T.J Collett
- Thread starter BluegrassBlake
- Start date
That is outstanding news. I really didn't think that he'd be back this year. I am torn on what to do with him. I think we will find out whether he is needed this weekend at TAMU. If we struggle to hit against TAMU then I think we need him and we might work him into the lineup, but if we hit pretty well against them I think it is worth seriously considering redshirting him just to make sure he is completely healthy.
Well, you don't really have to redshirt him as much as it is to just make sure he is 100 percent healthy. Right now we have 2 third basemen that are raking with one hitting a team leading .438 with 5 doubles, a home run and 18 RBIs, after an 8 RBI game this past Sunday. The other one is hitting .345 with 6 doubles and 2 home runs. We also have two catchers, one who has a cannon and has done an amazing job of making sure runners do not steal on him. He is hitting a very respectable .278 The other, who has done equally as good defensively is also hitting .311. We currently have 3 possible first basemen. One is injured and is an All American, the best defensive first baseman in the country, and is hitting .433 with 3 home runs despite those injuries. The next is a senior who is hitting .350. The last one is hitting .323.
We have all of these guys fighting over basically 4 positions (1B, 3B, C, & DH) to get into the lineup. If he becomes healthy we then add TJ Collette to that mix as another player vying for the C/DH position. It isn't a bad problem to have, but the question is whether it is necessary to push for Collette to get into the lineup. As long as these guys all continue to hit well then I think we can be very patient with Collette's return, even as merely a hitter. If Heyer/Becker/McNiell/Squires/Cottam continue to hit the ball well and play solid defense (when in defensively) then it is hard to take at bats away from those guys and give to someone else. That being said, I understand that Cottam provides a pure power that none of these other guys provide, so maybe that is your justification for plugging him in.
Now, the question we have to have answered is whether these guys vying for these positions will continue to hit the ball well when we get into SEC play. If they do then Collette becomes an extreme luxury that we can be careful with and even give him extra time to heal. If some of them slump and Collette is healthy then there is no problem plugging him in to see how he does and even prepare him for the future. That is what will help the team now and then. However, if we can continue to hit somewhere around .290 as a team in SEC play (which would have been top half of the SEC last year) then I think it might be hard to justify taking some at bats away from these others and giving them to Collette. An alternative to that is to also bring Collette around somewhat slowly by having him be a midweek DH.
I had heard a few weeks ago this was a possibility but it's earlier in the season than I thought it would be. Will work on confirmation. However, I highly doubt Collett would do anything besides DH.
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