DESIGNATED HITTER

1) Bryce Jordan Jr. 5'9 206lbs (25)*
2) Nick Coomes Jr. 5'11 196lbs (13)
3) Mason Templet Fr. 6'1 205lbs (23)
4) Jordan Romero Sr. 6'2 213lbs (28)

During preseason the designated hitter in most cases is the last position to be set. Much is the same this spring, currently Bryce Jordan holds the lead at winning the starting job but this will be another position of consistent competition and frankly it needs to be given LSU's depth. Glaring over the lineup card guys such as Nick Coomes, Mason Templet, and Jordan Romero all bring different levels up upside and would be an ideal fit.

Bryce Jordan is not a new face here and was the primary starter at DH making 39 starts at the position a year ago. As a first year starter Bryce made great strides anchoring the team mainly shuffling around the 5-7 hole. Jordan's approach at the plate is simple, standing as close to the plate as the umpire permits Bryce's goal is to cut off the inside of the plate or get hit. Mentally for a young pitcher with lack of command this plays into Jordan's advantage as he's essentially cutting off the inside of the plate where he can use his hands to extend to the outer half. In 2016 he lead the SEC in hit by pitches with 23, had the third higest total of HR's on the team, and his on base perctange was 0.417, the second highest on the team. Right now Bryce's speed is average at best, nothing unusual for the position and won't be a liability on the base paths however won't be a steal threat. Make no mistake Bryce is the ultimate team player who will literally put his body on the line every at bat to get on base. Every great team needs a locker room warrior but if Bryce is to secure this job for the long term it's going to take more gap to gap power where Mainieri feels confident inserting him at the 5 or 6 hole without sacrificing anything at the plate.

Nick Coomes another guy I've touched on briefly looks to be the primary backup catcher with one week left before opening day. While Mainieri intends on keeping him there and as well he should for depth it wouldn't deter Nick from taking over the DH spot if needed on a game by game basis. What I like about Coomes bat is the gap to gap power and the patient approach at the plate, in the field he's a very versatile guy who can play multiple positions. Even with Mainieri's stress on speed and athleticism in field this lineup could use another bat that can protect Deichmann and keep his numbers up respectively. There is always a JUCO bat that makes an impact and right now my gut feeling is it's going to be Coomes. Nick brings slightly above average speed on the base paths and moves well for his stature.

Mason Templet is the third musketeer of this phenomenal freshman infield class which includes Slaughter and Smith. Hitting from the left side with pull side power Mason will get playing time during the midweek games to see his worth, from there he'll get bigger and better opportunities. Mainieri has been quoted comparing Mason's swing to that of former star Blake Dean, however I'm attempting to temper one's expectation for the upcoming season and the reality of this log jammed depth chart. Templet will be a multi year starter at LSU before he leaves, if nothing else he's providing much needed and valuable depth on the infield and DH as he waits his turn.

Jordan Romero is the lost son on the team with a touch of bad luck. In March of 2016 Jordan's bat carried LSU, he was the spark that got LSU going after a miserable opening weekend in conference play. In limited plate appearances Romero was second on the team in homerun's and had game winning hits, it looked as if Papierski lost his spot for good. Then the scouting reports came, Jordan who was an exceptional fastball hitter primarily struggled with off speed down in the zone, teams began to exclusively pitch backwards gong offspeed early and often. Romero started routinely finding himself in 0-1 and 0-2 counts, from there he was guessing every pitch, the batting average began to drop and so did his confidence. He never regained it during the season and the struggles continued into the Cape Cod League before tweaking his shoulder. Currently Romero can throw a ball but not at 100% efficiency and definitely not at game speed. All this aside Jordan is still able to hit and I think he's a legitimate candidate at DH. Jordan will get his reps and from there the ball is in his court on how much playing time the coaches are willing to use him.

My take: At first glance the position supplies a returning starter in Bryce Jordan as well as a couple veteran bodies that are capable of supplying power and the ability to hit for average. I think the DH spot in the order will compliment the already well stocked athleticism and speed on the paths and the winner will be the one who can be counted on to drive guys in day in an day out. Expect a number of different guys to rotate in and out during February as the DH spot starts to sort itself out before the Houston Classic.

Bryce Jordan

Power------60
Hitting------50
Speed------45
Fielding----50
Arm---------50

FINAL GRADE: 50

This post was edited on 2/7/17 at 1:49 pm

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Posted by Adam4848

Member since Apr 2006

19064 posts

Posted on 2/1/17 at 7:42 am to Adam4848

Alex Lange - RHP

Jared Poche - LHP

Eric Walker - RHP

Zach Hess - RHP

STARTING PITCHING

Alex Lange Jr. 6'3 199lbs (35)*
Jared Poche Sr. 6'1 217lbs (16)*
Eric Walker Fr. 6'0 172lbs (10)*
Zach Hess Fr. 6'6 216lbs (38)*

LSU's starting rotation will be extremely top heavy with two steadfast veteran's in Alex Lange and Jared Poche, from there two talented but unproven freshmen in Eric Walker and Zach Hess should fight for the #3 and #4 spot respectively.

Alex Lange returns for his third and likely final season in an LSU uniform. As a part of the “fab four” Lange stepped foot onto campus overshadowed by his counterparts. Mac Marshall, Jake Latz, Jake Godfrey all drafted out of high school, all with electric arms, while Marshall was drafted in the 4th round by the Giants a year removed from JUCO both Latz and Godfrey have dealt with their respective struggles while Lange has thrived. Viewed as a raw power arm with projectability that needed to be refined Alex started perfecting and tweaking his curveball during fall ball of 2014. Alex is the definition of a power pitcher, his fastball will normally sit 93-94mph and by the end of the regular season he has the ability to peak at 96mph. The out pitch is a 12-6 power curve ball which is a plus plus pitch at the college level and what many call absolutely devastating. Due to Alex Lange's frame and arm slot his fastball typically isn't seen till the moment it leaves his hand, what sets him apart from many other pitchers is the way he can recreate the almost exact same arm slot with the power curve. From that point the batter is primarily guessing and with a power fastball working downhill he has the ability to blow it by most hitters. His change up is average to slightly above average which he'll primarily pitch to contact to keep a hitter off balance. One thing to watch out for and will be huge for Alex is limiting his walks and getting ahead of counts, his walk total last year was way too high. Lange who will start the season as the Tigers Friday night starter finds himself in a favorable spot as it’s not often in college a 1-2 duo start alongside each other for three consective years. Alex Lange is currently projected as a mid to lower first round draft pick in the 2017 MLB draft.

So much can be said about Jared Poche. A three year starter for the Tigers and the only pitcher in LSU history to win 9 games in his first three seasons he's only 11 wins shy of tieing Scott Schultz at 38 wins for the most all time at LSU. Last June Jared was ready to start his professional career as a projected top 10 round pick...however he ended up sliding to round 14 where the San Diego Padres grabbed him. Truth be told if the offer was right he would have taken it so much so that Mainieri didn't expect him back, but now Alan Dunn keeps a 3 year starter and a much needed left handed arm in the Saturday spot. Jared immediately becomes an important piece for this rotation and his return takes LSU from contending for the SEC Championship to contending for the National Championship. Jared will primarily pitch to contact where his fastball sits 89-91mph on most occasion, with a slightly above average changeup, and above average curveball which has been the one pitch he's most improved since 2013. As LSU's workhorse nothing specifically will ever wow you watching Poche, his bread and butter is pounding the zone to keep hitters off balance, at the college level he's mastered that art and his curve ball is starting to become an out pitch which bolds well for an increase in strikeouts. Look for Poche to remain comfortable in the Saturday spot where he's an above average #2 starter that with a little luck should come close to breaking LSU's win mark. With another solid year Poche could go anywhere from rounds 1-15 where a team would sign him quick being a senior.

Eric Walker much like Jared Poche doesn't have a wow factor. The 6'0 right handed pitcher works low on the mound and absolutely pounds the zone with relentlessness. He's great a mixing pitches and working fast where he throws an average fastball 88-90mph with downward life, an average curve ball, and what I find a great off speed changeup that may be average to above average. Walker is not a strikeout pitcher and won't be his freshman season, he keeps the ball low in the zone at all times which is critical to inducing ground balls. At the #3 starter LSU doesn't necessarily need an electric arm but rather a dependable arm that will provide a quality start more times than not. Eric who was a former quarterback at the 6A level in Texas continues to show composure on the mound during spring scrimmages where he's not falling behind counts, I've been very impressed with the way he's turned over the lineups as of recent.

Zach Hess was this freshmen classes highest draft risk and he has the potential to become a Friday night starter for 2018. At 6’6 with a wiry frame and unique leg kick Hess has a 92-93mph fastball that he throws from a three quarters slot, because of this his fastball has natural late movement. His best off speed is a power slider which can create swings and misses. Curve ball is average and is something that he'll need to exclusively work through with Dunn on becoming another out pitch. The key for Zach like many pitchers his age is going to be settling down at the start of games and finding his mechanics. When Zach can control his fastball and slider effectively he shows more potential and a higher ceiling that that of Eric Walker but for now it makes sense to rotate him between midweek starts and the #3 spot to see how he'll react.

Alex Lange

Arm Strength---------70
Movement-------------70
Stamina----------------70
Control-----------------50

Jared Poche

Arm Strength---------55
Movement-------------65
Stamina----------------60
Control-----------------60

Eric Walker

Arm Strength---------50
Movement-------------55
Stamina----------------50
Control-----------------65

Zach Hess

Arm Strength---------65
Movement-------------60
Stamina----------------50
Control-----------------40

FINAL GRADE: 70

My take: Jared Poche in 2017 may be what Louis Coleman was in 2009 to the eventual national champion team. Alex Lange and Jared Poche form arguably the best 1-2 punch in the nation, this unit will be a strength of the team. It's also going to be vital to incorporate a #3 and #4 starter this season and by all means Mainieri is set on accomplishing this. For now as long as one of Walker/Hess steps up and provides major innings the Tigers will be primed to make a run at the SEC Title. Also watch out for guys such as Todd Peterson, Caleb Gilbert, and Cole McKay as possible replacement starters.

This post was edited on 2/9/17 at 8:02 am

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Posted by ell_13

Member since Apr 2013

85309 posts

Posted on 2/7/17 at 1:12 pm to Adam4848

quote:
DESIGNATED HITTER

1) Bryce Jordan Jr. 5'9 206lbs (25)*
2) Nick Coomes Jr. 5'11 196lbs (13)
3) Mason Templet Fr. 6'1 205lbs (23)
4) Jordan Romero Jr. 6'2 213lbs (28)

Jordan Romero is a senior. And why do you think he's so low on the list?

quote:
Then the scouting reports came, Jordan who was an exceptional fastball hitter primarily struggled with off speed down in the zone, teams began to exclusively pitch backwards gong offspeed early and often. Romero started routinely finding himself in 0-1 and 0-2 counts, from there he was guessing every pitch, the batting average began to drop and so did his confidence.

Did you confuse Romero with Bryce?

quote:
Bryce Jordan

Power------60
Hitting------50
Speed------45
Fielding----50
Arm---------50

Come on, Adam. Kid had a 0.410 slg% and 0-2 in stolen bases.

I hate that this makes me look like I'm being too critical of Bryce. I'm not. I do think he's our first DH candidate. But you've got to be better, man.

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