The Texas A&M Aggies are looking to finish the regular season strong before making a run in the postseason. To do that, head coach Jim Schlossnagle knows that the team is going to need first baseman Ted Burton to contribute to the lineup.
Ahead of the series against the Arkansas Razorbacks, Schlossnagle praised Burton for what he brings to the lineup and the boost it gives the Aggies.
“Huge,” Jim Schlossnagle said. “He had a stretch where he had five homers in four games. He just stretches the lineup. I mean, the strength of our team is, for the most part, on the offensive side. So, when you take a big piece of that out, then it affects everybody, moves everybody up, puts them in different spots. Not that we’re not capable. We won games without Ted. But he has a big bat.”
Ted Burton transferred to Texas A&M from Michigan, where he spent four seasons, and his impact has been felt this season. He’s hitting .297 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs. He’s also slugging .535 with an OBP of .461 this season. Unfortunately, he did recently miss four straight games with an apparent injury.
Having him back is huge for Texas A&M’s lineup, as Jim Schlossnagle explained that he gives them very important power from the right side.
“Having that coming up there, right-handed power. From the right side, you’ve got [Gavin] Grahovac, [Braden] Montgomery. Ali [Camarillo] has run into a few balls, but having that extra right-handed bat and balancing out the lineup.
In place of Ted Burton was Caden Sorrell, who also played well but he doesn’t offer the same power that Burton does.
“He’s played really well at first base, but Caden did a really nice job playing in place of him. But in terms of power production – even though Caden has run into a few balls, and he likes to tell me how much his power is coming. I see it. I actually watch every swing. I go to the practices, and I am at the games. Most of them. So, I see what the guys are capable of doing,” Schlossnagle said.
“But Caden is getting better really quick, and Teddy is a special player.”
Jim Schlossnagle explains approach to rotation for Arkansas series
Ahead of the series against Arkansas, Jim Schlossnagle shared his approach to the rotation for the series.
“I mean, the weather will play a role in that. I’m not gonna bring Shane back– everybody’s gotta come back on one day’s rest– on two. So, the whole TBA thing would be the middle game,” Schlossnagle said.
“We’ll just get through the first game, see what happens, see how it looks, get a chance to see Arkansas with our own eyes. And then we’ll make a decision on the middle game and more than likely have Shane pitch the third game. This weekend it is a possibility. But that would only be if we had rain, like all day Thursday [and] all day Friday.”
The post Jim Schlossnagle opens up on the boost Ted Burton brings to lineup appeared first on On3.