Cole Freeman Jr.* 5'9 170lbs (22)
Chris Reid Fr. 5'9 180lbs (17)
O'Neal Lochridge Fr. 6'1 195lbs (9)

The reason Conner Hale was a mainstay in the lineup the last two years was in part because of above average defense, leadership, and the ability to hit in the middle of the order. I think Freeman while a totally different player can jump in and run with the job. You'll have Cole Freeman, O'Neal Lochridge, and Greg Deichmann as the depth at 3rd. Bryce Jordan in my opinion would be better suited at 1B if worst came to worst sliding Deichmann over.

Cole Freeman doesn't have that star tool that helps him stand out on the field and yet out of the Delgado trio he's the only one in the bunch that is in the hunt to start opening night. With a frame similar to Robertson I think Cole can and will do much of the same things defensively. A converted SS/2B Freeman has superb defensive skills and is incredibly savvy of the game which he's played his whole life. Now Cole wasn't a guy who was heavily recruited out of high school and now he's a probable starter for LSU, this gives you a sense of how much of a hard worker he always has been. I love his glove and the way he makes plays look like he's just going through the motions; his arm strength will translate when he changes positions. Speed will allow him the green light almost at all times. Although I don't view him as a power threat I get the feeling he and Fraley could contend for the lead in doubles this season. He's best with his line drive approach although he'll get streaky where everything coming off the bat is dead pull. And yet third base is the most intriguing position to me with two weeks left to go.

The reason, O'Neal Lochridge. In my opinion the most ready bat out of the freshman class, O'Neal has extremely strong lower body strength and grew up following LSU. His caveat is defensively he's just not to what Freeman is right now and for that I have to believe Mainieri is not going to recreate a 2010 situation at the hot corner. What I do see happening is O'Neal being given an opportunity here or there as well as DH where I think he can become a full time starter later in the year.

Although I've only listed two players at the position there won't be any extreme depth issues from a single injury if so one occurs. At the same time I hate to grade this position anything other than average until we see both Cole and O'Neal get more experienced as neither have taken a pitch in an LSU uniform. Still expect exciting things from both of these young men. Expect Freeman to bat anywhere from 7-9 at the beginning of the year, the only other spot I could see him in is replacing Robertson at leadoff.

Power------45
Hitting------55
Speed------60
Fielding----60
Arm---------60

FINAL GRADE: 50

This post was edited on 2/7/16 at 5:07 pm

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Posted by Adam4848

Member since Apr 2006

19014 posts

Posted on 2/1/16 at 7:32 am to Adam4848

OUTFIELD

Beau Jordan

Jake Fraley

Antoine Duplantis

Beau Jordan So.* 5’9 210lbs (24)
Jake Fraley Jr.* 6’0 190lbs (8)
Antoine Duplantis Fr.* 5’11 175lbs (20)
Cody Ducote Jr. 5’9 200lbs (5)
Brennan Breaux Fr. 6’0 170lbs (6)
Bryce Adams Jr. 6’4 210lbs (4)
Trent Forshag Fr. 5’8 190lbs (43)

Andrew Stevenson and Mark Laird exit stage right Jake Fraley enters center stage. I look at the outfield as a whole there’s definitely SEC talent although it’s a bit top heavy to an extent. For almost the entirety of spring ball Beau Jordan – LF, Jake Fraley – CF, and Antoine Duplantis – RF have been trotting out for the starters and barring any huge turn of events that’s what it’ll be vs Cincinnati. Backing up will be Brennan Breaux, Bryce Adams, Trent Forshag, and Cody Ducote. Cody Ducote the first reserve off the bench is presently injured with an off the field incident, I don’t think the coaching staff has a timetable yet.

Beau Jordan the probable starter in left is the quicker more athletic of the Jordan twins…don’t tell that to Bryce. This gets overplayed for good reason, the Jordan twins are ball players, as a coach you throw them out there without a worry. In Beau you’re going to get max effort he doesn’t have a big frame, unlimited power, or well above average speed and yet it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Beau’s bat is what I think he’s improved on the most, Mainieri has inserted smack dab in the heart of the order and he’s been contending to hold it for as long as he can. Beau’s day to day actions remind me of a senior in the field, he’s patient at the plate, makes the correct reads in the outfield, and uses “wreck less abandon” on the base paths. Hitting and power will both be slightly above average with his speed above average. Now if there’s a weakness to his game he doesn’t possess great range for an outfielder however that’s being masked by playing in a short left field. Expect to see Beau Jordan as a mainstay in the lineup and hit anywhere from 4-7 in the lineup.

Jake Fraley is the backbone of both the outfield and the lineup this year, as he goes the team will follow. After having played left field and almost to perfection Mainieri is allowing Jake the opportunity to play centerfield. A lot of coaches allow the best athletes to play centerfield and short stop because in theory they will have more opportunities to make plays. Jake Fraley along with Greg Deichmann is a solid 5 tool player right now and he is the top pro prospect in this current class. If the MLB draft was next week Fraley would go anywhere as high as the 2nd round, in laymen’s terms as long as Jake does not suffer an indefinite injury enjoy watching him this season. Jakes best tool is his speed, along with Deichmann and Duplantis they will form a three headed monster that will wreak havoc on the base paths. Hitting is above average to well above average. Jake’s power has curiously been absent in his collegiate career and at times he’ll yank one to the intiminator and you ask yourself why he can’t do this consistently. Glove is well above average with his arm slightly below make no mistake although his arm is a as strong as his lower bodies its nowhere near a liability. The three hole is where Fraley will hit and it’s going to depend on who can protect him in the cleanup hole that’s going to factor into having pitchers even battle with him.

Antoine Duplantis is currently slated to start in right and fortunately/unfortunately he is the freshman receiving the most headlines. Aaron Fitt from D1baseball.com even thinks Antoine will compete and win freshman of the year in the SEC award, if that were to happen it wouldn’t surprise a single coach in the LSU dugout the slightest. People are comparing Duplantis to Stevenson, it’s a good comparison but I like to think he’s his own player creating his own story. What you’ll get in Duplantis is exceptional speed in the outfield and a well above average glove and for this reason he’s not going to sit the bench. Any LSU fan can tell you the importance of an athletic outfield and what it takes away from your team with liabilities in the outfield (example-Stony Brook SR 2012).

Out of the backups look for Brennan Breaux to time as well as Bryce Adam’s in case of an emergency. Cody Ducote an excellent bat would have been the top backup at the spot but for now we don’t know the extent of his injury. As a whole this group is above average and will flash glove in the field with more power at the plate than in years past.

Jordan
Power------55
Hitting------60
Speed------60
Fielding----50
Arm---------55

Fraley
Power------60
Hitting------60
Speed------75
Fielding----70
Arm---------60

Duplantis
Power------45
Hitting------55
Speed------75
Fielding----65
Arm---------55

FINAL GRADE: 60

This post was edited on 2/6/16 at 9:06 am

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Posted by Penrod

Member since Jan 2011

39651 posts

Posted on 2/5/16 at 7:58 am to Adam4848

Geez, dude, get outta bed and post third base!!!!