The 2016 season pitching staff...

[ThisTeetsTaken]

Couldn't find this addressed anywhere so if it has been just point me to it please but I would like for someone to give us a rundown on what we expect our pitching staff to look like for next season.   Who we project as our weekend starters, our middle relievers, closers, any newcomers expected to contribute, and the young guys on the team this year, etc..    :razorback:  #OmaHogs

[Kevin]

taco
teague
jackson

then a bunch of guys with limited innings or no experience

[JackJohnson]

taco
teague
jackson

then a bunch of guys with limited innings or no experience

McKinney??!!

[Kevin]

McKinney??!!

oops, mckinney also

[jry04]

Jackson, McKinney, Taco/Teague

[Porkerpower]

Isn't there supposed to be a lefty coming in next year?  Man we need to order about 3 total.  And I know how hard it is to find good ones.

Kinda like DT's in football.

But with our rep in developing and placing with pitchers I would think good ones can be had. 

Notice all the teams left have good/great left handed pitching?  We need this.

[Kevin]

Isn't there supposed to be a lefty coming in next year?  Man we need to order about 3 total.  And I know how hard it is to find good ones.

Kinda like DT's in football.

But with our rep in developing and placing with pitchers I would think good ones can be had. 

Notice all the teams left have good/great left handed pitching?  We need this.

they have signed a bunch of lhp.

[ThisTeetsTaken]

they have signed a bunch of lhp.

Are any of them expected to be able to contribute as freshmen?

[Lake City Hog]

39   Kyle Pate              LHP   L/L   Fr   6-1   185   
49   Ryan Fant             LHP   R/L   Fr   6-5   210   
11   Keaton McKinney   RHP   R/R   Fr   6-5   220   
25   Dominic Taccolini   RHP   R/R   So   6-3   215   
28   James Teague       RHP   R/R   So   6-3   215   
32   Zach Jackson        RHP   R/R   So   6-4   215   
34   Parker Sanburn     RHP   R/R   R-Fr   6-1   195   
36   Cannon Chadwick   RHP   R/R   So   6-0   200   
48   Jonah Patten        RHP   R/R   Fr   6-3   195

Don't know who we have signed that may or may not make it to school. Below is what each returning guy did this year.

Player                          era       w-l    app-gs    cg    sho    sv    ip       
Keaton McKinney          3.27      6-2    20-17    2    1/2    0    82.2       
Dominic Taccolini          4.         6-4    17-13    0    0/1    2    77.0    
Zach Jackson                1.91      5-0    25-3    0    0/1    9    56.2    
James Teague              3.36      6-4    23-10    0    0/1    2    59.0    
Lance Phillips                3.38      2-3    24-0    0    0/2    0    32.0    
Josh Alberius                 3.77     1-2    22-0    0    0/0    1    31.0    
Cannon Chadwick          7.04     1-0    12-1    0    0/2    0    15.1    
Jonah Patten                 7.90     0-0    11-0    0    0/2    0    13.2    
Kyle Pate                      8.64     0-0    12-0    0    0/2    0    8.1    
Parker Sanburn             15.58    0-1    11-0    0    0/3    0    8.2    

   

[dotnet]

There should be a good staff regardless. 

You should have some potential all SEC arms: Jackson, McKinney, Taco, Teague

Guys who should step up as sophmores:  Patten, Sanburn, Pate, etc

Newcomers who could make an impact: Harris, Knight, Moats, etc

[ThisTeetsTaken]

Do we have the next Schmidt or Keuchel or Todd or Smyly or Stanek on campus or coming in this Fall?

[ucahogfan]

Do we have the next Schmidt or Keuchel or Todd or Smyly or Stanek on campus or coming in this Fall?

Jackson and McKinney will both probably be 1st round picks.  Taco, Teague, Sanburn, and Patten have top 5 round potential.  That is only talking about guys returning.  They do need to fill up the zone more, but the potential is clearly there.

[ricepig]

Do we have the next Schmidt or Keuchel or Todd or Smyly or Stanek on campus or coming in this Fall?

Yes, we do have the next Stanek coming.

[RussVegas Hawg]

Are Fant, Pate, and Patten red shirting? Any chance of a medical RS for Taco? I know its late in the season but just curious.

[ricepig]

Are Fant, Pate, and Patten red shirting?

Just Fant.

[ThisTeetsTaken]

Yes, we do have the next Stanek coming.

Yes we do.  Is it true that he is more polished than his brother was at his age?

[ricepig]

Yes we do.  Is it true that he is more polished than his brother was at his age?

That's a UCA question.

[ThisTeetsTaken]

Jackson and McKinney will both probably be 1st round picks.  Taco, Teague, Sanburn, and Patten have top 5 round potential.  That is only talking about guys returning.  They do need to fill up the zone more, but the potential is clearly there.

I'd really like to have two true aces to go along with this offense.  I hope one of the pups gets a chance this weekend and shows out like you alluded to earlier. 

[ucahogfan]

Here is how I see it:

Friday - Keaton McKinney - I really hope he can recover to the 90-94 he was in high school with that plus plus change.  It might be wise to have him skip playing summer ball to get healthy and stronger and work on a breaking ball.  He has a chance to be a true ace in the SEC even without a mid 90s fastball.

Saturday - Dominic Taccolini - When he throws strikes, he is someone who can easily eat 7-8 innings every single weekend.  That sinker has so much movement at 88-92 that even elite hitters have trouble squaring it up.  His breaking ball shows promise as well.

Sunday - James Teague - 89-93 and has hit 95 at times during his first two years.  He has shown he can turn it over to make it sink with the same velo which just isn't fair.  His slider is a legit swing and miss pitch.

The Weapon - Zach Jackson - With having three other guys who can be effective starters in the SEC, I like having Jackson lurking as a weapon in the pen to emerge and dominate at any time.  93-96 with an unhittable breaking ball.  He also flashes a swing and miss change at times.

Setup - Parker Sanburn - Can hit 95 with a good breaking ball.  Needs to learn how to throw strikes.

Setup - Kyle Pate - Showed some nice cutting action on his fastball.  Like with everyone else on the list, needs to throw more strikes.

Midweek Starter 1 - Jonah Patten - 89-93 with a good mix of offspeed.  Has shown strikeout potential, but needs to command the zone better.

Midweek Starter 2 - Jacob Schlesener - 89-92 from the LHP.  Shown a good slider and plus change at events this past winter.

Bullpen - Dalton Moats - Another LHP who can run it up 90+ and can serve as a closer or set up when need be.

Bullpen - Ty Harris - Another LHP who can run it up 90+.  Had TJ and missed his junior year because of it.  First commit of the 2015 class.

Bullpen - Cannon Chadwick - Doesn't throw much harder than 90, but relies on a nice slider that induces swings and misses.

There are quite a few other guys I can mention, but this is a solid base to build off of.

[ucahogfan]

Any chance of a medical RS for Taco? I know its late in the season but just curious.

No chance.  Threw over 70 IP this year.

[jry04]

I just read Ty Harris, the LHP out of Rogers, is the #89 recruit according to Perfect Game.

We also have Dalton Moats from JC coming in. He is a LHP who started his career out at Coastal Carolina, who usually has a pretty solid club. He had a 2.59 ERA with 70 SO and 15 walks in 61 IP. He is 6'3" 195. Sounds like those two alone will be quality pitchers for us next season.

[ucahogfan]

Yes we do.  Is it true that he is more polished than his brother was at his age?

Ryne was throwing in the low to mid 90s coming into Arkansas.  I don't think Brendan has thrown much harder than the mid 80s right now.  He is only 5-11 right now while Ryne is 6-4.  Will be interesting to see how he fits in to this staff.

[RussVegas Hawg]

No chance.  Threw over 70 IP this year.

Gotcha I wasn't sure how it worked

[ThisTeetsTaken]

Here is how I see it:

Friday - Keaton McKinney - I really hope he can recover to the 90-94 he was in high school with that plus plus change.  It might be wise to have him skip playing summer ball to get healthy and stronger and work on a breaking ball.  He has a chance to be a true ace in the SEC even without a mid 90s fastball.

Saturday - Dominic Taccolini - When he throws strikes, he is someone who can easily eat 7-8 innings every single weekend.  That sinker has so much movement at 88-92 that even elite hitters have trouble squaring it up.  His breaking ball shows promise as well.

Sunday - James Teague - 89-93 and has hit 95 at times during his first two years.  He has shown he can turn it over to make it sink with the same velo which just isn't fair.  His slider is a legit swing and miss pitch.

The Weapon - Zach Jackson - With having three other guys who can be effective starters in the SEC, I like having Jackson lurking as a weapon in the pen to emerge and dominate at any time.  93-96 with an unhittable breaking ball.  He also flashes a swing and miss change at times.

Setup - Parker Sanburn - Can hit 95 with a good breaking ball.  Needs to learn how to throw strikes.

Setup - Kyle Pate - Showed some nice cutting action on his fastball.  Like with everyone else on the list, needs to throw more strikes.

Midweek Starter 1 - Jonah Patten - 89-93 with a good mix of offspeed.  Has shown strikeout potential, but needs to command the zone better.

Midweek Starter 2 - Jacob Schlesener - 89-92 from the LHP.  Shown a good slider and plus change at events this past winter.

Bullpen - Dalton Moats - Another LHP who can run it up 90+ and can serve as a closer or set up when need be.

Bullpen - Ty Harris - Another LHP who can run it up 90+.  Had TJ and missed his junior year because of it.  First commit of the 2015 class.

Bullpen - Cannon Chadwick - Doesn't throw much harder than 90, but relies on a nice slider that induces swings and misses.

There are quite a few other guys I can mention, but this is a solid base to build off of.

You're the man. Thank you!  I hope everyone comes back healthy next year. Question: Why couldn't we throw strikes early this year?

[ucahogfan]

You're the man. Thank you!  I hope everyone comes back healthy next year. Question: Why couldn't we throw strikes early this year?

A lot of times, young guys with electric stuff have trouble with command.  That tends to be something that improves with their career.  They just need to learn how to harness their stuff and throw more strikes.

[ucahogfan]

I will say that I really like seeing Harris and Knight playing for the PUF Caps this summer out in California.  It will bring them to campus with a summer of facing a bunch of D-1 guys under their belts and know what it takes to get D-1 hitters out.  Hopefully more of our signees go this route in the future.

I know Nathan Rodriguez will never play here, but he showed he could hold up and compete against the big boys last summer on the PUF Caps.

[jry04]

I will say that I really like seeing Harris and Knight playing for the PUF Caps this summer out in California.  It will bring them to campus with a summer of facing a bunch of D-1 guys under their belts and know what it takes to get D-1 hitters out.  Hopefully more of our signees go this route in the future.

I know Nathan Rodriguez will never play here, but he showed he could hold up and compete against the big boys last summer on the PUF Caps.

I do not know how good of a league it was, but I remember Bonfield playing in a college wood bat league last summer and raking. Unfortunately, his broken ankle set him back. I expect big things from him in a year or two.

[Kevin]

Inheard Patten was not introduced Sunday. Is he alreAdy gone for the summer.

[soooieman]

Why won't Rodriguez play here?

[dotnet]

I think there is little chance that Patten is a midweek starter next year.  If he pitches good enough to hold that spot, then DVH will want him to be the bridge to Jackson on the weekend.  If he isn't good enough to do that, then he probably won't be a weekday starter either.

I think Patten's stuff is too good to be anywhere in the middle. 

The only caveat might be if the midweek games are finished pretty early like they were this year then maybe DVH will wait until half way through conference to really set his bullpen that way.  But I'm not sure..

It would be nice for a freshman to step up and really take that role

[ucahogfan]

I do not know how good of a league it was, but I remember Bonfield playing in a college wood bat league last summer and raking. Unfortunately, his broken ankle set him back. I expect big things from him in a year or two.

It wasn't a great league, but he was teammates with Vandy 3B Will Toffey who is hitting like 6th for them as a freshman and hitting over .300.  Bonfield put up better numbers than Toffey last summer so it is easy to believe he could have done the same thing if he hadn't broken his ankle.

[ucahogfan]

I think there is little chance that Patten is a midweek starter next year.  If he pitches good enough to hold that spot, then DVH will want him to be the bridge to Jackson on the weekend.  If he isn't good enough to do that, then he probably won't be a weekday starter either.

I think Patten's stuff is too good to be anywhere in the middle. 

The only caveat might be if the midweek games are finished pretty early like they were this year then maybe DVH will wait until half way through conference to really set his bullpen that way.  But I'm not sure..

It would be nice for a freshman to step up and really take that role

Oh, I think the stuff is definitely good enough to throw on the weekend.  Just feel like it is better suited to start because of his 4 pitch mix.  We could use him like Vandy used Buehler last year.

[ucahogfan]

Why won't Rodriguez play here?

DVH said he wouldn't.  Don't know exact details.

[soooieman]

DVH said he wouldn't.  Don't know exact details.

That sucks.. I was looking forward to having a catcher that can hit a ton..

[jry04]

That sucks.. I was looking forward to having a catcher that can hit a ton..

Maybe the last few weeks are an indication Pennell is getting it together at the plate.

[flippinhogmana]

Maybe the last few weeks are an indication Pennell is getting it together at the plate.

Agreed.  I like Pennell.  He looked a lot like Bernal at the plate the last month.  He just always had the look of a leader as well.  He has gotten some very timely hits post season on.

[SPAL]

Nathan wasn't 100% certain he would be where he wanted to be and the coaches needed to know something regarding his future. The coaching staff expected him to be here and they held his spot open, but it wasn't in the cards. Nathan is or will move back home and do juco ball in California.

He has a great family and a great support system. I hope he gets his focus and makes something of himself. He has huge potential.

[SPAL]

I'm with UCA on most of that. Jackson will start on Saturday next year. That is just my opinion, though.

McKinney
Jackson
Taco

[jry04]

I'm with UCA on most of that. Jackson will start on Saturday next year. That is just my opinion, though.

McKinney
Jackson
Taco

Agreed with Jackson starting. I could even see it being Friday. DVH thinks Jackson has ace stuff, and said just last week even that Jackson will start next year as a starter.

[ucahogfan]

Agreed with Jackson starting. I could even see it being Friday. DVH thinks Jackson has ace stuff, and said just last week even that Jackson will start next year as a starter.

Oh, Jackson definitely has the stuff to be an ace in the bigs.  I have seen how valuable it is to have someone like him waiting in the pen to shut teams down.

[BroyledNutts]

Here is how I see it:

Friday - Keaton McKinney - I really hope he can recover to the 90-94 he was in high school with that plus plus change.  It might be wise to have him skip playing summer ball to get healthy and stronger and work on a breaking ball.  He has a chance to be a true ace in the SEC even without a mid 90s fastball.

Saturday - Dominic Taccolini - When he throws strikes, he is someone who can easily eat 7-8 innings every single weekend.  That sinker has so much movement at 88-92 that even elite hitters have trouble squaring it up.  His breaking ball shows promise as well.

Sunday - James Teague - 89-93 and has hit 95 at times during his first two years.  He has shown he can turn it over to make it sink with the same velo which just isn't fair.  His slider is a legit swing and miss pitch.

The Weapon - Zach Jackson - With having three other guys who can be effective starters in the SEC, I like having Jackson lurking as a weapon in the pen to emerge and dominate at any time.  93-96 with an unhittable breaking ball.  He also flashes a swing and miss change at times.

Setup - Parker Sanburn - Can hit 95 with a good breaking ball.  Needs to learn how to throw strikes.

Setup - Kyle Pate - Showed some nice cutting action on his fastball.  Like with everyone else on the list, needs to throw more strikes.

Midweek Starter 1 - Jonah Patten - 89-93 with a good mix of offspeed.  Has shown strikeout potential, but needs to command the zone better.

Midweek Starter 2 - Jacob Schlesener - 89-92 from the LHP.  Shown a good slider and plus change at events this past winter.

Bullpen - Dalton Moats - Another LHP who can run it up 90+ and can serve as a closer or set up when need be.

Bullpen - Ty Harris - Another LHP who can run it up 90+.  Had TJ and missed his junior year because of it.  First commit of the 2015 class.

Bullpen - Cannon Chadwick - Doesn't throw much harder than 90, but relies on a nice slider that induces swings and misses.

There are quite a few other guys I can mention, but this is a solid base to build off of.

/ thread. Dead on. Can't wait to see it.

[Hotspringshogwps]

Inheard Patten was not introduced Sunday. Is he alreAdy gone for the summer.

Patten won't be coming back to Arkansas.

[SPAL]

I hadn't heard that. I had high hopes for him. That makes 2  that won't be here next year that most thought would play a big role

[Kevin]

Losing a lot of players from that number 1 recruiting class

[onebadrubi]

Losing a lot of players from that number 1 recruiting class

This is not shaping out good...

[flippinhogmana]

This is not shaping out good...

When you have an outstanding class that was pretty well bonded together during the recruitment process and hardly anyone them (McKinney full time, Bonfield and Spanberger part time, to not at the end) wind up playing much because some players came back who werent expected too, and they didnt beat out some that they expected to, then you have this happen.  It was not unexpected if you think about it.

Young colts like to run...sitting in the stable for a year or two is hard on them....they get to feeling like life is passing them by and they are wasting their time.  When one leaves then they all start questioning.  I do hope Beninghoff stays and that McKinney and some of the pitchers stay.  I think we will be okay, just not as deep as we would have been with them.  But then where would we put this years class if they all stayed?

[billmontgomery10]

I believe Schlesener was the only Arkansas signee who was drafted. Wow! That has to be a record. I hope these guys were saying 'don't bother drafting me I'm going to be a Hog' or else we are going to find out that we miss Butler a heckuva lot more than we thought.
By the way Schlesener was drafted by the Cardinals fairly early and being from Missouri I'm willing to bet he never sets foot on campus.

[hogsportsfan]

Young colts like to run...sitting in the stable for a year or two is hard on them....?

Well said!  Very hard, especially when they are competitors.

[BroyledNutts]

I believe Schlesener was the only Arkansas signee who was drafted. Wow! That has to be a record. I hope these guys were saying 'don't bother drafting me I'm going to be a Hog' or else we are going to find out that we miss Butler a heckuva lot more than we thought.
By the way Schlesener was drafted by the Cardinals fairly early and being from Missouri I'm willing to bet he never sets foot on campus.

Technically true -
Sam McDonnell - 6-0, 185, OF, NR, N/A, Texas (SO JUCO in Texas), was also drafted yesterday - while he hasn't officially signed with the Hogs to my knowledge, (UCA can clarify this) he was committed to play for the Hogs. Since he's a JUCO transfer I doubt he makes it to Baum.