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Post by Dale on Jul 17, 2007 16:40:08 GMT -6
SEC standouts adjusting to unfamiliar roles with Team USA For a pair of 20-year-olds, Vanderbilt's Ryan Flaherty and Arkansas' Logan Forsythe approach hitting with remarkable maturity.
"During the college season, I focused much more on staying through the ball, going the other way and working on my two-strike approach," Forsythe said. "On this team I want to continue to do those things and get to the point where I'm swinging the bat consistently with wood. It's all a learning experience, and you can learn so much from the other players on this team by learning what they're taught at their schools."This is a pretty long and indepth look at Ryan and Logan.
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Post by razorgirl11 on Jul 17, 2007 19:38:37 GMT -6
Someone wouldn't happen to have a copy of the full article would they? I am not a subscriber and therefore cannot access the article.
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Post by TikiHog on Jul 17, 2007 19:43:22 GMT -6
It will cost ya but being Logan I'm sure you'll pay BIG BUCKS
I would but I'm not a subscriber
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Post by Dale on Jul 17, 2007 19:47:23 GMT -6
Sorry, didn't realize it was a subscriber story. I guess I'll post it this time.
Summer Stock: July 17
SEC standouts adjusting to unfamiliar roles with Team USA
By Ben Badler July 17, 2007
For a pair of 20-year-olds, Vanderbilt's Ryan Flaherty and Arkansas' Logan Forsythe approach hitting with remarkable maturity.
Hitting in the lineup in front of their more heralded Team USA teammates Pedro Alvarez and Justin Smoak, both Flaherty and Forsythe speak intelligently and articulately about their approaches to hitting, and about the adjustments they have made this summer.
"With the talent on this team, our job is to see as many pitches as possible and get on base," Forsythe said. "Playing against Pedro and Smoak in the (Southeastern Conference) is tough, but having them on your team is a lot of fun. Batting one and two, we have to draw a lot of walks, try to get our hits and try to steal a couple of bags."
Although Team USA coach Mike Weathers has moved Flaherty around the lineup, Flaherty usually was hitting near the top of the order in front of Alvarez, his college teammate.
"At school I'm used to hitting behind Pedro," Flaherty said. "It's great to hit in front of the best players in the country because we just get on base and let them drive us in."
Wood Work
As an Arkansas sophomore this spring, Forsythe hit .346/.431/.556, a huge improvement over the .189/.298/.322 line he posted as a freshman. Among Team USA players with at least 25 plate appearances this summer, Forsythe's .417 on-base percentage ranked second only to Alvarez. His 11 walks tied him with Alvarez for second-most on the team, and his .271 batting average and .438 slugging percentage with wood bats are solid.
"During the college season, I focused much more on staying through the ball, going the other way and working on my two-strike approach," Forsythe said. "On this team I want to continue to do those things and get to the point where I'm swinging the bat consistently with wood. It's all a learning experience, and you can learn so much from the other players on this team by learning what they're taught at their schools."
Both Flaherty and Forsythe have adjusted well to hitting with wood bats, and Flaherty in particular has shown the ability to drive the ball to the outfield. Although his .254/.308/.356 line in 59 at-bats doesn't pop off the page, there have been several instances this summer when Flaherty has smashed the ball only to have it sail right toward a defender, or have it robbed by an opponent making a running catch.
"Sometimes people without great swings get exposed with a wood bat," Flaherty said. "You have to start short with the ball because the wood bat doesn't have as much of a sweet spot compared to a metal bat. You've got to really square the ball if you want to hit it in the gap. The key for me is to take a good approach at the plate. Get your pitch and get one you can handle."
Before hitting .381/.438/.531 for Vanderbilt as a sophomore this season, Flaherty spent last summer playing in the Cape Cod League, where some of the best college pitchers in the country regularly pump fastballs above 90 mph. Hitting against pitchers from Japan and Chinese Taipei, most of whom throw in the mid-80s and rely on their secondary pitches and savvy, has been a much different experience.
In one at-bat against Japan, Flaherty got ahead in the count 2-0 on back-to-back sliders. Flaherty said he then looked for a fastball in a hitter's count, but instead he saw six more sliders and struck out on the final pitch. The different approach proved difficult for the entire team, as Team USA was just 11-5 entering the Pan American Games.
"The Cape Cod League is a lot different," Flaherty said. "The pitchers there tend to throw for the radar guns because they want to show off for the scouts. Here they switch it up and change speeds really well. They all throw at different speeds, but they all are great at knowing how to mix up their pitches."
Forsythe concurred.
"Looking at other pitchers in college and in the other summer leagues, you can sit on one pitch," Forsythe said. "That's not as difficult as someone who is going to pitch you backwards, especially in a hitter's count when they'll throw you a slider, and they'll throw it for strikes.
"Their windups are also different from pitchers in college. Their arm slots are different, and it throws off your timing. It's all about making adjustments, and preparing yourself when you're in the on-deck circle."
Versatility On Display
In addition to being SEC players getting their first taste of the top of the lineup, Flaherty and Forsythe also have something else in common—they are both playing positions that are different from what they normally play in college.
Flaherty has moved over to second base from shortstop in deference to Long Beach State's Danny Espinosa and Oklahoma State's Jordy Mercer, while Forsythe has moved from third base to left field to accommodate Alvarez.
Both have already adjusted well to their new defensive roles, and they are the first two names mentioned by Weathers when asked who has been the most pleasant surprise so far this summer. One of the most sure-handed shortstops during the college season, Flaherty had made only one error in 16 games at second base.
Forsythe's good instincts and speed have eased his transition into the outfield, and he showed both of those qualities while making a sliding catch against the tarp in foul territory after sprinting full-speed for a foul ball against Chinese Taipei.
"It's a great experience to try out a new position," Forsythe said. "I just want to do whatever's best for the team because I know Pedro's a great third baseman. Flash is doing a great job at second base, and I'm enjoying where I'm playing, too."
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Post by razorgirl11 on Jul 18, 2007 10:38:47 GMT -6
Thank you Dale!
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Post by Dale on Jul 19, 2007 5:21:39 GMT -6
Played two yesterday.
Game 1 - 2-3, run, 2 rbi
Game 2 - 3-4, rbi
Next up is Cuba in the Gold Medal game!
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Post by georgecolevet on Jul 19, 2007 7:30:22 GMT -6
go Logan, go Logan, go Logan....... go, go, Logan!
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Post by Dale on Jul 19, 2007 8:19:25 GMT -6
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Post by Charlie on Jul 20, 2007 6:22:49 GMT -6
Logan Forsythe of the U.S. slides to third base during his semi-final baseball game against Mexico at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro July 18, 2007.
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Post by treyuca on Jul 20, 2007 7:49:20 GMT -6
How old is that third baseman?
And is there a place to keep up with today's championship game?
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Post by hogdurham on Jul 20, 2007 11:43:41 GMT -6
Pan Am Final: Cuba wins 3 - 1 Logan goes 0 for 3 Looks like Cuba brought out the battle-tested veterans for the Pan Am games. Osmani Urrutia, an international baseball star for Cuba since 2001 (29 yrs old), went 4 -4 and scored 1 run. Jordan Danks had a double for the U.S. and Justin Smoak had the only RBI for the Americans. Saw a partial box score on the Pan Am games site - looked like Cuba started Adiel Palma (37 yrs old) and their ace reliever Pedro Lazo (34 yrs old) to shut down the U.S. on five hits and 3 LOB. Cuba had 10 hits with 8 LOB. The last time I saw these guys they were doing quite well in the World Baseball Classic last year. www.rio2007.org.br/data/pages/8CA3C78713B9BC7F0113BA44D3C734F8.htm
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Post by Tschepihawg on Jul 20, 2007 12:29:40 GMT -6
Sounds like Cuba sent many of the same guys who won the gold in Greece in 2004 and finished 2nd in the World Baseball Classic to Japan last year. It would have been nice to win, but no shame in losing to that group.
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Post by Dale on Jul 27, 2007 5:41:58 GMT -6
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Post by Dale on Aug 2, 2007 18:30:07 GMT -6
Logan Forsythe (Arkansas) broke up Yuske Iwamoto's no-hitter with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, scoring Jordan Danks (Texas) from third, and giving Team USA 1-0 victory over Japan on the first day of the World Port Tournament.
1-4 with an RBI today.
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Post by Dale on Aug 7, 2007 19:23:09 GMT -6
From the notes on today's game -
...Logan Forsythe (foot) missed his second straight game...
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