Texas A&M Baseball: Evaluating the Lineup Before the Start of SEC Play

2016 Stats

N/A

2017 Stats

Braden Shewmake is the only Aggie to start every game in the field this season. In those 18 starts he has 82 at bats, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts and a slash line of .415/.442/.659. He’s hit 10 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs and driven in 23 RBI. Shewmake is 6 for 7 on stolen bases.

How He Fits

This freshman leads one of the best scoring offenses in the country in RBI. He’s pretty good. In my years as an Aggie baseball fan I can’t think of any other freshman that has put up these kind of numbers out of the gate. Nick Banks, Krey Bratsen, and Tyler Naquin were all highly touted recruits, but even they had a learning curve. Not so much for Shewmake. At least not so far.

With the seniors getting off to such a slow start he was left to carry the offense nearly by himself early on in the season. He picked up his first home run at Minute Maid Park in Houston and has doubles power to both gaps. He might not have the power of a cleanup hitter yet, but he’s doing everything that is being asked of him in the three spot.

There really isn’t anything negative to say about this guy. He’s been a hitting machine that doesn’t strike out very much. 41 percent of his hits have gone for extra bases. The order will continue to grow and mature throughout the season, but Shewmake isn’t moving from the front four. Period. He just produces time in and time out.

Defensively, he has the range and athleticism of a short stop. He will continue to get some play at that position when Homan is out of the lineup. That position will be his next year and there’s a chance he slides into that spot before the season is over.