The 2017 LSU Baseball Season

Discussion in 'The Tiger's Den' started by CajunlostinCali, Jan 16, 2017.

  1. CajunlostinCali

    CajunlostinCali Booger Eatin Moron

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    Starting with our 2 pre-season All Americans

    Alex MF Lange: Lange has certainly established himself as a premier pitcher and prospect the past two seasons. He looks to be in better physical shape and sat anywhere from 92-94 and up to 95 mph with his fastball during the fall. Lange also has a filthy mid 80s changeup, while his most interesting pitch is a low 80s power curveball. The curve is a wipeout pitch with big-time depth, but he tends to struggle with the offering from a command standpoint. If he commands it, though, it’s almost an unhittable pitch. What can you say about the dude? His command was questionable in the early part of the season but started to come on later in the season. Not sure what affect Alan Dunn had on tweaking his delivery or, did he have much effect on him once his command began to shore up. Looking for some awesome shit out of him this season believing he has settled down. When he is hot, fugetabout it but when he is struggling, his head is swimming in it.

    Kramer by-god Robertson: If ever there was a dirt bag type SS, it is Kramer Robertson. Will be a long time before LSU fields another Bregman, but by-god, there is Kramer Robertson. A solid SS for LSU and bonafide world beater on any other team, Kramer has the skills to pay the bills. He is not superman at the plate but he damn sure is reliable and clutch when you need clutch. I sleep well at night knowing Mr. Robertson has his mother in the stands demanding nothing but his very best. Get some homie, get some…
     
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  2. Bengal B

    Bengal B Founding Member

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    Look for Duplantis on some All-America lists too. I see a huge breakout year after his solid rookie season
     
  3. CajunlostinCali

    CajunlostinCali Booger Eatin Moron

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    Nothing is impossible, but I think Deichmann is more likely. He is gonna be huge this year.
     
  4. CajunlostinCali

    CajunlostinCali Booger Eatin Moron

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    Projected lineup per D1: (not necessarily the order)

    C Michael Papiersrki, Jr.
    1B Jake Slaughter, Fr
    2B Cole Freeman, Sr.
    3B Josh Smith, Fr.
    SS Kramer Robertson, Jr.
    LF Beau Jordan, Jr.
    CF Antoine Duplantis, So.
    RF Greg Deichmann, Jr.
    DH Bryce Jordan, Jr.

    Projected weekend rotation: (again, not necessarily the order)
    RHP Alex Lange, Jr.
    LHP Jared Poche, Sr.
    RHP Eric Walker, Fr.
    RHP Hunter Newman, Sr.

    More on the freshman later, but based on the fall, there is the promised land at this point. And don't clown on Papierski just yet. I understand the science project with him hitting lefty has been canned and he is plowing the ball with more consistency. So there...
     
  5. CajunlostinCali

    CajunlostinCali Booger Eatin Moron

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    A little something about our projected freshman starters:

    1B Jake Slaughter- "One of the top two-sport athletes in America, Jake received several offers from major Division 1 football programs after a very successful high school career at wide receiver at Ouachita Christian. He follows in the footsteps of another great football/baseball player that came to LSU after a stellar career at Ouachita Christian, Mark Laird. Slaughter was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and compares favorably in size and athleticism to former Tiger and National League All-Star/Gold Glove recipient, DJ LeMahieu. A tremendous offensive player with the ability to hit and hit for power, Jake provides a ton of versatility to the Tigers going into the 2017 season. We are extremely eager to see what Jake can provide to our lineup this year and beyond."
    • Selected in the 36th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs
    • Ranked as the 2016 No. 1 prospect in Louisiana by Prep Baseball Report
    • Batted .406 in his senior season with 11 doubles, five triples, 48 runs and 33 RBI
    • Played in the Cal Ripken League this summer and was voted to the All-Star team
    • 2015 Prep Baseball Report Player of the Year
    • A two-time all-state selection; also earned numerous all-parish, all-district and all-Northeast Louisiana accolades
    • Helped lead Ouachita Christian to the 2012 and 2014 state football championships as a wide receiver; earned all-state honors
    • As a junior in 2014, caught 67 passes for 1,165 yards and 31 touchdowns; also rushed for 559 yards
    Hmmm, a white boy who can catch a forward pass...

    3B Josh Smith- "Josh comes in as a highly-touted infielder from Catholic High here in Baton Rouge, the same high school as LSU teammates Jordan Romero and Nick Coomes, as well as former All-Americans Aaron and Austin Nola. I had a chance to see him play a lot as a freshman in high school as he was teammates with my son, Tommy, when they won the state championship in 2013. Josh will remind a lot of LSU fans of Austin Nola defensively, and he should compete for a starting job on the infield immediately. The smooth swinging left-handed hitter was a MLB draft pick by the Detroit Tigers. He also had the advantage of playing in a very competitive college summer league (the Prospect League) before enrolling this fall at LSU. He played so well that he made the All-Star team in the Prospect League as the starting shortstop. Josh is an outstanding worker with great makeup that we know will put himself into position to impact our team and be one of the next great LSU infielders."

    • Selected in the 38th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers
    • Rated among the nation's Top 400 prospects by Baseball America
    • Earned 2016 Class 5A first-team all-state recognition
    • Batted .379 at Catholic High in 2016 with six homers and 28 RBI while committing just three errors
    • Also stole 32 bases in 33 attempts last season
    • As a starter at third base in his freshman year, he helped lead Catholic to the 2013 state championship
    • Played in the Prospect League this summer and was voted to the All-Star team
    Kid's got wheels. Compares to Bregman by many...

    RHP Eric Walker- "Simply 'a winner' is the best way to describe this young man! Eric comes in as prepared as anyone in the class to be a starting pitcher. His elite pitchability, command of three pitches, and his ability to fill up the zone with strike after strike will remind a lot of LSU fans of a young Aaron Nola or a veteran Jared Bradford. He struck out 295 hitters over three years on the varsity squad. On top of his great high school baseball career, Eric was a three-year starting quarterback for an outstanding football team at the 6A level in Texas, and he is a tremendous leader. He oozes self-confidence and poise. I have a feeling Eric will compete for a lot of innings at LSU right away."

    Walker sits anywhere from 88-91 and up to 92 mph with the fastball, while he possesses a tight slider and advanced feel for the changeup.

    • Compiled a 27-5 record with 295 strikeouts in three seasons as a starting pitcher in high school
    • 7-3 mark his senior year with a 1.24 ERA and 95 strikeouts … recorded 13, 14 and 15-strikeout games during the season
    • Posted a 14-0 mark in his junior season with a 0.85 ERA and 113 strikeouts … recorded 12 complete games and led team to state runners-up finish
    • Named 2015 Dallas/Fort Worth All-Area Pitcher of the Year … also received numerous All-State and All-District accolades in his junior and senior seasons
    • Also played as the starting quarterback for the Arlington Martin High football team
    All he needs really, is to survive his first inning or 2 on the mound at Alex Box. An imposing arena for traveling teams, the same can be said for LSU pitchers their first time in front of that Tiger crowd. Once he settles in, the grading begins...
     
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  6. CajunlostinCali

    CajunlostinCali Booger Eatin Moron

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    25 days left....For everyone giving up on basketball...

    LSU is #4 in Baseball America Poll. That makes us top 5 in almost every poll on the planet. So kill em all and let God sort em out.
     
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  7. CajunlostinCali

    CajunlostinCali Booger Eatin Moron

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    22 days...

    Bull Pen- With a little help from our friends in the valley. Stolen data is still data...

    Hunter Newman, SR RHP,
    2016: 28 APP, 38 IP, 2.13 ERA, .164 BAA, 2.67 K/BB (40/15), 9 ER, 8 SV
    Nails. He split duties with the Bugg last season and recorded 8 saves. Expect more from the nail man this season. I pity the fools…Not only will he come in for saves, but he will be called upon to settle shit that needs settling.

    Doug Norman, JR RHP
    2016: 23 APP (2 GS), 31.2 IP, 3.41 ERA, .230 BAA, 1.17 K/BB (21/18), 12 ER
    Likely the guy that comes in following Poche getting those middle inning outs. He will however, have some help. Regardless, Norman is as solid in middle relief as the balance of the pen.

    Austin Bain, JR RHP
    2016: 20 APP (2 GS), 29.1 IP, 4.60 ERA, .250 BAA, 2.29 K/BB (32/14), 15 ER
    The guy in the middle that will immediately come out and put the ball in the zone. He’ll pepper the fastball and unleash that breaking ball that batters are looking for heat up. He will be solid for middle relief and the occasional bailout.

    Cole McKay, SO RHP
    2016: 8 APP (2 GS), 8 IP, 6.76 ERA, .324 BAA, 1.09 K/BB (12/11), 6 ER
    He’ll look more like Norman did last year and hopefully grow while he can provide a solid inning or 2.

    Collin Strall, SR RHP
    2016 (injured): 4 APP, 3.2 IP, 9.82 ERA, .412 BAA, 1.25 K/BB (5/4), 4 ER
    2015: 22 APP, 18.1 IP, 3.92 ERA, .227 BAA, 1.70 K/BB (17/10), 8 ER
    Missed last year with a shoulder injury, but if he can get back to his 2015 ways, he should pan what we needed out of him last year. He has a devastating submarine throw that offers a different look. Not a big fan of sidewinders, but I do like the look that gives solid line ups fits.

    Hunter Kiel, JR RHP
    Kiel is a transfer from Pensacola State Community College and chose LSU over a 29th round draft pick from Arizona. Pensacola State’ website is incredibly sketchy and doesn’t list stats, but LSU sports dot net tells that he started 10 games and two relief appearances, logging 41 innings and allowing 28 hits while striking out 54 batters. Better than nothing, I suppose. Kiel can touch 97 mph and has a subtle slider that has a break that’s more late than great. Of course, the great baseball catch-22 applies to Kiel: he can throw hard sure, but he has difficulty controlling it. When Kiel gets on the bump, look for him to rear back and fire for his first pitch to each batter, and then to take a little off for the rest of the at-bat.

    Nick Bush, FR LHP
    Bush is a freshman in only the most technical of terms. 6’6” Bush was on the team in 2016 but did not play on account of the Tommy John surgery that was performed on his throwing elbow. Coming out of high school Bush possessed a mean curve that crossed up Georgia high school batters, but coming off of a Tommy John surgery I don’t see him leaning on that pitch as much as he did in high school, at least not right away. I also don’t think we’ll see Bush operate in the low 90’s either for the same reason. Still, Bush has been working with the team for a year now and although it’s minimal, he has more experience than everybody else listed below. For that reason, it’s a safe bet to assume that Bush will receive plenty of work in comparison to the rest of the players on the team.

    Blair Frederick, FR LHP
    The Brother Martin alum put up solid numbers in high school considering he started pitching on a consistent basis less than three years ago. Frederick has touched as high as 94, but he operates much closer to 90, setting up a wipeout slider that destroyed the lesser plate disciplined high schoolers. Because lefties are in such short supply on staff, Frederick will get a considerable amount of work in his first year, if only in a LOOGY (Leftie One-Out-GuY) role. Then again, Bush and Frederick are the only lefties available in the pen, so there’s a possibility that Frederick will get to face multiple batters for most of his appearances.

    Zack Hess, FR RHP
    The Perfect Game first team All-American was drafted by the Yankees in the 35th round and chose to attend LSU instead. The 6’6” Hess hails from Virginia and posted one of the most absurd K/BB ratios I’ve ever seen: 11. Yes, I realize those are high school numbers but he posted 110 strikeouts his senior season to 11 walks. High school competition aside, that’s extremely impressive and more often than not it translates well to the collegiate level.

    Todd Peterson, FR RHP
    6’5” Peterson can run up to 94 mph and holds a strong command and held a .74 ERA as a senior. He may be a contingency starter during a midweek (Paul Mainieri mentioned it in his bio blurb), but I see him panning out this season as a hard throwing short reliever.

    Matthew Beck, FR RHP
    Matthew Beck is an athlete. Not only did he pitch while hanging up 177 batters in his senior season, in addition to playing third base and short, Beck also quarterbacked the Alexandria High football team, airing it out for over 3,300 yards and 40 touchdowns and was recruited for his football services at LSU, Arkansas, and Louisiana Tech. His twitter bio also says he’s a Central LA volleyball champion. Oh, and he carried a 4.0. Also he’s 6’7”. All of that is fine, but outside his 90 mph fastball he needs to work on his development of other pitches.

    Will Reese, FR RHP
    Will Reese hails from tiny Anacoco, Louisiana and you may not hear much from him this year. It would appear Reese is Mainieri and Dunn’s new project, a multi-year development player. Right now Reese can run 93 mph and has a decent curveball, but I bet Dunn will work another pitch in his arsenal, maybe a changeup or a slider. But in taking Reese, it seems that the coaching staff has made an investment for the 2019 and 2020 teams.
     
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  8. furduknfish

    furduknfish #ohnowesuckagain

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    I give you credit for single-handedly driving this thread to multiple pages.
     
  9. tirk

    tirk im the lyrical jessie james

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    It's gonna end up about 50.
     
  10. shane0911

    shane0911 Helping lost idiots find their village

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    Damnit, I already liked it. Can you tell I'm bored
     

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