Clemson Baseball: Five Things To Look For In 2020
Today, in our series "Five Things ..." we list five things to look for during the Tigers 2020 baseball season
The Tigers come into the 2020 season looking to rebound from a terribly disappointing 2019 campaign. After a red hot first half of the season, things quickly started to take a downward turn for the team during the second half, and for the first time under Monte Lee, they failed to win 40 games.
The Tigers would make the postseason, backing into a regional as a three seed in Oxford. However, the season would end in embarrassing fashion, as they were eliminated by Jacksonville State, a team that had never won an NCAA Tournament game coming into regional play.
As they now turn their attention towards the upcoming season, this Tiger team is looking to bounce back, and put last season behind them. They are hopeful to take that next step as a program and make it out of a regional for the first time under Monte Lee, and for the first time since 2010 overall. As they attempt to reach that goal, here are five things to look for throughout the 2020 season.
1. Better Plate Discipline:
The feeling throughout camp has been this team isn't going to have the same type of power up and down the lineup that Monte Lee's Clemson teams have had in previous seasons. Whether that turns out to be true or not, being more disciplined at the plate would serve this team well. It is no secret that Monte Lee likes for his players to be aggressive at the plate, but there's a fine line between being aggressive, and being overly aggressive. The last few seasons, his teams have been on the wrong side of that line.
Look for this team to be a little more patient at the plate in an effort to try and stay out of pitchers counts, leading to less strikeouts. They will work counts, leading to more walks. Most importantly, hitters will make a more concerted effort to use all parts of the field, including shortening up swings, and going the opposite way with two strikes.
2. Increase In Bunts
At the moment, it seems safe to assume that this team is going to be forced into changing its offensive philosophy somewhat. Instead of relying on the long balls, this team is going to have to take more of a small ball approach, and that means an increase in how often players are asked to bunt. Whether it's just sacrificing a runner over, or trying to utilize the speed and bunt for base hits, it is something fans in Doug Kingsmore should expect to see much more of than they have in recent seasons.
3. Freshmen To Play Key Roles
There are several first year players on this team that will be expected to have major roles this season. Mack Anglin and Geoffrey Gilbert are both extremely talented pitchers who got to campus ready to make an impact. Anglin is a hard throwing right hander that could be used as a starter or in relief. Gilbert is a lefty who doesn't throw as hard, but has electric stuff, with pinpoint accuracy. He could be a major asset as a left handed specialist out of the bullpen. At the plate, Jonathan French and Dylan Brewer are two freshman who can make an impact with their bats. French brings some power to the lineup, while Brewer is one of those guys that is good at putting the ball in play and finding ways to get on base.
4. Strong Bullpen
This should be the best bullpen that Monte Lee has had since his arrival on campus. It should also be a very deep bullpen. Carson Spiers is back as the closer and with Holt Jones entering his third season, the two should combine to make a formidable duo in the late innings. Throw in guys like Sam Weatherly, Keyshawn Askew, Jackson Lindley, plus several talented freshmen arms, and this pen should be one of the teams biggest assets.
5. Dominant Starting Pitching
With Spencer Strider and Carter Raffield both coming off of Tommy John surgeries, it could be two or three weeks before the starting rotation gets settled. However, once it is, this staff has the potential to be dominant. Raffield and Strider are both power arms with fastballs topping out in the mid 90's. Davis Sharpe is another right hander that tops out in the low 90's, and knows how to pitch. Then there's lefty Mat Clark, who is the perfect compliment to those guys with his assortment of off speed pitches. All four have excellent command, and should be able to go deep into games more often than not, something the starters had a hard time doing a season ago.