This isn't meant to say that I think 2022 will be an extraordinary season where we dominate and win the natty. @Chris Lee has brought up a few times how like this past season the 2018 offense was very inexperienced and then in 2019 exploded with another year under their belt. Obviously that team had two top-5 talents at the plate in JJ Bleday and Austin Martin but they also returned 8 of their 9 starters in the field while only losing Connor Kaiser. This team will return 7 of 9 (losing Isiah Thomas and Dom Keegan) in the field. I started to think about comparisons about the jumps players had from 2018 to 2019 and compared them to stats from players returning for next season:
Offensively
Pitching
With all this said, this post isn't meant to predict another CWS finals run or anything. I am by no means trying to say I expect 2019 type results as that would just be dumb. I just started looking at the 2018 to 2019 improvement on offense and just kept typing. The 2022 Vanderbilt baseball team will have many questions before the season, but the program is still elite and will be looking to get back to Omaha again.
Offensively
- Pat Demarco hit 277 with 11 HR and 43 RBIs in 2018 to 293 ^ HR and 46 RBIs in 60 less at-bats. A marked improvement. Whose to say Jack Bulger or Troy LaNeve don't have a similar jump in their second full season playing. Can you definitely DeMarco was more talented than one of those. DeMarco's slash line in 2018: 277/353/479, Jack Bulger in 2021 - 274/392/503. DeMarco has more HR and RBIs as he had 90 more at-bats.
- Ethan Paul went from hitting 237/358/430 with 10 HR, 44 RBIs OPS to hitting 323/393/517 with 9 HRs and 71 RBIs while greatly reducing his strikeout rate. Whose to say Carter Young can't do the same thing. We all saw promise in CY early in the year before he seemed to learn how to hit a baseball
- Phil Clarke improved increased his RBI output by 32 in 6 more games while maintaining a similar average in BA and OPS (hovering around 300 and an OPS of 850ish). Very similar numbers to Tate before he go hurt. So whose to say Tate doesn't continue to hit around 300 but drive in more runs. Clarke in 2018: 294/382/450 Tate in 2021:290/371/507
- Stephen Scott went from hitting 268/420/601 with 15 HR and 41 RBIs to 339/460/591 with 12 HRs and 55 runs. Parker Noland's numbers this year 264/341/413 with 7 HR and 43 Rbis. Whose to say he doesn't have a Stephen Scott type year next year in his third full year in the program?
- Harry Ray was that all-around consummate player who did the little things in 2019. I could see Vaz filling in that role next year.
- Julian Infante proved some good at bats and big HRs in his SR year. He wasn't great at the plate but he meant more to that team by doing other things on the field. Sound a bit like CJ to me.
- Obviously no one compares to Bleday and Martin and the two of them led that team.
- What will become of players like Spencer Jones and Troy LaNeve and Maxwell Romero whose slash lines are pretty decent for first time players in limited action
- Jones - 280/346/430
- LaNeve - 289/330/590
- Romero - 300/426/620
- How will Enrique improve. He faltered towards the end of the season so will he be able to maintain next year for longer while improving such things as cutting down on his strikeouts. What if he develops like Tony Kemp did (all SEC POY by his JR year)
Pitching
- The 2018 pitching wasn't bad it just wasn't a staff with a top of the line starter that we are accustomed to. But there aren't really many comparisons to pitching from 2018-2019 to next season
- Mason Hickman wasn't great as a true freshman in 2018. His numbers were no worse than what either Little, Reilly or Schultz put up this season. No one thought he'd jump to going 8-0 with a 2.23 ERA as a sophomore
- Drake Fellows was just Mr. Consistent and his WHIP/H9/BB9/K9 numbers in 2018 don't look too different from Schultz
- We knew Kumar was going to be a stud coming in but we weren't sure exactly what we would get as a freshman. I'll get to Little below
- Raby just continued to do his thing and win games. No comparison
- Next year is just full of questions on the staff
- Bullpen I think will be fine at the back end if Maldonado and McElvain maintain their roles
- Reilly and Schultz definitely struggled this year but when are true freshman or sophomores playing in their first SEC season due to COVID thrust into starting on Sunday's in the SEC and succeed? Kumar and Jack did but they are generational talents that don't always come to VU. I could see one of them becoming a Mason Hickman type pitcher when all is said and down and their numbers are similar.
- If Little didn't enroll early and made it through the draft, we would all be making comparisons to Kumar. Instead a 17 year old kid got valuable experience in big time situations that will only help in the next 2 seasons. He is a first round talent and Corbin has a track record of getting pitchers like him to be drafted high in the first round. I expect big things from him after a full offseason in the program and just the maturation of his experience as a 17 year college freshman.
- What happens with the likes Hliboki, Doolin, and Garrett who have showed signs of being good pitchers before injury. Can Hliboki come back or are we looking at 2023 for his return? Can Doolin and Garrett come back and contribute next year? Are they starters or relievers?
- What happens with Ethan Smith? Does he return? If so what is his role?
- What about Spencer Jones on the mound? He was a top 50 player as a pitcher coming out of HS. If his arm is healed could he fit in?
- The rotation has some good arms but that doesn't mean they will be good pitchers.
With all this said, this post isn't meant to predict another CWS finals run or anything. I am by no means trying to say I expect 2019 type results as that would just be dumb. I just started looking at the 2018 to 2019 improvement on offense and just kept typing. The 2022 Vanderbilt baseball team will have many questions before the season, but the program is still elite and will be looking to get back to Omaha again.
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