Michael Earley lays his cards on the table with his biggest staff addition yet

Texas A&M baseball fans are still divided on what exactly it was that doomed their season this past year, but one thing you can't argue is that the performances on the mound were far below what they needed to be. The offense was stellar for much of the year, but failed to show up in a few key moments— but if the pitching had been able to hold up more consistently, that may not have been as big of a factor.

As a result, many Aggie fans were calling for then-pitching coach Jason Kelly to be let go from Earley's staff, and he answered that call— Kelly's contract was not renewed, and the Aggies were in the hunt for a new pitching coach. Now, according to a report from Ryan Brauninger, Michael Earley has found his man, as the Aggie head coach has reached into the pros to snag a big time hire.

Texas A&M baseball set to hire Barry Enright as new pitching coach

Michael Earley has tabbed former Major League Baseball pitcher Barry Enright to fill the pitching coach role for the Aggies going forward.

Richard Zane of Texags reports that Enright was hired as the Director of Pitching for the Oakland Athletics this past January, but will be moving from that post to take on this mantle with Texas A&M baseball. This is the kind of move you have to have some pull to make happen, and Earley shows here that he does indeed have that.

This is a hire that Earley needs to be a long-term positive— he can't afford to strike out here once again. There was some initial optimism about his choice of Jason Kelly, given that Kelly had been a head coach at a major program in Washington and could potentially guide Earley in some of the factors that may be newer to him, but the lack of development on the pitching staff eventually outweighed whatever benefit may have been there.

This was a year that cooled Earley's seat significantly, thanks to finishing 3rd in the SEC following projections that they would finish 13th, but failing to advance out of the College Station Regional meant that it still ended with a sour taste. Everyone knew that a move needed to be made on the staff, and Earley responded very quickly on that front, but the hire had to match expectations around College Station.

Enright could well be that hire. His youth and big league experience are both appealing factors, as they mean he will be well familiar with the cutting edge of analytics and the science of pitching— both of which could help the heretofore-lacking development for the Aggies at the position.

Texas A&M now needs to knock out their final assistant hire (after Caleb Longley departed in January) and hit the transfer portal hard. Texas A&M fans will keep watching closely to see how Earley manages this offseason, but this hire of Enright serves as a great jumping off point in the mind of many onlookers.

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