We are aligned. I think we both know Chris Harts track record. If he wants you, we should be happy. People just don't like the idea of an unproven guy.CLTWolf said:We are aligned in our thinking, I think.Jtilley said:They are bringing in Thompson who is proven and another Juco bat. Jaros hit .343 in limited sample with as many walks as strikeouts and was top 150 recruit.StateFan2001 said:The difference is most of those guys were proven college hitters. I am just surprised coming off a CWS run and having a strong NIL budget that we are landing unproven hitters vs. guys who we have already seen succeed in college baseball.Jtilley said:
Here are the transfers/juco hitters we have taken over the last seven years that made it past fall ball.....
2024- Amak, Pennington, Butters, Hogue
2023- Harrison, Trice, Candelaria, Nolan
2022- Gino, Piolli, Hood, Lavoie, Oldham, Godman
2021- Truitt
2020- Murr
2019- Butler
2018- Edwards
That is an extremely high hit rate, and the ones that didn't pan out were mostly depth pieces anyways.
We can split hairs over Ozzy but you aren't finding many kids with his power upside in the portal. He is worth the risk.
I mean if we bring in a dude that hit .258 his prior season and had never hit over .300 in his career people would complain about that. "Why are we bringing in a guy that doesn't hit good!?!" They wouldn't be using the "proven college hitter" trope. I'm also not sure how a JUCO kid is considered a proven hitter.
Both Jaros and Ozzie played in summer collegiate leagues against college players and crushed it just weeks after graduating HS (Ozzie was Cal Ripken Collegiate league hitter of the year last summer). Jaros hit .378 in 111 plate appearances in another collegiate summer league. There's data there that these kids can play and both have the 'crootin pedigree that some love as well.
What should also not get lost in all of this are the connections that the staff has with these two. Jaros (as mentioned frequently) is from Cranford, NJ where we have massive connections ranging from Rob Chmra, Ryan Williamson, Andrew Ciencin to current Pack player Shane Van Dam. Do we not think that our staff didn't talk to Danny Hall and his staff about Jaros?
Ossenfort attended the same HS as former Pack player David Vazquez. Stoneman Douglas is coached by Todd Fitz-Gerald who also coached Vazquez and he's sending his son Devin to play at State (assuming the draft cooperates). I think Hart got all the info he needed on Ozzie.
I think Coach Fitz-Gerald has had something like 20 plus kids drafted over his HS coaching career.
I chose to be excited about these kids but that's just me.
How would we feel if Sosa transfered? I'd think we would be upset knowing that we were losing him after how he came on later in the year and the flashes he showed. From the outside in though everyone would lose it wanting to take a guy after seeing him struggle and go through a 0-37 slump.