- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: Baseball Preview: 2020 Season (Feb 10th - Pro Prospects & SEC Predictions)
Posted on 2/1/20 at 7:26 am to Adam4848
Posted on 2/1/20 at 7:26 am to Adam4848
Drew Bianco
Power------65
Hitting------55
Speed------45
Fielding----50
Arm---------60
Giovanni DiGiacomo
Power------45
Hitting------55
Speed------80
Fielding----65
Arm---------50
Daniel Cabrera
Power------70
Hitting------65
Speed------60
Fielding----60
Arm---------70
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Wes Toups
Mitchell Sanford
Maurice Hampton
POSITION LOSSES:
Zach Watson
Antoine Duplantis
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 60
_________________________________________________________________
DESIGNATED HITTED
1) Cade Doughty Fr. 6’1 201lbs (4)
OR
1) Hayden Travinski Fr. 6’3 228 (25)
3) CJ Willis So. 6’2 193lbs (23)
4) Tom Biggs Fr. 5'11 186lbs (38)
Because a few positions are still up in the air DH is still a complete unknown and multiple guys can and will play during non-conference. Obviously if Cade Doughty doesn’t start at 2B he’ll be a candidate here as well as Hayden Travinksi who’s bat will get him looks. CJ Willis is a guy I’m hoping shows up to the party in the near future. Also if Drew Bianco doesn't settle in LF he instantly becomes a potential starter here.
Cade Doughty who I’ve highlighted on at 2B is going to be a middle of the order type bat before he leaves college ball. His bat is more advanced right now than he is defensively so DH is a position where he can play now.
Hayden Travinksi is another freshman that I’m beyond exited to follow throughout his college career. Not many players of his stature and his skillset fall to the later rounds and forgo the MLB. Travinski at the plate uses a distinct leg lift to load his swing and generate much of his power. Everything from his forearms, legs, hip drive are at an advanced stage for his age and he’s able to absolutely obliterate the ball when he squares them up. Power is highly advanced and is a plus plus tool, not much else to highlight there, by the time he leaves he'll be a premier power bat. Right now his swing and load path are susceptible to getting off balance at times and he is a swing and miss candidate especially when he starts getting a ton of off speed stuff. Because of this he may not hit for a high average early in his career and that’s ok as long as he’s a feast or famine type of guy. Speed is below average and he'll be a truly station to station type guy on the base paths. Much of the same there is a defensive log jam at catching and so DH makes the path quicker for Travinksi to get early playing time where his bat can add power to this lineup.
CJ Willis is another guy who can play multiple positions. To get his bat in the lineup he's someone I would think is going to get a couple starts here.
Tom Biggs is a talented multi tool player out of West Monroe who started to shine and really push for playing time in the fall. I like that he's a left handed bat that can and will develop in this program...with that being said I don't know how much playing time he'll get immediately.
My take: Doughty and Travinski are going to be the faces of LSU's program for a time to come, both have tremendous upside, and both can help the Tigers win this year. I don't usually list two players here but I see such a close gap between each that it's worth mentioning each respectively. Doughty's that great athlete who can help LSU towards the bottom of the order with speed and gap to gap power while Travinski is more of a plug anywhere type guy and hope he can clean up the bases. The group is young and inexperienced but there is very high upside in the coming years with each player listed in this depth chart.
Cade Doughty
Power------55
Hitting------55
Speed------55
Fielding----45
Arm---------50
Hayden Travinksi
Power------75
Hitting------50
Speed------40
Fielding----50
Arm---------65
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Hayden Travinski
Cade Doughty
POSITION LOSSES:
NONE
OVERALL POSITION GRADE: 55
Power------65
Hitting------55
Speed------45
Fielding----50
Arm---------60
Giovanni DiGiacomo
Power------45
Hitting------55
Speed------80
Fielding----65
Arm---------50
Daniel Cabrera
Power------70
Hitting------65
Speed------60
Fielding----60
Arm---------70
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Wes Toups
Mitchell Sanford
Maurice Hampton
POSITION LOSSES:
Zach Watson
Antoine Duplantis
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 60
_________________________________________________________________
DESIGNATED HITTED
1) Cade Doughty Fr. 6’1 201lbs (4)
OR
1) Hayden Travinski Fr. 6’3 228 (25)
3) CJ Willis So. 6’2 193lbs (23)
4) Tom Biggs Fr. 5'11 186lbs (38)
Because a few positions are still up in the air DH is still a complete unknown and multiple guys can and will play during non-conference. Obviously if Cade Doughty doesn’t start at 2B he’ll be a candidate here as well as Hayden Travinksi who’s bat will get him looks. CJ Willis is a guy I’m hoping shows up to the party in the near future. Also if Drew Bianco doesn't settle in LF he instantly becomes a potential starter here.
Cade Doughty who I’ve highlighted on at 2B is going to be a middle of the order type bat before he leaves college ball. His bat is more advanced right now than he is defensively so DH is a position where he can play now.
Hayden Travinksi is another freshman that I’m beyond exited to follow throughout his college career. Not many players of his stature and his skillset fall to the later rounds and forgo the MLB. Travinski at the plate uses a distinct leg lift to load his swing and generate much of his power. Everything from his forearms, legs, hip drive are at an advanced stage for his age and he’s able to absolutely obliterate the ball when he squares them up. Power is highly advanced and is a plus plus tool, not much else to highlight there, by the time he leaves he'll be a premier power bat. Right now his swing and load path are susceptible to getting off balance at times and he is a swing and miss candidate especially when he starts getting a ton of off speed stuff. Because of this he may not hit for a high average early in his career and that’s ok as long as he’s a feast or famine type of guy. Speed is below average and he'll be a truly station to station type guy on the base paths. Much of the same there is a defensive log jam at catching and so DH makes the path quicker for Travinksi to get early playing time where his bat can add power to this lineup.
CJ Willis is another guy who can play multiple positions. To get his bat in the lineup he's someone I would think is going to get a couple starts here.
Tom Biggs is a talented multi tool player out of West Monroe who started to shine and really push for playing time in the fall. I like that he's a left handed bat that can and will develop in this program...with that being said I don't know how much playing time he'll get immediately.
My take: Doughty and Travinski are going to be the faces of LSU's program for a time to come, both have tremendous upside, and both can help the Tigers win this year. I don't usually list two players here but I see such a close gap between each that it's worth mentioning each respectively. Doughty's that great athlete who can help LSU towards the bottom of the order with speed and gap to gap power while Travinski is more of a plug anywhere type guy and hope he can clean up the bases. The group is young and inexperienced but there is very high upside in the coming years with each player listed in this depth chart.
Cade Doughty
Power------55
Hitting------55
Speed------55
Fielding----45
Arm---------50
Hayden Travinksi
Power------75
Hitting------50
Speed------40
Fielding----50
Arm---------65
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Hayden Travinski
Cade Doughty
POSITION LOSSES:
NONE
OVERALL POSITION GRADE: 55
This post was edited on 2/7/20 at 7:42 am
1
Posted on 2/1/20 at 7:26 am to Adam4848
STARTING PITCHING
In theory LSU brings back every starter here…you lose Hess who bounced around between starter/relief yet you get AJ Labas back from Tommy John Surgery who I think will be more steady at the back end of this rotation. LSU who brought in the #1 recruiting class in 2018 which was mostly centered around premier power arms is about to start reaping the benefits. Cole Henry, Landon Marceaux, and AJ Labas will be the starting rotation opening weekend. Eric Walker right now is that fourth starter or long reliever who could bounce between weekends to midweek starts as needed. Brandon Kaminer a JUCO lefty is a guy I could see molding into a starting role if the staff doesn't need him as a main bullpen guy.
Friday-Cole Henry So. 6'4 211lbs (18)
Cole Henry who is a draft eligible sophomore in 2020 right now is the most complete pitcher on this staff. Fastball is a steady 93-95mph and he can and will run it up higher in the later months as the weather warms up and arm is looser hence my higher grade. Curve ball is a true out pitch with 12-6 motion that has shown the ability to get swings and misses. Changeup wasn’t as effective a year ago but he’s starting to use it more and it’s going to become more effective with the arm slot he’s established now. Cole simplified his delivery over the off season to cut down on arm soreness...that along with the 4 months of rest right now is paying dividends. The SEC pitching this year is deep and Henry is going to fly under the radar a bit as only a true sophomore but he absolutely has the stuff to dominate any game at any time. Facial expressions are always stone cold, he works fast, and repeats his mechanics…all of signs of a prototypical Friday night guy. Henry was about as solid as you can ask of a freshman and when he went down with soreness late last year the team really went into a lull. If Henry has the year he is expecting to have he’s going to be a first round draft pick in June.
Cole Henry
Arm Strength---------75
Movement-------------70
Stamina----------------65
Control-----------------65
Saturday-Landon Marceaux So. 6'0 177lbs (11)
Landon Marceaux another sophomore went through a complete transformation in the off season where he shed 15 pounds where he has improved both his strength and stamina. Four seam fastball is 90-93mph most of the time and also has a two seamer with late life running away from lefties and in on the hands of righties. The ability to throw both at the same time is what separates him from a good to elite in this league. The curve ball had such good life on it a year ago but Landon had trouble getting it over for a strike consistency and when it would break down in the zone had trouble getting hitters to bite on it. He’s transformed that pitch into more of a slider or “slurve” where he can throw out of the same arm slot as a fastball and get more lateral motion. The changeup is good, not a true swing or miss pitch but it’s something he can get hitters to roll over or ground out more times than not. Marceaux doesn't need to be a swing and miss pitcher, he has the ability to feel the game out where he can mix and match by working both sides of the plate. Because he has four distinct pitches he’s able to be aggressive not allow anyone to sit on a fastball. I love him in that Saturday spot where he can go head to head with any other guy in the conference. I think his freshmen year was a giant learning curve and he had to take some of the bad with the good. All accounts have shown that he's been one of the hardest workers to get to where he wants to be and where he wants to be is a 1-2 round pick in the MLB draft next season.
Landon Marceaux
Arm Strength---------65
Movement-------------70
Stamina----------------60
Control-----------------60
Sunday-AJ Labas RS-So. 6'3 223lbs (26)
AJ Labas who missed all of 2019 with a shoulder injury was highlighted in Mainieri’s media comments weeks ago with great enthusiasm in how much better AJ looks compared to his first year and what he can bring to this starting rotation. AJ's a big bodied guy that Mainieri signed late in the process years ago. What's crazy is Labas wasn’t even at 100% in 2018 because of a lingering back injury and still put up impressive numbers. The velocity this spring has been way up where he’s sitting 91-93mph whereas years ago could only muster up 88-89mph. His defining attribute is control at all times and much like Marceaux has multiple pitches he can throw at any time out of the same arm slot. I really love his changeup which is a plus plus pitch and can make right handed hitters look silly at times. Curve ball is tight and shows 11-5 motion. Having a good Sunday starter in the SEC is not something to take for granted and having someone who can consistently get 5-6 innings is an absolute blessing. Because Labas pounds the zone he’s going to be able to stretch games longer and longer as we progress to give the bullpen a chance to close out games rested. I’m very excited to see Labas back in on the mound for LSU.
AJ Labas
Arm Strength---------65
Movement-------------65
Stamina----------------55
Control-----------------70
Midweek-Eric Walker RS-Jr. 6'0 175lbs (10)
As surprising as this may sound Eric Walker lead LSU in innings pitched a season ago. In all honestly it wasn’t the season he hoped to build upon coming off of Tommy John Surgery but he’s one of those season veterans every champion has and is going to be a key to LSU’s title run in 2020 where pitching is a premium. Fastball is only 87-89mph most of the time and an average pitch, change up is the bread and butter. Most of his struggles last season were due to command and getting his feet wet so I'm interested to see how well he's able to limit that in 2020. The coaching staff hasn't announced a midweek guy yet but Eric makes the most sense here given the depth at bullpen. I also would like to see LSU put some more effort into winning more midweek games which most of the time won't help your RPI but it can hurt it...in a deep SEC this year every win counts.
Eric Walker
Arm Strength---------45
Movement-------------65
Stamina----------------55
Control-----------------65
My Take: I like this group ALOT. As you'll notice they aren't getting a ton of love from the media in these preseason lists but each starter has experience, each starter is healthy, each starter is well rested. The floor is high with these four and they can all work late into ball games on any day which is a good insurance for an already deep LSU bullpen. In the off season I did some research on returning innings with each pitching staff LSU has had under Mainieri and this team has the second most innings returning only behind 2016. I have one word to describe this group...steady.
POSITION ADDITIONS:
AJ Labas (injury)
POSITION LOSSES:
Zack Hess
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 70
In theory LSU brings back every starter here…you lose Hess who bounced around between starter/relief yet you get AJ Labas back from Tommy John Surgery who I think will be more steady at the back end of this rotation. LSU who brought in the #1 recruiting class in 2018 which was mostly centered around premier power arms is about to start reaping the benefits. Cole Henry, Landon Marceaux, and AJ Labas will be the starting rotation opening weekend. Eric Walker right now is that fourth starter or long reliever who could bounce between weekends to midweek starts as needed. Brandon Kaminer a JUCO lefty is a guy I could see molding into a starting role if the staff doesn't need him as a main bullpen guy.
Friday-Cole Henry So. 6'4 211lbs (18)
Cole Henry who is a draft eligible sophomore in 2020 right now is the most complete pitcher on this staff. Fastball is a steady 93-95mph and he can and will run it up higher in the later months as the weather warms up and arm is looser hence my higher grade. Curve ball is a true out pitch with 12-6 motion that has shown the ability to get swings and misses. Changeup wasn’t as effective a year ago but he’s starting to use it more and it’s going to become more effective with the arm slot he’s established now. Cole simplified his delivery over the off season to cut down on arm soreness...that along with the 4 months of rest right now is paying dividends. The SEC pitching this year is deep and Henry is going to fly under the radar a bit as only a true sophomore but he absolutely has the stuff to dominate any game at any time. Facial expressions are always stone cold, he works fast, and repeats his mechanics…all of signs of a prototypical Friday night guy. Henry was about as solid as you can ask of a freshman and when he went down with soreness late last year the team really went into a lull. If Henry has the year he is expecting to have he’s going to be a first round draft pick in June.
Cole Henry
Arm Strength---------75
Movement-------------70
Stamina----------------65
Control-----------------65
Saturday-Landon Marceaux So. 6'0 177lbs (11)
Landon Marceaux another sophomore went through a complete transformation in the off season where he shed 15 pounds where he has improved both his strength and stamina. Four seam fastball is 90-93mph most of the time and also has a two seamer with late life running away from lefties and in on the hands of righties. The ability to throw both at the same time is what separates him from a good to elite in this league. The curve ball had such good life on it a year ago but Landon had trouble getting it over for a strike consistency and when it would break down in the zone had trouble getting hitters to bite on it. He’s transformed that pitch into more of a slider or “slurve” where he can throw out of the same arm slot as a fastball and get more lateral motion. The changeup is good, not a true swing or miss pitch but it’s something he can get hitters to roll over or ground out more times than not. Marceaux doesn't need to be a swing and miss pitcher, he has the ability to feel the game out where he can mix and match by working both sides of the plate. Because he has four distinct pitches he’s able to be aggressive not allow anyone to sit on a fastball. I love him in that Saturday spot where he can go head to head with any other guy in the conference. I think his freshmen year was a giant learning curve and he had to take some of the bad with the good. All accounts have shown that he's been one of the hardest workers to get to where he wants to be and where he wants to be is a 1-2 round pick in the MLB draft next season.
Landon Marceaux
Arm Strength---------65
Movement-------------70
Stamina----------------60
Control-----------------60
Sunday-AJ Labas RS-So. 6'3 223lbs (26)
AJ Labas who missed all of 2019 with a shoulder injury was highlighted in Mainieri’s media comments weeks ago with great enthusiasm in how much better AJ looks compared to his first year and what he can bring to this starting rotation. AJ's a big bodied guy that Mainieri signed late in the process years ago. What's crazy is Labas wasn’t even at 100% in 2018 because of a lingering back injury and still put up impressive numbers. The velocity this spring has been way up where he’s sitting 91-93mph whereas years ago could only muster up 88-89mph. His defining attribute is control at all times and much like Marceaux has multiple pitches he can throw at any time out of the same arm slot. I really love his changeup which is a plus plus pitch and can make right handed hitters look silly at times. Curve ball is tight and shows 11-5 motion. Having a good Sunday starter in the SEC is not something to take for granted and having someone who can consistently get 5-6 innings is an absolute blessing. Because Labas pounds the zone he’s going to be able to stretch games longer and longer as we progress to give the bullpen a chance to close out games rested. I’m very excited to see Labas back in on the mound for LSU.
AJ Labas
Arm Strength---------65
Movement-------------65
Stamina----------------55
Control-----------------70
Midweek-Eric Walker RS-Jr. 6'0 175lbs (10)
As surprising as this may sound Eric Walker lead LSU in innings pitched a season ago. In all honestly it wasn’t the season he hoped to build upon coming off of Tommy John Surgery but he’s one of those season veterans every champion has and is going to be a key to LSU’s title run in 2020 where pitching is a premium. Fastball is only 87-89mph most of the time and an average pitch, change up is the bread and butter. Most of his struggles last season were due to command and getting his feet wet so I'm interested to see how well he's able to limit that in 2020. The coaching staff hasn't announced a midweek guy yet but Eric makes the most sense here given the depth at bullpen. I also would like to see LSU put some more effort into winning more midweek games which most of the time won't help your RPI but it can hurt it...in a deep SEC this year every win counts.
Eric Walker
Arm Strength---------45
Movement-------------65
Stamina----------------55
Control-----------------65
My Take: I like this group ALOT. As you'll notice they aren't getting a ton of love from the media in these preseason lists but each starter has experience, each starter is healthy, each starter is well rested. The floor is high with these four and they can all work late into ball games on any day which is a good insurance for an already deep LSU bullpen. In the off season I did some research on returning innings with each pitching staff LSU has had under Mainieri and this team has the second most innings returning only behind 2016. I have one word to describe this group...steady.
POSITION ADDITIONS:
AJ Labas (injury)
POSITION LOSSES:
Zack Hess
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 70
This post was edited on 2/8/20 at 10:16 am
Page 1 of 1
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News