Palmetto Proving Grounds

Once in a lifetime? I love smoak too, but you sure you're not going a little over the top. I really think you're discounting the difference in these bats too.

Both great Gamecocks. If I had to pick one over the other I would go with Walker. Can't really compare power numbers because of the bat difference, which is huge. Walker would get the nod from my perspective because of the clutch Omaha performances, particularly last year with the broken hand. None of us on this board can fully appreciate how tough and painful that was unless we experienced it personally. I'm thrilled that we had the opportunity to watch and pull for them both.

Nm.

To close to calll. Smoak had one Of the best years ever as a JR at SC. Only yaron's SR year was better.

2 outs, bottom of the 9th, down by 1? I'll take Walker.

I'm from the Low Country too, and I agree. Not taking anything away from Smoak, but give me Walker anytime it's a clutch situation.

There is only one right answer to this and it is Walker hands down. When I saw him play in the Championship Series last year with his hand wrapped up and between innings having to get his hand totally numbed he won me over as the greatest! Plus Smoak chocked in the post season for example in the Super Regionals against North Carolina but Walker is mister clutch for example the 3 run homer in Super Segionals against Coastal Carolina and then again last year against Florida in the Championship Series when he hurt his hand.

Almost exactly what I had typed out before I changed my post.

Walker

We're all prone to hyperbole from time to time, but this is a little bit of an overstatement. During Smoak's three years at Carolina, there was never a pitching staff that could touch the one we've had during Walker's three years, but to say there were no pitchers back then who would make our staff now is simply not true.

Arik Hempy? How about Mike Cisco, Wynn Pelzer, and Jeff Jeffords? None of those three were All-Americans, but they were all drafted and two are still playing pro ball. Blake Cooper was a starter for two of Smoak's years. Not the senior year Blake Cooper, but nevertheless, it was still Cooper. How about Nick Godwin? He had a brilliant senior year. Almost single-handedly kept the pitching staff afloat at times. Also Curtis Johnson, who battled through arm trouble that made him look like much less of a pitcher than he really was.

This is tough. But although Justin was a better home run hitter. I may have to go with Walker. His broken-handed performance last year will never be touched

Maybe he didn't "lead us", but he sure as hell had two of the most clutch hits in the history of our program in Super Regionals to propel us to the CWS. Plenty if RBI in the CWS as well.

It's a little ridiculous to be fighting over this subject and getting wound up. Also, the shots at the other players (Havens, pelzer, etc) is over the top as well.

Both CW and Justin are unbelievable college players. Bats are different now for sure. Makes the comparisons of pitchers or bitters very difficult.

I'll cop out and say both are great players. No need to knock any player that played at USC in order to make an argument.

If I ha my choice, I'd put CW at third an J Smoak at 1st and take my chances!

One last note. I would never cite anything Dave Neal or Larry Conley say on a baseball broadcast to use as evidence for an argument. Neither can distinguish a fastball from a change up consistently, much less make a sound argument about bats.

I'm not suggesting any of them would be starting on the weekend for us right now, but in our scramble to find a Saturday starter, it took us a while to settle on Montgomery. I hope you're not suggesting that none of those guy would've taken a turn. All that aside, I thought the original poster was saying they wouldn't pitch at all on our staff. He didn't say the weekend rotation. I think every person I named, if they were on this team, would have helped at least out of the pen.

Pelzer was definitely frustrating, but I am thinking you don't remember some of the outstanding performances he gave us. You must be remembering his final year when things fell apart, especially against Georgia in the supers. Jeffords is a friend of mine, but overall, his career wasn't as good as Pelzer's. Jeff had one very good year when he was 6-1 with an ERA around 3.00 or so. Neither of them accomplished what I thought they would at USC but both were drafted and pitched professionally for a good while. Pelzer is still active I believe. Jeff hurt his arm. Cisco was never a true ace, but he did pitch on Friday nights and he went 6-2 then 7-5 then 6-3 at USC. Hempy definitely lost something after his arm surgery but even his senior year was good, with a 7-3 record and a 3.58 ERA. He would not have only been a contributor to the current staff, he would have been a major contributor.

Didn't really mean to argue over this, but I guess my point is simply that you're wrong. The talent level on our last 2 or 3 pitching staffs has been much higher than ever collectively, but don't lose sight of the fact that there were some very good individual pitchers on those teams as well.