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Baseball Preview 2025 Edition (Feb 10th - Pro Prospects & SEC Predictions)
Posted on 2/1/25 at 4:46 am
Posted on 2/1/25 at 4:46 am
February. Is. Here.
-As always everything in this preview is "my" opinion and analysis, I want to welcome everyone’s opinions, thoughts, and criticism, as this is a message board and it's what makes this place great...but please keep it baseball related. In year 18 now this preview is for those friends, family, and alumni who follow the sport however may not be able to see the team early in spring and want to get a better feel for who’s – who.
-The lineup I predict is not only based on what I have seen thus far but how I see the respective positions shaping up throughout the entire regular season.
-The MLB uses a 20-80 grading scale to evaluate each draft eligible player based on their skillset of 1) Power 2) Hitting 3) Speed 4) Fielding 5) Arm. Now because 60-70% of all MLB draft eligible prospects fall into the below-average to average skill set it’s not much to look at when previewing a standard collegiate team. To give viewers a better representation of how they stack up on the collegiate level what I’ve done the past few years is grade each player based on their current tools as they compare to other players at the collegiate level. What this does is expand the bell curve a bit and give a better representation of their respective strengths and weaknesses now rather than a projection for a MLB position.
-At the end of each position is a final overall grade based on the entire unit as a whole. It's essentially a combination of the talent/depth/intangibles etc...compared to other similar collegiate baseball positions.
Feb 1 - C - Luis Hernandez Sr.
Feb 2 - 1B - Jared Jones Jr.
Feb 3 - 2B - Daniel Dickinson Jr.
Feb 4 - SS - Steven Milam So.
Feb 5 - 3B - Michael Braswell Sr.
Feb 6 - OF - Derek Curiel Fr., Chris Stanfield Jr., Jake Brown So.
Feb 7 - DH - Ashton Larson So.
Feb 8 - SP - Cade Anderson So., Anthony Eyanson Jr., Chase Shores RS-So.
Feb 9 - RP
Feb 10 - Pro Prospects and Projected SEC standings
Grade Breakdown for Starter
80 Top of the Scale (Think Kris Bryant, USD – 2013 “power”)
70 Well Above Average
60 Above Average
50 Average
40 Below Average
30 Well Below Average
20 Bottom of the Scale (Think Matt Gaudet, LSU - 2010 “speed”)
Grade Breakdown for Overall Position Group
80 Top of the Scale (Think Rice Starting Pitching - 2003)
70 Well Above Average
60 Above Average
50 Average
40 Below Average
30 Well Below Average
20 Bottom of the Scale
-As always everything in this preview is "my" opinion and analysis, I want to welcome everyone’s opinions, thoughts, and criticism, as this is a message board and it's what makes this place great...but please keep it baseball related. In year 18 now this preview is for those friends, family, and alumni who follow the sport however may not be able to see the team early in spring and want to get a better feel for who’s – who.
-The lineup I predict is not only based on what I have seen thus far but how I see the respective positions shaping up throughout the entire regular season.
-The MLB uses a 20-80 grading scale to evaluate each draft eligible player based on their skillset of 1) Power 2) Hitting 3) Speed 4) Fielding 5) Arm. Now because 60-70% of all MLB draft eligible prospects fall into the below-average to average skill set it’s not much to look at when previewing a standard collegiate team. To give viewers a better representation of how they stack up on the collegiate level what I’ve done the past few years is grade each player based on their current tools as they compare to other players at the collegiate level. What this does is expand the bell curve a bit and give a better representation of their respective strengths and weaknesses now rather than a projection for a MLB position.
-At the end of each position is a final overall grade based on the entire unit as a whole. It's essentially a combination of the talent/depth/intangibles etc...compared to other similar collegiate baseball positions.
Feb 1 - C - Luis Hernandez Sr.
Feb 2 - 1B - Jared Jones Jr.
Feb 3 - 2B - Daniel Dickinson Jr.
Feb 4 - SS - Steven Milam So.
Feb 5 - 3B - Michael Braswell Sr.
Feb 6 - OF - Derek Curiel Fr., Chris Stanfield Jr., Jake Brown So.
Feb 7 - DH - Ashton Larson So.
Feb 8 - SP - Cade Anderson So., Anthony Eyanson Jr., Chase Shores RS-So.
Feb 9 - RP
Feb 10 - Pro Prospects and Projected SEC standings
Grade Breakdown for Starter
80 Top of the Scale (Think Kris Bryant, USD – 2013 “power”)
70 Well Above Average
60 Above Average
50 Average
40 Below Average
30 Well Below Average
20 Bottom of the Scale (Think Matt Gaudet, LSU - 2010 “speed”)
Grade Breakdown for Overall Position Group
80 Top of the Scale (Think Rice Starting Pitching - 2003)
70 Well Above Average
60 Above Average
50 Average
40 Below Average
30 Well Below Average
20 Bottom of the Scale
This post was edited on 2/10/25 at 4:21 am
21
Posted on 2/1/25 at 4:46 am to Adam4848
CATCHER
Luis Hernandez Sr. 6’1 190lbs (23) Bats-R Throws-R
Cade Arrambide Fr. 6’3 210lbs (0) Bats-R Throws-R
Blaise Priester Jr. 6’1 205lbs (28) Bats-R Throws-R
Eddie Yamin Jr. 6’5 205lbs (30) Bats-R Throws-R
Diving right into it, caching is one of a handful of positions that is pretty wide open from a lineup perspective. Luis Hernandez transfers into LSU out of Indiana St where he had an explosive junior season, Blaise Preister enters from JUCO after two seasons at Meridian CC, and Cade Arrambide who is the highest ranked catcher LSU has ever gotten to attend college in quite some time. Behind these is three I think there’s a drastic gap but Eddie Yamin makes sense here as depth piece. Time will be shared between the top two candidates during the non conference schedule which could push into SEC if one or the other candidate hasn’t established themselves, right now Luis Hernandez is the favorite to start opening night.
Luis Hernandez is going to be an integral part of this lineup moving forward either at C or DH. Right now because Hernandez has fully developed both physically and mentally at the collegiate level with postseason experience he’s got a slight edge on starting opening night. Luis was a three year starter at Indiana St. where his production absolutely exploded as a junior showing 23 home runs after only 9 home runs combined in his first two seasons. Although he’s seen time at catching/first base/designated hitter I think everyone can agree that Jay’s going to need him to become an everyday catcher moving forward for this lineup to work as efficiently as we think it can. It’s a pretty safe bet that Luis was given an opportunity to compete and start as an everyday catcher. I’ve been impressed with Hernandez’s ability to act as glue per say with a brand new catching and pitching rotation. Power is a plus tool and some could argue slightly higher, if he gets close to a full time season I could see him at least pushing 14-15 home runs, Indiana St’s home stadium is actually not very hitter friendly so we can’t go straight to the angle of him racking up numbers against inferior competition at a softball like stadium. He’s got gap to gap power and should follow that up with a respectable average as he’s become more selective. Luis has close to average speed and moves well on the base paths for this position. Defensively I’m still trying to gauge how I think he does over the course of a season but short returns are showing he’s doing a good job receiving and his blocking abilities have shown promise even with a slightly weaker arm vs others in the group. The ceiling isn’t going to be as high here as the others, but you get a very serviceable power bat that could jump in towards the back end of the lineup around 6 or 7 in the order.
Cade Arrambide enters LSU as the best catching prospect they have ever gotten in the modern era and was argued to be the top high school catcher in the entire high school class for the 2024 year. Year after year of LSU losing their top catching commit to the MLB draft is over. While catching is such a difficult position now a days to step in, start, and succeed as a freshman Cade will have slightly less pressure to do it day one. Out of everyone on this depth chart Cade clearly possess the most desirable frame to build upon, his power is already above average and will only continue to improve in LSU’s strength program where he’s producing some pretty remarkable exit velocities. Hit tool is still a bit of a mystery, he’s showing more and more patience, with pop anything you get here will be lagniappe. Speed is slightly below average. Two years ago Arrambide wow’d scouts with his 1.70 second pop time and 102 mph arm at the PG nationals in 2023 where he set records in each category, frames with this makeup don’t make their way to campus often. Throughout fall and into spring practice he’s matured quicker at the plate than I anticipated so the pathway to starting full time while not probable isn’t complete out of the realm of possibilities.
Blaise Priester returns to LSU two years after transferring over to Meridian CC after the 2022 season. Advantages of having Priester slide in here is you have a 21 year old who while not a proven commodity has JUCO experience against collegiate pitching. Priester has a stocky frame, great upper body power, matured plate discipline for the most part. In two years Blaise’s AVG/OBP/SLG was 0.368/0.487/0.728 where power has continued to develop and really become his strongest tool where he led LSU in HR’s during fall practices After that you can argue he’s a bit one dimensional so to speak. So what’s the good here? Exceptional power bat LSU can count on from the right side of the plate that should be able to hit for average if not slightly below where he’ll make up for his swing and miss approach with extra base hits. The bad? He’s still going to rack up strikeouts with his swing and while not a liability on the bath paths doesn’t show as much athleticism as the other catchers. Priester is not as refined defensively as LSU fans are accustomed and while this catching battle is going to stretch well into non conference in order to start he’s going to need to tiddy up small miscues at times for us to even think he takes over here. I like his arm and he can make most throws with consistency but look a bit stiff at times receiving.
Eddie Yamin I list here a depth piece but will highlight more at another position.
My take: The entire room is brand new and I don’t blame anyone who’s either optimistic or cautiously pessimistic. Typically I have a pretty good gauge with who will start, how a rotation will shake out for a majority of the innings, but I’m still struggling to come up what I think will actually happen here as it’s dependent on so many different factors. Everyone here shows above average power from the right side of the plate, speed is all mostly comparable, and no one has faced SEC competition everyday. Priester has been an everyday catcher who’s showing the ability to drive the ball last fall and this spring, Hernandez you can plug in right now in the lineup and he’s going to be difficult to take out, Arrambide without a doubt has the highest ceiling both at the plate and defensively…the question/concern is that Johnson can’t treat SEC play like spring training. Maybe there is hope they can let Cade mature before the SEC competition truly ramps up at the back half of the year. Because catching is such an integral position defensively and LSU looks to have the ability to hide this spot in a relatively deep lineup I’m less worried about who starts here and instead who can last here over the course of the season. For now I’m going to assume he gives the senior Luis Hernandez the start on opening night but watch for Cade Arrambide to get a ton of chances early this spring. With this being said the group as a whole is still above average and maybe it’s about finding out how they work together over the course of a season vs who will start every game.
Luis Hernandez
Power------65
Hitting------55
Speed------45
Fielding----55
Arm---------50
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Luis Hernandez
Blaise Priester
Cade Arrambide
POSITION LOSSES:
Alex Milazzo
Hayden Travinksi
Brady Neal
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 55
Luis Hernandez Sr. 6’1 190lbs (23) Bats-R Throws-R
Cade Arrambide Fr. 6’3 210lbs (0) Bats-R Throws-R
Blaise Priester Jr. 6’1 205lbs (28) Bats-R Throws-R
Eddie Yamin Jr. 6’5 205lbs (30) Bats-R Throws-R
Diving right into it, caching is one of a handful of positions that is pretty wide open from a lineup perspective. Luis Hernandez transfers into LSU out of Indiana St where he had an explosive junior season, Blaise Preister enters from JUCO after two seasons at Meridian CC, and Cade Arrambide who is the highest ranked catcher LSU has ever gotten to attend college in quite some time. Behind these is three I think there’s a drastic gap but Eddie Yamin makes sense here as depth piece. Time will be shared between the top two candidates during the non conference schedule which could push into SEC if one or the other candidate hasn’t established themselves, right now Luis Hernandez is the favorite to start opening night.
Luis Hernandez is going to be an integral part of this lineup moving forward either at C or DH. Right now because Hernandez has fully developed both physically and mentally at the collegiate level with postseason experience he’s got a slight edge on starting opening night. Luis was a three year starter at Indiana St. where his production absolutely exploded as a junior showing 23 home runs after only 9 home runs combined in his first two seasons. Although he’s seen time at catching/first base/designated hitter I think everyone can agree that Jay’s going to need him to become an everyday catcher moving forward for this lineup to work as efficiently as we think it can. It’s a pretty safe bet that Luis was given an opportunity to compete and start as an everyday catcher. I’ve been impressed with Hernandez’s ability to act as glue per say with a brand new catching and pitching rotation. Power is a plus tool and some could argue slightly higher, if he gets close to a full time season I could see him at least pushing 14-15 home runs, Indiana St’s home stadium is actually not very hitter friendly so we can’t go straight to the angle of him racking up numbers against inferior competition at a softball like stadium. He’s got gap to gap power and should follow that up with a respectable average as he’s become more selective. Luis has close to average speed and moves well on the base paths for this position. Defensively I’m still trying to gauge how I think he does over the course of a season but short returns are showing he’s doing a good job receiving and his blocking abilities have shown promise even with a slightly weaker arm vs others in the group. The ceiling isn’t going to be as high here as the others, but you get a very serviceable power bat that could jump in towards the back end of the lineup around 6 or 7 in the order.
Cade Arrambide enters LSU as the best catching prospect they have ever gotten in the modern era and was argued to be the top high school catcher in the entire high school class for the 2024 year. Year after year of LSU losing their top catching commit to the MLB draft is over. While catching is such a difficult position now a days to step in, start, and succeed as a freshman Cade will have slightly less pressure to do it day one. Out of everyone on this depth chart Cade clearly possess the most desirable frame to build upon, his power is already above average and will only continue to improve in LSU’s strength program where he’s producing some pretty remarkable exit velocities. Hit tool is still a bit of a mystery, he’s showing more and more patience, with pop anything you get here will be lagniappe. Speed is slightly below average. Two years ago Arrambide wow’d scouts with his 1.70 second pop time and 102 mph arm at the PG nationals in 2023 where he set records in each category, frames with this makeup don’t make their way to campus often. Throughout fall and into spring practice he’s matured quicker at the plate than I anticipated so the pathway to starting full time while not probable isn’t complete out of the realm of possibilities.
Blaise Priester returns to LSU two years after transferring over to Meridian CC after the 2022 season. Advantages of having Priester slide in here is you have a 21 year old who while not a proven commodity has JUCO experience against collegiate pitching. Priester has a stocky frame, great upper body power, matured plate discipline for the most part. In two years Blaise’s AVG/OBP/SLG was 0.368/0.487/0.728 where power has continued to develop and really become his strongest tool where he led LSU in HR’s during fall practices After that you can argue he’s a bit one dimensional so to speak. So what’s the good here? Exceptional power bat LSU can count on from the right side of the plate that should be able to hit for average if not slightly below where he’ll make up for his swing and miss approach with extra base hits. The bad? He’s still going to rack up strikeouts with his swing and while not a liability on the bath paths doesn’t show as much athleticism as the other catchers. Priester is not as refined defensively as LSU fans are accustomed and while this catching battle is going to stretch well into non conference in order to start he’s going to need to tiddy up small miscues at times for us to even think he takes over here. I like his arm and he can make most throws with consistency but look a bit stiff at times receiving.
Eddie Yamin I list here a depth piece but will highlight more at another position.
My take: The entire room is brand new and I don’t blame anyone who’s either optimistic or cautiously pessimistic. Typically I have a pretty good gauge with who will start, how a rotation will shake out for a majority of the innings, but I’m still struggling to come up what I think will actually happen here as it’s dependent on so many different factors. Everyone here shows above average power from the right side of the plate, speed is all mostly comparable, and no one has faced SEC competition everyday. Priester has been an everyday catcher who’s showing the ability to drive the ball last fall and this spring, Hernandez you can plug in right now in the lineup and he’s going to be difficult to take out, Arrambide without a doubt has the highest ceiling both at the plate and defensively…the question/concern is that Johnson can’t treat SEC play like spring training. Maybe there is hope they can let Cade mature before the SEC competition truly ramps up at the back half of the year. Because catching is such an integral position defensively and LSU looks to have the ability to hide this spot in a relatively deep lineup I’m less worried about who starts here and instead who can last here over the course of the season. For now I’m going to assume he gives the senior Luis Hernandez the start on opening night but watch for Cade Arrambide to get a ton of chances early this spring. With this being said the group as a whole is still above average and maybe it’s about finding out how they work together over the course of a season vs who will start every game.
Luis Hernandez
Power------65
Hitting------55
Speed------45
Fielding----55
Arm---------50
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Luis Hernandez
Blaise Priester
Cade Arrambide
POSITION LOSSES:
Alex Milazzo
Hayden Travinksi
Brady Neal
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 55
This post was edited on 2/1/25 at 5:05 am
Posted on 2/1/25 at 4:46 am to Adam4848
FIRST BASE
Jared Jones Jr. 6’4 253lbs (22) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Luis Hernandez Sr. 6’1 190lbs (23) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Ryan Costello Fr. 6’3 203lbs (38) Bats-Left Throws-Left
Ethan Frey Jr. 6’5 229lbs (16) Bats-Right Throws-Right
John Pearson Fr. 6’0 248lbs (47) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Jared Jones appears to be the starter for now and the only competition here will be who’s behind him. Luis Hernandez spent most of his time here at Indiana St. so if for some reason Jones is not starting at 1B and Hernandez is not starting at C then he slides in with little to no lose of production. Any combination of Ethan Frey, John Pearson, Ryan Costello, or even Eddie Yamin makes sense here for depth.
Jared Jones returning to LSU this year is quite literally the difference of LSU being a really good team with a chance to win it all to a legit favorite. Jones improved upon nearly every statical category as a sophomore where he became a more patient hitter and showed the ability to drive offspeed pitching as well…HR totals surging from 12 to 28, BB’s surging from 36 to 59, and slugging improving from 0.640 to 0.747. Right now Jones sits 2 HR’s from tenth place all time in HR’s at LSU and with another comparable season he’ll improve to at least third all time after only three seasons. The power tool is evident, it’s as good as it gets at the collegiate level. I think it’s sometimes over valued of exactly who is protecting Jones in the lineup but as a whole LSU has too much talent this year that other teams are going to have a tough time pitching around him at all times. Jones is still a high strikeout risk but you take it with his pop, speed is below average. With gap to gap power to all fields look for him to be near the top with respect to doubles as well. Defensively Jared has not only improved from being an average first baseman but has evolved into one of the standouts in the SEC, Jay has personally gone out of his way to bring this up on multiple occasions. With his large frame he makes a preferable target for infielders and he plays loose for his size with above average range. Arm is above average as transitioned catcher. Curious to see what position he starts out in the minors with the MLB team that drafts him but I no longer see him as a 1B project.
Luis Hernandez after bouncing around between DH/C/1B became Indiana St’s primary 1B a season ago, defensively Hernandez has been stellar here and makes sense to slide here if Jones gets taken out the game by pinch runner or hitter where he becomes another above average 1B replacement.
Ryan Costello continues to get more and more reps at 1B and with reason. He might have most raw power from the left side of the plate on the current roster, I’d love for them to continue to let him focus solely on hitting where he could become a platoon at DH or at the very least a pinch hitting type role in late games. Ryan is a prototypical corner infielder who should compete for a starting job next year because he moves well for his frame.
Ethan Frey entering his third year at LSU is in the make it or break it season with respect to his career. Johnson’s been patient with him in particular due to depth at positions and injuries. Ethan’s another upper classman with an impressive frame who produces loud contact and exit velocities. The coaching staff seems to be doing everything they can to tap into that power, I think Ethan will be given multiple opportunities early in the year at designated hitter.
John Pearson quite literally with the number he picked looks like a younger Tommy White. Pearson’s going to have to wait his turn so to speak but when he pures a ball it sounds different, much more pop in his bat than his older brother.
My take: A season ago Jones was the only true sophomore who lived up to his billing and in some regards made up for others deficiencies in the lineup who have since transferred out. Publications may have Jared as either a first/second/third pre season All American where he will anchor this lineup either at 3 or 4 hole, I don't know if Jay toys with moving him up now that LSU has realistic top of the order guys. With another comparable season both offensively and defensively Jared may see his name called as high as the second or third round in the MLB draft. My grade is a tad optimistic but there’s a ton of depth here, a guy like Hernandez would start 1B at a number of other SEC schools.
Jared Jones
Power------80
Hitting------60
Speed------40
Fielding----60
Arm---------65
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Luis Hernandez
John Pearson
POSITION LOSSES:
NONE
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 75
Jared Jones Jr. 6’4 253lbs (22) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Luis Hernandez Sr. 6’1 190lbs (23) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Ryan Costello Fr. 6’3 203lbs (38) Bats-Left Throws-Left
Ethan Frey Jr. 6’5 229lbs (16) Bats-Right Throws-Right
John Pearson Fr. 6’0 248lbs (47) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Jared Jones appears to be the starter for now and the only competition here will be who’s behind him. Luis Hernandez spent most of his time here at Indiana St. so if for some reason Jones is not starting at 1B and Hernandez is not starting at C then he slides in with little to no lose of production. Any combination of Ethan Frey, John Pearson, Ryan Costello, or even Eddie Yamin makes sense here for depth.
Jared Jones returning to LSU this year is quite literally the difference of LSU being a really good team with a chance to win it all to a legit favorite. Jones improved upon nearly every statical category as a sophomore where he became a more patient hitter and showed the ability to drive offspeed pitching as well…HR totals surging from 12 to 28, BB’s surging from 36 to 59, and slugging improving from 0.640 to 0.747. Right now Jones sits 2 HR’s from tenth place all time in HR’s at LSU and with another comparable season he’ll improve to at least third all time after only three seasons. The power tool is evident, it’s as good as it gets at the collegiate level. I think it’s sometimes over valued of exactly who is protecting Jones in the lineup but as a whole LSU has too much talent this year that other teams are going to have a tough time pitching around him at all times. Jones is still a high strikeout risk but you take it with his pop, speed is below average. With gap to gap power to all fields look for him to be near the top with respect to doubles as well. Defensively Jared has not only improved from being an average first baseman but has evolved into one of the standouts in the SEC, Jay has personally gone out of his way to bring this up on multiple occasions. With his large frame he makes a preferable target for infielders and he plays loose for his size with above average range. Arm is above average as transitioned catcher. Curious to see what position he starts out in the minors with the MLB team that drafts him but I no longer see him as a 1B project.
Luis Hernandez after bouncing around between DH/C/1B became Indiana St’s primary 1B a season ago, defensively Hernandez has been stellar here and makes sense to slide here if Jones gets taken out the game by pinch runner or hitter where he becomes another above average 1B replacement.
Ryan Costello continues to get more and more reps at 1B and with reason. He might have most raw power from the left side of the plate on the current roster, I’d love for them to continue to let him focus solely on hitting where he could become a platoon at DH or at the very least a pinch hitting type role in late games. Ryan is a prototypical corner infielder who should compete for a starting job next year because he moves well for his frame.
Ethan Frey entering his third year at LSU is in the make it or break it season with respect to his career. Johnson’s been patient with him in particular due to depth at positions and injuries. Ethan’s another upper classman with an impressive frame who produces loud contact and exit velocities. The coaching staff seems to be doing everything they can to tap into that power, I think Ethan will be given multiple opportunities early in the year at designated hitter.
John Pearson quite literally with the number he picked looks like a younger Tommy White. Pearson’s going to have to wait his turn so to speak but when he pures a ball it sounds different, much more pop in his bat than his older brother.
My take: A season ago Jones was the only true sophomore who lived up to his billing and in some regards made up for others deficiencies in the lineup who have since transferred out. Publications may have Jared as either a first/second/third pre season All American where he will anchor this lineup either at 3 or 4 hole, I don't know if Jay toys with moving him up now that LSU has realistic top of the order guys. With another comparable season both offensively and defensively Jared may see his name called as high as the second or third round in the MLB draft. My grade is a tad optimistic but there’s a ton of depth here, a guy like Hernandez would start 1B at a number of other SEC schools.
Jared Jones
Power------80
Hitting------60
Speed------40
Fielding----60
Arm---------65
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Luis Hernandez
John Pearson
POSITION LOSSES:
NONE
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 75
This post was edited on 2/2/25 at 8:27 am
Posted on 2/1/25 at 4:46 am to Adam4848
SECOND BASE
Daniel Dickinson Jr. 6’0 200lbs (14) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Tanner Reaves RS-Jr. 6’1 165lbs (5) Bats-Left Throws-Right
Mikey Ryan Fr. 6’0 195lbs (17) Bats-Right Throws-Right
David Hogg Fr. 6’2 195lbs (18) Bats-Switch Throws-Right
I don’t think there’s too much of an unknown with how Jay wants to set up the right side of the infield. The job should be Daniel Dickinson’s to lose with Tanner Reaves as the most ideal candidate pushing him. Steven Milam could slide over here at any time if need be but I don’t see anyway he leaves SS or 3B. Two talented freshmen Mickey Ryan and David Hogg fit here as backups. Depending on who you talk to Mickey Ryan is a little more polished at this point.
Daniel Dickinson’s evolution from where he is right now vs where he was three years is pretty remarkable. As a high school senior coming out of Richland Washington he didn’t have any offers to play D1 and eventually wound up at Utah Valley St under former hitting coach and assistant Eddie Smith where he would go on to start right away as a true freshman. Daniels added about 15-20lbs of mass where he’s slowly turning into a five tool player at the collegiate level. Dickinson’s HR totals and slugging have improved from 9/18 and 0.592/0.661 respectively, he could be a 12-14 HR type producer with an aluminum bat in the SEC. He’s a contact oriented hitter that’s pretty patient and utilizes all sides of the field so he does a good job limiting strikeouts when he doesn’t try and become overly aggressive. He’s going to be adjusting to SEC pitching so expecting him to step without any hiccups and hit for 0.340-0.350 might be a slight reach. Still I think he’s one of the better contact hitters on this team and will be a mainstay towards the top of the lineup where he’ll make a strong candidate to lead LSU in hits this year. Daniel is aggressive on the basepaths, he stole 32 bases a season ago and will be asked to move around on the bases a ton this year. Daniel’s quick twitch muscles and excellent range for second base should make for a smooth transition defensively where his arm is better suited for the right side of the infield in the majors.
Tanner Reaves is another interesting transfer name who hits from the left side of the plate and has been coming on strong during the spring practices. Tanner actually had the choice last year to go back and develop another season at Blinn College where he put up remarkable numbers over the course of two years. Reaves has a very balanced swing from the left side and can generate some pop to the pull side for his size. LSU is going to need 1-2 more left handed bats to push for everyday playing time so lookout for a situation where he becomes a platoon at DH. The competition he’s faced wasn't great but returns at LSU have been good so that's promising to see.
Mikey Ryan can and will see time defensively here along with the left side of infield being one of LSU’s better gloves on the infield. Glove is slightly in front of the bat right now which isn't unexpected. Ryan had serious draft interest last summer and will be a future middle infielder for LSU as long as he sticks around.
David Hogg is one of the more promising true freshman who shows excellent defensive range and quickness. David needs to continue pushing because he’s another athlete that as soon as he shows the ability to keep his OBP % up they’ll start giving him more at bats because much like Milam coming into his his freshman year he can do all of the little things with repeatability.
My take: Daniel Dickinson regarded as a top 10 transfer overall by every publication over the winter, giving LSU immediate plug and play ability on the right side of the infield as well as an upgrade on the base paths with respect to what they have had in recent years. If we’re looking at grading tools cumulative of infielders over the past few seasons I’d argue Dickinson is one of the more balanced and well rounded prospects to come through LSU since Josh Smith in 2019. In the lineup he’ll either be your lead off or two hole who can take pitches and put pressure on the opposing pitcher. I’m cautiously optimistic that Dickinson will be able to work through some growing pains getting adjusted and be ready for the SEC schedule. Daniel had interest from just about ever power SEC school so you know there’s a ton of untapped potential so to speak.
Daniel Dickinson
Power------60
Hitting------65
Speed------60
Fielding----55
Arm---------55
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Daniel Dickinson
Tanner Reaves
POSITION LOSSES:
NONE
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 65
Daniel Dickinson Jr. 6’0 200lbs (14) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Tanner Reaves RS-Jr. 6’1 165lbs (5) Bats-Left Throws-Right
Mikey Ryan Fr. 6’0 195lbs (17) Bats-Right Throws-Right
David Hogg Fr. 6’2 195lbs (18) Bats-Switch Throws-Right
I don’t think there’s too much of an unknown with how Jay wants to set up the right side of the infield. The job should be Daniel Dickinson’s to lose with Tanner Reaves as the most ideal candidate pushing him. Steven Milam could slide over here at any time if need be but I don’t see anyway he leaves SS or 3B. Two talented freshmen Mickey Ryan and David Hogg fit here as backups. Depending on who you talk to Mickey Ryan is a little more polished at this point.
Daniel Dickinson’s evolution from where he is right now vs where he was three years is pretty remarkable. As a high school senior coming out of Richland Washington he didn’t have any offers to play D1 and eventually wound up at Utah Valley St under former hitting coach and assistant Eddie Smith where he would go on to start right away as a true freshman. Daniels added about 15-20lbs of mass where he’s slowly turning into a five tool player at the collegiate level. Dickinson’s HR totals and slugging have improved from 9/18 and 0.592/0.661 respectively, he could be a 12-14 HR type producer with an aluminum bat in the SEC. He’s a contact oriented hitter that’s pretty patient and utilizes all sides of the field so he does a good job limiting strikeouts when he doesn’t try and become overly aggressive. He’s going to be adjusting to SEC pitching so expecting him to step without any hiccups and hit for 0.340-0.350 might be a slight reach. Still I think he’s one of the better contact hitters on this team and will be a mainstay towards the top of the lineup where he’ll make a strong candidate to lead LSU in hits this year. Daniel is aggressive on the basepaths, he stole 32 bases a season ago and will be asked to move around on the bases a ton this year. Daniel’s quick twitch muscles and excellent range for second base should make for a smooth transition defensively where his arm is better suited for the right side of the infield in the majors.
Tanner Reaves is another interesting transfer name who hits from the left side of the plate and has been coming on strong during the spring practices. Tanner actually had the choice last year to go back and develop another season at Blinn College where he put up remarkable numbers over the course of two years. Reaves has a very balanced swing from the left side and can generate some pop to the pull side for his size. LSU is going to need 1-2 more left handed bats to push for everyday playing time so lookout for a situation where he becomes a platoon at DH. The competition he’s faced wasn't great but returns at LSU have been good so that's promising to see.
Mikey Ryan can and will see time defensively here along with the left side of infield being one of LSU’s better gloves on the infield. Glove is slightly in front of the bat right now which isn't unexpected. Ryan had serious draft interest last summer and will be a future middle infielder for LSU as long as he sticks around.
David Hogg is one of the more promising true freshman who shows excellent defensive range and quickness. David needs to continue pushing because he’s another athlete that as soon as he shows the ability to keep his OBP % up they’ll start giving him more at bats because much like Milam coming into his his freshman year he can do all of the little things with repeatability.
My take: Daniel Dickinson regarded as a top 10 transfer overall by every publication over the winter, giving LSU immediate plug and play ability on the right side of the infield as well as an upgrade on the base paths with respect to what they have had in recent years. If we’re looking at grading tools cumulative of infielders over the past few seasons I’d argue Dickinson is one of the more balanced and well rounded prospects to come through LSU since Josh Smith in 2019. In the lineup he’ll either be your lead off or two hole who can take pitches and put pressure on the opposing pitcher. I’m cautiously optimistic that Dickinson will be able to work through some growing pains getting adjusted and be ready for the SEC schedule. Daniel had interest from just about ever power SEC school so you know there’s a ton of untapped potential so to speak.
Daniel Dickinson
Power------60
Hitting------65
Speed------60
Fielding----55
Arm---------55
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Daniel Dickinson
Tanner Reaves
POSITION LOSSES:
NONE
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 65
This post was edited on 2/3/25 at 6:03 am
Posted on 2/1/25 at 4:46 am to Adam4848
SHORTSTOP
Steven Milam So. 5’8 177lbs (4) Bats-Switch Throws-Right
Michael Braswell Sr. 6’2 201lbs (10) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Mikey Ryan Fr. 6’0 195lbs (17) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Let me preface this is another spot that can and will shuffle all throughout spring practice and very well may see shuffling during the regular season. Personally I like Steven Milam more in this spot, Michael Braswell who spent a majority of the time at short stop a season ago will start at third base while not here. Mikey Ryan, one of LSU’s better gloves makes sense here especially as a defensive substitution. I really don’t see any other candidates that will see major innings at this position.
Steven Milam will start at a spot of the left side of the infield and for purposes of this preview we have him at shortstop. After a pretty lousy fall in 2023 I was still bullish on Milam last spring so long as he got enough at bats to start to find a grove, because everywhere else his tools play. It took about midway into conference play but Steven’s abilities to become a sparkplug offensively and defensively was too much for him to sit. Milam who received all American honors as a freshman returns on the infield where he’s going to be counted more so to become a leader in the middle of the infield. Milam to me still shows better power and loft from the left side of the plate but he's showing gap to gap power from both sides of the field which is very encouraging as he gets stronger and stronger for his limited frame, I don't see any reason why he can't have double digits homeruns given another 200+ at bats. Average should stick around 0.320-0.340 due to his ability to use his hands better than most and go with pitches and much like Dickinson will be a candidate to lead LSU in hits over the course of the season. Milam was great on the bath paths and should see a similar usage rate where his instincts are exceptional that may make up for lack of straight line speed. Glove is stellar and while he is somewhat limited by his physical range it's personally my favorite tool of his and I really do think he can become an ALL-SEC type shortstop in this league. Arm is slight above average. It needs to be stressed that if Milam was 3-4inches taller he would of never stepped onto campus a year and half ago and I really think he poised to become a heart of the order type piece to this lineup. To me his tools all show slightly above average to plus at the college level, nothing jumps off the page but he does everything really well and is able to repeat his mechanics over and over.
Michael Braswell who will be covered at another position will split time with Milam. Michael who had immense struggles defensively during an early SEC stretch last year really tightened up over the course of the season and would not surprise me a bit if he ends up with a majority of the innings based on how Johnson wants to set his infield.
Mikey Ryan can and will see time defensively here along with the left side of infield being one of LSU’s better gloves. Ryan can play 2B/SS/3B but should mainly stick to a middle infield spot.
My take: You have the luxury of rotating Milam and Braswell here at any point in the game with two guys who have shown the ability to hit at an SEC level. The only concern I have here is any type of injury to either would force an unproven piece to start up the middle of the infield. In the lineup I think Milam pairs well hugging Jones either before or after to be honest, the two hole would be my preference. Milam's job security might be the highest on the team outside of Jones, statically he's LSU's leading returner in hits, triples, steals, and second in runs, doubles, walks, and OBP%. What kind of stat line do I think is realistic? 12-13 HR's, 55 RBI, 14-15 SB's with his defense and OBP% and you're looking at a potential all-sec shortstop.
Steven Milam
Power------60
Hitting------65
Speed------60
Fielding----65
Arm---------55
POSITION ADDITIONS:
NONE
POSITION LOSSES:
NONE
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 65
Steven Milam So. 5’8 177lbs (4) Bats-Switch Throws-Right
Michael Braswell Sr. 6’2 201lbs (10) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Mikey Ryan Fr. 6’0 195lbs (17) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Let me preface this is another spot that can and will shuffle all throughout spring practice and very well may see shuffling during the regular season. Personally I like Steven Milam more in this spot, Michael Braswell who spent a majority of the time at short stop a season ago will start at third base while not here. Mikey Ryan, one of LSU’s better gloves makes sense here especially as a defensive substitution. I really don’t see any other candidates that will see major innings at this position.
Steven Milam will start at a spot of the left side of the infield and for purposes of this preview we have him at shortstop. After a pretty lousy fall in 2023 I was still bullish on Milam last spring so long as he got enough at bats to start to find a grove, because everywhere else his tools play. It took about midway into conference play but Steven’s abilities to become a sparkplug offensively and defensively was too much for him to sit. Milam who received all American honors as a freshman returns on the infield where he’s going to be counted more so to become a leader in the middle of the infield. Milam to me still shows better power and loft from the left side of the plate but he's showing gap to gap power from both sides of the field which is very encouraging as he gets stronger and stronger for his limited frame, I don't see any reason why he can't have double digits homeruns given another 200+ at bats. Average should stick around 0.320-0.340 due to his ability to use his hands better than most and go with pitches and much like Dickinson will be a candidate to lead LSU in hits over the course of the season. Milam was great on the bath paths and should see a similar usage rate where his instincts are exceptional that may make up for lack of straight line speed. Glove is stellar and while he is somewhat limited by his physical range it's personally my favorite tool of his and I really do think he can become an ALL-SEC type shortstop in this league. Arm is slight above average. It needs to be stressed that if Milam was 3-4inches taller he would of never stepped onto campus a year and half ago and I really think he poised to become a heart of the order type piece to this lineup. To me his tools all show slightly above average to plus at the college level, nothing jumps off the page but he does everything really well and is able to repeat his mechanics over and over.
Michael Braswell who will be covered at another position will split time with Milam. Michael who had immense struggles defensively during an early SEC stretch last year really tightened up over the course of the season and would not surprise me a bit if he ends up with a majority of the innings based on how Johnson wants to set his infield.
Mikey Ryan can and will see time defensively here along with the left side of infield being one of LSU’s better gloves. Ryan can play 2B/SS/3B but should mainly stick to a middle infield spot.
My take: You have the luxury of rotating Milam and Braswell here at any point in the game with two guys who have shown the ability to hit at an SEC level. The only concern I have here is any type of injury to either would force an unproven piece to start up the middle of the infield. In the lineup I think Milam pairs well hugging Jones either before or after to be honest, the two hole would be my preference. Milam's job security might be the highest on the team outside of Jones, statically he's LSU's leading returner in hits, triples, steals, and second in runs, doubles, walks, and OBP%. What kind of stat line do I think is realistic? 12-13 HR's, 55 RBI, 14-15 SB's with his defense and OBP% and you're looking at a potential all-sec shortstop.
Steven Milam
Power------60
Hitting------65
Speed------60
Fielding----65
Arm---------55
POSITION ADDITIONS:
NONE
POSITION LOSSES:
NONE
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 65
This post was edited on 2/4/25 at 7:02 am
Posted on 2/1/25 at 4:47 am to Adam4848
THIRD BASE
Michael Braswell Sr. 6’2 201lbs (10) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Steven Milam So. 5’8 177lbs (4) Bats-Switch Throws-Right
Tanner Reaves RS-Jr. 6’1 165lbs (5) Bats-Left Throws-Right
John Pearson Fr. 6’0 248lbs (47) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Going along with predictions, if Milam is at shortstop then by default we’ll see Michael Braswell here. Behind him you’ll have any type of combination of Steven Milam and Tanner Reaves with John Pearson as an option as he's starting to get more and more reps here during spring practices.
Michael Braswell returns for his fourth collegiate season in the SEC which is pretty substantial in the fact that the Tigers bring back another left side of the infield piece who hit for over 0.300 and has postseason experience. Personally I think his arm is his best tool, but like others on this team there’s nothing that he does really well or anything he really lacks, it’s all comparatively average to slightly above average. While his frame and swing doesn’t generate much power I really thought we’d see higher numbers last year…that didn’t happen. At this point in his career he is what he is, power is average at best where we may see 6-7 HR’s. Bat has improved from where he was just two years ago working directly with Wanaka, does a great job using his hands through the zone and going where it’s pitched. Because of this Michael is able to spray the ball to all fields and fight off pitches he’s sometimes fooled on. Speed is slightly above average but remains mostly a station to station on the base paths. Defensively Michael will be fine at either SS or 3B, his glove work can go through peaks and valleys so to speak, from film work most of his miscues appear to be more mental rather than physical which can be cleaned up. The frame is there to play 3B in college and as long as he continues to refine his transition work from glove to arm on bunt attempts I don’t see any issues penciling him in as the starter here. Arm is a plus to plus plus tool and he’s able to make throws here from anywhere on the infield.
Steven Milam who will be playing the other position on the left side of the infield will rotate here on an as need basis.
Tanner Reaves makes sense here as a depth piece where he’ll be listed as most corner infield and outfield spots. Out of everyone without a starting spot he's making the most noise in spring practice.
John Pearson who is serving as backup at 1B continues to get reps at third base although DH might be a quicker path to playing time.
My take: It’s hard to go over scenarios here with multiple guys because I think Braswell makes the most sense given the rest of the infield layout. Because Michael’s pop is limited and he doesn’t have the best straight line speed he gets overlooked in basically every preseason talk discussion. We’re talking about a guy who will most likely hit 7-9 and could sit around 0.300-0.310 with 70 hits…you take that almost every year if he's producing defensively. If we’re nitpicking you’d like to see his SLG% increase, about 70% of his hits were singles, and his errors came in bunches last year, if that’s cleaned up you’re talking about a senior who can do everything average to slightly above average everyday. The position may look light but with the entire infield this year everyone is being groomed to play multiple spots by design.
Michael Braswell
Power------50
Hitting------60
Speed------55
Fielding----55
Arm---------65
POSITION ADDITIONS:
NONE
POSITION LOSSES:
Tommy White
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 60
Michael Braswell Sr. 6’2 201lbs (10) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Steven Milam So. 5’8 177lbs (4) Bats-Switch Throws-Right
Tanner Reaves RS-Jr. 6’1 165lbs (5) Bats-Left Throws-Right
John Pearson Fr. 6’0 248lbs (47) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Going along with predictions, if Milam is at shortstop then by default we’ll see Michael Braswell here. Behind him you’ll have any type of combination of Steven Milam and Tanner Reaves with John Pearson as an option as he's starting to get more and more reps here during spring practices.
Michael Braswell returns for his fourth collegiate season in the SEC which is pretty substantial in the fact that the Tigers bring back another left side of the infield piece who hit for over 0.300 and has postseason experience. Personally I think his arm is his best tool, but like others on this team there’s nothing that he does really well or anything he really lacks, it’s all comparatively average to slightly above average. While his frame and swing doesn’t generate much power I really thought we’d see higher numbers last year…that didn’t happen. At this point in his career he is what he is, power is average at best where we may see 6-7 HR’s. Bat has improved from where he was just two years ago working directly with Wanaka, does a great job using his hands through the zone and going where it’s pitched. Because of this Michael is able to spray the ball to all fields and fight off pitches he’s sometimes fooled on. Speed is slightly above average but remains mostly a station to station on the base paths. Defensively Michael will be fine at either SS or 3B, his glove work can go through peaks and valleys so to speak, from film work most of his miscues appear to be more mental rather than physical which can be cleaned up. The frame is there to play 3B in college and as long as he continues to refine his transition work from glove to arm on bunt attempts I don’t see any issues penciling him in as the starter here. Arm is a plus to plus plus tool and he’s able to make throws here from anywhere on the infield.
Steven Milam who will be playing the other position on the left side of the infield will rotate here on an as need basis.
Tanner Reaves makes sense here as a depth piece where he’ll be listed as most corner infield and outfield spots. Out of everyone without a starting spot he's making the most noise in spring practice.
John Pearson who is serving as backup at 1B continues to get reps at third base although DH might be a quicker path to playing time.
My take: It’s hard to go over scenarios here with multiple guys because I think Braswell makes the most sense given the rest of the infield layout. Because Michael’s pop is limited and he doesn’t have the best straight line speed he gets overlooked in basically every preseason talk discussion. We’re talking about a guy who will most likely hit 7-9 and could sit around 0.300-0.310 with 70 hits…you take that almost every year if he's producing defensively. If we’re nitpicking you’d like to see his SLG% increase, about 70% of his hits were singles, and his errors came in bunches last year, if that’s cleaned up you’re talking about a senior who can do everything average to slightly above average everyday. The position may look light but with the entire infield this year everyone is being groomed to play multiple spots by design.
Michael Braswell
Power------50
Hitting------60
Speed------55
Fielding----55
Arm---------65
POSITION ADDITIONS:
NONE
POSITION LOSSES:
Tommy White
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 60
This post was edited on 2/5/25 at 4:24 am
Posted on 2/1/25 at 4:47 am to Adam4848
OUTFIELD
LEFT FIELD
Derek Curiel Fr. 6’2 182 (6) Bats-Left Throws-Left
Josh Pearson 5’10 190lbs (11) Bats-Left Throws-Left
Ethan Frey Jr. 6’6 225lbs (16) Bats-Right Throws-Right
CENTER FIELD
Chris Stanfield Jr. 6’2 195lbs (1) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Mic Paul So. 5’10 195lbs (13) Bats-Left Throws-Left
RIGHT FIELD
Jake Brown So. 6’2 205lbs (7) Bats-Left Throws-Left
Ashton Larson So. 6’2 200lbs (44) Bats-Left Throws-Left
Dalton Beck Sr. 6’2 200lbs (33) Bats-Left Throws-Left
There is a ton of room for optimism here looking at last years failures. Two opening day starters Mac Bingham and Paxton Kling combined for 70 hits between the two with a 0.237 average, a nagging injury to Jake Brown kept him from finding his grove until the SEC tournament. I think opening night we should see some sort of combination of Derek Curiel, Chris Stanfield, and Jake Brown in the outfield. It’s very likely that names such as Josh Pearson, Ashton Larson, and Dalton Beck will see time at DH when not starting but it's evident there's going to be a deep rotation.
Derek Curiel arrives on campus as the top outfielder of the 2024 high school class to attend college. Curiel who’s out of Orange Lutheran, in California has been a popular name throughout the high school circuit for quite some time. Curiel has quite a nice frame for his profile where I do eventually think he’ll take over in CF next season. Power is below average, scouts question where he’ll ever hit for power at the next level which also may determine his stock as he is a draft eligible sophomore in 2026. With that being said Derek is a very polished hitter being a true freshman who’s seen good competition his entire life, does a good job taking pitches, not chasing, and not striking out. Speed is a plus tool, not the true straight line speedster you think he is but very good instincts on the base paths. Superb glove and moves very well with quick reaction times, should definitely be an upgrade defensively if he ends up at a corner outfield spot to start. Arm is average to slightly above average at this level. Similar to Milam as a true freshman as long as he’s not a complete liability at the plate they need to make a spot for him in the lineup, I don’t like making these comparisons but as a pure hitter he could be an Antonine Duplantis or Mark Laird type table setter and really shine as a true freshman.
Josh Pearson returns for his fourth season at LSU where he’s both come off the bench and started with success. Right now I’d like to think Josh is backing up LF and fighting for a DH spot, Pearson is going to be a vital part of this team even if not starting so I'd like to think at the very least will be included in a platooning rotation as well as pinch hitting late in games.
Ethan Frey may see a spot start here or there early in the year at LF as they give others a break and give him a chance to get at bats. With Ethan you’re inserting him into the lineup for his power with the hope he can start producing extra base hits.
Chris Stanfield is a very intriguing prospect. Stanfield was a very highly ranked high school prospect out of Tallahassee, Florida before attending Auburn and immediately became a starter. You can tell there’s a ton of untapped potential here with Chris who never was able to break out of his shell just hitting 0.278 while averaging 49 hits, 3 HR’s, and 9 SB’s with 0.365/0.403/ OBP/SLG. There are similarities between him and Braswell that another situation will harness success, personally I think was asked to do too much at Auburn too soon…he might not be a heart of the lineup type guy and that’s fine. Returns are showing that with a little less pressure on him he’s shining and starting to show power to his pull side, I’m having a hard time rating it anywhere higher than average from what I’ve seen. Hit tool is average to arguably slight above average, there’s still a slight hole in his swing but he’s shown improvement with respect to striking out and drawing more walks. I really like his speed and really hope the coaching staff is more aggressive on the base paths than what he’s shown the previous two seasons. Another premium defender who does a great job tracking and taking angles and plus arm for centerfield. Stanfield has been having one of the better spring practices which flipped me from a potential platoon piece to thinking he might be ready to make this jump and start in CF.
Mic Paul I think makes the best case to backup CF right now. He’s got some of the best speed on the team from the left side of the plate and is a very good defender that the coaching staff trust. Paul has started showing a little more loft in his swing since fall and I don’t see why he won’t get some spot starts or at bats early in the year to see what they have here.
Jake Brown is a player I think is going to make the biggest leap from year one to two on this team stat wise. A season ago Jake had an exceptional spring and just when you thought he was establishing himself injured his knee the 5th SEC game of the season which really limited him. By the time the SEC tournament rolled around Brown was inserted into the lineup and never left where he hit close to 0.300 against the best competition LSU played all season. Power is a plus tool and only going to improve with Jake’s advanced lower body strength and the more at bats he takes, I think he could really push 15 HR’s given a full season where his gap to gap power to the pull side will lend to a number of extra base hits. For his powerful frame he moves well on the base paths, I honestly don't know how often they give him the green light. What’s good with Brown is he can play every position in the outfield and moving him over to RF will be to get the best arm they have in that corner spot which is plus plus being a converted pitcher. I’m very bullish on Brown this season.
Ashton Larson if not starting in the OF is one of my favorites to see a majority of the time at designated hitter. Larson's not a liability in the outfield and did a great job as a true freshman I think his role on this team is simply more effective at the plate, I will highlight him at another position.
Dalton Beck the transfer Incarnate World was kind of their do everything player, posting 20 doubles, 18 HR’s, and 67 RBI’s a season ago, he’s another power bat from the left side of the plate that will do well at a corner outfield spot or DH. The problem with penciling him in as a potential starter in this OF is he doesn’t move as well defensively so if the bat plays he’ll more than likely become LSU’s DH.
My take: The position is extremely deep, there are 5/6 players here that would start a normal season. None of these guys are going to make an all-american team but all have very high floors to the point we shouldn't see the constant up and down we did with last years outfield. Curiel should settle in around the 6 or 7 hole, Stanfield they’ll either try out at leadoff as he’s done or move him towards the back of the lineup to flip it over, Brown I could see hitting either 4 or 5. If we’re playing devils advocate Curiel is a true freshman who needs to prove he can be an everyday player and hit against SEC pitching, Stanfield needs to improve his OBP to really make a difference and add pop to show he can be a top of the order guy, and Brown needs to prove that his 10 game stretch towards the end of last season wasn’t just fools gold. It’s safe to say Jay put all of his eggs in one basket with certain guys on the roster last year and wasn’t going to let that happen again, it's the reason why this position is honestly a little more log jammed than it’s ever been, that’s not a bad thing.
LEFT FIELD
Derek Curiel Fr. 6’2 182 (6) Bats-Left Throws-Left
Josh Pearson 5’10 190lbs (11) Bats-Left Throws-Left
Ethan Frey Jr. 6’6 225lbs (16) Bats-Right Throws-Right
CENTER FIELD
Chris Stanfield Jr. 6’2 195lbs (1) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Mic Paul So. 5’10 195lbs (13) Bats-Left Throws-Left
RIGHT FIELD
Jake Brown So. 6’2 205lbs (7) Bats-Left Throws-Left
Ashton Larson So. 6’2 200lbs (44) Bats-Left Throws-Left
Dalton Beck Sr. 6’2 200lbs (33) Bats-Left Throws-Left
There is a ton of room for optimism here looking at last years failures. Two opening day starters Mac Bingham and Paxton Kling combined for 70 hits between the two with a 0.237 average, a nagging injury to Jake Brown kept him from finding his grove until the SEC tournament. I think opening night we should see some sort of combination of Derek Curiel, Chris Stanfield, and Jake Brown in the outfield. It’s very likely that names such as Josh Pearson, Ashton Larson, and Dalton Beck will see time at DH when not starting but it's evident there's going to be a deep rotation.
Derek Curiel arrives on campus as the top outfielder of the 2024 high school class to attend college. Curiel who’s out of Orange Lutheran, in California has been a popular name throughout the high school circuit for quite some time. Curiel has quite a nice frame for his profile where I do eventually think he’ll take over in CF next season. Power is below average, scouts question where he’ll ever hit for power at the next level which also may determine his stock as he is a draft eligible sophomore in 2026. With that being said Derek is a very polished hitter being a true freshman who’s seen good competition his entire life, does a good job taking pitches, not chasing, and not striking out. Speed is a plus tool, not the true straight line speedster you think he is but very good instincts on the base paths. Superb glove and moves very well with quick reaction times, should definitely be an upgrade defensively if he ends up at a corner outfield spot to start. Arm is average to slightly above average at this level. Similar to Milam as a true freshman as long as he’s not a complete liability at the plate they need to make a spot for him in the lineup, I don’t like making these comparisons but as a pure hitter he could be an Antonine Duplantis or Mark Laird type table setter and really shine as a true freshman.
Josh Pearson returns for his fourth season at LSU where he’s both come off the bench and started with success. Right now I’d like to think Josh is backing up LF and fighting for a DH spot, Pearson is going to be a vital part of this team even if not starting so I'd like to think at the very least will be included in a platooning rotation as well as pinch hitting late in games.
Ethan Frey may see a spot start here or there early in the year at LF as they give others a break and give him a chance to get at bats. With Ethan you’re inserting him into the lineup for his power with the hope he can start producing extra base hits.
Chris Stanfield is a very intriguing prospect. Stanfield was a very highly ranked high school prospect out of Tallahassee, Florida before attending Auburn and immediately became a starter. You can tell there’s a ton of untapped potential here with Chris who never was able to break out of his shell just hitting 0.278 while averaging 49 hits, 3 HR’s, and 9 SB’s with 0.365/0.403/ OBP/SLG. There are similarities between him and Braswell that another situation will harness success, personally I think was asked to do too much at Auburn too soon…he might not be a heart of the lineup type guy and that’s fine. Returns are showing that with a little less pressure on him he’s shining and starting to show power to his pull side, I’m having a hard time rating it anywhere higher than average from what I’ve seen. Hit tool is average to arguably slight above average, there’s still a slight hole in his swing but he’s shown improvement with respect to striking out and drawing more walks. I really like his speed and really hope the coaching staff is more aggressive on the base paths than what he’s shown the previous two seasons. Another premium defender who does a great job tracking and taking angles and plus arm for centerfield. Stanfield has been having one of the better spring practices which flipped me from a potential platoon piece to thinking he might be ready to make this jump and start in CF.
Mic Paul I think makes the best case to backup CF right now. He’s got some of the best speed on the team from the left side of the plate and is a very good defender that the coaching staff trust. Paul has started showing a little more loft in his swing since fall and I don’t see why he won’t get some spot starts or at bats early in the year to see what they have here.
Jake Brown is a player I think is going to make the biggest leap from year one to two on this team stat wise. A season ago Jake had an exceptional spring and just when you thought he was establishing himself injured his knee the 5th SEC game of the season which really limited him. By the time the SEC tournament rolled around Brown was inserted into the lineup and never left where he hit close to 0.300 against the best competition LSU played all season. Power is a plus tool and only going to improve with Jake’s advanced lower body strength and the more at bats he takes, I think he could really push 15 HR’s given a full season where his gap to gap power to the pull side will lend to a number of extra base hits. For his powerful frame he moves well on the base paths, I honestly don't know how often they give him the green light. What’s good with Brown is he can play every position in the outfield and moving him over to RF will be to get the best arm they have in that corner spot which is plus plus being a converted pitcher. I’m very bullish on Brown this season.
Ashton Larson if not starting in the OF is one of my favorites to see a majority of the time at designated hitter. Larson's not a liability in the outfield and did a great job as a true freshman I think his role on this team is simply more effective at the plate, I will highlight him at another position.
Dalton Beck the transfer Incarnate World was kind of their do everything player, posting 20 doubles, 18 HR’s, and 67 RBI’s a season ago, he’s another power bat from the left side of the plate that will do well at a corner outfield spot or DH. The problem with penciling him in as a potential starter in this OF is he doesn’t move as well defensively so if the bat plays he’ll more than likely become LSU’s DH.
My take: The position is extremely deep, there are 5/6 players here that would start a normal season. None of these guys are going to make an all-american team but all have very high floors to the point we shouldn't see the constant up and down we did with last years outfield. Curiel should settle in around the 6 or 7 hole, Stanfield they’ll either try out at leadoff as he’s done or move him towards the back of the lineup to flip it over, Brown I could see hitting either 4 or 5. If we’re playing devils advocate Curiel is a true freshman who needs to prove he can be an everyday player and hit against SEC pitching, Stanfield needs to improve his OBP to really make a difference and add pop to show he can be a top of the order guy, and Brown needs to prove that his 10 game stretch towards the end of last season wasn’t just fools gold. It’s safe to say Jay put all of his eggs in one basket with certain guys on the roster last year and wasn’t going to let that happen again, it's the reason why this position is honestly a little more log jammed than it’s ever been, that’s not a bad thing.
This post was edited on 2/6/25 at 4:27 am
Posted on 2/1/25 at 4:47 am to Adam4848
Derek Curiel
Power------40
Hitting------55
Speed------65
Fielding----65
Arm---------55
Chris Stanfield
Power------50
Hitting------50
Speed------65
Fielding----65
Arm---------60
Jake Brown
Power------60
Hitting------60
Speed------60
Fielding----55
Arm---------70
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Derek Curiel
Chris Stanfield
Dalton Beck
POSITION LOSSES:
Mac Bingham
Paxton Kling
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 60
__________________________________________________________
DESIGNATED HITTER
Ashton Larson So. 6’2 200lbs (44) Bats-Left Throws-Left
Blaise Priester RS-Jr. 6’1 220lbs (28) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Tanner Reaves RS-Jr. 6’1 165lbs (5) Bats-Left Throws-Right
Josh Pearson Sr. 5’10 190lbs (11) Bats-Left Throws-Left
Ethan Frey Jr 6’6 225lbs (16) Bats-Right Throws-Right
As usual designated hitter will shake out to what’s left over after the lineup sets up. Per the preview I’m going to try and highlight names that would make sense based on the projected defensive lineup. Three names jump out which include Ashton Larson, Blaise Priester, and Tanner Reaves…after that guys such as Josh Pearson and Ethan Frey make sense here.
Ashton Larson is sort of flying under the radar here, if his defense was a little better or a few transfers didn’t hit I think he would have been a lock to start. Larson’s strength comes from his offense so there really isn't any downside to let him focus on hitting given LSU is looking for some more pop from the left side of the plate. Power is a plus tool and will only continue to improve where he mostly stays pull side. Ashton’s clean and quiet swing allows him to stay with pitches and drive the ball to all fields, it allows him to make cleaner contact even when fooled. I think last year he gave LSU more than they expected when asked to jump in to some difficult situations on the road and held his own. Besides Milam and Brown…the lineup may not have any other power from the left side of the plate so there’s opportunity here.
I give Blaise Priester a hard time on occasion calling him a one tool player but at a position like DH it’s not necessarily the worst thing in the world as long as the rest of the lineup is strong. Blaise might be the best candidate here from the right side, you could also group Arrambide in this if we assume Hernandez is catching. Priester would most likely be a 7-8 hole hitter as it turns over from the heart of the order and you can live with a 0.280 average if he’s mashing 12-16 HR’s and driving in 40 RBI’s.
Tanner Reaves offers you a more balanced all around approach from the left side of the plate, I wouldn’t say his power is better than Larson but it’s sneaky in spurts. Tanner will get multiple opportunities here as well as seeing that breaking into the infield could become difficult.
Josh Pearson makes sense here when you look at fact that he’s an experienced bat from the left side of the plate who could fill in as a pinch hitter or a plug and play guy any game. The ceiling is a bit lower with Josh but he'll give more consistent at bats and have higher OBP% than others in this group.
Ethan Frey, again will be inserted to try and spark that power the coaches are doing everything they can to get him going.
My take: You have the luxury of rotating as needed here. Ashton Larson and Blaise Priester are head and shoulders the best options based on how the lineup sets up. There’s power in this group, there are options from both side, you have a mixture of speed. Right now it's a very fluid group based on what sets up at catcher and in the outfield.
Ashton Larson
Power------60
Hitting------55
Speed------60
Fielding----55
Arm---------50
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Blaise Priester
Tanner Reaves
POSITION LOSSES:
Hayden Travinski
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 60
Power------40
Hitting------55
Speed------65
Fielding----65
Arm---------55
Chris Stanfield
Power------50
Hitting------50
Speed------65
Fielding----65
Arm---------60
Jake Brown
Power------60
Hitting------60
Speed------60
Fielding----55
Arm---------70
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Derek Curiel
Chris Stanfield
Dalton Beck
POSITION LOSSES:
Mac Bingham
Paxton Kling
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 60
__________________________________________________________
DESIGNATED HITTER
Ashton Larson So. 6’2 200lbs (44) Bats-Left Throws-Left
Blaise Priester RS-Jr. 6’1 220lbs (28) Bats-Right Throws-Right
Tanner Reaves RS-Jr. 6’1 165lbs (5) Bats-Left Throws-Right
Josh Pearson Sr. 5’10 190lbs (11) Bats-Left Throws-Left
Ethan Frey Jr 6’6 225lbs (16) Bats-Right Throws-Right
As usual designated hitter will shake out to what’s left over after the lineup sets up. Per the preview I’m going to try and highlight names that would make sense based on the projected defensive lineup. Three names jump out which include Ashton Larson, Blaise Priester, and Tanner Reaves…after that guys such as Josh Pearson and Ethan Frey make sense here.
Ashton Larson is sort of flying under the radar here, if his defense was a little better or a few transfers didn’t hit I think he would have been a lock to start. Larson’s strength comes from his offense so there really isn't any downside to let him focus on hitting given LSU is looking for some more pop from the left side of the plate. Power is a plus tool and will only continue to improve where he mostly stays pull side. Ashton’s clean and quiet swing allows him to stay with pitches and drive the ball to all fields, it allows him to make cleaner contact even when fooled. I think last year he gave LSU more than they expected when asked to jump in to some difficult situations on the road and held his own. Besides Milam and Brown…the lineup may not have any other power from the left side of the plate so there’s opportunity here.
I give Blaise Priester a hard time on occasion calling him a one tool player but at a position like DH it’s not necessarily the worst thing in the world as long as the rest of the lineup is strong. Blaise might be the best candidate here from the right side, you could also group Arrambide in this if we assume Hernandez is catching. Priester would most likely be a 7-8 hole hitter as it turns over from the heart of the order and you can live with a 0.280 average if he’s mashing 12-16 HR’s and driving in 40 RBI’s.
Tanner Reaves offers you a more balanced all around approach from the left side of the plate, I wouldn’t say his power is better than Larson but it’s sneaky in spurts. Tanner will get multiple opportunities here as well as seeing that breaking into the infield could become difficult.
Josh Pearson makes sense here when you look at fact that he’s an experienced bat from the left side of the plate who could fill in as a pinch hitter or a plug and play guy any game. The ceiling is a bit lower with Josh but he'll give more consistent at bats and have higher OBP% than others in this group.
Ethan Frey, again will be inserted to try and spark that power the coaches are doing everything they can to get him going.
My take: You have the luxury of rotating as needed here. Ashton Larson and Blaise Priester are head and shoulders the best options based on how the lineup sets up. There’s power in this group, there are options from both side, you have a mixture of speed. Right now it's a very fluid group based on what sets up at catcher and in the outfield.
Ashton Larson
Power------60
Hitting------55
Speed------60
Fielding----55
Arm---------50
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Blaise Priester
Tanner Reaves
POSITION LOSSES:
Hayden Travinski
POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 60
This post was edited on 2/7/25 at 2:27 am
Posted on 2/1/25 at 4:47 am to Adam4848
STARTING PITCHING
Friday – Kade Anderson So. 6’2 186lbs (32) Throws-Left
Saturday – Anthony Eyanson Jr. 6’2 208lbs (24) Throws-Right
Sunday – Chase Shores RS-So. 6’8 252lbs (34) Throws-Right
Similar to a season ago the top three candidates are starting to separate themselves from the pack so to speak. A rotation has not been released but in all likelihood it should include some combination of Kade Anderson, Anthony Eyanson, and Chase Shores. There are a number of other guys they are stretching out in spring practice but we’ll cover those under another position. On paper you are replacing the entire position group but there’s reason for optimism here.
It's really getting hard to look the other direction with respect to the performances Kade Anderson is putting up this spring as well as the work he’s put into the offseason. The kind of jump I’d hope to see would be ala Anthony Ranaudo 2008 to 2009. Anderson from the left side has a rare blend of power and finesse in the way he pitches to hitters. Fastball sits anywhere 93-95mph, curveball/slurve is an upper 70’s plus to plus plus pitch in college from the same slot that handcuffs right handed hitters and falls away from lefties. Anderson is able to keep hitters off balance with just those two pitches and is working on increasing his utilization of his changeup which will only help keep hitters honest. Kade’s probably not a typical looking Friday night guy but he repeats his mechanics well, works quickly, has a good K rate, limits walks to a pretty respectable rate, and most importantly is able to change eye levels during at bats and pitch backwards the second and third time around the order. I’m expecting a breakout year from Anderson in 2025 where he will be a draft eligible sophomore and should hear his name called pretty early in the draft.
Anthony Eyanson arguably might have been the biggest starting pitching transfer to any SEC school last summer and landing him kept him out of direct competition of other schools on LSU’s schedule. Anthony spent two seasons at UC San Diego where he enjoyed a superb breakout sophomore season that saw his velocity uptick after a pretty average freshman season. Fastball is normally 93-96mph with great life, I think it’ll start approaching 96-97mph during late spring as his arm warms up. Curveball is plus plus with tremendous spin rate that is devastating and a true out pitch at this level. Slider is improving and something they have been incorporating to compliment the curveball, it doesn’t get as many swing and misses yet but helps keeps hitters off balance. If Anthony is able to maintain a WHIP under or around 1.00 and average 5-6 innings it would be superb for a Saturday starter, I also like the change of pace in what he would do to follow up to Anderson. Anthony is a very good athlete for a pitcher and covers bunts with ease.
Chase Shores is the wildcard here, walking off the bus and based on pure velocity is the most impressive of this list. Shores after undergoing Tommy John Surgery in 2023 is fully healthy and not having any setbacks as they stretch him out. Having only pitched 18 innings in college thus far we can’t assume he’s going to walk through that door, start opening night, and put up stats similar to what a Skenes/Floyd/Jump/Holman would. Fastball is going to sit 96-99mph and his velocity alone is going to create swings and misses. Changeup is a very good pitch and runs back on righties, slider has late break and he’s beginning to throw it harder and trust it where as he couldn’t as much as a freshman. He still needs to learn to trust his pitches and not create swings and misses which can work up his pitch count pretty quickly. I’m crediting Hunt Palmer for this because I really agreed with this statement at the time, he said having a guy like Chase Shores start game 3’s in the SEC is a luxury as opposing teams in that last game with tired legs may have trouble catching up and squaring a 98mph fastball over a 90 mph fastball. Based on talent along Chase is going to be a Supplemental 1st to 2nd round pick, it will take him a couple of games to get going against live competition. The ceiling here is your third starter is actually a top 15 pick overall type pick and he bumps Eyanson and Anderson down in the order. While his strength is there now I expect them to build him back up gradually, but the ceiling here is incredibly high come May-June.
My take: All three of these starters are going to be workhorses, all three have very good to exceptional velocity at the college level, all three are in a sense starting for the first time in the SEC…there will be growing pains but the talent is all there to work in and out of them. The key here is Jay has established some pretty good depth in the pen and so each guy is not going to need to feel they have to go out and get 7 innings of 2 run ball or else, there are guys to hand it off to. Anderson, Eyanson, and Shores are all going to draw draft interest very early (rounds 1-3). It’s the story of the offseason “The position is ultra talented and but unproven at the SEC level”.
Kade Anderson
Arm Strength---------65
Movement-------------70
Stamina----------------60
Control-----------------60
Anthony Eyanson
Arm Strength---------70
Movement-------------70
Stamina----------------65
Control-----------------60
Chase Shores
Arm Strength---------75
Movement-------------65
Stamina----------------55
Control-----------------55
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Anthony Eyanson
POSITION LOSSES:
Thatcher Hurd
Gage Jump
Luke Holman
OVERALL POSITION GRADE: 65
Friday – Kade Anderson So. 6’2 186lbs (32) Throws-Left
Saturday – Anthony Eyanson Jr. 6’2 208lbs (24) Throws-Right
Sunday – Chase Shores RS-So. 6’8 252lbs (34) Throws-Right
Similar to a season ago the top three candidates are starting to separate themselves from the pack so to speak. A rotation has not been released but in all likelihood it should include some combination of Kade Anderson, Anthony Eyanson, and Chase Shores. There are a number of other guys they are stretching out in spring practice but we’ll cover those under another position. On paper you are replacing the entire position group but there’s reason for optimism here.
It's really getting hard to look the other direction with respect to the performances Kade Anderson is putting up this spring as well as the work he’s put into the offseason. The kind of jump I’d hope to see would be ala Anthony Ranaudo 2008 to 2009. Anderson from the left side has a rare blend of power and finesse in the way he pitches to hitters. Fastball sits anywhere 93-95mph, curveball/slurve is an upper 70’s plus to plus plus pitch in college from the same slot that handcuffs right handed hitters and falls away from lefties. Anderson is able to keep hitters off balance with just those two pitches and is working on increasing his utilization of his changeup which will only help keep hitters honest. Kade’s probably not a typical looking Friday night guy but he repeats his mechanics well, works quickly, has a good K rate, limits walks to a pretty respectable rate, and most importantly is able to change eye levels during at bats and pitch backwards the second and third time around the order. I’m expecting a breakout year from Anderson in 2025 where he will be a draft eligible sophomore and should hear his name called pretty early in the draft.
Anthony Eyanson arguably might have been the biggest starting pitching transfer to any SEC school last summer and landing him kept him out of direct competition of other schools on LSU’s schedule. Anthony spent two seasons at UC San Diego where he enjoyed a superb breakout sophomore season that saw his velocity uptick after a pretty average freshman season. Fastball is normally 93-96mph with great life, I think it’ll start approaching 96-97mph during late spring as his arm warms up. Curveball is plus plus with tremendous spin rate that is devastating and a true out pitch at this level. Slider is improving and something they have been incorporating to compliment the curveball, it doesn’t get as many swing and misses yet but helps keeps hitters off balance. If Anthony is able to maintain a WHIP under or around 1.00 and average 5-6 innings it would be superb for a Saturday starter, I also like the change of pace in what he would do to follow up to Anderson. Anthony is a very good athlete for a pitcher and covers bunts with ease.
Chase Shores is the wildcard here, walking off the bus and based on pure velocity is the most impressive of this list. Shores after undergoing Tommy John Surgery in 2023 is fully healthy and not having any setbacks as they stretch him out. Having only pitched 18 innings in college thus far we can’t assume he’s going to walk through that door, start opening night, and put up stats similar to what a Skenes/Floyd/Jump/Holman would. Fastball is going to sit 96-99mph and his velocity alone is going to create swings and misses. Changeup is a very good pitch and runs back on righties, slider has late break and he’s beginning to throw it harder and trust it where as he couldn’t as much as a freshman. He still needs to learn to trust his pitches and not create swings and misses which can work up his pitch count pretty quickly. I’m crediting Hunt Palmer for this because I really agreed with this statement at the time, he said having a guy like Chase Shores start game 3’s in the SEC is a luxury as opposing teams in that last game with tired legs may have trouble catching up and squaring a 98mph fastball over a 90 mph fastball. Based on talent along Chase is going to be a Supplemental 1st to 2nd round pick, it will take him a couple of games to get going against live competition. The ceiling here is your third starter is actually a top 15 pick overall type pick and he bumps Eyanson and Anderson down in the order. While his strength is there now I expect them to build him back up gradually, but the ceiling here is incredibly high come May-June.
My take: All three of these starters are going to be workhorses, all three have very good to exceptional velocity at the college level, all three are in a sense starting for the first time in the SEC…there will be growing pains but the talent is all there to work in and out of them. The key here is Jay has established some pretty good depth in the pen and so each guy is not going to need to feel they have to go out and get 7 innings of 2 run ball or else, there are guys to hand it off to. Anderson, Eyanson, and Shores are all going to draw draft interest very early (rounds 1-3). It’s the story of the offseason “The position is ultra talented and but unproven at the SEC level”.
Kade Anderson
Arm Strength---------65
Movement-------------70
Stamina----------------60
Control-----------------60
Anthony Eyanson
Arm Strength---------70
Movement-------------70
Stamina----------------65
Control-----------------60
Chase Shores
Arm Strength---------75
Movement-------------65
Stamina----------------55
Control-----------------55
POSITION ADDITIONS:
Anthony Eyanson
POSITION LOSSES:
Thatcher Hurd
Gage Jump
Luke Holman
OVERALL POSITION GRADE: 65
This post was edited on 2/8/25 at 4:14 am
Posted on 2/1/25 at 4:47 am to Adam4848
RELIEF PITCHING
There’s going to be about 80% inning turnover from a season ago in the bullpen, so a bunch of new names in new roles and maybe even some new defined roles. Besides midweek starter I’m going to break up roles into three groups…(long relief in high leverage, setup or situational, and closer).
Midweek Options: (Mavrick Rizy, Jaden Noot, Grant Fontenot, Dylan Thompson)
Mavrick Rizy is a young power arm I feel can be groomed into a starter role on his own time in lower leverage situations. Mavrick standing at 6’9 is a physically imposing presence on the mound with repeatable mechanics, he’s getting overlooked a tad with this top heavy class but he’d be one of the top line guys any other year. Fastball sits 94-96mph with run, curveball has good life, changeup still seams to be developing. At 19 he’s older for his class and will be draft eligible as a sophomore. My reasoning for starting him a couple of midweeks early in the year would be to face some quality teams to gauge his readiness if he’s able to slide into the pen for SEC play. Impressed during the Futures collegiate summer league last summer and is holding his own in scrimmages. The future is very bright with Rizy moving forward.
Another name I’d like to see them stretch out beginning with midweek games is Jaden Noot. Jaden has been at LSU for 2 seasons and pitched a total of 1 inning due to injuries…Jay’s kept him on because his ceiling is extremely high. Very good frame from right side, fastball sits 92-95mph and will creep up once we gets going again. Showed a good change up in high school and needs to mix in one more pitch to compliment the fastball. Getting him as many innings early in the season will help him for later in the year where they can transition him over the bullpen.
Grant Fontenot is back at LSU after transferring back from Texas, now in his fourth season Grant’s fastball is peaking around 93-94mph and slider has developed into a swing and miss pitch. I’d like to see him work in some innings during the midweeks to see if he can be counted on further.
Dylan Thompson returns as a true sophomore where he didn’t see any innings as a freshman. With his below average velocity and inability to show any swing or miss stuff I’d like to see how he can handle some 1-2 inning stints during midweek games.
Long Relief High Leverage: (Gavin Guidry, Zac Cowan, William Schmidt, Cooper Williams, Jacob Mayers)
Gavin Guidry has been stretched out this offseason and told to add some mass which he has, I still think he may get a spot start here or there but for this team to be successful I think he’s needed more in the bullpen in high leverage situations. Fastball is mainly 90-92mph but can bump it up on short spurts, he plays that off his slider which is his best pitch. The goal is going to be to get him to go through the order and least in big time situations.
Zac Cowan the transfer out of Wofford is in todays age a soft tossing righty. Fastball 89-91mph, he mixes in a very good changeup and average to above average slider although the usage rate isn’t high. Zac was the ace and workhorse for Wofford last year, he works fast, throws strikes, and can adjust eye levels to hitters and keep them off balance. When he originally committed I thought he would be the Sunday guy until they got Eyanson, definitely a very very nice piece to have come out the bullpen where he could get you anywhere from 3-6 innings.
William Schmidt out of Catholic HS in Baton Rouge is the highest ranked high school pitcher I can think of to come to college. Schmidt for the longest time was a lock to go in the first round and before he took his name out of the draft would of fielded some offers north of 4-5 million dollars. Fastball is 94-97mph right now and curve ball spin rate was ranked the highest in country according to publications which has extraordinary depth. Changeup is still not fully developed but he has time. Right now William still has a pretty wirey frame so he’ll continue filling out and getting stronger that will only push that fastball velocity higher. I would hope Schmidt could be utilized in a role similar to Guidry where you give him the ball in the 5th or 6th inning and you tell him to carry you as long as he can. The ceiling is a 1/1 draft pick in three years, guys like this hardly ever get on campus.
Cooper Williams was actually a late addition to this high school class after the coaching changes at A&M released him from his scholarship. Williams is another top 100 high school prospect who from the left side will get more opportunities as LSU is not necessarily stocked with a ton of southpaw bullpen arms. Fastball is anywhere from 92-94mph with an above average slider that works down and away and induces weak contact. He’s another freshman name that’s flying under the radar who has impressed me more than some upperclassmen. I think he’s someone who will be a future starter in a year or two.
Jacob Mayers out of Nicholls has been their ace for two years and is a name LSU fans are probably familiar with. Very imposing presence on the mound from the right side with a fastball 94-96mph that players higher. Curve is tight with late life but still able to keep hitters off balance. Batting average against has always been very impressive and he plays up to his competition. The knack on Mayers is walks where he’s averaged about a walk an inning over two seasons which after the Cam Johnsons fiasco will get him quick hooks. If he’s able to stay in the zone this is one name that’s going to become a mainstay bullpen piece during SEC play.
Setup or Situational: (Casan Evans, Kade Woods, Chandler Dorsey, DJ Primeaux, Connor Benge)
Casan Evans another top 100 high school prospect came to LSU as a versatile two way prospect, he’s going to pitch after posting 97-99mph fastball readings on the guns throughout fall and spring practice. Curveball has been working for him and his delivery is a bit deceptive on hitters, I’d like to see Casan become a max effort guy out the pen for an inning multiple times a weekend.
Kade Woods is finally healthy after being in witness protection program for much of last season dealing with nagging injuries. Woods the transfer out of Alabama has a very nice powerful frame with jerky delivery that creates run on his fastball 94-95mph as long as he stays down in the zone with his curve he’ll be fine.
Chandler Dorsey out of USF was originally LSU’s first transfer commit last summer. Chandler is another power arm that lead USF in appearances and saves a season ago. Dorseys fastball plays 90-94mph and slider that he uses on occasion. Control has been an issue from time to time but he’s a guy who developed under pressure and can be counted in on that type of role.
DJ Primeaux only got 2-3 innings last year, you have to think it’s the make it or break it season for him. I like DJ in a one inning situation relief role from the left side…fastball can hit lower 90’s and he has an outstanding slider. Key here is getting chances to find a rhythm.
Connor Benge out of Dallas Baptist was a surprise addition last summer, posted superb numbers as a freshman at LSU Eunice and showed promise at DBU besides random spurts. Throws from a three quarter angle which generates a ton of lateral run, Fastball can play to 94-96mph and slider is an average to above average pitch with nice changeup. Due to potential control issues I like this spot here to let him give max effort and create weak contact.
There’s going to be about 80% inning turnover from a season ago in the bullpen, so a bunch of new names in new roles and maybe even some new defined roles. Besides midweek starter I’m going to break up roles into three groups…(long relief in high leverage, setup or situational, and closer).
Midweek Options: (Mavrick Rizy, Jaden Noot, Grant Fontenot, Dylan Thompson)
Mavrick Rizy is a young power arm I feel can be groomed into a starter role on his own time in lower leverage situations. Mavrick standing at 6’9 is a physically imposing presence on the mound with repeatable mechanics, he’s getting overlooked a tad with this top heavy class but he’d be one of the top line guys any other year. Fastball sits 94-96mph with run, curveball has good life, changeup still seams to be developing. At 19 he’s older for his class and will be draft eligible as a sophomore. My reasoning for starting him a couple of midweeks early in the year would be to face some quality teams to gauge his readiness if he’s able to slide into the pen for SEC play. Impressed during the Futures collegiate summer league last summer and is holding his own in scrimmages. The future is very bright with Rizy moving forward.
Another name I’d like to see them stretch out beginning with midweek games is Jaden Noot. Jaden has been at LSU for 2 seasons and pitched a total of 1 inning due to injuries…Jay’s kept him on because his ceiling is extremely high. Very good frame from right side, fastball sits 92-95mph and will creep up once we gets going again. Showed a good change up in high school and needs to mix in one more pitch to compliment the fastball. Getting him as many innings early in the season will help him for later in the year where they can transition him over the bullpen.
Grant Fontenot is back at LSU after transferring back from Texas, now in his fourth season Grant’s fastball is peaking around 93-94mph and slider has developed into a swing and miss pitch. I’d like to see him work in some innings during the midweeks to see if he can be counted on further.
Dylan Thompson returns as a true sophomore where he didn’t see any innings as a freshman. With his below average velocity and inability to show any swing or miss stuff I’d like to see how he can handle some 1-2 inning stints during midweek games.
Long Relief High Leverage: (Gavin Guidry, Zac Cowan, William Schmidt, Cooper Williams, Jacob Mayers)
Gavin Guidry has been stretched out this offseason and told to add some mass which he has, I still think he may get a spot start here or there but for this team to be successful I think he’s needed more in the bullpen in high leverage situations. Fastball is mainly 90-92mph but can bump it up on short spurts, he plays that off his slider which is his best pitch. The goal is going to be to get him to go through the order and least in big time situations.
Zac Cowan the transfer out of Wofford is in todays age a soft tossing righty. Fastball 89-91mph, he mixes in a very good changeup and average to above average slider although the usage rate isn’t high. Zac was the ace and workhorse for Wofford last year, he works fast, throws strikes, and can adjust eye levels to hitters and keep them off balance. When he originally committed I thought he would be the Sunday guy until they got Eyanson, definitely a very very nice piece to have come out the bullpen where he could get you anywhere from 3-6 innings.
William Schmidt out of Catholic HS in Baton Rouge is the highest ranked high school pitcher I can think of to come to college. Schmidt for the longest time was a lock to go in the first round and before he took his name out of the draft would of fielded some offers north of 4-5 million dollars. Fastball is 94-97mph right now and curve ball spin rate was ranked the highest in country according to publications which has extraordinary depth. Changeup is still not fully developed but he has time. Right now William still has a pretty wirey frame so he’ll continue filling out and getting stronger that will only push that fastball velocity higher. I would hope Schmidt could be utilized in a role similar to Guidry where you give him the ball in the 5th or 6th inning and you tell him to carry you as long as he can. The ceiling is a 1/1 draft pick in three years, guys like this hardly ever get on campus.
Cooper Williams was actually a late addition to this high school class after the coaching changes at A&M released him from his scholarship. Williams is another top 100 high school prospect who from the left side will get more opportunities as LSU is not necessarily stocked with a ton of southpaw bullpen arms. Fastball is anywhere from 92-94mph with an above average slider that works down and away and induces weak contact. He’s another freshman name that’s flying under the radar who has impressed me more than some upperclassmen. I think he’s someone who will be a future starter in a year or two.
Jacob Mayers out of Nicholls has been their ace for two years and is a name LSU fans are probably familiar with. Very imposing presence on the mound from the right side with a fastball 94-96mph that players higher. Curve is tight with late life but still able to keep hitters off balance. Batting average against has always been very impressive and he plays up to his competition. The knack on Mayers is walks where he’s averaged about a walk an inning over two seasons which after the Cam Johnsons fiasco will get him quick hooks. If he’s able to stay in the zone this is one name that’s going to become a mainstay bullpen piece during SEC play.
Setup or Situational: (Casan Evans, Kade Woods, Chandler Dorsey, DJ Primeaux, Connor Benge)
Casan Evans another top 100 high school prospect came to LSU as a versatile two way prospect, he’s going to pitch after posting 97-99mph fastball readings on the guns throughout fall and spring practice. Curveball has been working for him and his delivery is a bit deceptive on hitters, I’d like to see Casan become a max effort guy out the pen for an inning multiple times a weekend.
Kade Woods is finally healthy after being in witness protection program for much of last season dealing with nagging injuries. Woods the transfer out of Alabama has a very nice powerful frame with jerky delivery that creates run on his fastball 94-95mph as long as he stays down in the zone with his curve he’ll be fine.
Chandler Dorsey out of USF was originally LSU’s first transfer commit last summer. Chandler is another power arm that lead USF in appearances and saves a season ago. Dorseys fastball plays 90-94mph and slider that he uses on occasion. Control has been an issue from time to time but he’s a guy who developed under pressure and can be counted in on that type of role.
DJ Primeaux only got 2-3 innings last year, you have to think it’s the make it or break it season for him. I like DJ in a one inning situation relief role from the left side…fastball can hit lower 90’s and he has an outstanding slider. Key here is getting chances to find a rhythm.
Connor Benge out of Dallas Baptist was a surprise addition last summer, posted superb numbers as a freshman at LSU Eunice and showed promise at DBU besides random spurts. Throws from a three quarter angle which generates a ton of lateral run, Fastball can play to 94-96mph and slider is an average to above average pitch with nice changeup. Due to potential control issues I like this spot here to let him give max effort and create weak contact.
This post was edited on 2/9/25 at 4:08 am
Posted on 2/1/25 at 4:47 am to Adam4848
RELIEF PITCHING CONTINUED
Closer: (Connor Ware)
Connor Ware is going to have a major role on this team whether it’s as a starter, reliever, or closer. For purposes of the preview I’m going to assume as of now he’s going to have a role in some way of trying to close out games. Will it be every game on a weekend or once a weekend? Ware out of Pearl River CC has been on scouts radars for two years but due to nagging injuries hasn’t pitched a ton in 2023/2024. Because of this his arm is fresh so to speak and fastball is beginning to uptick to 93-96mph and curve ball much like Schmidt has exceptional spin rate and depth it’s nearly unhittable. Ware is a lefty so there’s going to be added value to his role on this team. For now I think he best compliments the bullpen in a closer type role where he can become a top 2-3 round draft pick in July.
My take: On paper the bullpen is not as deep as it was a season ago but it’s a bit more top heavy with premium talents such as Guidry, Schmidt, and Ware. Incoming freshmen such as Rizy, Evans, and Williams are all extremely talented newcomers that everyone will become familiar with by mid spring. Guys such as Noot and Woods are coming back to health and show great velocity. Guys such as Cowan and Mayers dominated at their respective conferences and are simply being asked to get 3-9 outs at a time instead of 15-21. Among others there will be plenty of arms to get the job done but it will take some time to get a rotation the coaches are comfortable using. My grade may be a bit low, I’m staying cautiously optimistic some of these arms will play to what we think they can be and not what they have been.
Gavin Guidry
Arm Strength---------55
Movement-------------60
Stamina----------------50
Control-----------------60
William Schmidt
Arm Strength---------75
Movement-------------75
Stamina----------------60
Control-----------------55
Connor Ware
Arm Strength---------65
Movement-------------70
Stamina----------------50
Control-----------------70
OVERALL POSITION GRADE: 60
Closer: (Connor Ware)
Connor Ware is going to have a major role on this team whether it’s as a starter, reliever, or closer. For purposes of the preview I’m going to assume as of now he’s going to have a role in some way of trying to close out games. Will it be every game on a weekend or once a weekend? Ware out of Pearl River CC has been on scouts radars for two years but due to nagging injuries hasn’t pitched a ton in 2023/2024. Because of this his arm is fresh so to speak and fastball is beginning to uptick to 93-96mph and curve ball much like Schmidt has exceptional spin rate and depth it’s nearly unhittable. Ware is a lefty so there’s going to be added value to his role on this team. For now I think he best compliments the bullpen in a closer type role where he can become a top 2-3 round draft pick in July.
My take: On paper the bullpen is not as deep as it was a season ago but it’s a bit more top heavy with premium talents such as Guidry, Schmidt, and Ware. Incoming freshmen such as Rizy, Evans, and Williams are all extremely talented newcomers that everyone will become familiar with by mid spring. Guys such as Noot and Woods are coming back to health and show great velocity. Guys such as Cowan and Mayers dominated at their respective conferences and are simply being asked to get 3-9 outs at a time instead of 15-21. Among others there will be plenty of arms to get the job done but it will take some time to get a rotation the coaches are comfortable using. My grade may be a bit low, I’m staying cautiously optimistic some of these arms will play to what we think they can be and not what they have been.
Gavin Guidry
Arm Strength---------55
Movement-------------60
Stamina----------------50
Control-----------------60
William Schmidt
Arm Strength---------75
Movement-------------75
Stamina----------------60
Control-----------------55
Connor Ware
Arm Strength---------65
Movement-------------70
Stamina----------------50
Control-----------------70
OVERALL POSITION GRADE: 60
This post was edited on 2/9/25 at 4:09 am
Posted on 2/1/25 at 4:47 am to Adam4848
PRO PROSPECTS
*Draft eligible sophomore
2025 MLB DRAFT PROSPECTS
1. Chase Shores RHP
2. Kade Anderson* LHP
3. Anthony Eyanson RHP
4. Jared Jones 1B
5. Daniel Dickinson 2B
6. Connor Ware LHP
7. Jacob Mayers RHP
8. Connor Benge RHP
9. Chris Stanfield CF
10. Jaden Noot RHP
2026 MLB DRAFT PROSPECTS
1. Kade Anderson LHP
2. Jake Brown RF
3. Derek Curiel* CF
4. Devin Sheerin RHP
5. Mavrick Rizy* RHP
2027 MLB DRAFT PROSPECTS
1. William Schmidt RHP
2. Derek Curiel CF
3. Cade Arrambide C
4. Casan Evans RHP
5. Mavrick Rizy RHP
*Draft eligible sophomore
2025 MLB DRAFT PROSPECTS
1. Chase Shores RHP
2. Kade Anderson* LHP
3. Anthony Eyanson RHP
4. Jared Jones 1B
5. Daniel Dickinson 2B
6. Connor Ware LHP
7. Jacob Mayers RHP
8. Connor Benge RHP
9. Chris Stanfield CF
10. Jaden Noot RHP
2026 MLB DRAFT PROSPECTS
1. Kade Anderson LHP
2. Jake Brown RF
3. Derek Curiel* CF
4. Devin Sheerin RHP
5. Mavrick Rizy* RHP
2027 MLB DRAFT PROSPECTS
1. William Schmidt RHP
2. Derek Curiel CF
3. Cade Arrambide C
4. Casan Evans RHP
5. Mavrick Rizy RHP
This post was edited on 2/10/25 at 10:20 am
Posted on 2/1/25 at 4:47 am to Adam4848
SEC PREDICTIONS
1. Texas A&M
2. LSU
3. Florida
4. Arkansas
5. Tennessee
6. Vanderbilt
7. Texas
8. Georgia
9. Oklahoma
10. Mississippi St.
11. Auburn
12. South Carolina
13. Alabama
14. Kentucky
15. Ole Miss
16. Missouri
1. Texas A&M
2. LSU
3. Florida
4. Arkansas
5. Tennessee
6. Vanderbilt
7. Texas
8. Georgia
9. Oklahoma
10. Mississippi St.
11. Auburn
12. South Carolina
13. Alabama
14. Kentucky
15. Ole Miss
16. Missouri
This post was edited on 2/10/25 at 4:20 am
Posted on 2/1/25 at 5:18 am to Adam4848
Posted on 2/1/25 at 5:56 am to upgrade
Adam,
What would your power ratings be for the rest of the catchers?
What would your power ratings be for the rest of the catchers?
Posted on 2/1/25 at 5:57 am to Adam4848
Prediction: CWS champions
Posted on 2/1/25 at 5:59 am to Adam4848
It’s finally here!
Thank you
Thank you
Posted on 2/1/25 at 6:04 am to Adam4848
Posted on 2/1/25 at 6:06 am to Adam4848
First page! and as always thanks Adam. Here’s to a good season and another CWS championship 
and as always thanks Adam. Here’s to a good season and another CWS championship This post was edited on 2/1/25 at 6:15 am
Posted on 2/1/25 at 6:09 am to TigerSaints318
Happy February 1st guys.
Kudos to Adam for waking his arse up and kicking this party off early. It was like Christmas morning when I woke up.
Kudos to Adam for waking his arse up and kicking this party off early. It was like Christmas morning when I woke up.
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