Shortstops thrive under Cannizaro’s teaching
Andy Cannizaro has been on both sides of the Mississippi State-LSU rivalry.
One of the benefits of that fact is being able to work with shortstops Ryan Gridley of the Bulldogs and Kramer Robertson of the Tigers.
Cannizaro played the position until he was 30-years-old so he has a special place in his heart for players like Gridley and Robertson. He loves and respects them both.
“I’m drawn magnetically to the shortstops,” Cannizaro said. “Both of those guys are extreme competitors. There are so many similar characteristics between the two. They are extremely hard workers and when you put them between the lines, they are going to do everything in their power to beat the other team. They raise their level of play in the biggest ballgames.”
Cannizaro has been around both Gridley and Robertson long enough to know they have the mentality of “I’m not going to let the other team beat me and I’m going to will my team to success and will my team to victory.”
That characteristic is why Cannizaro said they are considered All-Southeastern Conference performers.
Robertson has been one of the best players for LSU all season. He is hitting .317 with eight home runs, 41 runs batted in and has a .965 fielding percentage.
Gridley is fielding better than Robertson at a .969 clip. MSU’s shortstop only has nine errors in 179 chances.
“I love working with Gridley every single day,” Cannizaro said. “We’re always working on different things and having fun playing that position. They are going to handle the baseball so much. You just want to become an expert in throwing the ball and being able to direct the field.”
There were those who tried to tell Gridley that he was too short while he was growing up and that he could not play shortstop.
That perception served as motivation for Gridley. “That always made me want to get better than anyone thought I could be,” Gridley said. “I try to take a lot of pride in what I do.”
The Milton, Georgia, native has been good with the bat also for the Bulldogs with a .331 batting average, six home runs and 39 RBI.