Mason Hazelwood

[Comebakatz3]

I think it deserves its own thread. Hazelwood is done for the year with an injury. UK is very likely turning to Hagenow to pitch. I don't know if they will keep him as the Game 2 guy or if they bump him to Sunday. With things moving up this week, they probably stick him at Game 2 so Lee has the extra day of rest, but that could change moving forward.

Obviously, this has some bad effects for UK as a staff. Hagenow has been good so far, but he has not gone very deep into games. So, that could put a strain on our bullpen even more. One thing that UK is deep at is guys who have started. We have the 3 weekend guys, plus Ramsey and Marsh as well as now Degen and then you can add Holt Jones, Kammin, and even Harney to that list... I think you can also add Rigbsy. So, we have a lot of arms that could conceivably start and fill in and that is good, but it is never ideal to lose someone as good and experienced as Hazelwood. Hope he recovers and has a great future.

UK starting pitcher Mason Hazelwood out for season

...

247sports.com

 

[wildcatwolverine]

Horrible news. Hope that he fully recovers.

 

[Old_Red]

There was no announcement on UKAthletics baseball page yet. Darn... That is a shame for him.

 

[sluggercatfan]

I think it deserves its own thread. Hazelwood is done for the year with an injury. UK is very likely turning to Hagenow to pitch. I don't know if they will keep him as the Game 2 guy or if they bump him to Sunday. With things moving up this week, they probably stick him at Game 2 so Lee has the extra day of rest, but that could change moving forward.

Obviously, this has some bad effects for UK as a staff. Hagenow has been good so far, but he has not gone very deep into games. So, that could put a strain on our bullpen even more. One thing that UK is deep at is guys who have started. We have the 3 weekend guys, plus Ramsey and Marsh as well as now Degen and then you can add Holt Jones, Kammin, and even Harney to that list... I think you can also add Rigbsy. So, we have a lot of arms that could conceivably start and fill in and that is good, but it is never ideal to lose someone as good and experienced as Hazelwood. Hope he recovers and has a great future.

UK starting pitcher Mason Hazelwood out for season

...

247sports.com

When you are scoring 1 run...pitching is not your problem

 

[RogerIndy]

I know he is a senior, but since everyone gets a do-over because of COVID, do we expect him back in 22?

 

[Comebakatz3]

I know he is a senior, but since everyone gets a do-over because of COVID, do we expect him back in 22?

This would be his second do-over, so him being back would surprise me.

 

[SeanCain]

When you are scoring 1 run...pitching is not your problem

We have problems with hitting and pitching. We’ve actually been decent defensively this year.

 

[Comebakatz3]

We have problems with hitting and pitching. We’ve actually been decent defensively this year.

Well... I'm terms of true errors we've been solid, but still a good chunk of mental and communication errors.

 

[SeanCain]

I think it deserves its own thread. Hazelwood is done for the year with an injury. UK is very likely turning to Hagenow to pitch. I don't know if they will keep him as the Game 2 guy or if they bump him to Sunday. With things moving up this week, they probably stick him at Game 2 so Lee has the extra day of rest, but that could change moving forward.

Obviously, this has some bad effects for UK as a staff. Hagenow has been good so far, but he has not gone very deep into games. So, that could put a strain on our bullpen even more. One thing that UK is deep at is guys who have started. We have the 3 weekend guys, plus Ramsey and Marsh as well as now Degen and then you can add Holt Jones, Kammin, and even Harney to that list... I think you can also add Rigbsy. So, we have a lot of arms that could conceivably start and fill in and that is good, but it is never ideal to lose someone as good and experienced as Hazelwood. Hope he recovers and has a great future.

UK starting pitcher Mason Hazelwood out for season

...

247sports.com

Bottom line is we have to drastically improve recruiting. I don’t want to knock anyone in particular but I don’t think we are SEC caliber enough to compete night in and night out. If by chance Bama cuts Bohannon, if I was Mingione I would be all over him.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

Bottom line is we have to drastically improve recruiting. I don’t want to knock anyone in particular but I don’t think we are SEC caliber enough to compete night in and night out. If by chance Bama cuts Bohannon, if I was Mingione I would be all over him.

I have an interesting question about Bohannon. Purely hypothetical. Do you all think Kentucky would be in a different place if he had gotten the head job in 2017?

 

[Comebakatz3]

I have an interesting question about Bohannon. Purely hypothetical. Do you all think Kentucky would be in a different place if he had gotten the head job in 2017?

I am going to play it safe and say that we wouldn't be much different. I'm not sure Bohannon works the miracle or gets the miracle that Mingione did in year one. I'm still not entirely sure how that happened. Probably in large part a group of guys playing loose and having fun.

I think he'd be similar, to be honest. He's built Alabama to a better place than they were, but I am not sure if he can get them much higher. At least, he's going to need more help to do it. Looking at some recruiting rankings we have:

	UK	UA
2018​	12​	25​
2019​	15​	10​
2020​	28​	45​
2021​	41​	16​

So, not that much different, but it is a small sample size. I think UK's may be a trajectory, so that is concerning. UK's 41 might also get worse if Smith (their top recruit in 2021) goes pro.

 

[Comebakatz3]

This being said, Alabama could be a lot better this year had their star sophomore not gotten injured and last year they were poised to have a very good year. So, with such a small sample size, especially for Brad B and having to actually rebuild Alabama, it is hard to tell just how well he is doing. I certainly don't think Alabama gives him his walking papers after this year.

 

[dtjr]

I am going to play it safe and say that we wouldn't be much different. I'm not sure Bohannon works the miracle or gets the miracle that Mingione did in year one. I'm still not entirely sure how that happened. Probably in large part a group of guys playing loose and having fun.

I think he'd be similar, to be honest. He's built Alabama to a better place than they were, but I am not sure if he can get them much higher. At least, he's going to need more help to do it. Looking at some recruiting rankings we have:

	UK	UA
2018​	12​	25​
2019​	15​	10​
2020​	28​	45​
2021​	41​	16​

So, not that much different, but it is a small sample size. I think UK's may be a trajectory, so that is concerning. UK's 41 might also get worse if Smith (their top recruit in 2021) goes pro.

I think Bohannan would be improvement.

He was the main recruiter here for years and did a great job. This was when our facilities were not near what they are now.

With the coaches we now have, recruiting is only one issue to go along with fundamentals and in game coaching which is severely lacking.

 

[Comebakatz3]

I think Bohannan would be improvement.

He was the main recruiter here for years and did a great job. This was when our facilities were not near what they are now.

With the coaches we now have, recruiting is only one issue to go along with fundamentals and in game coaching which is severely lacking.

Bohannon was a very good recruiter here, I agree. He was assistant coach of the year one year while here at UK. So, his resume is impressive.

Still, that jump from assistant to head coach can be a big one. We don't know how good he really is as a head coach. I think he's done a solid job, but it isn't really on the level of a Dan McDonnell or a Tony Vitello where they basically immediately made a 180 degree change in year 1 or 2.

Mingione had an amazing first year, but he hasn't been able to match that and it seems like we're on more of a downward trend while Bohannon has gone upwards. I am not sure how much better Bohannon can be... maybe he continues to improve, but there is some concern for me that he might be around his ceiling. I think Mingione is probably moreso settling into where he will average... lower half.

 

[167Hike]

I still believe Mingione walked in here his first year surprised at the talent he inherited. So he implemented a plan and got lucky with the right couple of Freshman/JUCO’s was able to put together that magical team......until the second year where Ballenger screwing up our pitching staff so bad to the point it was decimated by injuries that we used a outfielder as a pitcher in that critical end of the year Vandy series where we needed just one more victory to get us into the NCAA tournament.

But the luck of the right JUCO’s/Freshem that first year turned into the complete mismanagement of the roster that we saw starting with the 3rd year and continue to suffer with today.

Today I see some hope/promise in the pitching but I am completely at a loss for fielding/hitting.

 

[Comebakatz3]

we used a outfielder as a pitcher

That was an interesting thing too... Johnson was an OF, but the guy apparently threw gas. His senior year UK decided he was going to switch to pitching exclusively and apparently he spent all fall doing that. He barely pitched at all in that year, and when he did he (unsurprisingly) was bad. Finally towards the end of the year they used Johnson as an offensive player again and he ended up hitting .349. Just a total failure of using a player correctly and managing him.

where we needed just one more victory to get us into the NCAA tournament.

Supposedly, Mingione thought we had done enough with 13 wins and the Vandy series and the SEC tournament game we lost to Auburn didn't really matter.

 

[SeanCain]

I have an interesting question about Bohannon. Purely hypothetical. Do you all think Kentucky would be in a different place if he had gotten the head job in 2017?

That’s a great question. I would think better just by the recruiting job he did here before. If you look at recruiting, I would find it hard to say Mingione is not coming in last among the last three UK coaches in recruiting and the others had the worst facilities in the SEC. I don’t have stats to back that up so maybe I’m wrong but it doesn’t feel like I am.

 

[SeanCain]

That’s a great question. I would think better just by the recruiting job he did here before. If you look at recruiting, I would find it hard to say Mingione is not coming in last among the last three UK coaches in recruiting and the others had the worst facilities in the SEC. I don’t have stats to back that up so maybe I’m wrong but it doesn’t feel like I am.

One more thing I’ll add. Anyone can coach a team of great players but a really good coach makes an average team a really good team. We are average to below average team and that’s how we play.

 

[enjyretirement2020]

That was an interesting thing too... Johnson was an OF, but the guy apparently threw gas. His senior year UK decided he was going to switch to pitching exclusively and apparently he spent all fall doing that. He barely pitched at all in that year, and when he did he (unsurprisingly) was bad. Finally towards the end of the year they used Johnson as an offensive player again and he ended up hitting .349. Just a total failure of using a player correctly and managing him.



Supposedly, Mingione thought we had done enough with 13 wins and the Vandy series and the SEC tournament game we lost to Auburn didn't really matter.

Isn't that continuing? Mismanagement of players?

 

[dtjr]

Isn't that continuing? Mismanagement of players?

I would say yes for sure but is that because of how we have recruited or how he is developing players.

Our starting outfield came in as infielders for example. Why is that?

Rhodes was average at 3B, Shultz 2B and Anu is DH or 1B. All now play OF and are suspect out there.

Our best defensive outfielder is Cam Hill and he is not bad offensively. He has spot duty now.

So is this recruiting or developing players??

 

[167Hike]

Rhodes and Shultz are serviceable in the outfield and have enough skill/talent to grow there. Anu is straight up a liability out there. Problem being, playing all three at the same time hurts Rhodes/Shultz development.

What I don’t get is why play Rhodes/Schultz next to each other in the outfield? I get it with Anu but (hopefully) that experiment is over and Anu will stay at DH. But when playing (rotating) Hill/Shelby why not have them play center and be the QB of the outfieldres as Rhodes/Schultz gain experience.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

One more thing I’ll add. Anyone can coach a team of great players but a really good coach makes an average team a really good team. We are average to below average team and that’s how we play.

I think Mingione is a good motivator. But as for being a good coach, Im not so sure. His ingame adjustments and strategy leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[167Hike]

Call me crazy but Mingione is a 10 times better in game coach than G. Henderson was. I would pull my hair out at some of the moves or lack of moves Henderson did.

Now it might not be too far of a stretch that both Henderson and Mingione are both bad at in game coaching.

 

[SeanCain]

Call me crazy but Mingione is a 10 times better in game coach than G. Henderson was. I would pull my hair out at some of the moves or lack of moves Henderson did.

Now it might not be too far of a stretch that both Henderson and Mingione are both bad at in game coaching.

Henderson seemed to recruit at a higher level imo.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Rhodes and Shultz are serviceable in the outfield and have enough skill/talent to grow there. Anu is straight up a liability out there. Problem being, playing all three at the same time hurts Rhodes/Shultz development.

What I don’t get is why play Rhodes/Schultz next to each other in the outfield? I get it with Anu but (hopefully) that experiment is over and Anu will stay at DH. But when playing (rotating) Hill/Shelby why not have them play center and be the QB of the outfieldres as Rhodes/Schultz gain experience.

Personally, I think they treat Schultz a bit differently. Moving him to the middle is fine if you have Anu in left, but, as you said, he should never be there when Hill or Shelby come into the game. But I think they like him there, despite the liability of it, and moving him over is almost admitting they are wrong and that he's not great there.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Henderson seemed to recruit at a higher level imo.

I think so. Henderson could recruit some really great players with big potential. We could go down the list. Still, I think he did poorly at putting together full teams and full bullpens.

Whether that is his recruiting and failing to recruit full teams or developing or managing is debatable. Still, we had some dudes during that time, but just rarely put it all together.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

Call me crazy but Mingione is a 10 times better in game coach than G. Henderson was. I would pull my hair out at some of the moves or lack of moves Henderson did.

Now it might not be too far of a stretch that both Henderson and Mingione are both bad at in game coaching.

Although I want to agree with you, a part of me doesn’t think Mingione is the one making these moves. He may set the lineup but part of me feels like that’s all he does. (I know he does more)