause havoc and manufacture runs. that we can do every day at the ballpark, regardless of how big the fence, or how string the wind."

the day gino forgot that lesson, is the day he became useless as a coach.

I've said it since Gino's return: he recruits the travel ball heroes who grade well at Perfect Game showcases but who aren't great baseball players when it comes down to playing against elite competition. Part of that is just what you said. He goes after guys who hit it a long way in practice and against Rutgers. But they aren't all that athletic.
 
Oh my bad 1 extra game..3 more Abs..plate approach is on the batter..always

You can keep saying it over and over, but if you have guys with poor approaches, either recruit differently or take away their ABs. Still waiting for you to tell us what coaches are paid to do if they’re not responsible for getting hitters to have the correct approach.
 
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You can keep saying it over and over, but if you have guys with poor approaches, either recruit differently or take away their ABs. Still waiting for you to tell us what coaches are paid to do if they’re not responsible for getting hitters to have the correct approach.
Again..your basing it off 20 ABs..7 games..then your using 10 prior years as proof on a 2weekend sample size..yes if it continues and guys have poor approaches and aren’t producing you make changes..but u don’t panic over one weekend just because it’s against a perceived and rightfully so, elite opponent in the 2nd week ..only terrible coaches would think that there’s some secret success can come by flip flopping your lineup and pen after 2weekends.

granted the other stuff u hit on I agree with. As far as us needing to recruit better in terms of pure ball players and not just stars. Imo we need to branch out more when it comes to recruiting other than just south Florida base. But that a different and separate discussion
 
Again..your basing it off 20 ABs..7 games..then your using 10 prior years as proof on a 2weekend sample size..yes if it continues and guys have poor approaches and aren’t producing you make changes..but u don’t panic over one weekend just because it’s against a perceived and rightfully so, elite opponent in the 2nd week ..only terrible coaches would think that there’s some secret success can come by flip flopping your lineup and pen after 2weekends.

granted the other stuff u hit on I agree with. As far as us needing to recruit better in terms of pure ball players and not just stars. Imo we need to branch out more when it comes to recruiting other than just south Florida base. But that a different and separate discussion

When the approaches are the same ones from the same guys that got you beat last year, it's more than just one weekend.
 
When the approaches are the same ones from the same guys that got you beat last year, it's more than just one weekend.
Once again..your going OFF one singular weekend. That’s the point your choosing to ignore. Baseball is about consistent success over a large sample size..3 games is not enough to make that judgement. This team can still win 36-40 reg season games,make a con run, host a regional and put themselves in position to make a run in Omaha..a tough week in ******* February is no reason to panic..unless your a fan, it what we do lol
 
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Once again..your going OFF one singular weekend. That’s the point your choosing to ignore. Baseball is about consistent success over a large sample size..3 games is not enough to make that judgement. This team can still win 36-40 reg season games,make a con run, host a regional and put themselves in position to make a run in Omaha..a tough week in ******* February is no reason to panic..unless your a fan, it what we do lol

No, I'm not going off one weekend. When the same batters have the same failing approach as last year, it is a program issue, not a weekend issue.
 
No, I'm not going off one weekend. When the same batters have the same failing approach as last year, it is a program issue, not a weekend issue.
Once again, plate approach is on the batter not the coach. A hitting coach can tell a batter to change their approach can drill it until blue in the face. but if the player doesn’t implement it that’s on the player . How you played ball and don’t understand that blows my mind. For me it was simple. It was about identifying your strengths as a hitter and executing each AB..and Your using one weekend tho..the UF weekend..3 games..9-11 ABs...now if your gonna use the last 10-12 years (in which D has been the HC for 1 year and is 40-20) as the main indictment on what u saw this weekend...
 
Once again, plate approach is on the batter not the coach. A hitting coach can tell a batter to change their approach can drill it until blue in the face. but if the player doesn’t implement it that’s on the player . How you played ball and don’t understand that blows my mind. For me it was simple. It was about identifying your strengths as a hitter and executing each AB..and Your using one weekend tho..the UF weekend..3 games..9-11 ABs...now if your gonna use the last 10-12 years (in which D has been the HC for 1 year and is 40-20) as the main indictment on what u saw this weekend...
You're just reaching so hard trying to justify this man. Same exact **** that we saw last year and yes it's the same things we have seen for 10+ years. Granted I will say we hit the long ball better last year but all in all our approaches were awful last season and were unable to manufacture runs without it going over the fence
 
Bro you don’t make drastic changes after one weekend against a elite team..2-1..7-4..then whatever happens today..u have to put it behind you and move on..it’s weekend number 2..after 15-20 games are so if changes need to be made in the backend of the pen or in the lineup you make those changes..not after game 6 or 7 in the yead

This all feels strangely familiar. Get pantsed by the in-state measuring stick program for all the usual reasons, come up with the obvious list of changes, have the army of chuds stuck in 2007 rush in to defend the mediocrity...and then **** the bed to end the season in a few months.
 
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