Posted by NoleCC

By Bill Kristoph

In Part 2 of the 2007 FSU Baseball Preview I’m taking a look at the probably defense for FSU by position.

At Catcher, Buster Posey will provide his athletic prowess.  Posey provides a very good arm and is an intelligent player, his only downside is that he hasn’t played the position since he was ten years old.  Evidently that doesn’t matter much, though, because numerous publications have him on their underclassman watch list.

Brandon Reichert will get an opportunity at First Base. Last year’s opening day starting, Dennis Guinn has moved to left field. Reichert sat out the 2006 season after transferring from Mercer University. If his previous stats are any indication, he should provide the Noles with a .300+ batting average and should hit the gaps for plenty of doubles.
Up the middle for the Seminoles, Tony Thomas, Jr. and transfer Mark Hallberg will patrol Second Base and Shortstop respectively.  Tony Thomas, Jr. is quite possibly the best middle infielder to grace Dick Howser Stadium. Mark Hallberg’s arrival is what allow Coach Mike Martin to move Buster Posey behind the plate.  Good luck to any opposing hitters that are anywhere near either of these two with a ground ball.  Unless they are super fast or super lucky, most balls won’t be getting through. These two have range that will take away a couple of Texas Leaguers too.

Third base has been a rocky situation for the past couple of seasons.  This season, freshman Jason Stidham takes over.  Don’t be too scared Seminole fans, Stidham was named the MVP of the fall Garnet & Gold game.  He doesn’t have to be spectacular at third this year, solid is all anyone is looking to find.

The weak spot for FSU’s defense is the outfield.  Gone are the days of Shane Robinson running down balls in Center, Left Center, and Right Center.  Dennis Guinn, Ruairi O’Connor and Jack Rye combine to make, most likely, the slowest outfield in the ACC. Rye has a good arm out of right, but Guinn and O’Connor are big question marks in the outfield.  Big defensive plays in the outfield can turn around a game for the team, and I don’t expect this edition of the FSU Outfield to make many of them. I hope they prove me wrong.

In Part 3, I’ll dissect the Seminole Pitchers.