Michael Hill – Senior;
Bats: Left; .336/.357/.522, 37 games
Michael Hill was one of the biggest
surprises of the 2013 Dirtbag season. Despite receiving acclaim from
Baseball America's Aaron Fitt during fall ball, Hill was just a .179
hitter entering his junior year and began the spring as the Dirtbags'
number-9 hitter. However, Hill quickly arrived on the scene, opening
the season with a seven-game hitting-streak and through March held a
.372 average.
Early in the season Hill credited his
success to a refined approach at the plate, specifically by hitting
the ball on the ground more in order to better exploit the
spaciousness of Blair Field (it would be intriguing to know how many
other Dirtbags are taking in approach in 2014). Additionally, Hill
spoke of an improved approach to hitting with a two-strike count.
Whatever adjustments Hill made seemed to work. After K'ing 48 times
in 145 career at bats entering 2013, Hill fanned just 15 times in 134
ABs last season. However his command of the strike zone could still
stand to improve, as he drew just two walks all season.
Hill's Achilles' heel is his defense.
Hill went more than three-straight errorless games once all season
and he had three two-error games on the year. Despite the occasional
highlight-reel play (including a game-ender on February 23 against
Valparaiso) Hill finished with just a .913 fielding percentage and
average just five chances per game.
By the start of conference play, Hill
had been moved up to the 2-hole where he would stay for the rest of
his season. He peaked on March 28 against Cal Stat Northridge, when
he went 4-for-4 with nine total bases, four runs, and four RBIs.
However, on April 23 against UCLA Hill suffered a seemingly minor leg
injury and had to be removed from the game. The injury ended up being
a season-ending broken ankle. For the year Hill lead the Dirtbags in
slugging percentage, homers (3), tied for the lead in triples (5),
and is the leading hitter among the returning players.
Hill unquestionably will be playing
everyday this spring, and will be batting somewhere in the top five
spots of the order. If he can add the element of drawing a walk, Hill
could become one of the biggest offensive threats in the conference.
If he “only” manages to replicate and build off of his 2013
production, he'd still be one of the biggest contributors to the 2014
lineup.
The only uncertainty is where he'll be
in the field. Being a senior, there's probably value in putting the
experienced Hill back out at shortstop, but his shaky defense coupled
with the arrival of top recruit Garret Hampson makes him a candidate
to be shifted to third base, or perhaps even designated hitter.
(Since writing this it's been reported Hill will be played left
field. Once again, I nailed it.)
Jonathan Serven – Sophomore; Bats: Right; .162/.197/.206, 26 games
One of the seemingly undernoticed
newcomers to the program in 2013, Serven quickly found himself
playing a significant role for the Dirtbags; filling in for injured
starters Juan Avila (third base) and Michael Hill (shortstop). Serven
ultimately played 15 games at the hot corner, including starting 11
straight games leading up to conference play and Avila's return.
While Avila's defense was always subpar, Serven provided admirable
glovework, logging a .950 fielding percentage at third, averaging
over three chances per start, and committing just one error in
Avila's absence.
His offense, however, left much to be
desired. Serven never found a grove at the plate and ended up
striking out as often as he reached base (14 K's; 14 hits plus walks
plus hit by pitches). The Dirtbags tried to make the best of Serven's
light-hitting, and calling upon him to sacrifice a team high eight
times.
After Avila's return Serven went nearly
a month without seeing any playing time. He found his way back in the
lineup after shortstop Michael Hill suffered a season-ending broken
ankle on April 23 against UCLA. Serven earned the bulk of playing
time at short the rest of the way, at one point starting nine
straight games. However, the true freshman's defense at the
6-position struggled. Serven committed six errors in his final nine
games and finished with a mediocre .878 fielding percentage and had
just 4.8 chances per start.
Serven isn't likely to become much of a
threat at the plate, but with no incumbency in third base entering
2014, Serven's experience and strong defensive skills could put him
in play for a starting position this season. What remains to be seen
is if the coaching staff prefers a better offensive player at the hot
corner or if they want to build the lineup with more of a
pitching/defense approach. Who ultimately wins the second base and
shortstop positions could also affect Serven's bid to start at third.
No comments:
Post a Comment