Mid-Season Awards Canes Baseball

Pitcher in the Rye

3) Man's Law 2) God's Law 1) Mr. Murphy's Law
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Best 1st Year Transfer: Jacob Burke- 2nd on the team in both BA and OPS, he's been outstanding in a sometimes shaky OF.

Worst 1st Year Transfer: Maxwell Romero- Technically, Matt Radelunas should earn this distinction. His last full season as a pitcher was at the D3 level, and he posted 5.40 ERA against paltry competition. Why anyone thought he would get ACC hitters out is a head scratcher, and his 14.73 ERA and absurdly high 3.13 WHIP speak to that. However, Radelunas doesn't have near the impact on the game as does Romero, who bats cleanup and plays a premium position. His average is starting to flirt with the Mendoza line, and his defense has been shaky at times.

Freshman of the Year: Karson Ligon- He's the Saturday night starter and has posted a 1.45 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP and is tied for 2nd in wins. What more could you ask for in a true freshman? Good news for the Canes is that there are plenty of honorable mentions here. Villegas, Gonzalez, and Ziehl have all been outstanding and hint at a bright future.

Most Improved: Dom "Bomb" Pitelli- He's raised his average almost a 100 points from last year and is tied for 2nd in homers. He's turned himself from a glove-first player into legitimate offensive threat.

Most (Un) improved: Alejandro Rosario- He had a rough freshman campaign, and this season's numbers (8.17/1.63) are even worse. For a guy with an elite fastball and spin rate, he's really underperformed to put it mildly. However, his last two starts have been sharp, and hopefully he can turn the corner and shake off this dubious honor by seasons end.

Best Pitcher: Andrew Walters- Zilch. Zero. Nada. The absence of something. That's his ERA thus far. His WHIP is basically a hiccup. People should buy tickets just to see him pitch. Coming soon to a big league club near you.

Offensive MVP: Yohandy Morales- Leads the team in OPS and HR's, he's been consistently productive in the 3 hole. The good news is that Burke, Kayfus, and Pitelli all have a legitimate shot to steal this award by seasons end.
 
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Romero hasn't hit as expected, but we'd be screwed without him behind the plate.

His defense, ability to hold runners, and handling of the pitchers are incredibly valuable. I don't get the hate. Then again, people on here have complained about Pitelli's fielding, and he might be the best SS we've had in a long time.
 
Romero hasn't hit as expected, but we'd be screwed without him behind the plate.

His defense, ability to hold runners, and handling of the pitchers are incredibly valuable. I don't get the hate. Then again, people on here have complained about Pitelli's fielding, and he might be the best SS we've had in a long time.
I don't consider or call it hate. Romero is not hitting well and he's had more than his share of pass balls. That's just FACTS. I believe he can hit better if he makes some adjustments.

He appears uber aggressive with his swing. His stance and swing look tight like he's flexing every muscle in his body. That slows your bat down tremendously.

His swing isn't bad. It just seems like he's trying to hit a HR at every AB. He needs to relax. If he takes a more relaxed approach at the plate and holds the bat light in his hands like it's a bird instead of a sword, his bat speed will increase. The strikeouts will go down and the hits will increase. You want to have effortless power. That's when you see the ball fly the farthest.

This isn't hate. It's my opinion of what I see and how he can improve.
 
I don't consider or call it hate. Romero is not hitting well and he's had more than his share of pass balls. That's just FACTS. I believe he can hit better if he makes some adjustments.

He appears uber aggressive with his swing. His stance and swing look tight like he's flexing every muscle in his body. That slows your bat down tremendously.

His swing isn't bad. It just seems like he's trying to hit a HR at every AB. He needs to relax. If he takes a more relaxed approach at the plate and holds the bat light in his hands like it's a bird instead of a sword, his bat speed will increase. The strikeouts will go down and the hits will increase. You want to have effortless power. That's when you see the ball fly the farthest.

This isn't hate. It's my opinion of what I see and how he can improve.

I don't really disagree. I'm just saying we're fortunate to have him, even if he is underperforming, because otherwise we'd likely be starting JD Jones at Catcher right now.
 
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I don't really disagree. I'm just saying we're fortunate to have him, even if he is underperforming, because otherwise we'd likely be starting JD Jones at Catcher right now.
I saw JD Jones in the fall and a couple of preseason scrimmages. He looked really good behind the plate.
 
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