LSU Baseball Ranked No. 6 in Baseball America Way-Too-Early 2021 Rankings
For the top college baseball programs in the country, the 2021 season will truly be a battle of Herculean rosters the likes of which we haven't seen in quite some time.
On Monday, Baseball America released its "way-too-early" top-25 rankings ahead of the 2020 baseball season. The Tigers were firmly inside the top-10, coming in at No. 6 in the rankings.
The Tigers project to get through the draft in fairly good shape, with outfielder Daniel Cabrera and righthander Cole Henry the only significant draft risks. For that matter, in a draft very heavy on college pitching, perhaps Henry, a draft-eligible sophomore, is the type of pitcher who would consider returning to a less jam-packed draft in 2021. Even if it loses him, however, LSU should have plenty of pitching, led by righthanders Jaden Hill, Landon Marceaux and A.J. Labas. And as always, the Tigers will get reinforcements from a top recruiting class.
Other SEC teams to crack the top-25 were Florida (No. 1), Ole Miss (No. 4), Vanderbilt (No. 7), Arkansas (No. 11), Mississippi State (No. 15) and Tennessee (No. 18).
LSU and Paul Mainieri enter an unprecedented year, one that the program is already preparing for. There are many decisions that will have to be made but some have already begun.
A few veteran players, including pitcher Eric Walker and infielder Hal Hughes have entered the transfer portal with Hughes electing to spend his final two collegiate seasons at Rice. Then there's the MLB side of things.
Late last week, it was reported that the MLB had officially decided to make the 2020 MLB Draft five rounds.
This will have an obvious ripple effect on college baseball that stems from not only incoming freshmen but draft eligible sophomores and juniors as well. For LSU, there are two players to keep an eye on, pitcher Cole Henry and right fielder Daniel Cabrera.
It was expected that both players would be early round selections in the draft but with there being just five rounds, it raises the question if MLB clubs will narrow focus to younger prospects.
Henry is a better bet to return as he would still have two years of eligibility left after next season while Cabrera would just have one. In 2020, Henry made four starts with a 1.89 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched while Cabrera batted .345 with two homeruns and 14 RBI.
Henry has just 18 college appearances for the Tigers under his belt and while his immense talent is unquestioned, will MLB clubs be scared off by the lack of experience, particularly with only five rounds.
If LSU is able to retain one or both of those guys, it'll truly be a stacked roster for the Tigers. With Jaden Hill, Landon Marceaux and AJ Labas expected to return, the future on the mound is solidified even if Henry does elect to leave.
The infield and outfield is a lot less known at the time as Cade Beloso at first base, Zack Mathis at third and Alex Milazzo behind the plate figure to be the only players you can pencil in as starters in 2021. Mainieri has also reeled in one of the top recruiting classes in the country, headlined by catcher Drew Romo and outfielder Dylan Crews.
With much of its roster returning from 2020 and a surplus of talent on the horizon, Mainieri will have a hard time figuring out lineups and rotations but there are worse problems to have.