Day Two of the Major League Baseball Draft saw five more LSU Tigers taken and several key contributors to the 2025 national championship team were not taken.
Here is who was selected:
LSU second baseman Daniel Dickinson went in the 6th round to the Milwaukee Brewers. Dickinson had a solid campaign in his lone season at LSU and went a round or two later than most people expected. Dickinson hit .315 with 12 home runs and 49 RBIs.
LSU first baseman Jared Jones went in the 9th round to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The First-Team All-American was on the top 250 prospect list and went 263rd overall. For Jones to get to the Big Leagues, he’ll need to cut down on the 30% strikeout rate in his junior season.
Jones has 64 career home runs, 16 shy of career home run leader Eddy Furniss. If Jones decided to come back for his senior season, he would likely pass up Furniss. But if he came back, he loses his leverage to negotiate for a higher signing bonus, because he would have to take what the drafting team was offering.
LSU relief pitcher Jacob Mayers was selected in the 9th round by the Boston Red Sox. Mayers will likely join Anthony Eyanson in the Red Sox organization. Mayers had two good seasons at Nicholls and didn’t become a big contributor for LSU until late in the season. He has a major league fastball, but can he throw other pitches for strikes?
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Right-handed pitcher Kade Woods was selected in the 10th round by the Atlanta Braves. The Monroe native only appeared in five games in two seasons at LSU after transferring in from Alabama. But the right-hander looked good pitching in the Major League Baseball draft league. Woods has a 1.93 ERA in 9.1 innings this summer and his fastball is topping at 97 miles per hour.
Left-handed pitcher Conner Ware was selected in the 15th round by the New York Mets. Ware was expected to be a big factor for LSU in its title run, but based on comments made by Coach John Johnson, Ware dealt with an injury late in the season and finished with a 5.48 ERA.
Players picked beyond the 10th round are more likely to come back, because picks after the 10th round are not slotted for bonus money. But it’s possible the Mets will throw Ware a good signing bonus and he’ll decide to begin his pro career.
The Tigers also had three players selected on Day 1 of the draft, including LHP Kade Anderson (No. 3 to Mariners), RHP Chase Shores (No. 47 to Angels) and RHP Anthony Eyanson (No. 87 to Red Sox)
LSU pitcher Zac Cowan was not selected, so he’s returning. Right-handed pitcher Jaden Noot also went undrafted and the same goes for Tanner Reaves, who could be the starting second baseman next season.
Outfielder Chris Stanfield was not taken. He could make the decision to sign as an undrafted free agent or come back for his senior season. But Derek Curiel is expected to be the starting center fielder next season.
Catcher Luis Hernandez was an excellent catcher for LSU, but he went undrafted. Hernandez does not have any eligibility left, so he’ll need to sign with someone as an undrafted free agent.
LSU’s coaching staff is probably disappointed left-hander Briggs McKenzie was selected late in the fourth round by the Atlanta Braves. There was hope that Briggs would come on LSU’s campus, but that’s unlikely as he could get a signing bonus around $600,000.