All things considered, the MLB Draft couldn’t realistically have gone much better for LSU.
While a handful of deserving athletes made the jump to the next level, the Tigers also got plenty of good news in the form of players and signees deciding to come to Baton Rouge.
On the first day of the draft (consisting of rounds one and two), LSU had three former players and three signees drafted.
Star third baseman Tommy White and the pitching duo of Luke Holman and Gage Jump were each gone in the second round, with White and Jump each going to the Oakland Athletics organization.
From the high school ranks, outfielder Konnor Griffin, pitcher Cam Caminiti and pitcher Boston Bateman were all selected and will jump straight to the pros.
Still, LSU came out of the three-day draft sitting pretty in many ways. Here’s a look at how it shook out.
Who’s coming to campus?
Perhaps the biggest announcement of the week came hours before the draft, when high school pitcher William Schmidt, a hometown commit who attended Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, said he’d be withdrawing from the draft.
Schmidt was expected to be a first round pick, considered the second-best high school pitcher in the class, behind fellow LSU commit Caminiti, taken by the Braves.
It’s unclear if Schmidt will immediately have a role in his freshman year, but he has a shot, as the highest-ranked recruit to ever make it to the LSU campus (No. 5 in the class according to Perfect Game).
Schmidt’s announcement came weeks after fellow top-10 prospect Derek Curiel announced he’d also be forgoing the draft.
At the end of day one of the draft, high school catcher Cade Arrambide announced he’d be joining the pair at LSU after not being selected.
That made three top-15 prospects who’ll be joining the Tigers: an outstanding haul, as most high-ranked high school prospects jump straight to the pros. All in all, the vast majority of LSU’s signing class went undrafted.
Aside from the high school players, LSU also got good news from shortstop Michael Braswell III, who announced he’d be returning to Baton Rouge after not being selected in the first 10 rounds of the draft.
Braswell was third on the team with a .311 batting average this past season and will bring experience and continuity to the infield.
In addition, first baseman Jared Jones, a 21-year-old sophomore who was mulling an early jump to the MLB, went undrafted.
Jones was ranked as the No. 119 draft prospect by MLB.com even before his standout MLB combine performance, so it was surprising to see him drop.
However, another year at LSU will be good for him as he develops a more well-rounded batting approach and steps in as the offensive leader.
Other notable Tigers who weren’t drafted and will therefore return to LSU include Josh Pearson and Gavin Guidry.
Decisions that didn’t go LSU’s way
One of the most pivotal decisions of the week was that of sophomore pitcher Griffin Herring. Herring was a dynamo out of the bullpen this season, and if he returned for his junior year, he was assured a spot as LSU’s No. 1 starter.
Instead, Herring was drafted in the sixth round by the New York Yankees, joining former LSU pitcher Thatcher Hurd, who was also taken by the Yankees in the third round.
In addition, junior pitcher Fidel Ulloa (taken in the seventh round), incoming transfer pitcher Luke Hayden (drafted in the eighth round) have opted not to play for LSU this upcoming year and pursue their professional dreams.
That’s in addition to four top-75 high school signees that’ll be going to the MLB.
All of those players are certainly losses, particularly Herring, who had only played two years for the Tigers.
That being said, head coach Jay Johnson and the rest of his staff are of course happy to see their players get a chance to prove their worth at the next level.
In any case, LSU is well-positioned to replace its losses at the pitcher position. Aside from Hayden, the Tigers have added seven pitchers in the transfer portal, with several expected to immediately be elite starters.
The full list of selected LSU players
Konnor Griffin – round 1, pick 9 – Pittsburgh Pirates
Cam Caminiti – round 1, pick 24 – Atlanta Braves
Tommy White – round 2, pick 40 – Oakland Athletics
Boston Bateman – round 2, pick 52 – San Diego Padres
Luke Holman – round 2, pick 71 – Cincinnati Reds
Gage Jump – round 2, pick 73 – Oakland Athletics
Thatcher Hurd – round 3, pick 89 – New York Yankees
Kale Fountain – round 5, pick 151 – San Diego Padres
Griffin Herring – round 6, pick 181 – New York Yankees
Fidel Ulloa – round 7, pick 198 – Colorado Rockies
Luke Hayden – round 8, pick 239 – Cincinnati Reds
Nate Ackenhausen – round 10, pick 287 – Kansas City Royals
Christian Little – round 11, pick 333 – Seattle Mariners
Justin Loer – round 13, pick 378 – Colorado Rockies
