Like college baseball coaches all across America, Jay Johnson will be keeping a close eye on today's developments in the MLB draft.
Sonny Shipp
Like college baseball coaches all across America, Jay Johnson will be keeping a close eye on today's developments in the MLB draft. What happens today and the next two days to follow will help shape LSU's roster for 2025 and beyond.
This year's draft takes place in Arlington, Texas, as part of the all-star week's festivities. Rounds 1 and 2 are on Sunday, while Rounds 3-10 are on Monday, followed by the final 10 rounds on Tuesday.
The action kicks off today at6 p.m. CT, with the first round shown on ESPN and the second round streamed on ESPN+ and the MLB Network. The second- and third-day's coverage will air on MLB.com and the MLB app, with rounds 3-10 on Monday and rounds 11-20 on Tuesday, starting at 1 p.m. CT each day.
Tommy White, Luke Holman and Gage Jump could all get the call today, while as many as three of Johnson's prized signees from the 2024 class are also likely to hear their name called at some point today.
Below is a look at LSU's prospects who are most likely to get picked over the next three days, via MLB.com, and where they project to go, along with a brief scouting report.
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No. 9 Konnor Griffin | SS/OF | 6-4, 215 | R/R
MLB.com says: Gatorade's National High School Player of the Year, Griffin has a big league and he possesses five-tool potential. Scouts project him as a plus defender at shortstop and a possible Gold Glover in center field.Griffin reclassified from the 2025 Draft to 2024 after leading Jackson Prep to a Midsouth Association of Independent Schools 6-A state championship as a freshman, then helped the Patriots win titles in each of the last two seasons and topped national high schoolers with 87 stolen bases in 88 attempts this spring.
No. 15 Cam Caminiti | P | 6-2, 195 | L/L
MLB.com says: A cousin of Ken Caminiti, Cam Caminiti was thought to be one of the best players in the 2025 Draft class when he reclassified in 2024. That made him one of the youngest players in the class, one who will still be 17 years old at the time of the Draft. Caminiti has the potential to have four legitimate pitches in the future, with projection to all of them. He already throws plenty hard enough, with a fastball that can touch 98 mph and sat 93-95 mph this spring, and scouts feel there's more in the tank.
No. 16 Williams Schmidt | P | 6-4, 180 | R/R
MLB.com says: Schmidt could follow the same Catholic HS (Baton Rouge, La.) to Louisiana State to big leagues path blazed by Kurt Ainsworth, the Nola brothers and Josh Smith. But with the way he's pitched as a senior while leading the Bears to national and state Division I championships -- he spun a one-hit shutout in the title game -- he'll never make it to college.Gatorade's Louisiana high school player of the year, he sports the best curveball and one of the better fastballs in the prep class.
No. 20 Tommy White | 3B | 6-1, 228 | R/R
MLB.com says: Though White produced some of the best raw power and exit velocities in the 2021 class, pro teams wouldn't meet his asking price and he opted to attend North Carolina State. He transferred to Louisiana State as a sophom*ore and went deep 24 times and hit 24 more homers this spring to rank eighth all-time in NCAA Division I with 75 for his career, generatinghuge right-handed power to all fields with strength, bat speed and an uncanny ability to barrel balls. Known more for his slugging, he's underrated as a hitter who makes repeated contact with impressive exit velocities. Though he's overly aggressive and regularly expands his strike zone, he rarely swings and misses.
No. 45 Luke Holman | P | 6-4, 201 | R/R
MLB.com says: Holman's fastball has dipped a bit in 2024, sitting at 92 mph and topping out at 94, but it plays better than its velocity because he commands it well and rides it at the top of the zone with quality induced vertical break. His best pitch is a low-80s slider that he also locates well and features two-plane depth. He also has an upper-70s breaking ball with similar shape and curveball velocity but doesn't have the same feel for it or a sparsely used mid-80s changeup with some fade and sink.
No. 57 Boston Bateman | P | 6-8, 240 | R/L
MLB.com says: Bateman's size and his makeup could be separators as the spring unfolds, though his current two-pitch mix is nothing to sneeze at. He's shown he can touch 97 mph with his fastball and was sitting around 92 mph over the course of his summer showcase tour. He has a pretty true 1-to-7 type of curve, with big spin and depth at the plate. It's already a plus pitch.
No. 62 Gage Jump | P | 6-0, 197 | L/L
MLB.com says: Hitters have a difficult time picking up Jump's fastball, which ranges from 90-95 mph with significantly induced vertical break and carry at the top of the strike zone. It pairs well with his upper-70s curveball that has significant downer break coming out of his high arm slot. He also spins a low-80s slider with more lateral movement and has some feel for a fading low-80s changeup. Jump lacks typical starter's size, but he has gotten stronger since having his elbow reconstructed and generates his stuff with arm speed more than effort.
No. 114 Thatcher Hurd | P | 6-4, 230 | R/R
MLB.com says: Hurd projected as a possible first-round pick for 2024 before persistent control and command issues sunk his chances. He shows a quality fastball/slider combination even when he struggles. His fastball ranges from 93-96 mph and tops out at 98 while taking a sharp right turn at the plate. His high-spin slider sits at 84-86 mph and reaches 91 with plenty of horizontal and vertical action.Hurd uses his 78-82 mph curveball rather than a too-firm upper-80s changeup to keep left-handers off-balance, though neither is effective.
No. 115 Cade Arrambide | C | 6-2, 210 | R/R
MLB.com says: For the second straight draft, one of the best high school catching prospects hails from Texas and is committed to Louisiana State. He won't go nearly as high as Blake Mitchell, the No. 8 overall pick by the Royals last July, but Arrambide's massive arm strength and power could land him in the top three rounds. Gatorade's Texas high school player of the year, he helped Tomball HS win the state 6-A championship.
No. 117 Derek Curiel | OF | 6-2, 183 | L/L
MLB.com says: Tools-wise, Curiel has a package that reminds some of a Pete Crow-Armstrong or a Michael A. Taylor. A left-handed hitter, Curiel's bat-to-ball skills are excellent, and he rarely strikes out. But while there is some gap power in there, it's been softer contact than some hoped to see at this point. He hasn't gotten much stronger or grown from when he first arrived on the high school scene and he's yet to show he can add strength to his narrow frame or have impact at the plate. While Curiel is now mostly an average runner, he does have outstanding instincts that will let him play center field for a long time.
No. 119 Jared Jones | 1B | 6-4, 253 | R/R
MLB.com says: Jones' strength and leverage in his right-handed swing produce top-of-the-scale raw power and exit velocities, and he can drive the ball out of the park from foul pole to foul pole. While he has cut his strikeout rate from 34 percent as a freshman to 26 percent as a sophom*ore, he struggled with wood bats in the Cape Cod League last summer, and evaluators still worry about his ability to do damage against quality fastballs or off-speed pitches. Jones' well-below-average speed and athleticism limit his value outside of the batter's box.
No. 121 Kale Fountain | 3B | 6-5, 225 | R/R
MLB.com says: Fountain needed just three years to set the Nebraska prep career home run record, going deep 26 times. He finished with 31 homers in four seasons and also set state career records for RBI (154) and stolen bases (84). Fountain's frame and massive right-handed power are reminiscent of Brady House, the 11th overall selection in the 2021 Draft. The ball jumps off his barrel thanks to his bat speed, strength and the loft and leverage in his swing.
No. 157 Griffin Herring | P | 6-2, 196 | R/L
MLB.com says: As a freshman, Herring was one of the unsung heroes of Louisiana State's 2023 national championship, working 4 2/3 innings in relief to win an elimination game in the College World Series semifinals. He has been the Tigers' best bullpen option as a Draft-eligible sophom*ore this spring and too valuable in that role to get a shot in the rotation. Scouts believe he has the ingredients to succeed as a starter in pro ball. To make it as a starter, he'll need to develop a better feel for a too-firm changeup that he almost never uses. His slider and competitive edge could allow him to fill a high-leverage role in a big-league bullpen.
No. 202 Michael Ryan | SS | 6-0, 190 | R/R
MLB.com says: Ryan ranks as the top prep position player prospect in Louisiana, but he also tried to do too much at the plate as a senior. With scouts less confident about his bat than they were entering the year, he probably fits between the fourth and sixth rounds. That may not be early enough to lure him away from his Louisiana State commitment. Ryan's best tool is his plus speed, and he plays with constant energy. He has base stealing ability and also uses his quickness to cover ground at shortstop, where he displays solid arm strength.
No. 244 Mavrick Rizy | P | 6-10, 230 | R/R
MLB.com says: Over the summer, Rizy was sitting around 92 mph, topping out at 94, and he saw an uptick in velocity this spring, when he was regularly up to 96 mph, and he was right around 95 mph at the Combine, though the pitch doesn't generate a ton of swing-and-miss. His best pitch is actually his breaking ball, an upper-70s offering he calls a slider and throws with a slider grip, but it actually has more curve action to it, with two-plane break and depth. He'll show a little feel for a changeup but hasn't really needed it in game action.
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