HEIGHT: 5'7"
WEIGHT: 190 lbs.

THIRD BASE

Christian Ibarra Sr.*
Connor Hale Jr.

Christian Ibarra's impact last year cannot go unnoticed, after losing Tyler Hanover to graduation the third base position was wide open and at times in fall practice a mystery. After trying out guys such as Moore, Bregman, Jones, Mainieri finally settled on Ibarra who would go on to become a first team all-SEC player in his first year as well as shore up the defensive left side of the infield. Alex Bregman and Christian Ibarra will form the top left side of the infield in the SEC and arguably in the entire country. Christian's strong suit is the arm, he can make almost any play fluidly and is quick enough at the hot corner to field bunts. If there is one thing that can't be stated enough it's the strength Ibarra has in both his upper and lower body. Christian who last year finished #7 in the SEC in doubles can drive pitches into the gaps with ease. His power for his size is well above average and it will be his job this year to protect Bregman most likely either at the 4 or 5 hole in the lineup. If Ibarra can swing the bat anything near the way he did consistently last year the 1-5 hitters for LSU will again be lethal for opposing teams. Christian's speed is average on the base paths but he won't be used to swipe bases this year in the cleanup spot. Although not specifically a recruit his return to school was one of the biggest gets for the Tigers last June. Backing up will be a combo of Hale if available and Robertson.

Power------60
Hitting------60
Speed------50
Fielding----60
Arm---------65

*Scale 20-Lowest, 50-Average, 80-Top of the Charts*

Strength-Strong arm
Weakness-Projectability/Room to fill out

This post was edited on 2/5/14 at 11:26 am

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Posted by Adam4848

Member since Apr 2006

19019 posts

Posted on 2/1/14 at 1:56 pm to Adam4848

HEIGHT: 6'1"
WEIGHT: 172 lbs.

HEIGHT: 6'0"
WEIGHT: 188 lbs.

HEIGHT: 6'0"
WEIGHT: 197 lbs.

OUTFIELD

Mark Laird So.*
Andrew Stevenson So.*
Jared Foster Jr.*
Chris Sciambra Jr.
Jake Fraley Fr.
Jarret DeHart Fr.
Cade Stone Fr.

At first glance this outfield group is deep and fast. Returning every starter minus Raph Rhymes the starting cast should see some lineup composed of Foster, Stevenson and Laird. Andrew Stevenson is almost a shoe in to lock down the CF position he took over last season. Mark Laird and Jared Foster will make up LF and RF, both have played each position and can handle either work load. Jared Foster has the strongest arm in the group and has an above average glove. Laird and Stevenson are two of the best in the SEC when combining their respective speed, glove, and athleticism. The word gets thrown around every year but this may in fact be the quickest outfield from top to bottom ever assembled at LSU. One of the major focal points over the summer was getting better reads on the pitchers motions in terms of stealing bases. All three starters possess the raw speed to steal off of almost any pitcher at any time. Laird has the fastest home to first speed, Stevenson not far behind. Stevenson had a fantastic summer in the Northwoods summer league batting over .350 and getting experience against more collegiate pitching and has the ability to hit mistake pitches out but his focus is and always will be the line drive approach. I see Stevenson hitting around the 6 or 7 hole. Laird will still be the pesky 2 hole hitter who gets on base any way he can to set the table for the middle of the lineup. His power numbers will not rise this year but we can expect more stolen bases. Then there is Jared Foster who is one of the most improved players on the team after dropping football to focus solely on baseball. An already above average athlete Foster may see himself hitting anywhere from the 5 hole to 9. The sample size is small for Jared, but he has experience and will not be a liability in the outfield defensively. Mainieri without a doubt fixed the outfield problem LSU suffered against Stony Brook in 2012. It needs to be noted Laird, Stevenson, and Foster did not commit one error between the three last year in over 250 put outs. Chris Sciambra will be the main replacement from the left side, I see major innings for him in relief as well as pinch hitting situations. Jake Fraley, Jarret DeHart, and Cade Stone form the next generation of outfielders for the Tigers. Out of the group Fraley is the 5 tool jewel that caused coaches a great deal of sweat during the MLB draft even with his strong commitment. I don't see a great deal of playing time early on for the freshmen with the depth chart; they'll still get their at bats. DeHart comes in with the big bat from the left side and will be a power threat in a couple of years with the new balls. Cade Stone is a great athlete and will serve mop up duty. All in all a deep and talented position this year, one of the strong points on the team.

Laird
Power------30
Hitting------55
Speed------75
Fielding----75
Arm---------45

Stevenson
Power------40
Hitting------50
Speed------75
Fielding----75
Arm---------55

Foster
Power------55
Hitting------55
Speed------65
Fielding----65
Arm---------65

*Scale 20-Lowest, 50-Average, 80-Top of the Charts*

Strength-Speed and Athleticism
Weakness-Power

This post was edited on 2/6/14 at 11:37 am

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Posted by harry coleman beast