2024 Texas Baseball

[hobbes2702 13,033]

On 7/7/2023 at 5:25 PM, petscii said:

I'd be fine with my kid going LSU, Stanford, or Texas...

One of those things is not like the others…

Edited July 8, 2023 by hobbes2702

[torre 1,285]

Tuned in to watch Tanner as he was scheduled to pitch (Chatham vs Cotuit).     Announcer stated Tanner returned home for the draft.   Good Luck to him.

Game has been delayed by fog.

 

 

[petscii 1,189]

30 minutes ago, hobbes2702 said:

One of those things is not like the others…

You know what, that's a good point.  I bet academics play a large part in LSU over Texas.

[Hookem2147 21,217]

Alright, so 24 hours til the draft. Feels like this is the current situation:

Feeling good: Powell, Hurley, Borba

Feeling good but could be a bad beat: Sanders, Morris and Tumis

Cautiously optimistic: Witt

We’ll see: Guillemette and Morehouse

Doesn’t seem trending the right way: Brown

Don’t hold your breath: Sykora, Gasparino, LBJ, Gordon and Campbell

Seem about right?

[Horny Bull 2,759]

1 minute ago, Hookem2147 said:

Feeling good but could be a bad beat: Sanders, Morris and Tumis

This category has hurt me many times over the years. Here’s to some better luck this time around.

[Hookem2147 21,217]

If Witt returns, Borba makes it to campus and one of Guillemette or Morehouse falls our way, I will consider it one of our more successful drafts in recent memory.

Edited July 9, 2023 by Hookem2147

[hobbes2702 13,033]

5 hours ago, Rickylovesweed said:

Belyeu is now hitting .370 with .462 OBP in his summer league. 

[Balcones 316]

9 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

OB is now saying they are "100%" confident Borba is going to make it to campus.

Great news. 

You have to create leverage.

[Rickylovesweed 14,294]

 

[Valmy77 13,226]

5 hours ago, petscii said:

Wait don't you need therapy now?

I focus all my mental pathologies on my Texas baseball fandom.

[Hookem2147 21,217]

Belyeu, Flores and Galvan all with homers tonight for Santa Barbara.

 

[Rickylovesweed 14,294]

Belyeu is now hitting over .400 and has a .488 OBP.

I'm now starting to wonder why he wasn't DHing over Flores and Galvan this year. He looks like a much more advanced hitter. 

[Mac8111 2,107]

The fact that we had a DH hitting below .200 is still something that baffles me.

[EZ$ 2,104]

3 minutes ago, Mac8111 said:

The fact that we had a DH hitting below .200 is still something that baffles me.

Probably had to in order to keep him from the portal.  And to be fair, several others got their shot and were just as bad. 

[zlavydra 2,121]

50 minutes ago, EZ$ said:

Probably had to in order to keep him from the portal.  And to be fair, several others got their shot and were just as bad. 

Also, Carlson was injured just as he started to have some better ABs.

[Had Enough 2,081]

Probably had to in order to keep him from the portal.  And to be fair, several others got their shot and were just as bad. 

Why wouldn’t this be a concern for Belyeu? He was well thought of too. I realize discussions happen and there could have been very different discussions regarding playing time.

Flores had a long leash from the beginning. I don’t think Galvan had many DH opportunities as GG would DH to allow Galvan to play C. Carlson was doing well at DH until he got hurt.

Belyeu only had 5 games with multiple ABs. Never had more than 3 in a game. Was 4-11 when getting multiple ABs. His usage was odd.

[Hookem2147 21,217]

8 minutes ago, Had Enough said:

Why wouldn’t this be a concern for Belyeu? He was well thought of too. I realize discussions happen and there could have been very different discussions regarding playing time.

Flores had a long leash from the beginning. I don’t think Galvan had many DH opportunities as GG would DH to allow Galvan to play C. Carlson was doing well at DH until he got hurt.

Belyeu only had 5 games with multiple ABs. Never had more than 3 in a game. Was 4-11 when getting multiple ABs. His usage was odd.

Flores had a longer leash compared to Belyeu but it really wasn’t that long. Started 8 of the first 9 games and then was sparingly used for a while. Had 7 starts total over a 2 month span (mostly at DH) from early March to early May until they finally decided to sit down Daly the last few weeks. Which of course then the Carlson injury happens.

Flores and Belyeu had similar issues with pitch recognition and being too passive at times. Belyeu also had an injury last summer (broken rib) that set him back a bit heading into the fall. That’s a tough injury to bounce back from.

[Had Enough 2,081]

10 starts out of the first 12 or so with 4 hits and two walks is a pretty long leash. That’s 50% more plate appearances then Belyeu had on the season. There’s nothing comparable about their seasons/opportunities.

Just as a counter to Flores, Powell was 7-22 in his first two seasons. 5 XBHs. So he got a whole 8 ABs the next season. This season. 1 start in the first 8 games.

I can’t recall such a poor statistical freshman season with that many ABs as Flores. He had a few big moments and a huge one against Miami. The HR versus OSU was nice.

I look forward to big things from Flores and think he’ll better for it.

[HenryJames 66,048]

 

[Hookem2147 21,217]

Some updates from OB. Lots of kool-aid. Hainline plays in the cape so that note in particular was interesting.

Spoiler

Here is a list of the Texas Longhorns that everyone will have their eyes on.

• #73 - RHP Tanner Witt
  • While logic says there is no chance that Witt makes it back to campus, currently this one is trending very well for the Horns. Witt has been in communication with the staff and has advised teams of the number he wants. If I had to put a percentage on Witt returning for another season at Texas, I would put it at 80/20 currently to return.
  • Witt Draft Talk
• #88 - RHP Travis Sykora (2023 signee)
  • Sykora is an interesting prep prospect in that he has an elite FB, regularly hitting 100mph and has been scouted for a long time. There were numerous times during his Round Rock games, where at least a quarter of the people in the stands were scouts. That said, he would be a draft eligible sophomore if he decided to attend Texas and there is some concern with a lack of movement on his fastball and the need to develop his secondary stuff. Combine that with the premium that MLB teams have put on college arms in recent years and this has become one to watch. While Sykora and his family are saying the right things, a RHP with his power usually does not make it past the 2nd Round. If he does, it will definitely be a situation to monitor
  • Sykora Draft Grades
• #129 - OF Dylan Campbell
  • There have not been as many risers as there has been with DC and for good reason. Campbell put together a very impressive Spring in which he hit safely in 38 straight games and was a force at the plate for the Longhorns. His bat is not his only talent though as he possesses elite speed and an outstanding glove and feel for RF. Based on scouts I have spoken with, DC is viewed as a mid to late 3rd Rounder with a signing bonus somewhere in the 500K range. Is that enough for him to sign? We shall see, but based on conversations with those around him, it is not a lock that he signs for that amount.
  • DC Draft Talk
• #156 - OF Will Gasparino (2023 signee)
  • Gaspo is the son of Billy Gasparino, Vice President of Scouting for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A 6'6" lanky outfielder with tools galore, Will is an intriguing player that has had an outstanding career for Harvard-Westlake in California. While hampered his senior year due to an injury, he has long been scouted by MLB teams and there is at least one team that will undoubtedly fall in love with his projectability. There are some concerns with his hitting at the next level as he is 6'6" and there are some gaps, but Gaspo is definitely a kid that the Texas staff will be sweating and most have written off going into the draft. It is worth noting that Gaspo has a pretty high price tag attached which will preclude a number of teams being able to draft and sign him.
  • Gasparino Draft Talk
• #188 - RHP Lebarron Johnson Jr
  • In terms of helium going into the draft, very few players saw their stock block up as much as LBJ did during the 2023 season. A RHP that can hit 98 on his FB with a wicked 87mph slider and an elite splitter that has hit 92, the biggest question for teams is how much more is there to tap into and for LBJ, it is all about the benjamins. Is LBJ willing to take 4-5th round money and sign or does he believe in himself that he can come back with a full year as a dude and get a bigger signing bonus in the 2024 draft.
  • LBJ Draft Talk
• C Garret Guillemette
  • A day 2 selection, where Garret goes is the question. In talking to those close to the situation, 2023 has always been viewed as his draft year, but where he goes will certainly be the deciding factor. With his heart set on getting his career started, I would not be surprised to see him sign
• LHP Lucas Gordon
  • A day 2 or even day 3 selection, logic says that there really is no reason for Lucas to come back to school. He is a crafty lefty that relies upon his FB/Change mix, occasionally using a slider that he worked on this past summer. A family that does not require the money, there is some chatter that Lucas could potentially come back to school. That will absolutely be something to watch this week and in the next 3 weeks when draftees must sign by. Cannot understate how big of a development this would be for the Horns going into 2024 if it occurs.
• RHP Zane Morehouse
  • An older pitcher who has shown flashes but also struggled, I would be a bit shocked if Morehouse does not sign regardless of where he is drafted
• OF Porter Brown
  • Porter is a guy that believes in himself and his ability. At the same time, he does have a high price tag and if he stays true to the amount he wants, I would be shocked if he gets anywhere close to it which could land him back at Texas for another season. This would be a massive development for the Horns.
• UTIL Peyton Powell
  • If Powell wants to play in the majors, the time is now as it may be difficult to build upon what he did this past season. There is a real sense though of how much does he actually want it. Based on conversations I have had, the Horns expect Powell to return to campus for the 2024 season.
• RHP Charlie Hurley
  • All indications are that Charlie Hurley will return to Texas for another season to increase his draft stock

While everyone has fretted over the lack of transfer portal activity, in talking to folks, there are a couple of reasons behind this.

• Top level pitchers entering the portal are commanding figures of a minimum of 125K. Texas is not at the top of the mountain in NIL as this is not football.
• There is a real sense that the Horns have a chance to return some real difference makers from the 2023 roster which makes roster space a premium, especially given that they are bringing in nearly 20 HS players
• Texas has had a chance with several transfer candidates, but due to the rigors of getting them into school and/or the graduate programs, it has been tough hurdle and cost the Horns at least two players

Lastly, two nuggets to file away:

• The Horns do not appear done in the transfer portal. There is a player in the Cape that I fully expect to join the program sooner rather than later
• I fully expect the final coaching staff to look like this
  • Head Coach - David Pierce
  • 1st Asst - Philip Miller
  • 2nd Asst - Steve Rodriguez
  • 3rd Asst - Caleb Longley
• Pitching coach duties will fall to Coach Pierce and Chris Gordon who has been outstanding and is very well respected
• Everyone continues to ask about Tulo. Nothing is set in stone and he could change his mind today or tomorrow, but there is a real possibility that Tulo returns to the staff handling player development - more to come on that

Other 2023 Texas Signees to look out for:

• 3B Casey Borba (Orange Lutheran) - based on conversations with those close to Casey, I fully expect him to come to Texas
• C Nik Sanders - A very talented prep catcher from the greater Waco area, I fully expect him to make it to campus, but he is a kid that has gone a bit silent, so I would not be shocked by anything

Edited July 9, 2023 by Hookem2147

[Valmy77 13,226]

How much more per month do we need to be "at the top of the mountain"? This vagueness is frustrating.

[UnhappilyMarried 815]

1 hour ago, Valmy77 said:

How much more per month do we need to be "at the top of the mountain"? This vagueness is frustrating.

I was told LSU gave the Xavier closer 125 + 100% scholarship. Bama Friday guy commands even more than that I'm sure. I also want to know how Holliday is landing pitchers outside of just promising Friday night. 

I get the sense we're in that ballpark, we're just playing the waiting game for now. It really doesn't makes sense for us to start splashing cash until we know how the draft goes with so many key pieces still on the fence. No point denting the budget for an overpriced transfer if we can get Witt and Gordon back

[chase25 2,048]

1 hour ago, Valmy77 said:

How much more per month do we need to be "at the top of the mountain"? This vagueness is frustrating.

I don’t know much about how much Texas has to spend for baseball as far as the NIL collective pool. What I do know, with 40 man rosters, 125K for one arm is a chunk of change for anyone. Given that Texas feels like they have a shot to get Gordon or Witt back they probably couldn’t commit top end money. If Gordon, LBJ, and Witt all exit, Texas will probably have the money to go after a top arm, which there are some left like Mason Molina and Chase Burns

 

[Hookem2147 21,217]

8 minutes ago, UnhappilyMarried said:

I was told LSU gave the Xavier closer 125 + 100% scholarship. Bama Friday guy commands even more than that I'm sure. I also want to know how Holliday is landing pitchers outside of just promising Friday night. 

I get the sense we're in that ballpark, we're just playing the waiting game for now. It really doesn't makes sense for us to start splashing cash until we know how the draft goes with so many key pieces still on the fence. No point denting the budget for an overpriced transfer if we can get Witt and Gordon back

I think where we are different is we pay everyone as supposed to just the top 3-5 guys. I bet OSU has the funds to money whip a guy or two but I doubt they are paying everyone. As a matter of fact, I bet they just earmarked whatever they gave Watts-Brown last year and passed it down to the next transfer pitcher.

I think patience is getting thin with Holliday though. Getting embarrassed in that home regional a year after another home regional exit pissed off a lot of people.

Edited July 9, 2023 by Hookem2147

[chase25 2,048]

11 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

I think patience is getting thin with Holliday though. Getting embarrassed in that home regional a year after another home regional exit pissed off a lot of people.

Couple that with what former player Ryan Folmar is doing at Oral Roberts, Holliday may be in his final year as HC. Oklahoma State going to have to position themselves to be in a good position in the new Big 12

[Levi 2,586]

Getting Tulo back would be a big plus. 

[UnhappilyMarried 815]

1 hour ago, Hookem2147 said:

I think where we are different is we pay everyone as supposed to just the top 3-5 guys. I bet OSU has the funds to money whip a guy or two but I doubt they are paying everyone. As a matter of fact, I bet they just earmarked whatever they gave Watts-Brown last year and passed it down to the next transfer pitcher.

I think patience is getting thin with Holliday though. Getting embarrassed in that home regional a year after another home regional exit pissed off a lot of people.

Okie Lite was still the best team in conference last year for me. Maybe they're just becoming Tech in their new park where they juice their offensive stats all year and then flame out in June. Not pitching JWB in game 1 was weird though and then he got shelled in game 2. Be nice if they got raided by the draft. Riggio is already draft eligible.

Edited July 9, 2023 by UnhappilyMarried

[Hookem2147 21,217]

20 minutes ago, UnhappilyMarried said:

Okie Lite was still the best team in conference last year for me. Maybe they're just becoming Tech in their new park where they juice their offensive stats all year and then flame out in June. Not pitching JWB in game 1 was weird though and then he got shelled in game 2. Be nice if they got raided by the draft. Riggio is already draft eligible.

McLean, Riggio and JWB are all gone almost certainly. But they had some younger position players that were solid.

Edited July 9, 2023 by Hookem2147

[Hookem2147 21,217]

I was a little disappointed to read that we had run into admission issues for transfers. But I know it is fairly common. TCU ran into that exact issue for Chase Burns and his credits transferring and had to stop pursuing him because of it.

[Rickylovesweed 14,294]

4 hours ago, HenryJames said:

 

With a bunch of stolen bases. I can see why they might be selective in the portal for the OF.

Cummings and Belyeu look like really good players with potentially Thomas moving to the OF with an infield addition. Outside of maybe somebody like Mac Bingham, I'm not totally sure there's an upgrade in the OF from the portal. 

Edited July 9, 2023 by Rickylovesweed

[cochamps 1,879]

COOL, CALM, COLLECTED - Houston Chronicle, 7_9_2023.html

Edited July 9, 2023 by cochamps

[cochamps 1,879]

6 minutes ago, cochamps said:

COOL, CALM, COLLECTED - Houston Chronicle, 7_9_2023.html 17.12 kB · 3 downloads

NVM  not so good at the interwebs😡

[UnhappilyMarried 815]

Shit, JT and Galvan are both even older than Flores. That class already has 0 depth. Did Matthew Porchas quit baseball? Bit of a snarky tweet from him when Pierce George left. Valentine took the whole year off, it seems, and just committed to Pepperdine. 21 class is brutal to look back at too and we likely get nothing from Harrison next year. 

Seeing 0 draft coverage anywhere on Boehm. 

Sykora, Selvig, Borba, Tumis are all 19 already. Sanders might just be on the cusp, I don't quite know the rule because Pete was said to be draft eligible in 2021 despite only being 20.8 years old

[Hookem2147 21,217]

15 minutes ago, UnhappilyMarried said:

Shit, JT and Galvan are both even older than Flores. That class already has 0 depth. Did Matthew Porchas quit baseball? Bit of a snarky tweet from him when Pierce George left. Valentine took the whole year off, it seems, and just committed to Pepperdine. 21 class is brutal to look back at too and we likely get nothing from Harrison next year. 

Seeing 0 draft coverage anywhere on Boehm. 

Sykora, Selvig, Borba, Tumis are all 19 already. Sanders might just be on the cusp, I don't quite know the rule because Pete was said to be draft eligible in 2021 despite only being 20.8 years old

Galvan, JT and Flores will all be draft eligible sophomores. I still have some hope that guys like Belyeu and Duplantier will be contributors from that class. O’Hara might be a defense first role player majority of his career but you need 1 or 2 of those on a 40 man roster. The rule is you have either have 3 years of college under your belt or be 21 on the day of the draft. If Morris, Tumis and Selvig are already 19 then it will be the same deal for them.

Porchas and Valentine were cut. Valentine should have never been recruited at a place like Texas. Porchas was a classic California kid who maxed out as a sophomore in high school and then never really got better.

The 2021 class had a lot of missed evals around the country due to covid preventing off campus recruiting during critical times. It’s why the class was so small (and the fact we returned 80% of the team from the prior year).

In today’s world if you get 4 or 5 multi year starters and starting pitcher or two in a recruiting class that is a pretty good hit rate, in my opinion. I’m somewhat surprised we are taking such a big class this year, but a solid chunk of them are pitchers. Probably trying to make up for the light number of pitchers the previous two years.

Edited July 9, 2023 by Hookem2147

[Rickylovesweed 14,294]

8 hours ago, Mac8111 said:

The fact that we had a DH hitting below .200 is still something that baffles me.

I think the reason Flores was given more opportunities at DH is because they knew Daly wasn't very good at SS. Wanted to give Flores opportunities to take over at SS. 

But the way Belyeu is hitting it's looking like he should have definitely been in the lineup. 

[Rickylovesweed 14,294]

3 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

As a matter of fact, I bet they just earmarked whatever they gave Watts-Brown last year and passed it down to the next transfer pitcher.

I think patience is getting thin with Holliday though. Getting embarrassed in that home regional a year after another home regional exit pissed off a lot of people.

Holliday seems to do everything right except win when it matters. They're constantly landing talent and have good teams but can't put it all together. 

[Hookem2147 21,217]

I'm going to guess the number Witt's circle is giving teams is somewhere between $1.5-$2 million, which is beginning to middle of the second round slot money (top 55 picks). 

If we make it out of tonight without his name being called then it would think we would be almost in the clear.

[Rickylovesweed 14,294]

3 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

I'm going to guess the number Witt's circle is giving teams is somewhere between $1.5-$2 million, which is beginning to middle of the second round slot money (top 55 picks). 

If we make it out of tonight without his name being called then it would think we would be almost in the clear.

Yeah, this is what I posted in the draft thread. 

If Witt isn't drafted early, I would think it's a good sign that he has major signability issues. But I guess a team could go way over slot in later rounds. 

[MuellerHorn 4,230]

Alright, Texas. Let's get some studs back on/to campus:

[txhorns 2,409]

1 hour ago, Hookem2147 said:

I'm going to guess the number Witt's circle is giving teams is somewhere between $1.5-$2 million, which is beginning to middle of the second round slot money (top 55 picks). 

If we make it out of tonight without his name being called then it would think we would be almost in the clear.

Witt can also get a redshirt year for last season so he wouldn’t lose any leverage.

Edited July 9, 2023 by txhorns

[BillyGoatHill 4,312]

4 minutes ago, txhorns said:

Witt can also get a redshirt year for last season so he wouldn’t lose any eligibility.

Him having eligibility isn't the issue. 

[UnhappilyMarried 815]

1 hour ago, BillyGoatHill said:

Him having eligibility isn't the issue. 

Yep. He’s already 21. He can’t really go through this next year and say pay me more or I’ll wait until I’m 23 to go pro 

[Hookem2147 21,217]

I don’t think Hainline is likely anymore. Sounds like something else is in the works with another infielder. Not sure the full story but it may have made more sense to reallocate some funds to some of the returning guys.

Edited July 10, 2023 by Hookem2147

[MuellerHorn 4,230]

2 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

I don’t think Hainline is likely anymore. Sounds like something else is in the works with another infielder.

Will we be as excited?

[Hookem2147 21,217]

Just now, MuellerHorn said:

Will we be as excited?

No. Doesn’t have the production of Hainline but this guy still has a fair amount of upside. This guys overall fit on the roster might make more sense assuming Powell returns and Borba makes it to campus. 

[Rickylovesweed 14,294]

My bet is it's Deric Fabian from Florida. 

 

[Rickylovesweed 14,294]

17 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

No. Doesn’t have the production of Hainline but this guy still has a fair amount of upside. This guys overall fit on the roster might make more sense assuming Powell returns and Borba makes it to campus. 

I'll wait to see who we get to return and what we add pitching wise but we haven't added a single impact bat from the portal. And there are a lot of great options in the portal. 

There is something way off if all we add is somebody like Fabian. Now if we get a lot of signees and players to return it would make sense in terms of NIL allocation so I'll wait to judge. 

[Hookem2147 21,217]

6 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

I'll wait to see who we get to return and what we add pitching wise but we haven't added a single impact bat from the portal. And there are a lot of great options in the portal. 

There is something way off if all we add is somebody like Fabian. Now if we get a lot of signees and players to return it would make sense in terms of NIL allocation so I'll wait to judge. 

Cummings wasn’t portal but I would consider that a pretty big addition.

We’ll see. I think a lot is in the works. It’s possible every scholarship position player could be back minus Kennedy, Daly, Carlson and Campbell.

Edited July 10, 2023 by Hookem2147

[Rickylovesweed 14,294]

8 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Cummings wasn’t portal but I would consider that a pretty big addition.

We’ll see. I think a lot is in the works. It’s possible every scholarship position player could be back minus Kennedy, Daly, Carlson and Campbell.

Borba, Powell, Guillmette, Campbell, and Brown have just as much value as any transfer. So if that's where NIL is going, I'm all for it. 

But we need to get several of those guys back based on what we've added in the portal. 

Edited July 10, 2023 by Rickylovesweed

[MuellerHorn 4,230]

This draft is going really well for Texas thus far. 

Edited July 10, 2023 by MuellerHorn