Starting Pitching LSU’s weekend rotation has premier potential in 2021. The Tigers will begin weekends with one of the nation’s premier prospects in righthander Jaden Hill. Though Hill served as a reliever last season, he has premium stuff and should make a smooth transition to the starting rotation. Hill sits anywhere from 93-95 and up to 96-98 mph with his fastball. He will likely sit more in the 93-96 range with the offering as a starter. His power slider is a wipeout pitch, and he also attacks hitters with a quality cutter and changeup. Hill’s stuff is undeniable, but we will see how his durability holds up. We’re banking on Hill having a terrific spring. No. 2 starting pitcher Landon Marceaux gives the Tigers a consistent option in the weekend rotation. You can’t rule out Marceaux as a potential No. 1 starter, either, though it’s likely he will start on Saturdays this spring. Marceaux will sit 88-92 and up to 93 mph with his fastball, while the changeup is a pitch he can throw at any point in the count. The slider also continues to make strides. The final spot in the rotation is likely to go to another righthander, AJ Labas. Labas made a loud statement to end last season, carrying a no-hitter late into the game against Oklahoma at the Shriners College Classic. Labas has a sturdy frame, and as with Marceaux, sits in the 89-92 and up to 93 mph range with his fastball, along with a slider and changeup. Freshman righty Garrett Edwards is another intriguing arm to watch in the rotation. Edwards is a former high school two-sport star with big-time upside. Though his fastball is sitting more 87-90 and up to 91-92 mph at the moment, the Tigers feel like that velocity will only increase as he gets older. He can command three pitches. Bullpen The Tigers will have several strong options out of the bullpen. The headliners at the back-end of games are right-handers Matthew Beck, Trent Vietmeier and Devin Fontenot. Beck is an experienced arm who certainly has a little velocity on his fastball. But his trademark pitch is his 12-6 curveball that serves as a wipeout offering. Vietmeier is a hard-nosed pitcher who is making some serious strides from a velocity standpoint. The righty was more 88-90 mph with his fastball in the spring, but was up to 91-93 mph with the offering this fall. Fontenot is the bell cow of this bullpen with a hard-nosed approach and a fastball in the 93-95 mph range. There are plenty of other intriguing arms to watch, too. Lanky righthander Ma’Khail Hilliard continues to make strides, and was up to 91-92 mph this fall. He will pitch primarily in the upper 80s, but he has shown a velocity jump with the fastball at times. Will Helmers is a potential two-way player to watch this spring, and he has a fastball up to 90 mph with quality overall stuff, while Ty Floyd and Blake Money are talented young arms who should make an immediate impact. Floyd is a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder, who was 89-92 mph with his fastball this past fall, but who has shown the ability to get up to 94-95 mph with the offering at times. Meanwhile, Money is a big-bodied 6-foot-7, 245-pounder, who reminds some around the program of former righty Todd Peterson. he has some arm strength and the changeup is a quality offering. Also keep an eye on Brandon Kaminer and Jacob Hasty, along with Alex Brady and Javen Coleman. Kaminer is a hard-nosed lefty who has a quality fastball and slider, Hasty has a good curveball and could log some innings if he can show better command, Coleman is up to 90-91 with a changeup and slider, and Brady is a 5-foot-9, 209-pound, lefty, who has an effective bugs bunny changeup.
Experience/Intangibles The Tigers have a nice blend of new and fresh faces on this year’s club. From a pitching standpoint, the Tigers have a wealth of experience with the return of Landon Marceaux, Jaden Hill and AJ Labas, along with Devin Fontenot and Matthew Beck at the end of games. Meanwhile, the offense has some experience, but also will be relying heavily on contributions from several newcomers, including heralded sluggers Dylan Crews and Tre Morgan. It’s not to say that both can’t make a quick transition to the SEC this spring, but it’s still an uncertainty at this point. Despite that, the Tigers have experience in plenty of important places.
Projected line up: C Alex Milazzo, 2YR FR 1B Tre Morgan, FR 2B Cade Doughty, 2YR FR 3B Collier Cranford, 2YR FR SS Zach Arnold, 2YR FR LF Cade Beloso, 2YR SO CF Giovanni DiGiacomo, 2YR SO RF Dylan Crews, FR DH Gavin Dugas, 2YR SO Projected rotation: LHP Jaden Hill, 2YR SO RHP Landon Marceaux, 2YR SO RHP AJ Labas, 4YR JR RP Devin Fontenot, 2YR SO
