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The 2026 MLB Draft begins on Saturday afternoon (1:00 ET, NBC/Peacock) and with it comes the most stress-inducing point of the year for coaches like Jay Johnson. LSU Baseball, once again, has one of the most highly rated signing classes in the country, checking in at No. 2 per PerfectGame with 23 commits, 11 of which rank in the top-100. But unlike football or basketball, more often than not the prized jewels of a team's recruiting class never make it to campus. They'll sign with a school, and some might even take some summer classes, but every July an MLB team will throw millions of dollars at a player and he'll be off to begin his professional career.
Of course there are exceptions, and LSU has benefited from high school prospects spurning the MLB Draft for one reason or another. Alex Bregman got injured his senior year of high school; Dylan Crews had a number in mind and stuck to it. Derek Curiel, William Schmidt, and Omar Serna were all highly coveted, but all three chose playing at Alex Box rather than the sparsely packed High-A or Low-A ballparks across America.
LSU's already had some good fortune ahead of this weekend's draft. Outfielder Nathaneal Davis and lefty pitcher Braxton Beaty both informed MLB they would be withdrawing from the draft. Let's examine the rest of LSU's class and see who else might join Davis and Beaty in Red Stick.
Logan Schmidt- LHP (Ganesha, CA): Schmidt is ranked as the No. 45 overall prospect and ESPN's Kiley McDaniel mocks him 38th overall to the Colorado Rockies. A 6'4" lefty with a fastball that sits 94-97, there is a better chance that you or I play baseball for LSU in 2027 than Schmidt.
Jensen Hirschkorn- RHP (Kingsburg, CA): If there was one single name to watch for, it is Hirschkorn. On the one hand, Hirschkorn is ranked as a top-60 overall prospect with a 6'7" frame and easy 97 MPH in his fastball. Normally that would be a lock to go in the second round, but Kiley McDaniel's final mock draft reported that Hirschkorn's tough signability might force him to LSU. Hirschkorn is LSU's second highest rated signee behind Logan Schmidt.
Malachi Washington- OF (Parkview, GA): Washington's athleticism alone makes him a near-lock for professional ball. He's got plus-speed and arm strength, and already has a good bit of power in his bat.
Anthony Murphy- OF (Corona, CA): Murphy and Washington project pretty similarly, but Murphy is, according to scouts, one of the better defensive outfielder prospects to come along in recent memory.
Dominc Santarelli- 1B/OF (St. Joesph, WI): Maybe the strongest bat among high schoolers, Santarelli's plus-plus power has him projected by Kiley McDaniel as the No. 41 overall pick by the Chicago White Sox. Listed at 6'2" and 230, Santarelli has more speed than you'd expect, but the arm is a little underwhelming and his glove needs some work. This one truly feels 50/50.
Will Adams- LHP/1B (Hoover, AL): Adams is a fringe top-100 prospect (No. 102 overall) and much like Jake Brown did three years ago enters the Draft as a two-way lefty that ultimately settles as a position player.
Cooper Sides- RHP (Orange Lutheran, CA): Hailing from the same high school as Derek Curiel, Sides settles as the No. 100 overall prospect in the draft and thus a likely departure. A 6'5" righty, Sides has a legit four-pitch mix.
Kolby Stringer- RHP (West Marion, MS): Nobody's professional outlook has risen more than Stringer. Stringer wasn't on the showcase circuit and split time as a shortstop. Once he started focusing on pitching, however, scouts started to take notice. They also noticed his 92-97 MPH fastball and a nation-leading 202 strikeouts in 81 innings pitched. Jay Johnson went to Stringer's house after getting swept by Mississippi State to recruit him into the class, now we'll have to see if Johnson's pitch outweighs whatever Major League Baseball offers.
Coleton Brady- RHP (TNXL Academy, FL): another big righty, Brady is still just 17-years-old and already possesses a four-pitch mix.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU Baseball 2026 MLB Draft: Which Signees Make It to Campus
Continue reading...
Of course there are exceptions, and LSU has benefited from high school prospects spurning the MLB Draft for one reason or another. Alex Bregman got injured his senior year of high school; Dylan Crews had a number in mind and stuck to it. Derek Curiel, William Schmidt, and Omar Serna were all highly coveted, but all three chose playing at Alex Box rather than the sparsely packed High-A or Low-A ballparks across America.
LSU's already had some good fortune ahead of this weekend's draft. Outfielder Nathaneal Davis and lefty pitcher Braxton Beaty both informed MLB they would be withdrawing from the draft. Let's examine the rest of LSU's class and see who else might join Davis and Beaty in Red Stick.
Logan Schmidt- LHP (Ganesha, CA): Schmidt is ranked as the No. 45 overall prospect and ESPN's Kiley McDaniel mocks him 38th overall to the Colorado Rockies. A 6'4" lefty with a fastball that sits 94-97, there is a better chance that you or I play baseball for LSU in 2027 than Schmidt.
Jensen Hirschkorn- RHP (Kingsburg, CA): If there was one single name to watch for, it is Hirschkorn. On the one hand, Hirschkorn is ranked as a top-60 overall prospect with a 6'7" frame and easy 97 MPH in his fastball. Normally that would be a lock to go in the second round, but Kiley McDaniel's final mock draft reported that Hirschkorn's tough signability might force him to LSU. Hirschkorn is LSU's second highest rated signee behind Logan Schmidt.
Malachi Washington- OF (Parkview, GA): Washington's athleticism alone makes him a near-lock for professional ball. He's got plus-speed and arm strength, and already has a good bit of power in his bat.
Anthony Murphy- OF (Corona, CA): Murphy and Washington project pretty similarly, but Murphy is, according to scouts, one of the better defensive outfielder prospects to come along in recent memory.
Dominc Santarelli- 1B/OF (St. Joesph, WI): Maybe the strongest bat among high schoolers, Santarelli's plus-plus power has him projected by Kiley McDaniel as the No. 41 overall pick by the Chicago White Sox. Listed at 6'2" and 230, Santarelli has more speed than you'd expect, but the arm is a little underwhelming and his glove needs some work. This one truly feels 50/50.
Will Adams- LHP/1B (Hoover, AL): Adams is a fringe top-100 prospect (No. 102 overall) and much like Jake Brown did three years ago enters the Draft as a two-way lefty that ultimately settles as a position player.
Cooper Sides- RHP (Orange Lutheran, CA): Hailing from the same high school as Derek Curiel, Sides settles as the No. 100 overall prospect in the draft and thus a likely departure. A 6'5" righty, Sides has a legit four-pitch mix.
Kolby Stringer- RHP (West Marion, MS): Nobody's professional outlook has risen more than Stringer. Stringer wasn't on the showcase circuit and split time as a shortstop. Once he started focusing on pitching, however, scouts started to take notice. They also noticed his 92-97 MPH fastball and a nation-leading 202 strikeouts in 81 innings pitched. Jay Johnson went to Stringer's house after getting swept by Mississippi State to recruit him into the class, now we'll have to see if Johnson's pitch outweighs whatever Major League Baseball offers.
Coleton Brady- RHP (TNXL Academy, FL): another big righty, Brady is still just 17-years-old and already possesses a four-pitch mix.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU Baseball 2026 MLB Draft: Which Signees Make It to Campus
Continue reading...
