College Baseball - Non Texas Fans

[BreckTxLonghorn]

Alright, please, do not turn this into a 'slam the school' thread or ' Team A better watch out'. This is a curious question on the style of baseball played, and Texas is the best model I can think of.


My friends and I were watching college baseball playoffs recently, and all being Texas alums, we talked about how much we love the small-ball offensive style: work the leadoff hitter, everybody has to be able to sac bunt, hit & run when viable, pinch-running for the 4-5 hitters when situation calls for it, etc.

At the same time, it can seem like a pest of a team when you play against it. Do people get annoyed at the small ball style? Do you hate hearing the words 'small ball' during every college broadcast ( I do).

More than anything, would love to hear thoughts from people on baseball strategy and opinions.

And again, a plea, let's keep this to style and not to team . Otherwise, this thread will go :catredx:

[pirate4state]

:thinking:

Good question. Small ball is a thing of beauty, IMO. I guess I'm just used to it after watching Texas play so much.

I love watching teams crank out homeruns, but nothing drives me crazy like watching batters swinging for the fences when all they need is a base hit. *sigh*

I just love watching CLEAN baseball. :D


oops...I just realized as a Texas fan I wasn't suppose to answer/reply. :doh: Oh well, we all know I don't follow instructions. :p

[SHSBulldog00]

I'm not crazy about "small ball". But if that is the kind of players you have, play to their strength's. It annoys the crap out of the defense. However if you face a "gorilla ball" team it may be a long day.

[big daddy russ]

Doesn't bother me in the least bit, but every team has their own style and does what works for them. UT's had some big bat-type years, but typically they're a small ball, power-arm kinda team.

CS-Fullerton teams, on the other hand, typically bring the lumber.

Baseball's supposed to be a laid-back sport anyways. You can hold a conversation, unwind from the day, drink a beer or two (if you're not at a college campus) and watch a game unfold. If that sounds like the type of baseball you like watching (which I do), small ball is great. The games are usually tight going into the eighth and ninth innings, so you almost always have a good game going.

[sahen]

more college teams play small ball now than in the mid 90s - early 00s....they had to change the types of bats they were using, the ball, and push the fences back in Omaha because teams like LSU were making 20 run games normal...i like it better now, its more like basball is supposed to play but some teams can still mash (like LSU)....

[CenTexSports]

I don't personally like the term "small ball." But you have to play with the talent you have and a team with strong pitching and speed has to "manufacture" runs. As far as watching game, I like both kinds. I like watching King Kong Kingman, Dave Winfield, Willie Stargil, and Josh Hamilton hit those monster shots. And I also like watching Willie Wilson, George Brett, Rickey Henderson and Rod Carew hit the ball all over the park.

Baseball is good no matter how it is played but you would never have heard Dizzy Dean calling it small ball. My proof that baseball is the best sport is that Bo Jackson chose to play it forsaking the NFL and Bo knows sports.

[I_Do_Care]

Originally posted by CenTexSports
My proof that baseball is the best sport is that Bo Jackson chose to play it forsaking the NFL and Bo knows sports. Sort of had to with a metal hip lol

[BreckTxLonghorn]

Does anyone think this can hurt the players' pro chances? At least the 3-4-5 hitters who sacrifice more than a gorilla ball or traditional strategy would? No doubt some of these players can hit, but when it's a clutch moment and they show their bunting skills instead of raking one, I would think that (at least subconsciously) lower their value to scouts.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by BreckTxLonghorn
Does anyone think this can hurt the players' pro chances? At least the 3-4-5 hitters who sacrifice more than a gorilla ball or traditional strategy would? No doubt some of these players can hit, but when it's a clutch moment and they show their bunting skills instead of raking one, I would think that (at least subconsciously) lower their value to scouts.
I'm not a scout by any stretch of the imagination, but I think a scout can tell how much power a hitter consistently generates when he hits the ball. If they have enough pop to make it at the major league level, you can usually tell when the ball leaves the bat.

Also, quite a few college three hitters aren't the big boppers you see in the majors. They may not have the 40-homer potential that MLB three-hitters like Pujols, Texeira, Morneau, or David Wright have, but they may be more of a Tony Gwynn type. If they can hit, there's 50 rounds for someone to pick them up.

[eagles_victory]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
I'm not a scout by any stretch of the imagination, but I think a scout can tell how much power a hitter consistently generates when he hits the ball. If they have enough pop to make it at the major league level, you can usually tell when the ball leaves the bat.

Also, quite a few college three hitters aren't the big boppers you see in the majors. They may not have the 40-homer potential that MLB three-hitters like Pujols, Texeira, Morneau, or David Wright have, but they may be more of a Tony Gwynn type. If they can hit, there's 50 rounds for someone to pick them up. If you look at power hitters in the majors it is something that can develop later on in a players career. Take guys like Palmerio, Bonds, and Giambi (all be it all 3 had help) these guys came up as not being known as power hitters and later on power developed. Even though they are all 3 roiders sometimes guys just dont start off as power hitters because that is not the style of ball played in other leagues. Also for a guy who I think is clean look at Mauer for the Twins this year he has had his power develop after several seasons of being a solid contact hitter. These scouts in baseball are so expierenced that they can pinpoint a guy who has the potential to have a lot of pop even if they arent currently hitting a lot of homers.