LSU Tigers Baseball has multiple players selected in the MLB Draft

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - The LSU Tigers are fresh off their first national baseball championship since 2009, and with that success, they have plenty of players being selected in this year’s MLB Draft.

Selected No. 1: Paul Skenes - RHP - Pittsburgh Pirates

What else can be said about the right-hander after he took the 2023 Dick Howser Trophy, which goes to the best NCAA Division I player, becoming just the second joining Eddy Furniss. Skenes put together statistically one of the best college baseball pitching seasons in history as he finished the season ranked No. 1 in strikeouts with 209, No. 1 in strikeouts per nine innings (15.33), and No. 1 in WHIP (0.75) and he finished ranked No. 2 in the nation in ERA at 1.69. Skenes, 209 strikeouts set the SEC and LSU single-season record for strikeouts breaking Ben McDonald’s record of 202. To top it all off, he was also named the Most Outstanding Player for the 2023 College World Series where he was 1-0 with a 1.15 ERA in 15 innings and had 21 strikeouts.

Skenes to some experts, could join the Pirates rotation as early as 2024 and could see a similar timeline to that of Stephen Strasburg who went No. 1 in the 2009 MLB Draft and then made his debut just a season later in 2010.

Selected No. 2: Dylan Crews - OF- Washington Nationals

For a man that decided to skip the draft out of high school just a few years ago, it seems to have worked out really well for Crews. The 2023 Golden Spikes winning outfielder put together one of the greatest careers in LSU baseball history as he won back-to-back SEC Player of the Year awards, was named a 2023 consensus First-Team All-American, 2023 College World Series All-Tournament team, 2023 NCAA Regional All-Tournament team, 2023 SEC Male Athlete of the Year, 2023 First-Team All-SEC, 2023 All-SEC Defensive Team, and an ABCA Gold Glove winner. For his career, Crews hit .380 with 58 home runs, 184 RBI, and a .689 slugging percentage. His 110 hits tie the school record for most in a single season and he goes down as the No. 4 player in career runs scored with 237.

Crews is expected to possibly start out in right field at the beginning of his career, but with most experts saying he has plus speed he should be able to slot into center field as early as next season.

Selected No. 38: Ty Floyd - RHP- Cincinnati Reds

If anyone presumably helped his draft stock during the College World Series, it was Ty Floyd. Floyd in game 1 of the CWS Finals put together one of the single best pitching performances in college baseball history as he posted a career-high 17 strikeouts, which was the most by a pitcher in CWS history. Floyd was instrumental in an elimination game against Wake Forest where he limited the No. 1 team in the country to two runs in five innings while striking out 10. With those performances, he was voted to the 2023 College World Series All-Tournament Team. This past season Floyd posted a 7-0 record, with a 4.35 ERA in 91 innings with 37 walks and 120 Ks, he finished No. 4 in the SEC in strikeouts and No. 5 in opponent batting average at .208.

The Reds addressed a need in their bullpen with the selection of Floyd, and with his upside, he is expected to be a solid part of the team’s future on the mound in a few seasons.

Selected No. 51: Grant Taylor - RHP- Chicago White Sox

Grant Taylor is an interesting pick for the Chicago White Sox as he is coming off of Tommy John’s surgery which caused him to miss the entire 2023 season. During his first season with the Tigers, he pitched in 17 games, two starts with a 4-1 record with a 5.81 ERA in 31.0 innings with 21 walks and 39 strikeouts. Taylor confirmed to the media that he will not return to LSU to play another year of college baseball after his selection, and is expected to be a high-ceiling kind of pitcher in the White Sox farm system

Selected No. 88: Tre’ Morgan - OF/1B- Tampa Bay Rays

Tre’ Morgan put together one of the best careers at first base in program history as he started in 194 games at LSU and posted a .332 batting average with 49 doubles, nine triples, 20 home runs, 149 RBI, and 180 runs. Morgan put together a very good College World Series as he was voted on as a member of the 2023 College World Series All-Tournament team where he his .344, six RBI, and six runs. A big play from the CWS came from Morgan as he put together possibly a season-saving play in the 8th inning against Wake Forest in an elimination game. Wake Forest had runners on first and third with one out and Morgan made a play on a bunt and then tossed it to Alex Milazzo for an out to prevent Wake Forest from taking the lead in a tie game.

Morgan is expected to be a plus defender for the Rays, and will more than likely shift to the outfield as scouts have stated his athletism caters towards that position.

Selected No. 165: Gavin Dugas - 2B- Washington Nationals

The captain of this past year’s Tigers team that wore the historic No. 8 for LSU is headed to the nation’s capital as Gavin Dugas was selected by the Nationals in the sixth round of the draft. Dugas, who played second base for the 2023 season, appeared in 201 games with 178 starts with a career batting average of .287 with, 44 home runs, 148 RBI, and 161 runs scored. The Houma, Louisiana native was also named to the College World Series all-tournament team as he helped lead the Tigers to the college baseball national championship.

Dugas brings leadership and a maturity that is invaluable to a locker room as most experts expect him to be a plus to any minor league roster he is a part of.

Other draft-eligible LSU Players of note: