What does Aggie baseball need to take the next step?

Howdy TexAgs,

I was not expecting to be writing my farewell article of the season to you during the first week of June, but as you know by now the season was abruptly ended at the hands of the TCU Horned Frogs on Sunday at the College Station Regional. 

Before I get into the nitty gritty, I want to personally thank each of you who have read my articles this spring as it has truly been a great experience for me. I did not come into this gig with any professional journalistic experience, so thank you for giving me the latitude to express my feelings about all things Aggie baseball. 

I did not want this to be a technical piece in any way, but I wanted to focus on the stories and history of Texas Aggie baseball that have meant so much to me and presumably to you over the years. In addition to the readers, a big thank you goes out to Hunter and Gabe for orchestrating this whole thing with me at the end of last year. Thanks guys, it’s been a blast!

Now, on to the team. I am not a pot-banger and this article is not going to be a witch hunt, so if that is what you are looking for you will have to get back to the boards to release your anger and frustration. I will, however, give an honest assessment about this team and where it stands moving forward.

First, you have to look at the coaching staff. I’ll be the first to admit that I like Rob Childress as a human being as well as a coach and I still believe the same thing I’ve said all year long: This program is by far and away the closest to a national title compared to the other two sports that comprise the big three, and I believe Coach Childress is a big reason for this positioning. However, (not to rub salt in the wound), the past two weeks have shown us that we are not quite as close to the pinnacle in baseball as I thought.

Nonetheless, we have a solid program and the recent history proves that. You cannot be ranked in the top 20 as long as this team was if you are not a solid club, so that makes the loss hurt all the more. 

The great news is Coach Childress believes that he is going to bring a championship to Aggieland during his tenure. Don’t miss that; it’s extremely important. And this is not some whimsical hope of great things to come, he truly in his heart of hearts is confident in his ability to win the whole enchilada, and that lends me to believe it will happen.

The question is this:
• What adjustments will be made in practice, recruiting philosophy, coaching philosophy, travel arrangements, pre-game meals, uniforms, and everything else associated with Texas A&M baseball to better position this program to win a national title?

I’m kind of kidding about some of those things ... who am I kidding? No I’m not! The staff has to take a look at everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, and measure this season against its pre-season goals to improve the team moving forward. To pull from my analogy in the last article, it does not matter what professional field you are in, what matters is the process you implement and how you measure your success year-over-year, and the process for the Texas A&M baseball program is no different. The good news is the staff will do this; and I look forward to seeing the progress based on the learning experience from this year’s team.

Now it’s time to discuss the players. The team went out the way it did because of the issues that have been present since the beginning of the year. The Aggies did not have a deep or strong bullpen, and the lack of power ended up really hurting it as well. The team was going to have issues due to its inability to deliver the clutch three-run home run or wall-bruising double in a pressure situation with the game on the line, and this is exactly what the Aggies needed against Ole Miss in the late innings on Saturday night.

The only difference is I thought they would need that home run or gapper against a big-time arm. Nothing against the guys they faced last weekend, but they were not big-time arms. The truth is there was not one player in the Aggie line up that stirred up fear in the opposition and that is a problem.
 
Many times in baseball you will see pitchers step off the mound, shake off a sign, or call the catcher out because he is just flat out uncomfortable. This happened a week and a half ago when Josh Hamilton hit the game winner against the Toronto Blue Jays. The pitcher on the mound was nervous and you could see it, and when he finally decided to serve it up, BOOM, the game was over. 

I am by no means comparing Josh Hamilton to a college baseball hitter, but my point is this: There are hitters all over this NCAA tournament that look the part. Their stances, their statures, their presence, their uniforms, all of it screams “if you throw this ball over the plate it’s going to get ripped.” That is what I am talking about, and that is what the Aggies need. The Aggies did not have that type of presence in the lineup and it showed. Opposing pitchers were not fearful or uncomfortable on the mound, and this has to change as the Ags move into the hyper-competitive SEC.

With regards to the pitching, we all saw the depth issue rear its head over the course of the year, but I was really hoping that our two big horses would get us over the hump. I don’t buy the idea that the pitchers pressed because they knew the team was strapped offensively. To me that’s an excuse. We needed one of our top two pitchers to put the team on his back and will it to a hard-fought playoff victory against a quality opponent when it counted most; that didn’t happen.

My sentiment takes nothing away from Wacha and Stripling, they are great pitchers and the Aggie faithful should be thankful they got to witness those two guys pitching for the Maroon and White. I wish them the best of luck in their pro endeavors; and I know they will proudly represent our university at the next level and beyond.

So that leaves me with my formula for success. I strongly believe that you have to have two to three guys on the roster who are legitimate pro prospects, and we had that this year. These legitimate pro prospects need to absolutely dominate the collegiate game because of their superior talent level, posting ridiculous stats and bringing game-changing presence to the clubhouse and out on the field. 

The team also needs a big portion of the roster to be above-average college players. Not great, but guys who will get the opportunity to dabble in the minor leagues for a couple of years. These types of players are crucial to bridge the chasm between the pro prospects and the average to below-average players on the team. In my opinion, this area of the roster was the biggest problem for the Aggies this season. This team just did not have enough above-average college players, and lacking talent in this group is what ultimately led to a premature ending to the year.

Finally, the team needs to round out the roster with scrappers. These guys are never going to play a day of pro ball, but their love for the game, chip on their shoulder, and relentless pursuit of winning brings a contagious energy to the team. The Aggies undoubtedly had some scrappers on the roster this year, but in years to come this segment of the roster has to step up and “pester” the opposition much more than it displayed throughout the course of this season. The players in this segment cannot EVER miss a bunt, a cut-off man, or make a mistake on the bases. This group has to make up for its lack of talent with off the chart fundamental prowess. 

Moving on, the biggest negative about the weekend is the Aggies didn’t bring confidence and attitude to the table. Ole Miss brought that attitude. TCU brought that attitude. Texas A&M needs to bring that attitude next year. By the way, the coaching staff cannot force that on a team ... it has to come from the inside. You need some tough-nosed kids that had to scratch and claw just to get a scholarship to play baseball at Texas A&M. You need everyone (whether a pro prospect or not) on the roster to display this attitude.

The SEC has a league full of players like I am describing. I’m talking about guys who want to kick your rear end whether it’s competing over ping pong or over golf or over a collegiate baseball championship. You know the type. You either are one or you’ve had your rear end kicked by one, but you know the type. 

This is where I see the biggest advantage of moving to the SEC. A&M will be forced to develop this edge or the team will get embarrassed, and that goes for every sport. No one is going to give the new guy a break when we join the league on July 1; it’s going to be a battle from the start. 

The aforementioned swagger is what gets me excited about the move to the SEC. Texas A&M was never going to achieve its full potential (winning a national title) in the Big 12; the league was just too weak in more than one area. With the move east, the Aggies will be bruised, battled, and scarred by the time the playoffs come back around and that will help the team tremendously. Just look at the success the SEC has in baseball (and all sports for that matter) and you can undoubtedly trace it back to the edge created by running the gauntlet during the season.

So, until the eternal hope of spring rolls back around and we find ourselves asking all of these questions again, that’s all I have for you in 2012. Thank you again for your support throughout the year, and I look forward to returning to launch TexAgs’ coverage of Texas A&M baseball into its inaugural SEC season.
 
Until then, Gig ‘em Aggies.