College Top 25: March 9 | Sat. Recap: Tigers' Young Bulldog
As
it usually does, the Houston College Classic gave us intriguing
matchups between some of the best teams and best teams in the
country. And, as many of these teams are coming off softer early
season schedules, these games can reveal a lot as we head into
conference play. We also learned a lot about individual prospects, as
elite pitchers got to test themselves against top flight hitters and
vice versa. Let’s take a look at some of the most interesting
takeaways from what what we a very telling weekend at Minute Maid
Park.
LSU:
A Title Contending Juggernaut
On
paper, it’s not too difficult to see how frightening the Tigers’
lineup is. And, although it was easy to be skeptical about their
youthful weekend rotation, it was also apparent just how talented
those young arms were. But, to see LSU in person is a completely
different animal. This isn’t just a polished, well schooled team,
but an exciting group that brought an electricity with them them to
Houston more akin to a touring rock band than a college baseball
team.
A
lineup stacked with athletes, LSU looks physically like a
professional team disguised as a college club. They played the game
with about the highest degree of fire in Houston that you’ll see
out of a team, perhaps fueled by the raucous traveling circus that is
their fan base. And, the resemblances to a professional team go well
beyond the physical. This is a lineup that knows how to approach an
at-bat and how to exploit a pitcher’s weaknesses. The Tigers’
actually ran up against some superb pitching performances in Houston,
but it was obvious in how pitchers attacked them that they were aware
of how careful they had to be. It takes that type of caution and
planning to keep them off the board. Most teams around the country
have parts of their lineup that can be challenged and beat with
premium stuff. LSU does not really have a part of their lineup a
pitcher can do that with. Pitchers may get accused of nibbling
against them, but pitchers that did challenge with hard stuff were
consistently burned in Houston.
No
team in the country has more bat speed in their lineup. You will not
beat Jake Fraley, Alex Bregman, Andrew Stevenson, Conner Hale, or
Chris Chinea on fastballs. And, with Bregman, Fraley, and Stevenson,
you better be prepared to change speeds, work east to west or change
eye levels to get them out. They are that complete. And, they have
the big league offensive tools to match the advanced approach. And,
it’s nearly as difficult to exploit Chinea, Hale, Danny Zardon, or
Mark Laird. Chinea, Hale, and Zardon all show power to the opposite
field and can’t simply be attacked with soft stuff away. It’s a
lineup that just doesn’t seem to end and goes beyond just the
players named here.
If
a team can shut down this lineup, getting through the LSU pitching
staff is far from a picnic. Sophomore lefty Jared Poche is proving to
be the perfect anchor, and Alex Lange already appears to be one of
the most dynamic pitchers in the country even as a freshman.
This
is a team that is here to stay. The key will be staying healthy in
the starting rotation. The offense has such immense depth that is
could sustain losses, but LSU’s hopes will rely heavily on the
continued success of Poche and Lange leading the staff.
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