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We’re learning.. recruits not portal

Posted on 4/26/26 at 7:58 pm
Posted by maturetiger
Member since Apr 2008
170 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 7:58 pm
These true freshmen are special..
Posted by Bestbank Tiger
Premium Member
Member since Jan 2005
80595 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 8:00 pm to
We can promise immediate playing time to both sets of prospects.
Posted by Sofaking2
Member since Apr 2023
20975 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 8:02 pm to
I think it’s a combination of both depending on the season. Jay knows he needs to be adaptable.
Posted by beauchristopher
Member since Jan 2008
73617 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 8:04 pm to
It should still be a combination of both.

I'm just gonna call them transfers. Eyanson and Tommy Tanks were nice. Holman, Jump. Dickinson. Even Cooper Riley.

Posted by lsu711
Member since Sep 2003
15245 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 8:10 pm to
He leaned too hard into transfer this year. He tried to trade up at 2B, 1B, 3B and struck out. Meanwhile the guys he let walk are performing well for someone else.

Retention is tough when you have a season like this, but that has to be the priority for the staff. The young guys can play.

We still need to portal the left side of the infield for next year.
Posted by cajuntiger85
Lafayette
Member since Feb 2017
627 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 8:19 pm to
Who outside of Larson is performing well elsewhere?
Posted by BZ504
Texas
Member since Oct 2005
13545 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 8:21 pm to
Mikey Ryan, hitting .326 at NC State, 11 SBs, 9 HRs
This post was edited on 4/26/26 at 8:23 pm
Posted by 304tiger
West Virginia
Member since Jan 2022
2527 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 8:24 pm to
Mikey Ryan, Costello, Holt, and Neal (2 years out but still).

All those guys were doing well last I checked.
Posted by cajuntiger85
Lafayette
Member since Feb 2017
627 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 8:26 pm to
Mikey Ryan is about it.

Hogg went to a juco looks like and Costello is hitting .246 at Maryland.

I don’t think we’d have kept Larson just to play 1st, though I think with hindsight being 20/20 keeping Ryan instead of getting either Simpson or Carraway to compete for 2nd or 3rd would have been smart.
Posted by PP7 for heisman
New Orleans
Member since Feb 2011
10192 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 8:37 pm to
quote:

He tried to trade up at 2B, 1B, 3B and struck out. Meanwhile the guys he let walk are performing well for someone else
This isn't really accurate.

Ryan is having a good season for NC State, but that's about it. Jay also didn't push him out. Ryan entered the portal before LSU even left for Omaha. It wasn't like Jay signed Seth Dardar and then Ryan entered the portal. He was promised SS by an ACC team. He was not going to play SS for this team.

Costello is really struggling in conference play. Larson platoons against RHP at UT, inflating his stats. Holt hasn't been with the program in 4 years. Neal took 2 years to make a leap, and was really bad last year.

Simpson/Carraway being awful really fricked things up for this team.
Posted by icoczar
birmingham
Member since Sep 2005
1273 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 8:42 pm to
Surely excluding Patrick and Ruckert
Posted by lsu711
Member since Sep 2003
15245 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 8:54 pm to
You don’t think Ryan would have stayed to play 2B for a year then slide over to SS?

Jay told him we’d portal a couple infielders and let them all compete for 2B and 3B. Right or wrong, Jay’s recent comments about developing guys in the program tells me he wouldn’t make the same decision this year.

They tried to retool Simpson’s swing and it didn’t work. He came in a productive college hitter. Run him out there and see if it’ll work in the SEC. That’s what UGA does. I think frustration on both sides has led to what’s become of Simpson’s year with LSU.

Braun has covered up how much of a miss Yorke was. Caraway was always going to be a project, but they really thought Yorke would hit 4th every game and be an All SEC guy.
Posted by Penrod
Member since Jan 2011
55118 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 8:59 pm to
Eyanson, Dickinson, Braswell, Hernandez, and Cowan were portal guys, I believe. We don’t make Omaha last year without them.

I think we are drawing bad conclusions from one bad crop of portal players. We need the portal; we just need to do a better job of scouting and recruiting them.
Posted by ProjectP2294
West St. Louis County
Member since May 2007
77773 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 9:11 pm to
quote:

I think we are drawing bad conclusions from one bad crop of portal players.


And that will happen every year. The drawing conclusions from the most recent example I mean.

Both Yorke and Carraway were late adds after the draft. Both with familiarity, Yorke due to family, Carraway due to HS recruiting. I think if the draft or other portal guys worked out better, neither is here.

I have zero issue with Dardar being brought in. We were forced to put too much on his plate, but I love bringing in Louisiana guys when possible.

Simpson is the most puzzling to me. He was an early commit, so not a fallback. And while he tore up his conference, he was terrible against power conference pitching. And the best pitchers in his own conference were on his team. He’s not a supreme athlete, so he couldn’t grab and hold any positions defensively, and he can’t hit at this level.

Pitching wise, we didn’t get either of the top of the market starters (reddeman and Mack) but I’m not disappointed with Moore. I don’t think Garcia or Lachenmayer have been busts either. Both are better than what Justin Loer was. I really don’t hate the portal pitching class.
Posted by Mats86
Member since Mar 2021
6192 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 9:13 pm to
I think Austin roellig would have been useful to keep around. But the infield spot filled by the portal that year was Dickinson. He would definately be on the field for us most nights this year.
Posted by ProjectP2294
West St. Louis County
Member since May 2007
77773 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 9:16 pm to
quote:

I think Austin roellig would have been useful to keep around. But the infield spot filled by the portal that year was Dickinson. He would definately be on the field for us most nights this year.


He would have had to have been okay with not playing much last year here. This is his second year away. I don’t disagree he would have helped, same with Kucherak, but they left for more playing time they wouldn’t have gotten here last year.
Posted by PP7 for heisman
New Orleans
Member since Feb 2011
10192 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 9:22 pm to
quote:

You don’t think Ryan would have stayed to play 2B for a year then slide over to SS?

I think him transferring to NC State before LSU's season was over kind of answers that question, no?
quote:

Jay told him we’d portal a couple infielders and let them all compete for 2B and 3B. Right or wrong, Jay’s recent comments about developing guys in the program tells me he wouldn’t make the same decision this year.

Well of course he told him that. The only person he wouldn't have told that to was Curiel, Milam, and Brown. In no world should Ryan have been guaranteed a starting infield spot based off of his freshman performance.

He's been steadfast in wanting homegrown talent his entire time here. When he can supplement in the portal, he does.
quote:

They tried to retool Simpson’s swing and it didn’t work. He came in a productive college hitter. Run him out there and see if it’ll work in the SEC. That’s what UGA does. I think frustration on both sides has led to what’s become of Simpson’s year with LSU.

Braun has covered up how much of a miss Yorke was. Caraway was always going to be a project, but they really thought Yorke would hit 4th every game and be an All SEC guy.
I think the comments you have toward Simpson apply more toward Yorke. They (and probably Yorke, too) wanted Yorke to tap into the power. The problem is he's probably had the same swing for 15 years and just wasn't able to make the adjustments. Worth a shot though. He has an incredible eye, a great hit tool, and clearly a ton of raw strength. Just couldn't turn the strength into the power tool.

I agree on Carraway. Most of his production came over the span of about 2 weeks last year. I just didn't expect him to be so non-competitive.

ETA: I see what you meant with Simpson, ignore.
This post was edited on 4/26/26 at 9:23 pm
Posted by Datsmoneydude
Member since Jun 2021
3322 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 9:29 pm to
I just wish we woulda recruited Trey Halsey to play first base. That’s all
Posted by Mats86
Member since Mar 2021
6192 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 9:31 pm to
Yeah, Jay would have rightfully played braswell over him. And you don’t really pass on guys like Dickinson to make the redshirt freshman happy unless they are of equal or greater talent.
Posted by Tigerfan5523
Louisiana
Member since Aug 2024
484 posts
Posted on 4/26/26 at 9:32 pm to
Stop saying Brady Neal we had him for two years he couldn’t field his position at catcher even tried him at outfield couldn’t even dh. We tried and tried to play that guy for 2 years he got to bama sucked last year found someone who taught him how to hit. He has done better but three years of sucking arse for one good year ain’t it.
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