Who might fill out Mississippi State's Opening Day lineup?

The Bulldogs still have a few position battles going on

In less than two weeks now – and for the first time in nearly a calendar year – Mississippi State head baseball coach Chris Lemonis will fill out a lineup card. 

The Bulldogs finally get back on the diamond next Friday. MSU will open up the season against Texas at the State Farm College Showdown. It'll of course be State's first action since last March when the 2020 season got cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

MSU will look a bit different in 2021 than the team did at the time of last year's impromptu conclusion. Shortstop Jordan Westburg and second baseman Justin Foscue have begun their professional careers. That automatically leaves two big holes in the battling order Lemonis will ultimately put out.

"You don’t have two guys like that very often in your career, so replacing them will be tough," Lemonis said last week. "Like I’ve told people, you don’t replace them one-for-one. You replace them with an accumulation with everyone around them. So, I think that’s that. Everybody picks up a little bit of their production, even though we have some really good players in those spots that I’m excited about."

So how exactly will Lemonis line things up on Opening Day? Here's a quick look at the possibilities.

In the outfield

To no one's surprise, two-thirds of MSU's starting outfield is basically etched in stone. Fourth-year Bulldogs Tanner Allen and Rowdey Jordan are expected to man right field and centerfield respectively. Perhaps Jordan could shift to left on occasion throughout the year, depending on how things shake out with the third outfield spot. But the most likely scenario has Jordan in his familiar post most of the time.

But what about left field? 

"Left field is a big position battle going on right now," Lemonis said. "It could be a rotation. Some left-handed hitters. Some right-handed hitters. Brayland Skinner has come back and kind of (had the success he had) in the end of the fall. (He's a) pretty electric baseball player. Still has to go out there and prove it. Brandon Pimentel, if we want to play a (left-handed hitter). Brad Cumbest has come back. Brad’s got five at-bats under his belt (as of last week), so just coming out from football is always a harder transition (for him)."

Pimentel might have the upper hand at being the Opening Day left fielder, especially if State sees a Texas right-handed pitcher. Pimentel started 13 of MSU's 16 games a season ago. And while he struggled mightily, hitting at just a .184 clip and striking out nearly a third of the time, the Bulldogs believe there is plenty of promise in Pimentel's bat. Now that he's had a year to get used to life at MSU, the Bulldogs are hopeful Pimentel can finally reach his potential.

Skinner, a first-year Bulldog from Northwest Community College, does provide Lemonis with an intriguing option too. He's a speedster that led Northwest in steals in 2019. He had a four-stolen-base game last year. Perhaps, at the very least, Skinner could be a late-inning defensive replacement that allows the Bulldogs to cover more outfield ground. But Skinner was also an on-base machine at Northwest. He had an on-base percentage of .480 back in 2019. If that offense translates to MSU, he might force his way into the starting lineup.

Cumbest is the lone right-handed hitter of the three top contenders for the left field job. He hit just .130 last year in limited action, but certainly provides some power potential for the Bulldogs. He'll probably draw some starts against left-handed pitching, but for now, it appears more likely Pimentel and Skinner are the top two options in left with Pimentel possibly having the edge due to his previous experience.

Outfielder Rowdey Jordan returns in 2021 as a key piece of the Bulldog lineup. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/USA TODAY Sports)

Around the infield

First baseman Josh Hatcher is the only returning MSU infielder that should be back in the same spot he was a year ago, but even so, it appears three of the four infield positions are essentially locked down.

Who's on first? Well, Hatcher of course, as just mentioned. Beside him at second base is expected to be college baseball veteran and transfer Scotty Dubrule. Dubrule is strong defensively and is also currently second among active NCAA players with his 249 career hits accumulated over his years at Jacksonville University prior to coming to MSU for this season.

Kamren James is slated to be State's starting shortstop. He played third a year ago as a true freshman while the talented Westburg manned short. But shortstop was James' true position all along before becoming a Bulldog and now he gets to return to the place on the field he's most comfortable. That comfort level could be a benefit to his bat too, which already looked promising last year when he hit .308 over 15 games. James was one of only seven Southeastern Conference freshmen to finish 2020 hitting over .300.

Third base is the uncertain hole in MSU's infield mix. Lemonis believes the hot corner might ultimately be played by several different guys.

"Third base for us is a big transition right now too, so we don’t know," Lemonis said. "You’ve got a handful of guys at third. That battle may play out where it’s just a one guy plays against left and (right-handed pitchers) and see who can win the job. See who’s going to play there late in the game. We’re just trying to figure out a lot of those pieces."

So who is in the mix?

"You’ve got Kellum Clark, a big freshman from Brandon (Mississippi), who’s worked really hard to play over there," Lemonis said. "You’ve got Landon Jordan. Landon’s an older player. He’s played there at some points in his career. Had a really good summer last summer. I think he was the hitter of the league or whatever, last summer in his league down by his hometown. You’ve got Tanner Leggett who’s been a swing guy for us. He’s a right-handed hitter. Then we have Lane Forsythe. Lane is a real swing guy for us. Lane is a freshman. Man, he can really, really defend. He plays short a lot right now, but we’re bouncing him around, playing some second, playing some third. Making sure that he’s ready to go. As good of a young defender that I’ve been around in a long time. He’s just got a chance to do some special things from the defensive standpoint. He’s a right-handed hitter, too. So, depending on who’s hot, who’s not, is what we’re basing that off of. ... Those guys are all competing right now. They’re all playing well, so it’s going to make it a tough decision for me."

Clark and Landon Jordan are likely the two favorites to win the job for Opening Day. And whoever doesn't get it might still end up in the lineup as a designated hitter, particularly if State faces a right-handed pitcher as both Clark and Jordan are left-handed hitters.

Mississippi State's Landon Jordan is a candidate to play third base this season. (Photo by Keith Warren)

Behind the dish

There's a good chance Logan Tanner and Luke Hancock will both see plenty of time at catcher this season. And there might also be times both are in the lineup with one serving as a designated hitter with both guys possessing strong offensive skills.

If one guy has a leg up on the other though to be the Opening Day catcher, it's probably Tanner. He started 11 of State's 16 games behind the dish a year ago and is probably currently the most well-rounded of State's catching trio of himself, Hancock and Kace Garner.

"(Tanner) is a very special catcher," MSU assistant coach Kyle Cheesebrough said. "I think he can do it all."

Tanner was strong defensively in 2020, but his bat perhaps stood out even more. He ranked inside the top 10 among SEC freshmen in four offensive categories. He was tied for fifth with his two home runs, tied for fifth with eight walks, was seventh in on-base percentage with a .388 mark and seventh in slugging percentage at .439.

Tanner might be the favorite to get an Opening Day nod at his position, but don't overlook Hancock. Hancock actually started for the Bulldogs on Opening Day last season. A year later, Hancock – who was dealing with an undisclosed injury in 2020 – is more healthy and should reap the benefits of that.

Mississippi State catcher Logan Tanner rounds first base after hitting a home run last season. (Photo by Keith Warren)

The batting order

While it's somewhat easy to narrow down the most likely names to be in Lemonis' Opening Day lineup, setting the order is currently an impossible task. Why? Because even Lemonis isn't sure.

"Lineup for me is the hardest part right now," Lemonis said. "I keep thinking of lineups and how we’re going to hit some guys in our order, so I’m trying to figure that out. I’m using some different lineups every day as we play."

In just over a week, all the guessing and figuring things out can stop. Finally, at long last, the Bulldogs can play ball.

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