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College  | Story | 3/11/2024

Team Sheet: LSU

Isaiah Burrows
What Happened: In typical fashion, the Tigers swept the Houston Astros Foundation College Baseball Classic going up against the likes of Texas, Louisiana and Texas State. LSU keeps chugging along and lives up to the Top-3 ranked billing entering the tournament. 

Biggest Strength: High End Rotation, Bullpen Depth 
The pitching that LSU has accumulated through the portal, recruiting and more has really shown this season. When Thatcher Hurd is on as a Sunday starter for them, it separates them more than any other team in the country. Combine with the likes of Luke Holman and Gage Jump who eat innings with power stuff. Throw in a slew of talented arms needed in any situation such as Gavin Guidry, Nate Ackenhausen and Justin Loer and the depth of arms is some of the best you can find.  



Concern: Consistent Offensive Firepower 
It is tough to pick a weakness that LSU has, but compared to last year’s title team, there is some of a drop off on the offense overall. They struggled to piece together runs against Texas for much of the game, but in typical LSU fashion, it has the ability to catch fire with the long ball. The runs can come in bunches as the Tigers have a small handful of players who can change the game with one swing of the bat. That’s what happened this past weekend and it will be interesting to see it play out. No matter what, LSU is not an easy out at the plate, it puts constant pressure on a pitching staff through walks and just finding ways to get on base.  


Best Player on The Field: Tommy White, 1B/3B 
Nothing much is new when it comes to Tommy White, as he's established himself as one of the best bats in college baseball for the past 2-3 years and it continued this past weekend. White is one of the tougher outs you can find at the plate, and he's seemingly always on the barrel making some form of loud contact. It's a comfortable plus hit and potential plus power tool set that plays to all fields. It's some of the biggest barrel whip you can find in the class with plus bat speed that just shoots through the zone.  

He deposited a solo shot to the left-center stands that left in a hurry and was just on the barrel over the course of three days. He has high end plate discipline and plate coverage, rarely overwhelmed and can get the head out to nearly any pitch that he sees fit. It's an innate ability he has and the hit tool should really translate. Defensively, White moved over to third base and while he lacks much twitch and lateral quickness, he made the routine plays and showed a capable arm getting it across the dirt. First base still seems as a better fit at the next level and the bat should carry that profile, but seeing White adjust this season has been a positive look. There may not be anyone more reliable coming up to bat for LSU this year than White and look for him to continue his absurd offensive performance, year in and year out. 


Jared Jones, 1B 

Jones put the immense strength and physicality on display during the Astros College Baseball Classic. The LSU product arguably has the most raw power in all of college baseball, and it's the light tower variety that changes the swing of a game in an instant. Jones sent a backside three-run homer 400-plus feet to the Minute Maid stands in right-center in what was one of the more impressive displays of pure power in some time. It's 80-raw power and 70 in-game and is able to leave a stadium on occasion. Even in an MLB ballpark, he made the field look small.  

Jones clobbered several extra-base hits in the form of towering doubles over the three-day tournament. One was an absolute shot off the bat that nearly left the yard in the same to right-center, but one hopped for a ground-rule double. With his towering frame, Jones creates easy torque and leverage to the barrel. He creates significant ground force from that starts in his lower half and works up. It's supreme type strength, and the impact is different off his bat and it can change the tide of a game.  

The swing-and-miss concerns are still quite present and his lack of bat-to-ball skills hurt him as a consistent threat at the plate. He did stay on a slider Day 2 and drilled it down the line for extra bags, but otherwise was hampered by sliders away. Defensively, Jones looks to have made the full transition to first base and handles it well as a good athlete at the spot. He's a fine glove and made a few plays on a hop, as well. The power alone will garner significant draft interest as a draft-eligible sophomore this year, but Jones' direction of how much his hit tool can improve will be one to watch the rest of the way. 


Luke Holman, RHP 

Holman has taken over as the Tigers' Friday night starter and it's easy to see why as he was the best arm amongst a loaded groups of teams over the weekend. The right-hander had 5.2 shutout frames of three-hit ball against Texas, showing a true starter's mix.  

His fastball was up to 94 mph and lived low-90s but plays up from an uber deceptive release point, it's hidden straight up and through the back nearly all the way in his motion, making it super tough to read as it jumps out of his hand. His slider has the makings of a plus offering with late bite and teeth in the 80-83 range. He mixed in a healthy 12-6 curveball in the 77-79 mph with tight depth. Both off-speeds are sharp in its shape and spun real well with intent. He's an athletic mover down the slope, planting hard onto a firm front side and getting out front consistently. He's also begun filling out his 6-foot-4 frame since his PG All-American days as a prep.  

Even more impressive was Holman's command and poise. It's three pitches for strikes living North to South or East to West whenever he wanted. He can flick in a breaker backwards and go to his deceptive fastball in any count. The stuff missed bats at a pretty high level that night and he's in the zone. Holman was in complete control and should be monitored heavily the rest of the way. 


Gage Jump, LHP 

Jump has long been a highly touted arm since his prep days, and there has been a lot of flashes of that same promise during his collegiate career. As the Saturday starter for LSU, Jump has a real stater's arsenal with now stuff. He was sharp last week in the Houston Astros College Classic.  

The southpaw opened up 91-94 mph and grabbed a pair of 95s and a 96 mph on the stadium gun with some sinking life, as a lot of his pitches feast at the bottom of the zone. He settled more 90-93 mph but still missed bats. It's a lightning quick arm with good angle from a higher three-quarter release, and his secondaries tunnel off the heat real well. He showed the most feel for a power slider at 83-85 mph with sharper two-plane sweep to both sides. It breaks out of the hand late and has some real bite to it. Jump also went to his signature curveball he showed plenty as a prep, a high-spin breaker with big depth and healthy shape at the top in the 77-79 mph range. The slider stood out as more of a power-spun offering with better feel, but all three pitches are in the zone.  

Jump had good strikes all throughout and only slightly ran into some traffic on the basepaths was from some defensive miscues on the dirt that could have gotten him out of the inning sooner. Nevertheless, Jump had great poise and filled the zone with all three. He fits the mold of a Day 2 type pick with his enticing arsenal combined with the athletic mover he is on the hill. 
 

Thatcher Hurd, RHP 

It has been some ups and downs for Hurd since he donned the LSU jersey as a transfer, but it's some of the better stuff from a college arm you can find when he's one. He was on in his start against Texas State last week. He was stellar and while he worked through traffic early, he commanded his fastball and let his potent breakers do the rest.  

Hurd was up to 96 in the first and settled mostly 93-94 mph throughout his four-plus frames with good life. His curveball and slider are both plus pitches in the arsenal and are equipped with RPMs over 3,000. His curveball is simply a 12-6 hammer power with depth and tight break that garners whiffs. His slider is another power pitch, ranging 84-87 mph with late depth and some hard bite. He also flashed a high-80s cutter to his arsenal that mimicked the slider.  

Hurd was a little scattered to start but eventually found a groove and missed bats. The fastball was commanded to all quadrants while the spin did the rest. He missed bats and looked comfortable with runners on, keeping to himself and picking spots. If Hurd continues this consistency, expect big things come July. 

Hayden Travinski, C/1B 

In a year where LSU lost a premium defender on the dirt, a Top-2 pick and arguably the best bat in college baseball and much more in 2023, Hayden Travinski fits a much-needed role for the Tigers this season. He's capable defensively behind the plate and brings impact juice to the middle of the order. Travinski impressed in both facets this past weekend, as he barreled several extra-baggers including a towering homer to pull. He came up with one of the biggest swings in Day 1 against Texas and handled a quality staff with relative ease defensively.  

Travinski has plus power and gets into it real well. It's pretty low tension juice with some feel to hit at the plate. The impact is loud off the barrel from a real physical, well-defined frame. Defensively, Travinski showed some stiffness but held his own and can also move over to first base in the future, where the power can definitely hold the profile. More importantly, Travinski brings experience and fits a multitude of roles for LSU this season and he's performed at a high level. 
 

Gavin Guidry, RHP  

Since making the transition to the bullpen as a freshman last year, Guidry has continued to produce on the hill in big spits. He's an awfully good athlete on the hill with feel to pitch, and he gets big outs in big moments. This past weekend, Guidry held his own and forced outs in typical fashion. He ran his four-seam fastball up to 93 mph and lived mostly low-90s. His slider is a plus offering with some real downer shape and late tail in the 84-86 mph range. He also flashed a harder cutter in the mid-to-high-80s that offered a different look as well. 

Guidry was in the zone, and landed with all three. It's pretty good polish and above-average command. He can close or come into high-leverage relief situations, and his overall mix really separates him from some of the others in the LSU bullpen. He works from a clean high three-quarter release with good extension out front. There are a lot of traits to really like here, and Guidry continues to open eyes over the past couple of seasons. He could very well be a worthy consideration for the 2024 MLB Draft.  


Jake Brown, OF 

Brown made the most of his playing time this past weekend, and he has the tools to be an impact player for the Tigers for years to come. Starting in left field, Brown's two-way skill set as a prep should translate to the collegiate level on the position side. He's a quick twitch above-average athlete with left-handed bat speed. He created some space facing low-90s heat and striped a few balls back to the pull in looks. It's quick twitch to the wrists and a pretty direct path that bodes well for future bat-to-ball skills to develop. Brown still has added some to his more slender 6-foot-2 build, but can have some budding power and sneaky impact off the barrel that plays well to all fields.  

Defensively, Brown wasn't tested much in his limited playing opportunity but showed well. He covers ground with a quick first step and good reads out there. As he continues to see more playing time, it's not out of the realm of possibility to see Brown roam all three outfield spots if needed and be a key cog atop the lineup with his hit and run tool set that has stood out for years. Keep a close eye on Brown as he continues his freshman season.  

Justin Loer, LHP 

In a deep rotation and bullpen, Loer opened eyes in his relief appearances, particularly closing Day 2 of the Houston Astros College Class. The lefty makes for a difficult at-bat with his deception and pretty smooth delivery overall. A transfer from Xavier, Loer is all of his list 6-foot-5 frame and gives a real imposing look on the hill.  

He works from a slightly lower three-quarter slot and the arm is pretty loose and smooth throughout with minimal slack in the operation. He was mostly 91-93 mph in the low-90s range with some sharp two-plane sweep to a slider in the 84-86 mph range. He landed the slider on the back foot of a righty and lived mostly inner-third, making for a particularly difficult at-bat against lefties.  

It's a potent mix, but Loer's tenacity and competitiveness on the hill played to the biggest of moments. He wants the ball in key moments and competes each and every pitch. Loer can bring a lot to LSU's staff as the year progresses and he was an interesting look.   
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