Offense has to improve for Bieser's Tigers
When Missouri baseball kicks off its 2018 season next Friday at Florida International University, it will be fortunate to have the main bulk of its previous season’s offensive production returning.
Now, this might not come across as a big factor, considering the Tigers’ performance in conference play last year. Missouri did finish the year with a respectable 36-23 record, but in Southeastern Conference play — in which it went 14-16 — production dropped.
Missouri batted a paltry .215 against SEC opponents, which ranked worst in the conference. It also finished first in strikeouts by a wide margin — the Tigers struck out 254 times in SEC play, 30 times more than second-place Texas A&M.
Sometimes, high whiff counts coincide with lofty power numbers, but such was not the case for Missouri. It finished second-to-last in slugging percentage with .331. The Tigers finished in the same slot in on-base-percentage with .315.
These numbers paint the picture of a hopeless, hapless offense. It certainly was in 2017, but there is reason to believe improvement might be on its way this spring. For one, Missouri has three players on Perfect Game’s list of Top 50 college seniors, two of which will be integral parts of the offense in 2018.
Brett Bond, the Tigers’ catcher who landed at No. four on the list, is returning for his senior year despite being drafted by the Houston Astros in the 23rd round of last summer’s MLB draft. Bond is a steady presence at the plate who put up an impressive .307/.385/.507 line a year ago, and another full season of production is not a bad place for the Tigers to start.
Coming in at No. 38 on Perfect Game’s list is second-baseman Trey Harris, who will also be in black and gold again for his senior year. Last year, Harris managed to lead the Tigers in home runs (12) while walking more than he struck out (32 to 27), a rare feat.
Harris also put up a lofty .870 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in SEC play last year — no one else on the squad with enough at-bats to qualify finished above .800.
Other notable position players who will be returning to the field for Missouri this year are junior Connor Brumfield and sophomores Kameron Misner and Chris Cornelius. While other SEC teams might worry about replacing lost production from a year ago, the Tigers can find comfort in knowing their 2018 lineup will be quite similar to that of 2017.
But not everyone is coming back. Missouri will no longer have the steady bat and glove of infielder Robbie Glendinning, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 21st round of last year’s draft and has spent the past several months in the low minor leagues.
Losing the infielder isn’t a catastrophe, but the consistent production that he brought isn’t easy to find or replace. He was great over the course of the whole season — he put up a .849 OPS, drove in 30 runs and walked 35 times, which led the team. But where the Tigers might miss his presence most is during SEC play.
Glendinning was one of the few Tigers who was even average against SEC opponents last year. He wasn’t as dynamic as the aforementioned Harris, but his .763 OPS was third on the team behind Harris’s .870 and Bond’s .790. His glove was an asset, too — his 37 turned double plays was third in the SEC.
If Missouri finds a way to improve its offense in 2018 — which might be a necessity if it hopes to get past the third round of the conference tournament this time around — it’ll be in part because of its returning veterans maintaining or improving upon their past productions. Seeing how the Tigers find a way to make up for Glendinning’s departure will be something to keep an eye on as well as the season unfolds.