Sept. 16, 2011
This is the third of a three-part series discussing some of the questions surrounding the baseball team as fall practice is underway.
4. Who is the team leader?
Last year’s College World Series team was repeatedly praised for how well the team took care of business in the locker room but that team was loaded with veteran leadership. A look at this year’s roster, however, does not yield many upperclassmen with catcher Drew Fann and infielder Riley Reynolds the lone seniors on the squad. The leadership burden will likely fall on the shoulders of three juniors in Anthony Gomez, Connor Harrell and Mike Yastrzemski, who have all seen significant playing time in their first two years on West End. With vociferous contributors Curt Casali, Jason Esposito, Mark Lamm and Sonny Gray departed for pro ball along with lead-by-example players Grayson Garvin and Aaron Westlake, someone or a group of players must step forward to fill the leadership void.
Corbin’s take: No team leaders as of yet – like most teams, this will be determined and developed as we move forward. There are players who are more vocal and lead a group in stretching, but that’s only because they are comfortable with the environment…it certainly doesn’t make them leaders. We have some strong personalities that will develop leadership qualities in time, but this is very much a process and one we take great pride in nurturing.
5. Who will be the catcher?
Of the 64 games the Commodores played last season Curt Casali started behind the plate in 58 of them, which leaves the Dores in this situation for 2012. Last year senior Drew Fann started six games and sophomore Spencer Navin earned a pair of starts in his freshman campaign. Add talented newcomer Chris Harvey to the mix and the starting catcher will likely come out of that trio. Fann will be in his fifth year in the program while Navin flashed a rocket arm in an abbreviated role last year. However, Harvey might be the most talented of the three but starting a true freshman behind the plate in the rugged SEC, much less SEC East, is not an ideal situation. Not to mention Casali called his own pitches last year and handled a pitching staff that saw seven hurlers drafted, including two in the first round. An accurate comparison would be starting a freshman quarterback in the SEC, it doesn’t happen often but when it does that guy is usually really good.
With Casali and Andrew Giobbi behind the plate the last few years pitchers and coaches alike have been able to trust them to make the right decisions at the right times. Fann will be the only one of the trio that can come close to offering that kind of security. With a young and inexperienced pitching staff staring into the catcher, having confidence in the catcher to call the right pitch will be vital to the club’s success.
The competition might come down to three distinct sets of skills with the experienced veteran in Fann, the defensive standout with the big arm in Navin and the gifted freshman in Harvey.
Corbin’s take: Much like our starting pitching and corner infield spots, catching will be a work in progress. We have three players that have catching skills that would put them in the forefront at this time. Fann is the most experienced, Navin possess a very good arm and Harvey is a very talented young man in several phases. This will come down to the person(s) who the pitchers and coaching staff have the most confidence in to run our ball club…this guy better be really good physically and mentally if we are to have any chance at all.
BONUS: Things we think we know…
1. The outfield is really, really good.
Vanderbilt entered last season unsure of what the outfield would look like but this year is the exact opposite with three returning starters in Connor Harrell, Mike Yastrzemski and Tony Kemp. The trio combined to start 182 games a year ago with Kemp being named SEC Freshman of the Year, All-SEC and a Freshman All-American. Harrell and Yastrzemski have started or been a regular since arriving in Nashville and will bring leadership along with talent. As if having three returning starters wasn’t enough, add in the speedy Jack Lupo, left-handed bat Will Johnson (who had a great summer being named a NECBL All-Star) and freshmen Will Cooper and John Norwood and you have a great competition for playing time. One thing is for sure nothing will be given in the outfield and everything will have to be earned.
2. Anthony Gomez will hit.
All Anthony Gomez has done since he’s been at Vandy is hit so there is no reason to think that will stop. The intriguing thing about Gomez will be whether he can be patient at the dish, the New Jersey native drew all of nine walks in over 300 plate appearances last year. The junior shortstop showed some discipline while playing for Orleans in the Cape Cod League last summer drawing eight walks with only six strikeouts in 24 regular season games. Gomez also hit a pair of home runs, which would be an added bonus for the Dores if he added some power to his contact-first approach. Gomez’s bat paired with Tony Kemp’s presence at the top of the lineup set the Commodores up to be successful in a variety of ways.
3. This team will compete.
The 2012 version of the Commodores might not be as good as the 2011 version but that team has been dubbed a `legacy team’ by several people. This Vanderbilt team will be young and inexperienced but talented compared to last year’s team that was veteran-led, experienced and extremely talented. The one common thread between the 2011 team and 2012 team you can definitely count on is the team’s competitiveness. The Dores’ coaching staff won’t allowing anything less than the best from each player at all times, on and off the field. Expect the Commodores to grow throughout the season (even the fall) as coaches try to find all the right pieces to the puzzle with lineups, defense and pitching.
Part 1 – Who will play first and third base and who will be in the starting rotation?
Part 2 – How good is this incoming recruiting class?
