Maybe I'm not the right person to be writing this. According to Andrew, I'm just too pessimistic about the abilities of this year's Tigers on the diamond to accurately predict how they will fare. Much of this comes from my lack of faith in the fundamentals the team has shown during conference seasons of years past in the Tom Slater Era. Maybe, this team will turn the corner this season. I certainly hope so as I would love to get back to Hoover and watch a team I care about playing again.
If you haven't read this article by Jay G. Tate, I strongly recommend it. Copy and paste the following link into your browser's address bar and take a few moments to read. Even if you don't like baseball, I promise it will touch your heart. http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080213/NEWS/802130342/1001/rss01
It was after reading the above article that my opinion changed on the possibilities of this season. These are great guys on the team, and they've come through for their teammates time and time again. I have to give Slater immense credit for being able to convince some of these guys to bypass millions straight out of high school to don the orange and blue for three seasons. Hopefully, some of that coercing can equate to more victories in Southeastern Conference play, which will and should ultimately decide Slates' future at AU.
Luke Greinke is a name to watch for in box scores and SEBaseball.com recaps throughout the entire season. This kid is special, and I think he has much more upside than his brother who is currently working towards locking down the closer job for the Kansas City Royals. There's a reason that one of my fantasy baseball team names is L. Greinke 4 Heisman. He can hit, play defense at multiple positions and is one of the strongest pitchers on the team. He'll be the starter on the mound when the Tigers debut against East Tennessee State to show off the fruits of a tremendous offseason that included garnering the MVP awards in the prestigious Cape Cod summer league.
Hunter Morris is another name that I'm pumped about. One area the Tigers really never have been lacking under Slater is the ability to score runs, and he has Morris penciled in the 4 hole...as a true freshman. He was recently named on of Rivals.com's top 10 freshmen to watch this season, coming into school as a second-round draft pick of the Red Sox. We have ourselves the next Pedro Alvarez (see SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2007 at Vanderbilt), and, assuring that he can hit the curve better than Josh Bell, the Grissom High standout will provide protection from slugger Mike Bianucci. Toss in a year of experience from Joseph Sanders and a slugger who tore up AU and Ole Miss pitching last year at Arizona State in Matt Hall, and you have a potentially deadly lineup between the 2 and 6 spots.
Anchored by Greinke and solid experience at the back of the bullpen in Evan Crawford and Bryan Woodall, the pitching staff looks to be the most experienced of the Slater era. An area that will be often overlooked is the importance of Scott Sullivan's role as a mentor to these hurlers. Upgrades were made at almost every position of the rotation, and I think it will pay dividends for the younger guys to know that they have upperclassmen such as Crawdaddy and Woody backing them up in the later innings.
All in all, it could be a very special year. Baseball America seems to think so, pegging AU to finish second in the West. The schedule matches the need for improved concentration from February to June as it seems to get tougher week in and week out. I love how Slates set up to have 20 of the first 22 games at home, including all the four-game series early on to save on pitching depth in April and May. I don't think a lot of people realize how hard it is to schedule in college baseball, not to mention it just got much harder to recruit with new restrictions passed over the past two seasons. One thing about Slater, every class is better than the one before - a tremendous improvement over Steve Renfroe.
So tip your caps, Tiger fans, because it's almost here. Soon, the pop of the catcher's mitt and ding of the aluminum bats will be filling the air at America's No. 1 college baseball stadium, and I for one cannot wait. The team chemistry is there, and I'll root these guys on and support them as much as I can from afar. I just hope that there's a better start than 0-8 in SEC play on the horizon.
War Eagle, and Luke Greinke for Heisman.
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