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re: Baseball Preview: 2020 Season (Feb 10th - Pro Prospects & SEC Predictions)

Posted on 2/1/20 at 7:26 am to
Posted by Adam4848
LA
Member since Apr 2006
19065 posts
Posted on 2/1/20 at 7:26 am to
OUTFIELD


LEFT FIELD
Drew Bianco So. 6’0 217lbs (5)
Wes Toups 5’9 173lbs (9)
Mitchell Sanford 6’2 188lbs (22)


CENTER FIELD
Giovanni DiGiacomo So. 6’1 172lbs (7)
Maurice Hampton Fr. 6’0 210lbs (14)


RIGHT FIELD
Daniel Cabrera Jr. 6’1 196lbs (8)
CJ Willis So. 6’2 193lbs (23)

Losing Zach Watson and Antoine Duplantis will sting but nevertheless LSU’s been able to hit on some fringe players they thought might not make it to campus the past two recruiting cycles and because of this are in a better position than once thought. Daniel Cabrera returns for his presumed final year where he’ll play RF be of the top players this year in the SEC. Giovanni DiGiacomo looks like he’s going to stick in CF. Left field has been an open competition but Drew Bianco mostly due to his hitting has the leg up to start in left field.

Left Field: Jumping into it I there will be multiple players who get some innings at LF. Drew Bianco has taken the lead and for the most part as long as he continues to hit, he’ll stick. Drew looks to be in slightly better shape than he was a year ago and was absolutely crushing the ball in the fall. I'm not saying this will determine playing time but the power he’s displaying is going to something that’s hard to take him out of the lineup. In only 68 at bat’s Drew hit 3 HR’s and showed power to the gaps while not always showing up in a box score. While none of this is earth shattering it may lend to some of the type of numbers he could put up with a standard 200+ at bats over the course of a regular season. Bianco likes to crowd the plate and take his base if necessary, I think he’s going to start hitting for average and show more productive plate appearances as he’s made a ton of progress these past few months against great pitching. Speed is slightly below to average on the base paths. It remains to be seen how well he can adjust to playing LF day to day and will be something to keep a close eye this spring. He’s not the most agile athlete but he’s able to make the routine play and sliding him to that corner is doable, arm is above average for the position.

Wes Toups is one of my dark horses to steal a spot in the lineup this year if his bat comes along faster than expected. He has truly flashy speed and can cover a ton of ground defensively. Other than that nothing stands off the page but he’s one of the more polished defenders in the outfield right now and because of this he’s a candidate to be a defensive replacement in the outfield in late game situations as well as a pinch runner when called upon.

Mitchell Sanford is another freshman outfielder in this class who is also a converted quarterback from Berwick, La. Mitchell might not make a huge impact this year but he’s got a nice frame from the left side of the plate and is going to be adding weight. Really good arm so thoughts are he may become a right fielder in time with pop.

Center Field: Giovanni DiGiacomo is a natural centerfielder and the fastest player on this team besides Maurice Hampton depending on the day. As surprising as this may sound DiGiacomo actually started in half of the games last year and I think getting those at bats will help further his development from year one to year two. Gio has occasional pop in his bat but tends to rely on spraying the ball around the field, he’s best when he stays on top of the ball and lets his footwork help him. He needs to avoid the swing and misses as any ball placed on the ground for him there's a potential to beat out. Speed is top of the charts in the country and there are only a handful in D-1 players that are able to get out of the box as quick as he can from the left side of the plate. DiGiacomo has incredible range and a frame that will only fill out where he’ll get stronger over the next two years. Very few balls get down with him in CF and he actually has slightly above average arm strength for his current build and the position itself.

Maurice Hampton is the highest rated player to come to LSU straight out of high school since 2011 when Kevin Gausman slid down draft boards after signability concerns. Hampton turned down a reported 1.8 million dollars. It’s obvious that Hampton is one of the better athletes in all of college baseball and has one of the fastest 60 times of any freshmen in the class. The only thing that’s going to hold him back from playing time the first couple of weeks is the ability to hit consistently and for average. He’s got one of the quickest swings I’ve seen of a freshman and by all accounts has been a tremendous worker since arriving to the team. Because he missed all of fall practices and now has just weeks of live pitching there’s not guarantee he’s going to be able to jump right in and go with it...Jared Mitchell was able to do it (more so out of necessity) but Chad Jones and Spencer Ware took months to get any kind of rhythm. Mainieri is in a win now mode and because of this he has to put together the best lineup that helps the team win now. With that being said I wouldn’t expect Hampton to start the opener but he will get plenty of chances early in the year to get at bats and could be an option in LF or CF if the players in front of him aren’t performing.

Right Field: Daniel Cabrera returns as LSU’s most prolific bat. It needs to be emphasized that even with such production in 2019 it was frustrating to watch Cabrera press and try to pull everything in sight through extensive stretches. He became a victim of his own struggles and had a difficult time getting back to what made him so successful as a freshman. Hearing Mainieri speak the past few weeks he mentioned that Daniel came back to campus recharged, refocused, and began to show a leadership mentality. Seeing Daniel smile and play looser usually lends to more production. Cabrera right now is a 5 tool prospect and has every tool he needs to succeed at the college level...sometimes I’m curious how he even made it to a college campus with some of the highlights he produces. Power is a plus plus tool, I think the addition of Eddie Smith is going to rejuvenate his approach at the plate where he can be more aggressive. Protecting Cabrera in the lineup will be vital and if LSU is able to successfully do that then Daniel has the pitch recognition to abuse some lesser talent. The average should jump much higher this year as coach Smith forces him to use the other side of the field where he was exceptional towards the end of season as a freshman. An interesting note is that Daniel stole 10 bases in 33 games against some great competition up in the Cape Cod league. I’m curious to see if the coaches are going to let him be more aggressive on the base paths instead of playing station to station as he has in the past. Glove is vastly improving from his freshman year and as former pitcher the arm is well above average that lends itself useful in right field to limit runners stretching bases.

The most logical backup here to me has to be CJ Willis. Rangy athlete with a plus arm and power.

My take: In light of replacing two everyday starters there is tremendous upside along with a combination of different style athletes to plug and play as needed which LSU has lacked at times in the past. Daniel Cabrera is an all-american candidate as long as he plays loose and both DiGiacomo and Bianco should make big strides in their second year. Hampton is one of the top freshman in all of college baseball that in time will be a superstar. Toups is a rangy outfielder who will supply a defensive need when needed. CJ Willis is another outstanding prospect that is simply waiting his turn to emerge. The positions are not set in stone but there are players to fill if and when needed.
This post was edited on 2/6/20 at 7:37 am
Posted by Adam4848
LA
Member since Apr 2006
19065 posts
Posted on 2/1/20 at 7:26 am to
Drew Bianco

Power------65
Hitting------55
Speed------45
Fielding----50
Arm---------60

Giovanni DiGiacomo

Power------45
Hitting------55
Speed------80
Fielding----65
Arm---------50

Daniel Cabrera

Power------70
Hitting------65
Speed------60
Fielding----60
Arm---------70

POSITION ADDITIONS:
Wes Toups
Mitchell Sanford
Maurice Hampton

POSITION LOSSES:
Zach Watson
Antoine Duplantis

POSITION OVERALL GRADE: 60
_________________________________________________________________

DESIGNATED HITTED


1) Cade Doughty Fr. 6’1 201lbs (4)

OR


1) Hayden Travinski Fr. 6’3 228 (25)

3) CJ Willis So. 6’2 193lbs (23)
4) Tom Biggs Fr. 5'11 186lbs (38)

Because a few positions are still up in the air DH is still a complete unknown and multiple guys can and will play during non-conference. Obviously if Cade Doughty doesn’t start at 2B he’ll be a candidate here as well as Hayden Travinksi who’s bat will get him looks. CJ Willis is a guy I’m hoping shows up to the party in the near future. Also if Drew Bianco doesn't settle in LF he instantly becomes a potential starter here.

Cade Doughty who I’ve highlighted on at 2B is going to be a middle of the order type bat before he leaves college ball. His bat is more advanced right now than he is defensively so DH is a position where he can play now.

Hayden Travinksi is another freshman that I’m beyond exited to follow throughout his college career. Not many players of his stature and his skillset fall to the later rounds and forgo the MLB. Travinski at the plate uses a distinct leg lift to load his swing and generate much of his power. Everything from his forearms, legs, hip drive are at an advanced stage for his age and he’s able to absolutely obliterate the ball when he squares them up. Power is highly advanced and is a plus plus tool, not much else to highlight there, by the time he leaves he'll be a premier power bat. Right now his swing and load path are susceptible to getting off balance at times and he is a swing and miss candidate especially when he starts getting a ton of off speed stuff. Because of this he may not hit for a high average early in his career and that’s ok as long as he’s a feast or famine type of guy. Speed is below average and he'll be a truly station to station type guy on the base paths. Much of the same there is a defensive log jam at catching and so DH makes the path quicker for Travinksi to get early playing time where his bat can add power to this lineup.

CJ Willis is another guy who can play multiple positions. To get his bat in the lineup he's someone I would think is going to get a couple starts here.

Tom Biggs is a talented multi tool player out of West Monroe who started to shine and really push for playing time in the fall. I like that he's a left handed bat that can and will develop in this program...with that being said I don't know how much playing time he'll get immediately.

My take: Doughty and Travinski are going to be the faces of LSU's program for a time to come, both have tremendous upside, and both can help the Tigers win this year. I don't usually list two players here but I see such a close gap between each that it's worth mentioning each respectively. Doughty's that great athlete who can help LSU towards the bottom of the order with speed and gap to gap power while Travinski is more of a plug anywhere type guy and hope he can clean up the bases. The group is young and inexperienced but there is very high upside in the coming years with each player listed in this depth chart.

Cade Doughty

Power------55
Hitting------55
Speed------55
Fielding----45
Arm---------50

Hayden Travinksi

Power------75
Hitting------50
Speed------40
Fielding----50
Arm---------65

POSITION ADDITIONS:
Hayden Travinski
Cade Doughty

POSITION LOSSES:
NONE

OVERALL POSITION GRADE: 55
This post was edited on 2/7/20 at 7:42 am
Posted by deaux
Member since Oct 2018
20267 posts
Posted on 2/6/20 at 8:08 am to
God OF is frickin stacked
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