Monday 9:45 p.m. update:
Some notes from @BlakeSkaggs and I from today’s Texas Baseball offseason Media Day:
David Pierce isn’t budging from his initial thought about shortstop. He wants Trey Faltine to win the job, and the staff is going to give him every opportunity to.
“Yeah, I think, you know, with Trey we've decided we're going to give him every opportunity to become a starter, and to become a starting shortstop because he's always been that two-way player. As a two-way player, he's divided his time as a pitcher and then playing infield,” said Pierce. “In high school, he's able to do it easily, but now he's at a higher level and there's more information, the game’s a little bit quicker. So, we just felt like for him to have a true chance of being a starter, he's got to go over there.”
Interestingly, the Texas head coach gave the impression third base is more wide open, and could have more of an effect on the rest of the lineup’s construction.
“I think third base may be the pivotal position for me because if (Brenden) Dixon ends up being the guy at second, (Lance) Ford could step in at third; or that could flip. Where does (Sam) Bertelson fit if he hits? There's a lot of question marks there. I know Sam can play both third and first really well. He's got a hit enough.”
Texas just held its first team practice of the offseason today. So, this is obviously subject to change, but I believe Faltine wins the shortstop job. That would mean Cam Williams, Murphy Stehly, Dixon, and Ford would be the main competitors for second and third base. It sounds like Dixon has really, really impressed those around the program, and Pierce again noted his winning and leadership intangibles. However, like all those players besides Ford, he’ll need to prove it during the offseason scrimmages because he hasn’t played at the collegiate level. Speaking of Ford, he has the arm and ability to play third, which he showed off today.
--- Pierce and Sean Allen have spent a long, long time together. Even with that in mind, Pierce was extremely fired up about the job his new pitching coach has done thus far.
“There's nothing trial about it. He is absolutely killing it,” responded Pierce about the fall being a trial of sorts for Allen to get acclimated again with being a pitching coach. “He's doing a great job of organization and that's a big piece of it. And really staying away from mechanics, but more about having guys fill their bodies and filling their body transition from different phases of their delivery. And we've really backed off on a lot of mechanical talk, and it's really individualized. Maybe an arm path, maybe a grip, but we've got some really talented kids so we're going to kind of see where they are right now. He’s really big on getting them on their back leg in the right position versus being too quick in their transition from the back side to the front side.
I think he's done a great job and then Huston (Street) and he have had a good rapport of being able to communicate with each other about certain guys. There's been times… matter of fact, I was with Huston last night and there's been times where he has recognized something, and then he listens and then Sean had just said it to a pitcher. So, they've been on the same page. I think that has been huge with Philip (Miller) and Tulo. Philip can work with anybody and he's a hard grinder, and they have just really hit it off well. I think that's huge for our players. And I like it. I like what they're doing. I like how they're working together and that message is being carried over to the players.”
--- To give you an example of the depth of Allen’s pitching acumen and why he is more than qualified to handle the job, here’s an example of him explaining Kolby Kubichek’s successful summer:
“I think he came in here last year as a freshman, like a lot of them do it's a big stage. I thought he pitched and threw through his sink, if that makes sense. He's 93 to 95 MPH last year when I think he's a lot better 90-92 MPH with heavy sink. And he just tried to power through stuff and that's just typical of a guy trying to overthrow. And that's a fine line of guy with power stuff and you want to really throw 94-95, but we've got to find out who he is. And it's not just having good stuff it's about throwing quality pitches and that's the biggest thing I want to see us do this fall is just pound the zone, and repeat our delivery. If we can repeat deliveries, then we'll command the baseball. And I felt like a lot of those young guys that we have coming back just didn't repeat deliveries well enough and that's been a big emphasis this fall so far.”
Allen also explained why someone like Bryce Elder this fall could be asked to pitch only with his other offspeed pitches to develop them. We all know Elder is a sinker and cutter/slider guy, but Allen noted Elder has one of the best curveballs on the team, which was used just 7% of the time last season. It was only used 7% of the time even though it had the lowest batting average of any of Elder’s pitches.
The "new" Texas pitching coach made it clear he's going to work with UT’s analytics group, headlined by former Blue Jays video coordinator Ryan Monsevalles, to better help maximize pitch usage and player performance, which is an area UT didn’t excel at last season. Blair Henley was a prime example of that because he didn’t throw his curve, his best pitch, enough despite poor results with his fastball.
--- It became obvious today the more Troy Tulowitzki discussed his teaching approach and hitting philosophy, the more he truly does believe in work ethic and competing being the pivotal aspects in player development.
“I think at the end of the day, I want them to compete,” he responded when asked about his hitting philosophy. “Don't give away at-bats; compete. I'm not someone that's going to focus on negative. It’s going to be a more positive mindset; more teaching them along. I think if anything, I can help them slow down the game. I remember back to when I was in college: sometimes you have the skill set, but the game gets a little too fast. There are too many people in the stands and the heartbeat gets going. So, I think if I can help them with one thing, it would really be to try to slow down the game and get that heartrate under control to where their ability can show.
“It’s a little bit of everything. There are mechanical adjustments, but there is a mentality to be a good player and where I want them to get. That's competing on a daily basis whether you're in practice or a game. I try to make practice just like a game. I think the good coaches do that in all sports and it's something I'm a firm believer in.”
This isn’t a surprise from what people inside Major League Baseball have told me about Tulowitzki. He is a grinder in the truest sense, and absolutely believes he achieved what he achieved because of hard work and competing.
--- When describing the outfielders today, Pierce mentioned the obvious names: Eric Kennedy, Austin Todd, and Duke Ellis. The head coach also put Douglas Hodo III in that group, and he’s really impressed the Texas staff so far. Speaking of outfielders, some notes from Blake Skaggs:
****
Eric Kennedy
Just as the first day of practice with live pitching began, the media had a chance to speak with members of the Longhorn coaching staff as well as a couple players. First up was the sophomore standout outfielder, Eric Kennedy.
As expected, the poor results of last season were a common topic. He was asked if he and the team put 27-27 behind them or if it on his mind during the summer season.
“Obviously, you’re thinking about Texas, but I was mainly focused on improving myself so that we (as a team) can improve on 27-27 last year. Put ourselves in the best position to go do better.”
“I’ve moved on. I think that’s what we all [have to] do. You do have to carry a chip on your shoulder because you are at the University of Texas and going 27-27 is not acceptable.”
Kennedy speaks of the difference in team bonding from last year to this year in a way that should make Texas fans happy looking forward.
“Everybody really clicked together well this year, which I think was a big part of the problem last year,” he said. “We didn’t really fit together. All the freshman coming in, the JUCO transfers, all really glued together. Everybody’s working hard. Everybody’s gotten stronger.”
On what he’s improved on this summer:
* “Better at selecting the right pitches. I fixed some things with my swing. (Coach Troy) Tulo has done some things; ball is coming off the bat better than it ever has.”
*“I’m staying on it more instead of pulling off, because we watched film when I first got back, and I noticed I was pulling the ball a lot. We definitely addressed that. It’s carrying more true. I’m also using my lower half more, because there were times when I wasn’t using it very much last year.”
*(In regard to watching film) “It definitely helps when you know what you’re looking at. Last year I wouldn’t really dive into it, but now I know what to look for, so, much better.”
The impact of the new staff additions is very clear when hearing everyone speak today. Kennedy spoke of the value of listening to Coach Tulowitzki.
“It’s awesome. A guy with that much big-league experience, you just have to soak it all up,” said the sophomore.
A few newcomers have caught Kennedy’s eye.
“Brenden Dixon. He’s been working hard. He’s a grinder. Trey Faltine is good. Cam Williams and Murphy Stehly are both here three hours after everyone else is gone, doing ground balls, taking BP.”
That’s what you want to hear about guys that are fighting for limited spots on the infield.
Philip Miller
Discussion with Texas assistant coach Philip Miller was focused mostly on the catchers, and rightfully so, considering the debacle of last season.
“Obviously, getting DJ (Petrinsky) back is huge. Just his presence. He’s still coming back off (injury), so he’s not full speed. So, we’ll wait for him to keep coming. Silas Ardoin has been really good so far.”
Coach Miller also mentioned good things about Turner Gauntt, Cam Constantine and Caston Peter. Texas has a lot of bodies at catcher, to say the least. Today only being day one of live pitching, there is still a lot to learn about the catchers.
He had nothing but good things to say about the addition of Tulowitzki to the coaching staff:
“He’s definitely brought in some great perspective and great new ideas. It’s been a blast to work with him so far.”
Besides the clear names (Todd, Kennedy, Ellis), there are a few other players in the outfield that have gained some attention from the coach. Freshman Doug Hodo III and Colton Rathjen as well as two-way player Kam Fields.
“He (Doug Hodo III) reminds me of Eric Kennedy as a freshman. He puts his nose down, keeps his mouth shut, but he goes to work and brings it every day. So that really stands out. He’s got some really good tools, so we are excited about him.”
*******
Texas began its offseason team workouts today. We had a chance to speak with David Pierce, Eric Kennedy, Troy Tulowitzki, Sean Allen, Philip Miller and Bryce Elder. It was about a hour and a half worth of audio so look for notes from that over the next few days.
In the meantime, some injury updates:
— DJ Petrinsky, as Pierce said weeks ago, is still working his way back. I’d describe him as limited but he’s on track to be ready for the season.
— Matt Whelan had hip surgery and won’t pitch this fall.
— Tristan Stevens has a back injury. Sounds like he‘ll be back soon, but they don’t know how much he’ll pitch this fall.
— Donny Diaz isn’t 100-percent right now but sounds close. Considering he needs to pitch extremely well to have a chance at making the roster, he needs to get healthy quickly.
Pierce didn’t mention anyone else with injury issues.
Some notes from @BlakeSkaggs and I from today’s Texas Baseball offseason Media Day:
David Pierce isn’t budging from his initial thought about shortstop. He wants Trey Faltine to win the job, and the staff is going to give him every opportunity to.
“Yeah, I think, you know, with Trey we've decided we're going to give him every opportunity to become a starter, and to become a starting shortstop because he's always been that two-way player. As a two-way player, he's divided his time as a pitcher and then playing infield,” said Pierce. “In high school, he's able to do it easily, but now he's at a higher level and there's more information, the game’s a little bit quicker. So, we just felt like for him to have a true chance of being a starter, he's got to go over there.”
Interestingly, the Texas head coach gave the impression third base is more wide open, and could have more of an effect on the rest of the lineup’s construction.
“I think third base may be the pivotal position for me because if (Brenden) Dixon ends up being the guy at second, (Lance) Ford could step in at third; or that could flip. Where does (Sam) Bertelson fit if he hits? There's a lot of question marks there. I know Sam can play both third and first really well. He's got a hit enough.”
Texas just held its first team practice of the offseason today. So, this is obviously subject to change, but I believe Faltine wins the shortstop job. That would mean Cam Williams, Murphy Stehly, Dixon, and Ford would be the main competitors for second and third base. It sounds like Dixon has really, really impressed those around the program, and Pierce again noted his winning and leadership intangibles. However, like all those players besides Ford, he’ll need to prove it during the offseason scrimmages because he hasn’t played at the collegiate level. Speaking of Ford, he has the arm and ability to play third, which he showed off today.
--- Pierce and Sean Allen have spent a long, long time together. Even with that in mind, Pierce was extremely fired up about the job his new pitching coach has done thus far.
“There's nothing trial about it. He is absolutely killing it,” responded Pierce about the fall being a trial of sorts for Allen to get acclimated again with being a pitching coach. “He's doing a great job of organization and that's a big piece of it. And really staying away from mechanics, but more about having guys fill their bodies and filling their body transition from different phases of their delivery. And we've really backed off on a lot of mechanical talk, and it's really individualized. Maybe an arm path, maybe a grip, but we've got some really talented kids so we're going to kind of see where they are right now. He’s really big on getting them on their back leg in the right position versus being too quick in their transition from the back side to the front side.
I think he's done a great job and then Huston (Street) and he have had a good rapport of being able to communicate with each other about certain guys. There's been times… matter of fact, I was with Huston last night and there's been times where he has recognized something, and then he listens and then Sean had just said it to a pitcher. So, they've been on the same page. I think that has been huge with Philip (Miller) and Tulo. Philip can work with anybody and he's a hard grinder, and they have just really hit it off well. I think that's huge for our players. And I like it. I like what they're doing. I like how they're working together and that message is being carried over to the players.”
--- To give you an example of the depth of Allen’s pitching acumen and why he is more than qualified to handle the job, here’s an example of him explaining Kolby Kubichek’s successful summer:
“I think he came in here last year as a freshman, like a lot of them do it's a big stage. I thought he pitched and threw through his sink, if that makes sense. He's 93 to 95 MPH last year when I think he's a lot better 90-92 MPH with heavy sink. And he just tried to power through stuff and that's just typical of a guy trying to overthrow. And that's a fine line of guy with power stuff and you want to really throw 94-95, but we've got to find out who he is. And it's not just having good stuff it's about throwing quality pitches and that's the biggest thing I want to see us do this fall is just pound the zone, and repeat our delivery. If we can repeat deliveries, then we'll command the baseball. And I felt like a lot of those young guys that we have coming back just didn't repeat deliveries well enough and that's been a big emphasis this fall so far.”
Allen also explained why someone like Bryce Elder this fall could be asked to pitch only with his other offspeed pitches to develop them. We all know Elder is a sinker and cutter/slider guy, but Allen noted Elder has one of the best curveballs on the team, which was used just 7% of the time last season. It was only used 7% of the time even though it had the lowest batting average of any of Elder’s pitches.
The "new" Texas pitching coach made it clear he's going to work with UT’s analytics group, headlined by former Blue Jays video coordinator Ryan Monsevalles, to better help maximize pitch usage and player performance, which is an area UT didn’t excel at last season. Blair Henley was a prime example of that because he didn’t throw his curve, his best pitch, enough despite poor results with his fastball.
--- It became obvious today the more Troy Tulowitzki discussed his teaching approach and hitting philosophy, the more he truly does believe in work ethic and competing being the pivotal aspects in player development.
“I think at the end of the day, I want them to compete,” he responded when asked about his hitting philosophy. “Don't give away at-bats; compete. I'm not someone that's going to focus on negative. It’s going to be a more positive mindset; more teaching them along. I think if anything, I can help them slow down the game. I remember back to when I was in college: sometimes you have the skill set, but the game gets a little too fast. There are too many people in the stands and the heartbeat gets going. So, I think if I can help them with one thing, it would really be to try to slow down the game and get that heartrate under control to where their ability can show.
“It’s a little bit of everything. There are mechanical adjustments, but there is a mentality to be a good player and where I want them to get. That's competing on a daily basis whether you're in practice or a game. I try to make practice just like a game. I think the good coaches do that in all sports and it's something I'm a firm believer in.”
This isn’t a surprise from what people inside Major League Baseball have told me about Tulowitzki. He is a grinder in the truest sense, and absolutely believes he achieved what he achieved because of hard work and competing.
--- When describing the outfielders today, Pierce mentioned the obvious names: Eric Kennedy, Austin Todd, and Duke Ellis. The head coach also put Douglas Hodo III in that group, and he’s really impressed the Texas staff so far. Speaking of outfielders, some notes from Blake Skaggs:
****
Eric Kennedy
Just as the first day of practice with live pitching began, the media had a chance to speak with members of the Longhorn coaching staff as well as a couple players. First up was the sophomore standout outfielder, Eric Kennedy.
As expected, the poor results of last season were a common topic. He was asked if he and the team put 27-27 behind them or if it on his mind during the summer season.
“Obviously, you’re thinking about Texas, but I was mainly focused on improving myself so that we (as a team) can improve on 27-27 last year. Put ourselves in the best position to go do better.”
“I’ve moved on. I think that’s what we all [have to] do. You do have to carry a chip on your shoulder because you are at the University of Texas and going 27-27 is not acceptable.”
Kennedy speaks of the difference in team bonding from last year to this year in a way that should make Texas fans happy looking forward.
“Everybody really clicked together well this year, which I think was a big part of the problem last year,” he said. “We didn’t really fit together. All the freshman coming in, the JUCO transfers, all really glued together. Everybody’s working hard. Everybody’s gotten stronger.”
On what he’s improved on this summer:
* “Better at selecting the right pitches. I fixed some things with my swing. (Coach Troy) Tulo has done some things; ball is coming off the bat better than it ever has.”
*“I’m staying on it more instead of pulling off, because we watched film when I first got back, and I noticed I was pulling the ball a lot. We definitely addressed that. It’s carrying more true. I’m also using my lower half more, because there were times when I wasn’t using it very much last year.”
*(In regard to watching film) “It definitely helps when you know what you’re looking at. Last year I wouldn’t really dive into it, but now I know what to look for, so, much better.”
The impact of the new staff additions is very clear when hearing everyone speak today. Kennedy spoke of the value of listening to Coach Tulowitzki.
“It’s awesome. A guy with that much big-league experience, you just have to soak it all up,” said the sophomore.
A few newcomers have caught Kennedy’s eye.
“Brenden Dixon. He’s been working hard. He’s a grinder. Trey Faltine is good. Cam Williams and Murphy Stehly are both here three hours after everyone else is gone, doing ground balls, taking BP.”
That’s what you want to hear about guys that are fighting for limited spots on the infield.
Philip Miller
Discussion with Texas assistant coach Philip Miller was focused mostly on the catchers, and rightfully so, considering the debacle of last season.
“Obviously, getting DJ (Petrinsky) back is huge. Just his presence. He’s still coming back off (injury), so he’s not full speed. So, we’ll wait for him to keep coming. Silas Ardoin has been really good so far.”
Coach Miller also mentioned good things about Turner Gauntt, Cam Constantine and Caston Peter. Texas has a lot of bodies at catcher, to say the least. Today only being day one of live pitching, there is still a lot to learn about the catchers.
He had nothing but good things to say about the addition of Tulowitzki to the coaching staff:
“He’s definitely brought in some great perspective and great new ideas. It’s been a blast to work with him so far.”
Besides the clear names (Todd, Kennedy, Ellis), there are a few other players in the outfield that have gained some attention from the coach. Freshman Doug Hodo III and Colton Rathjen as well as two-way player Kam Fields.
“He (Doug Hodo III) reminds me of Eric Kennedy as a freshman. He puts his nose down, keeps his mouth shut, but he goes to work and brings it every day. So that really stands out. He’s got some really good tools, so we are excited about him.”
*******
Texas began its offseason team workouts today. We had a chance to speak with David Pierce, Eric Kennedy, Troy Tulowitzki, Sean Allen, Philip Miller and Bryce Elder. It was about a hour and a half worth of audio so look for notes from that over the next few days.
In the meantime, some injury updates:
— DJ Petrinsky, as Pierce said weeks ago, is still working his way back. I’d describe him as limited but he’s on track to be ready for the season.
— Matt Whelan had hip surgery and won’t pitch this fall.
— Tristan Stevens has a back injury. Sounds like he‘ll be back soon, but they don’t know how much he’ll pitch this fall.
— Donny Diaz isn’t 100-percent right now but sounds close. Considering he needs to pitch extremely well to have a chance at making the roster, he needs to get healthy quickly.
Pierce didn’t mention anyone else with injury issues.
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