LSU, Jay Johnson FLIP ELITE Pitcher From Texas A&M! | 2025 Roster Outlook

Intro and welcome in to another edition of muso at the Box fired up for this one today guys we take our post-draft outlook on 2025 we'll go through the entire roster we'll give you the numbers we will look at position battles and there are a lot of position battles with the 2025 LSU Tigers overall thoughts on the roster I'm not going to give you a starting lineup because I didn't take time to actually put guys into a lineup but what I will do is tell you who I think starts if they had to play a game today we will talk pitching starting rotation we will talk all of it this is going to be a information filled episode here when you look at the 2020 the 2025 team because what we always say is you know you have certain hurdles in in the offseason right we've talked about them over and over again you your season finishes you go through the portal Cooper Williams window you go through your portal ads then you get through the draft and after the draft you normally have a really good handle on what the team will look like the other hurdle you have to pass that doesn't really impact LSU this year at all is the MLB draft signing date right where guys have to sign their contract by doesn't really impact LSU because you expect everybody who got drafted to sign so really what you have here is a really good handle on what your team looks like and for LSU it's really really good now they also aren't done and you saw that today and that's actually where we're going to start here momentarily because it impacts 2025 but first I will tell you smash the like button if you haven't already get subscribed up to the YouTube channel if you have not already subscribe on your favorite podcast app follow me on the social medias and let's get right into it so like I said we'll go through all the numbers and everything as a whole but I want to start with the big recruiting news of the day and that was Jay Johnson flipping his second commitment from Texas A&M in what a matter of three four hours maybe not even not even that in a matter of two hours on on Wednesday and that was Cooper Williams a left-handed pitcher and before that happened I was prepping the show out and I had in there to talk all about the need that they still have a left-handed pitcher and then this news pops and they get Cooper Williams this is a massive massive get for a number of reasons number one he's extremely talented and we'll go through that momentarily number two you took him from a division not from a Division I guess you could say that you took him from a division rival even though there's no divisions anymore in the SEC starting well now uh you know after July first of this year LSU is going to play Texas A&M every single season in baseball they're one of your permanence you took this guy from them that in of itself makes it huge so who is Cooper Williams Cooper Williams is out of Alvin Texas he uh will be at LSU in the fall so class of 24 grad for the 25 season number 12 left-handed pitcher in America number 73 overall player in America Cooper Williams was the third ranked player in Texas A&M's class that's who you just went and poached you add him into LSU's class and now he gives the Tigers seven top 100 players that are going to make it to campus per perfect game he is like I said extremely talented it's a three- pitch mix the fast ball is up to 93 from the left side already big slider and has a change up that's still developing and that's really the thing you talk about with Cooper Williams he's still developing when you look at him from a size standpoint 6'4 175 lbs there is still a lot of projection left in this guy so you get him on campus you get him in there with Nate yesi see what you can do with him in the fall how much can he contribute for you as a freshman given your numbers at left-handed pitcher he's going to have to do that but it's it's the projectability with a guy like this that is so enticing if you're LSU so this is a massive get at a position of need talent-wise position of need wise and again you took him from a team that is going to be your one of your permanence in the Southeastern Conference schedule so all of that massive when you look at Cooper Williams just a a really really big get and bolsters an already deep LSU class hats off uh LSU poaching recruits from Texas A&M has become a thing Brian Kelly and his staff took like four of them at the end of the recruiting cycle in football and Jay Johnson took two more on Wednesday the other guy is Ethan klous or E Ethan Claus not quite sure how he pronounced his name we'll approach that bridge when we get to it but he's in the class of 2025 he still has his senior year uh to play in high school but we'll have plenty more time to talk about him we to really focus in on Cooper Williams because he will be on campus in the fall and be part of LSU's team in 2025 and figures to play a pretty big role so putting that aside and looking at the rest of the team let's talk numbers so LSU you had all those players enter the transfer portal you had nine players drafted and all of them are expected to sign you had four signes drafted and all of them are expected to sign and you had one transfer commit drafted Luke Hayden and he is expected to sign when you look at just your returners from 2024 and keep in mind your roster limit in 25 is once again 40 I believe this is the last year of that you shouldn't really have any more covid years you might have one or few hanging around there but I you're at 40 again for 25 I think that's the last year so if you look at just the guys returning from 2024 and a and now you add back in Michael Brad you had back in Jared Jones LSU has 14 players back from the 2014 you're a long way from 40 but you get there in a hurry when you look at the junior college ads LSU has five Junior College ads Tanner Reeves an infielder an outfielder and Daniel Harden right fielder excuse me a first baseman in Trevor Schmidt catcher in blaze prester left-handed pitcher in Connor wear that's f more you add your transfer portal ads into this take out Luke Hayden but add the rest of them in you have 11 we won't run through all of them but you have 11 transfer portal ads and then your signing class now including Cooper Williams that you're getting to campus you have 11 that puts you at 41 so you're actually one over your limit that's not a problem you have red shirts and things like that that can go in there and honestly you could see some attri out of this signing class especially with Jared Jones out out of the signing class I guess you could there too but out of the transfer class with Jared Jones specifically returning because LSU loaded up at first base uh you know expecting Jones probably not to be here and he will be so you could see something there but they will they're they're great on numbers like they will easily get there that is not a concern for Jay you're one over and like I said natural attrition will take whether it is you know red shirting a guy here or there all of the things happen and you'll easily get there so numbers wise you're fine what's interesting to me about this LSU team and I'll call back something that Jay Johnson said in his postseason wrapup press conference like not right after the season ended but a couple weeks after he he meets with the media and he and he you know he does the postmortem Jay Johnson Postmortem and he said a couple of things there we talked about him on the show one of the things that I found most interesting was he he talks about having to build your team one year at a time now and I understand in a sense what he's saying and I'm not going to get into that whole conversation that we had about it I just I think there is a a way to do it both and I think you kind of saw that from LSU in in this cycle where you have guys coming back like Jared Jones like Michael brazwell who have been in the program or Jake Brown and Steven milum and Ashton Larson who can really be the core of your team and then you went and got great pieces so yes it looks different year to year but your team always looks different year to year with guys sliding in who weren't starting with guys moving on and things of that nature that was basically my whole take there but but the other thing that really stuck out to me that Jay mentioned in that press conference and again that's back in June now was when he talked about the depth of that 2024 team and how the it might have worked against LSU and I'm paraphrasing I don't want to put words in coach's mouth I'm I'm paraphrasing there that you know it it because they had so many guys that they wanted to try to get on the field and whatnot it took them a while to find their combination and that's more than fair we talked about that over and over again settle on a lineup just I don't care at this point just get who do you think are your best nine and throw them out there it's a pain for guys to have to get into that uh Groove you know or not the groove but you it's a pain for guys to show up to the ballpark every day and not know if they're playing it just it makes it really hard to form consistency and he's right you had a lot of guys and a lot of really talented guys and maybe that worked against you and I think in in at part of the Season it did the interesting thing is y'all I look at this LSU team that they've put together for 2025 I see the same thing I see an insanely deep team with multiple guys C capable of contributing at multiple different positions and you have hard decisions to make on who you're going to play you have a lot of guys that you're going to want to keep happy let's see how they handle that this year cuz I said this at the end of the show and I understand it was 32 minutes long and maybe not all of you stayed to the end so a lot of you are probably still here right now I'll say it again LSU has the pieces in 2025 that is not debatable and we're about to get into them they have the pieces they are immensely talented they have the depth all of that they have the pieces in 2025 to make a deep run a run at the whole damn thing the question is will it come together in 2024 they had the pieces they had nine players drafted that was the second most in all of college baseball Talent wasn't an issue it just didn't all come together will it in 25 well if it does this is what you're going to be looking Starting Rotation at where do y'all want to start because position battles are damn near everywhere like there's so many options like we just said let's start with the starting rotation because I know everyone wants me to give a projected starting rotation and I don't really know if I can do that right now now we can work through it and let's try it but right now if I look at this team and I see candidates candidates who can start for LSU in 2025 I will give you chase Shores Kate Anderson Jaden new Zack Cohen Devin Sheeran Jacob Meyers William Schmidt Connor wear Anthony ianson y'all that is nine guys nine guys and I give you those because they are all either established starting pitchers in college baseball or just so talented that you have to give them the opportunity to do it take Zack Cohen for example Zack Cohen is an established starting pitcher in college baseball Chase Shores is immensely talented throws a 100 but it's a small sample size you've seen him start games at LSU but you really haven't he never really got past one two innings in those starts as a freshman early in 2023 and then you moved him to the back end of the bullpen can he make that transition I hope he's going to be given every opportunity to do so he's got multiple pitches but it is a risk to bring a guy from the bullpen and see if he can if he can hit there Jacob Meers is an estab established starting pitcher in college baseball in division one college baseball does he walk a lot of people hell yeah does he need to fix that absolutely if he's going to ever start at LSU if he's going to ever pitch at LSU the walk number has to come down okay but the stuff's electric he has been a two-year starter in the game that's a guy that has an opportunity and will be given an opportunity to LSU Anthony ionson is probably the combination of all of them Anthony ionson well actually yeah let's just go to him I was going to throw Devon shearon in there in the same boat as Chase Schwarz menley towns or rever Anthony I the combination of all of them where he is a guy who is a top 100 draft pick uh projected in 2025 has Elite stuff up to 97 maybe even bump 100 from the right side three pitches all of them Elite usage on the three pitches where his fastball slider and curveball were all 25% usage in 2024 and he's an established pitcher starting pitcher in college baseball so that's a guy where I I look at Anthony I if I'm working through this I say I'll be shocked if he's not in your starting rotation opening weekend I'll be shocked I think Chase Shores also gets that that opportunity but then there's a guy like Kate Anderson y'all if Kate Anderson takes the next step and can can pitch in a starting rle on the weekend for LSU in conference play he's absolutely going to be that guy he could be one hell of a Sunday but then you also have William Schmidt who just turned down upwards of $3 million to come to LSU to live out his dream and had the best curveball arguably in the draft not just in high school in the draft that's a guy who absolutely gets an opportunity so you see what I mean the two that I feel very comfortable saying I believe will be in the starting rotation right now again July are Shores and ionson and then I think you could go anywhere you could go shearing you could go Cohen you could go new you could go Anderson you could go William Schmidt like you could just go from there take your pick it's an embarrassment of riches there and whichever guys don't make it in should be valuable valuable Bullpen pieces for this team I want to stick with pitching real quick because I have a hypothetical and then we'll get into all the position Jake Brown battles in the feel LSU like I said off the top I had really looked at left-handed pitching as just a massive need for them still and they went and flipped Cooper Williams from Texas A&M and it's awesome but if I look at LSU's team right now for 2025 and I look at left-handed pitching I count let's see I count Kate Anderson DJ Primo wear and Cooper Williams I count four so I posed the question would LSU let Jake Brown pitch in 2025 they love him in the field they love him as a as a hitter and you started to see whyde down the stretch of in 2024 he really started to come into his own he really grew up but the scouts liked him as a pitcher out of high school more than a hitter he was drafted in the 15th round by the Texas Rangers out of high school as a pitcher it's a low to mid90s fast ball like it's really good from the left side and you didn't see it at all they shut him down in 2024 from a pitching standpoint Jake Brown is someone who has legit two-way potential at the college level and I want to see with only four left-handed pitchers right now on the roster for 25 and you're already at 41 players out and allowed to have 40 is Jake Brown a realistic option to pitch in 2025 I for one and 100% here for it it doesn't have to be in a starting role but could that guy be at the back end of your bull pin could he' be playing center field and you bring him in to be you know a back in of the bullpen guy for you that's just something that I want to see and I'm I'm really curious how they handle that this year Jay Johnson for what is worth I don't remember when it was during the season but but he never shut the door on Brown pitching in his time at LSU this really could be the opportunity for that to happen in 2025 so file that away that would give you five left-handed pitchers which is more than enough you had 10 last year which was probably too many you can let Brown if you can turn brown into something there five is pretty good um and then oh by the way you still have Gavin gri at the back end of your Bullpen like you you've got plenty one more name I'd like to throw into the starting pitching ring potenti is a freshman Maverick Rizzy who is a top 250 draft prospect that made it to campus and it's a big 6'9 guy with 220 pounds mid90s fast ball can he work his way potentially into a you know a look when he gets to campus in the fall and goes through all the scrimmages and whatnot just file that away but like I said the two that I feel very confident who are going to get an opportunity opening weekend even right now in July are Chase Shores and Anthony ianson all right position back battles uh let's take catcher first cuz it's probably the easiest one to go Catcher through Blaze Priester Kate Aon Bey those are going to be the top two guys competing for that job I think right now it's it's probably prer that has the edge there before they even hit the practice field it's probably prer that has the edge he's just experienced college baseball you know two years of Junior College even one year at LSU even though he didn't play but you know one year here at this level going through scrimmages and all of that he's the more experienced guy Aaron Bey has the higher upside like I I believe that that's a guy that could have been a you know was at one point projected a first round pick out of high school all right he's the number 13 player overall in the country according to perfect game the number one catcher in America when you're talking upside that guy's probably got it but experience in college baseball it's Blaze prer and I think he ultimately gets the the nod but then again you had plenty of guys with experience in college baseball going into 2023 like Alex malazzo like Hayden trinsky and Brady Neil came in here and and and started day one as a freshman at catcher because of upside so let's wait and see what happens with Kade Aon Bey but if I have to pick here today I would tell you blaze prester is going to be the catcher opening day for LSU now you get into things that are just more complicated so let's take the Infield Least Complicated out of the three and that's infield and boy isn't that nice to say because this was the biggest question mark on the team two weeks ago and now you're really left with one Jared Jones is going to start at first base and I've had people ask would he stay at first base or go to DH Jared Jones is staying at first base yo Jared Jones is back at LSU to improve his draft stock he's only going to do that by playing a position that's it Jared Jones dhing doesn't help him he's going to play first base he's your starter he should be he's the best first baseman on the team stepen milum is going to start at second base Michael brazwell is going to start at shortstop Third Base there are two names to really keep an eye on here and it's the Utah Valley transfer Daniel Dickinson and your Junior College transfer from blind Tanner Reeves and when you talked about Enfield I've consistently called Reeves the wild card because he's extremely athletic he's extremely versatile he hits for average he's shown that he can hit for power but in his career in junior college he's hit for about 370 the interesting thing is Daniel Dickinson and him are basically the same type of guy Dickinson is extremely versatile can play all positions on the infield maybe not first base but he can play second short or third he hits has hit 369 in division one college baseball or 360 three no 369 in division one college baseball for his career just came off an 18 Homer season so has shown the power can swipe bases has set the Utah Valley record in that for a career just in two seasons and is a top 100 projected draft pick in 2025 if I'm picking I'm going Dickinson on upside and experience Tanner Reeves is a great player and is going to have a role at LSU in 202 in 2025 I just don't believe right now again before they even hit the practice field that it's at third base starting opening weekend I think that's going to be Daniel Dickinson so I will give you an infield of from third to First of Dickinson brazwell mym Jones that's what I believe and again Reeves is that wild card and everything the other thing I will throw out is one of the Freshman because you did get four of those five INF fielders to campus and the three Short Stops to look at specifically Michael Ryan who was a top 250 draft prospect and went undrafted can that guy come in and push for time as a freshman we'll see then you have David David hog the second and case Evans Ryan Castell is a first baseman he's probably not gonna play Third but Evans hog and Ryan can they push Reeves and Dickinson for that spot that's what I want to see but right now I say Daniel Dickinson takes it solely just because of upside and that's a guy who can lead off for you immediately at LSU I I do believe but you have great options there and and Reeves is just a wild card that if when he gets his kind of like last year y'all when Tanner Reeves gets his opportunity pay close attention because you might not be able to get him off the field after it let's go designated hitter I'm saving Outfield Outfield because it's the most complicated but let's go designated hitter I have Luis Hernandez Dalton Beck and Eddie Yaman listed here Hernandez and Yaman can both also play first base uh Dalton Beck can actually also pitch uh as a as a lefty so that's another one you kind of throw him into that same category potentially as Jake Brown um but I don't know if if Dalton Beck really fits into LSU's Outfield right now so I have him at DH but he's a great hitter like great bat all those guys are a bat that we just went through all of them can hit for power all of them is show have shown to be able to hit for average as well uh in Hernandez Beck and Yaman so that's that's massive and that's why I look at those you could see some platoon action there if it's not one of them the thing to keep an eye on is the odd man out at other positions a guy like Tanner Reeves a guy uh potentially like Josh Pearson who's gonna have a hard time breaking into this Outfield right now you have options at DH DH and the Outfield are the places you have the most options to Plug and Play so that will be extremely interesting to watch I don't have an answer for you right there right now I if I I just don't I think if I had if you like gun gun to my head make a pick if they had to play a game today I I don't think it's any of those I think it's one of the odd man out from the positions I think it's either Pearson or Reeves Josh Pearson that is or Rees um today at DH and knowing what I'm about to say about the Outfield I would tell you it's Josh Pearson because why huh everybody knows the answer why because they trust him so let's talk that Outfield Brown lson Josh Pearson Chris Stanfield Derek cuel those are the five guys I have going for three spots and then know by the way you have others with experience like Dalton Beck who's an outfielder Eddie yon who has played Outfield at his time at Dayton John Pearson comes in in the class like you got a lot of guys Ethan fry has experienced in the Outfield you can throw him into the DH uh fight as well man Ethan fry absolutely is part of that but Outfield Five Guys for three spots Jake Brown Ashton Larson Josh Pearson Chris Stanfield and Derek Korea the interesting thing about Brown is I think he would have been your day one starting centerfielder if not for Derek Cel Centerfield showing up on campus and Chris Stanfield going undrafted and I think Derek cuel had a great shot to be your day one starting center fielder as a freshman if not for Chris Stanfield going undrafted y'all it has to be Chris Stanfield in my opinion this is a guy who would be entering his third year of conference ball the bat is a question mark but Chris Stanfield is Michael brazwell he is a guy who has shown Elite ability defensively up to this point I know brazwell had struggles last year whatever but at South Carolina he was Elite defensively Stanfield is that from arburn he catches everything in the Outfield Elite Speed on the base paths and in Center the bat is what he's looking to improve Jay Johnson can help you with that and if he does Chris Stanfield being a veteran center fielder in the SEC needs to start for LSU and center field and I believe would so what is the rest of your Outfield look like Ashton larsson's gonna have a spot Ashton Larson was your leading hitter in conference play like right now as we talk about this in July that guy has a spot we'll see how it goes through camp and and all those B Aron's going to have to have a spot and also he's been ripping it up on the cape like Ashton Larson is destroying the Cape Cod League this summer and it's incredible so I think larsson's in there at one of the corner spots then you're looking at Jake Brown Curel and Josh Pearson and I think Josh Pearson right now is the odd man out in that from a defensive standpoint not that Josh Pearson's not a good defensive outfielder of course he is look at the catches made an an Omaha but you have an opportunity to have guys who project in center field play one of your corner spots in brown and and cuel and I think you see a little bit of a platoon between those guys you probably would see Jake Brown get an opening day start because he's the veteran and we'll see and again you got to see how Cel adjusts to college baseball that's how Josh Pearson fights his way back into this CU he's a veteran who they trust and he knows the ropes he's a programmed guy and there's going to be a moment in 2025 when they need a big hit and they're going to go to Josh Pearson and he's going to get it because that's what he does but right now I think he's the odd man out in that Outfield and I think Cel is going to get plenty of opportunity to play but I think on if they had to play a game today you would see an outfield of left to right Brown Stanfield Larson so let's run through it one more time Outfield left to right Brown Stanfield Larson infield left to right Dickinson brazwell milum Jones prer behind the plate that's what I have for you for a projected lineup uh again I didn't put them in order um you know an actual batting order but that's that's what I'm looking at y'all they have the pieces but I actually find them in a very similar situation they were last year they're extremely deep and extremely talented and you have a lot of guys who are worthy of playing on this team you have to figure out who they are and if you're LSU and you want this to come together in 25 unlike it did in 24 you need to figure that out sooner rather than later that that has like you really need to know where you are probably heading into that last weekend of non-conference play or at least have a good idea and then maybe it doesn't go great in the SEC and you have to make some changes fine but they need to settle faster than they did in 2024 because as we talked about that was ultimately the undoing of that season you had guys that didn't click the way you thought it would and you stuck with them for a really long time and ultimately it didn't pay off that has to change in 2025 we'll see if it does but if you're excited right now you should be because on paper they are more than a contender and they are really really good on paper they haven't even hit the field yet yet they'll do that in you know October and uh we'll do our best to keep you updated there as well y'all smash the like button get subscribed up to the podcast if you haven't already get subscribed up on your YouTube channel on your favorite podcast app follow me on social media all the good stuff appreciate everybody for listening y'all be here next time for more on muso at the Box