June is an important time for college baseball and basketball players as the professional drafts are held for both sports.
LSU players were not popular when it came time for MLB and NBA teams to make their selections this year.
No Tigers baseball player was chosen until pitcher Nick Bush was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the eighth round. It has been ten years since the first LSU MLB draftee came later than the eighth round.
No Tigers basketball player was selected in the two rounds of the NBA draft. For the second consecutive year, LSU had no one picked by a NBA team. It had been seven years since the Tigers went two straight NBA drafts without a player chosen – 2010-11.
It should therefore come as no surprise that LSU did not finish at the top of the Southeastern Conference standings in either baseball or basketball. The Tigers finished tied with Auburn and Mississippi State for seventh place in baseball. LSU tied with Alabama for ninth place in basketball.
The Tigers had seven players chosen in the 2018 MLB draft – their fewest in four years. LSU had five draft choices in 2014. That season ended like this year with the Tigers finishing second in a NCAA regional tournament – runner-up to Houston in 2014 and to Oregon State in 2018.
Bush was the only LSU player selected in the first ten rounds of the MLB draft. The last time the Tigers had just one baseball player chosen in the first ten rounds was 2011 – a season in which they failed to reach the NCAA tournament.
Having a significant number of players drafted in the first ten rounds has been a pretty accurate barometer for the success of the LSU baseball season. Since Paul Mainieri became coach in 2007, there have been five MLB drafts in which the Tigers had at least five players picked in the first ten rounds.
LSU reached the College World Series in four of those seasons – 2009 (five top-ten picks), 2013 (six), 2015 (seven) and 2017 (six). The one exception was 2010 when LSU had five players drafted in the first ten rounds, but it was eliminated in a regional at UCLA.
Basketball success is not dependent upon having players selected by NBA teams. LSU had the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft – Ben Simmons – and didn’t make the NCAA tournament. The Tigers had two players chosen in 1996 – Randy Livingston and Ronnie Henderson – and won only four SEC games.
There was one SEC school which most definitely underachieved in both baseball and basketball this season when one examines the MLB and NBA draft results. Kentucky led SEC schools in MLB draft picks with 13 and NBA draft choices with four.
The baseball Wildcats, who had six players drafted in the first ten rounds, finished tied for 10th with Texas A&M with no NCAA tournament bid. The Kentucky basketball team finished tied for fourth with Arkansas and Missouri. At least, the Wildcats won the SEC tournament and reached the Big Dance.
Without a doubt, the team which overachieved in baseball was Mississippi State. Not only did the Bulldogs lose head coach Andy Cannizaro three games into the season, but they had just one player drafted in the first 20 rounds.
Mississippi State’s 15-15 conference record, which put it in that tie for seventh place with Auburn and LSU, probably fit its talent level. However, no one should have expected Mississippi State to reach the final four of the College World Series.
SEC baseball champion Florida also had seven players drafted, but five of those picks came in the first ten rounds. The Gators had three first-round selections – third baseman Jonathan India and pitchers Brady Singer and Jackson Kowar.
Arkansas, which will be playing Oregon State for the national title, was just behind Kentucky in draft production. The Razorbacks had 11 players picked by major league organizations – nine in the first 20 rounds.
Auburn and Tennessee, the two co-champions in basketball, did not have a player drafted by a NBA team. Credit must be given to the job done by Auburn coach Bruce Pearl and Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. Both Auburn and Tennessee return most of their players for the 2019 season.
Here is a breakdown by school of the SEC players selected in the MLB draft.
KENTUCKY (13)
9 players chosen in the first 20 rounds
P Sean Hjelle, second round, San Francisco Giants
OF Tristan Pompey, third round, Miami Marlins
C Kade Cottam, fourth round, Boston Red Sox
P Zach Haake, sixth round, Kansas City Royals
3B Luke Heyer, eighth round, Los Angeles Dodgers
2B Luke Becker, ninth round, San Diego Padres
P Justin Lewis, 12th round, Arizona Diamondbacks
SS Trey Dawson, 15th round, Houston Astros
P Chris Machamer, 16th round, Boston Red Sox
ARKANSAS (11)
9 players chosen in the first 20 rounds
P Blaine Knight, third round, Baltimore Orioles
OF Eric Cole, fourth round, Kansas City Royals
C Grant Koch, fifth round, Pittsburgh Pirates
SS Dax Biggers, eighth round, Texas Rangers
2B Carson Shaddy, tenth round, Washington Nationals
P Kacey Murphy, 11th round, Detroit Tigers
P Evan Lee, 15th round, Washington Nationals
P Barrett Loseke, 17th round, New York Yankees
P Jake Reindl, 17th round, Chicago Cubs
SOUTH CAROLINA (10)
7 players chosen in the first 20 rounds
OF Carlos Cortes, third round, New York Mets
P Adam Hill, fourth round, New York Mets
P Cody Morris, seventh round, Cleveland Indians
SS Madison Stokes, tenth round, Philadelphia Phillies
P Graham Lawson, 12th round, Washington Nationals
SS LT Tolbert, 13th round, Arizona Diamondbacks
P Ridge Chapman, 17th round, Washington Nationals
OLE MISS (8)
6 players chosen in the first 20 rounds
P Ryan Rolison, first round, Colorado Rockies
C Nick Fortes, fourth round, Miami Marlins
P Brady Feigl, fifth round, Oakland A’s
P James McArthur, 12th round, Philadelphia Phillies
P Dallas Woolfolk, 13th round, Oakland A’s
OF Ryan Olenek, 17th round, San Francisco Giants
VANDERBILT (8)
3 players chosen in the first 20 rounds
SS Connor Kaiser, third round, Pittsburgh Pirates
P Reid Schaller, third round, Washington Nationals
P Chandler Day, seventh round, Washington Nationals
FLORIDA (7)
6 players chosen in the first 20 rounds
3B Jonathan India, first round, Cincinnati Reds
P Brady Singer, first round, Kansas City Royals
P Jackson Kowar, first round, Kansas City Royals
C JJ Schwarz, eighth round, Oakland A’s
SS Deacon Liput, tenth round, Los Angeles Dodgers
P Michael Byrne, 14th round, Cincinnati Reds
AUBURN (7)
5 players chosen in the first 20 rounds
P Casey Mize, first round, Detroit Tigers
P Davis Daniel, 11th round, Milwaukee Brewers
3B Brendan Venter, 13th round, Atlanta Braves
P Andrew Mitchell, 14th round, New York Mets
P Calvin Coker, 15th round, Oakland A’s
LSU (7)
5 players chosen in the first 20 rounds
P Nick Bush, eighth round, Colorado Rockies
P Cam Sanders, 12th round, Chicago Cubs
C Hunter Feduccia, 12th round, Los Angeles Dodgers
3B Jake Slaughter, 18th round, Chicago Cubs
OF Antoine Duplantis, 19th round, Cleveland Indians
MISSISSIPPI STATE (7)
1 player chosen in the first 20 rounds
P Konnor Pilkington, third round, Chicago White Sox
MISSOURI (6)
3 players chosen in the first 20 rounds
P Michael Plassmeyer, fourth round, Seattle Mariners
P Bryce Montes De Oca, ninth round, New York Mets
P Andy Toelken, 19th round, Arizona Diamondbacks
TEXAS A&M (5)
5 players chosen in the first 20 rounds
P Mitchell Kilkenny, second round, Colorado Rockies
P Nolan Hoffman, fifth round, Seattle Mariners
P Cason Sherrod, seventh round, Miami Marlins
2B Michael Helman, 11th round, Minnesota Twins
P Stephen Kolek, 11th round, Los Angeles Dodgers
ALABAMA (5)
4 players chosen in the first 20 rounds
P Joe Walters, ninth round, Miami Marlins
OF Chandler Taylor, tenth round, Houston Astros
3B Cobie Vance, 18th round, Oakland A’s
SS Jett Manning, 20th round, San Francisco Ginats
GEORGIA (3)
3 players chosen in the first 20 rounds
P Kevin Smith, seventh round, New York Mets
OF Keegan McGovern, ninth round, Seattle Mariners
C Michael Curry, 16th round, San Diego Padres
TENNESSEE (2)
1 player chosen in the first 20 rounds
P Zach Linginfelter, 19th round, Washington Nationals
Here is a breakdown by school of the SEC players selected in the NBA draft.
KENTUCKY (4)
F Kevin Knox, first round, New York Knicks
G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, first round, Los Angeles Clippers
F Jarred Vanderbilt, second round, Denver Nuggets
G Hamidou Diallo, second round, Oklahoma City Thunder
ALABAMA (1)
G Collin Sexton, first round, Cleveland Cavaliers
MISSOURI (1)
F Michael Porter, first round, Denver Nuggets
TEXAS A&M (1)
F Robert Williams, first round, Boston Celtics
