;ko
This is a good post. My comments:
1) Agree on wood bats 100%. I believe Daniels hit ~.270 in a very limited time this summer which was the highest Uconn player BA (I could be wrong). Nobody hit. For summer I don't care about stats (results) they are meaningless based on sample size as mentioned by dbmill. Summer is about working on improvements identified during the spring season (i.e. process). Hopefully, they execute those identified improvements and enter fall ball better than they exited the spring.
2) I like Brini and Kron. My honest take is if Morton could play CF (they had to move him back to LF and put Smitty in CF late last year) Kron/Brini would be serious contenders for playing time in the OF. Tough discussion, but I don't think they should have a long leash with Simmons (if he turns out to be a starter). They're carrying 6 OFs so it's a #'s game. Kron is very interesting because of his speed and Brini, while not looking like a prototypical OF, has skills. We'll see in 2 weeks the starting OF which will provide an early framework for what Penders is thinking. Also, I don't want to sell Shpur short I just haven't seen him at all to comment.
3) Pitching - they have 20 arms on the fall roster. Out of that funnel, a short-term goal (2024) is developing a staff that can consistently get guys out at the D1 level (i.e. live arms turned into successful pitchers). Long-term (25/26) it's developing a promising freshmen class that can significantly contribute. I do think Coe has an inside track of being a weekend starter unless Van Enom excels and wins the slot but agree with your comments. Ideally, I'd like to see Sully and/or Ellisen turn into quality mid-week options. Appears the depth/funnel is there this year, more so than last year. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. You can pop on the gun but have to get guys out at this level (develop movement/location). Interesting to see what happens. For 2024 I'd obviously like to see a staff with improved structure and defined roles which translates to success and stability.