Breaking down Michigan’s 2015 roster

Outfield

On offense, it all starts with senior centerfielder Jackson Glines. Coming off a second-team All-Big Ten performance last year, Glines’s sweet line-drive swing hasn’t disappointed this season. He hasn’t shown the doubles power that he did last year when he had the third-most in the conference, but he’s still hitting an astounding .453 — leading the Big Ten by 50 points — and owns a 1.082 OPS.

Outside of Glines, junior left fielder Cody Bruder arrived in Ann Arbor this year and has immediately held down a corner outfield spot. He’s second on the team with a .330 average, but he’s closer to the middle of the pack among regulars in terms of on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

Senior right fielder Kevin White has been the main starter in the other corner outfield spot opposite Bruder. He has just 51 at-bats on the season compared to Bruder’s 91, even though White currently owns a higher on-base percentage and slugging percentage than Bruder.

Sophomore right fielder Johnny Slater, the main reserve in the outfield, is a player who has seen his playing time decrease this year. He has fantastic speed, but he hasn’t gotten on base enough to put that speed to use.

Infield

Junior first baseman Jacob Cronenworth plays Robin to Glines’ Batman in the lineup. Cronenworth has led off every game this season, getting on base at a .418 OBP. He excels at drawing walks and is the fastest player on the team, according to Bakich. Cronenworth, listed at just 167 pounds, has played mostly first base this year despite experience in the middle infield. Bakich says that having a middle infielder play first improves the team’s defense drastically and allows him to be creative with bunt coverages.

Freshman second baseman Jake Bivens has been a revelation since being thrust into the everyday lineup due to junior shortstop Travis Maezes’s injury. He doesn’t hit for much power — he has just four doubles and no triples or home runs on the season — but he’s hitting .304 mainly because he barely strikes out. His six whiffs are lowest among the regulars, and he has either been walked or hit 17 times, which ties him with Cronenworth for the team lead. This makes the slap-hitting left-hander an attractive option in the second spot against righties.

Senior shortstop Eric Jacobson has hit ninth all year, but impressed with a .298 average. The captain is the ultimate team player and quintessential coach’s kid and moved over to shortstop following Maezes’s injury. He has done everything Bakich could have expected from him so far, but there is reason to be concerned: He has walked only once this year and has just one double, so if his batting average on balls in play — currently .347, which is likely unsustainable — dips, his effectiveness could be limited. These factors, combined with Jacobson’s six errors on the season, mean that the Wolverines are really looking forward to Maezes’s return from his undisclosed injury.

Freshman Drew Lugbauer, a catcher in high school who has caught a number of games this season, has received the bulk of the playing time at third base as Bakich has juggled the infield with Maezes’ injury. He possesses the most raw power on the team, but has been unable to translate that into results thus far with his .167 average across 66 at-bats. He leads the team with 22 strikeouts on the year, a problem he’ll have to fix in order for his batting practice power to play in a game setting.

Senior Kendall Patrick has been the main cog in the catching rotation for the Wolverines. He’s tied with White for the team lead in home runs, but is hitting just .228.

Senior first baseman Kyle Jusick is effectively the main backup infielder — when he is in, Cronenworth shifts to third and Lugbauer either catches or takes a seat on the bench. He was the everyday first baseman last year, and has received more playing time as of late. At his best, Jusick is a middle-of-the-order bat, but unlike most of Bakich’s players, he derives nearly all his value from his offense.

Designated hitter

Junior designated hitter Carmen Benedetti boasts the most consistent power on the team and hits cleanup. Benedetti is second on the team in slugging and leads the team in RBI with Cronenworth and Glines setting the table in front of him.

Overall, the offense, paced by Glines, Cronenworth and Benedetti but deeper than it has been in previous years, has been excellent. The team as a whole has the second-highest OPS and has scored the third-most runs in the Big Ten.

Inconsistent pitching, therefore, has been the main cause of the squad’s 12-11 record.

Starters

The starters are talented and young for Michigan. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Brett Adcock, sophomore right-handed pitcher Keith Lehmann and freshman right-handed pitcher Ryan Nutof have been the Wolverines’ top three starters, while freshman Jayce Vancena figures to get midweek starts.

Adcock is a power pitcher who will get his fastball all the way up to 94 miles per hour. Bakich described his slider as a “swing and miss pitch.” He also throws a change and a curve.

The team’s Opening Day starter, Adcock sports a 5.40 ERA on the season. His impressive 8.78 strikeouts per nine innings is mitigated by his 7.76 walks per nine innings.

He has been as hot and cold as any pitcher could possibly be. He started the season out slowly, then was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week on March 2 for his two-hit, 11-strikeout, complete-game shutout of Siena. He then went ice-cold again against Nebraska when he allowed six runs in 1.2 innings.

Lehmann can get his fastball up to 91 miles per hour, but its effectiveness is based more off its movement than its velocity. Bakich called Lehmann a “sinker-slider guy who’s also got a curveball, cutter and changeup.”

Lehmann has a 2.91 ERA with a better 2.13 K/BB ratio. He’s been the most consistent starter, but has pitched less innings that Adcock and Nutof so far.

Nutof also has a low-90s fastball, which is supplemented by a curveball and a changeup, which Bakich called “two special off-speed pitches.” He throws a cutter as well.

The freshman leads the team in innings pitched and owns a 3.58 ERA. His walk totals have been a little high — 4.68 per nine innings with 7.16 strikeouts per nine innings — but he’s been effective due to his ability to limit hard contact; he’s given up just four extra-base hits this year.

Vancena also throws four pitches: fastball, curveball, cutter and changeup. He owns a 3.44 ERA on the season. He hasn’t yet shown the ability to miss many bats, but he has done a good job in limiting his walks.

Junior left-handed pitcher Evan Hill is expected to return from injury soon. He led the Wolverines in innings pitched last year and posted a shiny 3.24 ERA, so his return will undoubtedly be huge.

Relievers

In the bullpen, Cronenworth returns as closer. Despite his talent at the plate, Bakich says that Cronenworth’s future is on the mound. He has a 2.79 ERA on the season and has the ability to come in at the end of games and get some swings and misses, evidenced by his 10.24 strikeouts per nine innings, while still limiting walks.

Aside from Cronenworth, freshman right-hander Bryan Pall has been the main contributor in the bullpen. He has a plus slider and does a good job of making it look like a fastball coming out of his hand. He has just a 0.63 ERA this season.

Of those top six contributors so far this season, Cronenworth is the only upperclassman. The group undoubtedly has talent, and all of them have impressed at times. It’s just a matter of consistency.

Top to bottom, this squad is the deepest team Bakich has had at Michigan, and he returns almost all of his top players, so it’s not hard to see why expectations are high in Ann Arbor.