The Sarge

I have been working under the assumption that several things might happen between now and next year. I thought Dantzler would be gone. I guess he might still be here, but the idea that he would sign is the main reason I thought Pankake would end up at 3rd base next year. I thought that another player, possibly Connor Bright but more likely Seager (if he makes it on campus) would be the shortstop while Pankake would shift over to third. I have to admit, while I expected improvement by Pankake this season, I didn't expect to see the growth I believe has occurred. He looks very good out there right now. The other things I wasn't sure about, and to be honest I'm still not, is who would be the 2nd baseman next year. I wasn't sold on the move to Payne and while I was in favor of Vergason being the man there, it was really just because I thought he was our best option, not because I thought it was a great option. I have to give Chase a lot of credit though. He had a rough day yesterday defensively, but he's been above average since he's been in there every day, and he makes the play where he has to charge and throw as good as anybody around. I'm still not sure we won't see a different infield alignment all the way around the horn, with Walker certainly being gone.

All that being said, we have performed at the top of the class in the SEC in fielding percentage this season, which was totally unexpected by me. I'm not being critical of players as much as I'm thinking like a coach about what moves would benefit the team. If Dantzler stays and Seager makes it to campus, then maybe Seager steps right in at 2B and Martin steps in at 1B and we just keep on rolling.