Palmetto Proving Grounds

I am not doubting, but can I have some examples of soak not coming through in the clutch?

My memory is that our relief pitching blew game after game during his career.

...didn't mean to and

Do different hitters.......

Walker is a natural hitter......great eye, patience at the plate and can go to all fields. Walks to strikeout ratio is always in the plus and he does not swing at bad pitches very often. Much better base runner than Smoak and a better glove.

Smoak was the best power hitter we have ever had. In three seasons he hit more homers and had more RBI's than Walker will ever see. Some may make the argument about the bats but that is a mute point. Back then we played powerball. Smoak has the best swing and very few of his home runs were question marks. They would have gone out with wooden bats.

Both will rank as all time greats.......different styles.

I wasn't going to chime in with an opinion because it's really impossible. There's no right or wrong answer. However, I truly believe Walker is a better all-around hitter than Smoak was in college. He's maybe the closest we've had to a Todd Helton type who is just hard to get out at any time. Smoak is one of the top 2 or 3 power hitters in our history and one of the best in college baseball history. His swing was a thing of beauty.

Click on the link for Exhibit "A".

Walker uses the entire field and has truly been the most clutch college hitter I've ever seen. However, Smoak was amazing in his own right.

Doesn't Andy Demetra give everyone the chils

Smoak is the all time HR leader here, twice as many HRs as walker, and had a much higher career OPS than Walkers best season. To top it off he was a first round pick. Walker is great but Smoak is one of the best SEC players ever. It wasn't that long ago I can't believe some can't remember back 5 years.

I agree!!

smoke is in the show so he made the adjustment from hot aluminum bats to wood. walkers power numbers have been on the decline it's moving to the bb cor bats. I think smoke was a better defensive first baseman as well. At the same time walker was a huge catalyst for back to back national championships.

Walker is the most under appreciated player we have ever had here. He has been clutch since his arrival (think Coastal Carolina) and is 2 for 2 on national titles. His batting average with men in scoring position is something ridiculous.

Walker is my choice.

Smoak while one of my favorite all time players would come in 2nd for me. Smoak's ability to absolutlely maul a ball is legendary, and he hit for a darn solid average. I think he might have been a tick better in the field the CW too, but CW is no slouch. All that said CW has TWO RINGS and is a huge reason for those rings. He has been as clutch as one man can be IMO. Smoak seemed to lack that killer clutch bat. CW's run against UF with the broken HAMATE is the stuff legends get made of IMO. This is in no way to diminish what Smoak did while here, but CW would be my 1B if I couldn't DH one and put the other in field. CW just finds away to get it DONE! He might not hit the towering moon shots Smoak did, but he's also not playing on even turf in terms of bat technology either. I think CW has a little better speed on the paths too. It's been a real please as a fan to get to watch both of them a lot. The fact that we couldn't get to Omaha with Smoak, Reese, JD, PD, Travis Jones, and crew has got to be a huge sore spot for RT when he looks back at his career. CW #1 USC First basemen 1B is a tie with Smoak and Small (got to Omaha when fewer teams got in the post season and hit 48 hr's with wood bats), honorable mentions IMO. Peters/ Pearce,

Both great players, but the tie breaker IMO is the RINGS and CW played in getting those rings.

Pitching and D were certainly the main stays of these past two Natty's, but you're over looking the clutch hitting and the fact that Smoak and crew played with different bats.

They were similar you're correct, but as far back as the early 2000's they'd begun deadening the bats. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the CLUTCH hitting '10 and '11 had that those guys just did not. Down to the last strike in Omaha and comeback to win the whole thing. CW's bomb at the beach to send us to Omaha. CW's similar bomb last season to get past the blue puppies to return to Omaha. Smoak, JD, RH, and crew had clutch hits at time, but the guys in 10 and 11 just had something extra about them when it was all on the line. The bats going cold and the wheels coming off in the field in chapel hell has to be one of the most painful baseball games I've ever watched.