re: Baseball Preview: 2017 Edition Feb 10th - Prospects & SEC Prediction

FIRST BASE

1) Jake Slaughter Fr. 6’2 197lbs (5)*
2) Chris Reid So. 5’9 187lbs (17)
3) Nick Coomes Jr. 5’11 196lbs (13)
4) Bryce Adams Sr. 6’4 203lbs (44)

First base will be one of the few unknowns heading into spring ball, let me preface that while Mainieri and Gibbs have their guy in Jake Slaughter who’s currently in line to start opening night the completion behind him will continue well after first pitch. Chris Reid and Nick Coomes make sense at this spot given their durability and won’t compromise anything defensively. Even with Bryce Adams getting a majority of his reps in left field to start the year I don’t think he’ll beat out Beau Jordan, Breaux, or Watson and because of this I’m also tabbing him as a backup for this position given the possible need later in the season.

Jake Slaughter, a 36th round draft choice of the Chicago Cubs, steps onto campus as one of the two heralded freshmen position players that are projected to start right away for the 2017 LSU Tigers. Since Paul Mainieri has become the head coach at LSU he’s had a total of three incoming freshmen play in a summer collegiate league…one being Kevin Gausman…the other being fellow freshman Josh Smith, certainly expectations are sky high and will continue to be sky high for this young man.. Jake Slaughter is a natural short stop on the baseball diamond and was a wide receiver on the football field, being the exceptional athlete he is and with Robertson and Freeman locking down the middle of the infield he’ll simply shift over to first base for the time being. You’ll notice ever since 2011-2012 Mainieri has exclusively recruited advanced athletes with an emphasis on defense, all four projected infielders opening day played short stop at one point for their respective high schools. What I like most about Slaughter taking over at 1B is the large frame he carries along with the added athleticism, it can’t be reiterated enough the advantages of having a big target at the position and he fits the bill. In the batters box Jake tends to hold the bat close behind his head with a slightly open stance from the right side where he shows great balance. The nature of his swing creates more lift on the ball but it can also set himself up for swings and misses at times on off-speed down and out of the zone. Out of the entire freshman class I strongly believe Slaughter has the most upside that will carry into his junior season where he has the potential to be an All-American type player. As Jake continues to fill out and get stronger under the conditioning program his power may eventually be a plus plus tool. Slaughter has above average speed for his size where he’ll be a threat to steal at times with his longs strides and football instincts. Ideally to start the season Mainieri will plug him into the 6 or 7 hole allowing Slaughter to get his feet wet as he inherits a new position and gets more reps in the batter’s box.

Chris Reid is going to be the utility man this season and will be one of first guys off the bench. What I like about Chris is the ability to bounce between 3B, 2B, and 1B although do to his makeup he’s better suited for the right side of the infield long term. At the plate Reid’s an extremely smart player who plays to his strengths disguising his lack of power at the plate, the ability he has to work counts and stay patient paid dividends as he was tied for 3rd on the team in on base percentage a season ago. In early March of 2016 it was Chris’s ability to stop the bleeding at 3B that brought stability to the infield thus allowing Robertson and Freeman to slide into their natural positions. Mainieri hasn't forgotten about this and he has a knack for giving opportunities to players he can trust, Reid will get major at bats even if it's not in a starting role.

Nick Coomes is another guy that would fit into any of the C, DH, 1B, or 3B spots because of his versatility and the need to get his bat in the lineup. Don’t sleep on Coomes I think he’ll work his way in somewhere as long as he keeps mashing the ball this spring with power that will won't leave the coaches with a choice.

Bryce Adams is a player I never know what to expect from a game to game basis. At 6’4 he has the prototypical body of a first baseman nevertheless he didn’t seem to be comfortable at all when called upon. Due to the nature of the sport and the repetition needed it’s hard for someone to be a platoon offensive player and put up any kind of gaudy stats. Adam’s strength is power and I do think he will be used in a platoon role at the very least from the right side of the plate in late game situations. While Adam’s may not start don’t be surprised to see him get at bats to at least give the coaches something to look at before conference.

My take: If Jake Slaughter wins the job full time it’ll be well deserved and it's going to sling shot him to move to the left side of the infield for 2018. While Jake will make mistakes early on in February/March and look like any other ordinary freshman the talent is there and the upside much higher than his counterparts. With his frame and room to fill out I do think Slaughter is going to evolve into a premium 5 tool player by his junior season where he’ll anchor the heart of the order behind Josh Smith. As hard as it is I’m trying to limit my expectations for now…with that said expect a very athletic first baseman in the field with a 0.280-0.290 hitter who will show pop towards the middle to back end of the order.

Jake Slaughter

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

FINAL GRADE: 55