LSU becomes first school with No. 1 and 2 picks in MLB Draft

LSU right-handed pitcher Paul Skenes and centerfielder Dylan Crews became the first players from the same school to be selected first and second overall in the MLB Draft.

Skenes was selected No. 1 by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Crews was selected No. 2 by the Washington Nationals.

Skenes is the second LSU player to be the No. 1 overall selection in the MLB Draft. Right-handed pitcher Ben McDonald was the No. 1 overall pick in 1989 by the Baltimore Orioles.

LSU has had two players selected in the first round in two previous drafts – second baseman Todd Walker (Minnesota) and shortstop Russ Johnson (Houston) in 1994; and second baseman Mike Fontenot (Baltimore) and outfielder Todd Linden (San Francisco) in 2001.

Jay Johnson on LSU having the No. 1 and No. 2 picks

LSU head coach Jay Johnson, who took home a College World Series title in his second year in Baton Rouge, joined the MLB Network’s television broadcast during Sunday’s draft.

While on set, Johnson was able to help break down the draft’s No. 1 and No. 2 picks after the Pirates selected Skenes and the Nationals selected Crews.

“You can’t quantify it,” Johnson said of the impact made on LSU by becoming the first program to have the top two picks in the same draft. “We want to be about development, and we want to be about development for Major League Baseball. Well, you are seeing it here tonight.”

As for the decisions to take Skenes and Crews, Johnson was confident both the Pirates and Nationals made the right calls.

“Obviously, it’s always about the team,” Johnson said on Sunday. “But I have a different view maybe on things. Like, obviously, we want to win and we want to win championships. But how we do that is really important to me and you do that through development.

“To see Dylan and Paul, or Paul and Dylan, go as the first two picks in the draft? (It’s) something that I’m really proud of them for. They’re unbelievable players and very worthy of being selected up there. And they are Hall of Fame people. (The Pirates and Nationals are) going to have a different organization immediately. Not just because of the talent they’re adding but the person they’re adding.”

More on Crews, Skenes following dominant LSU careers

Skenes, the 2023 Dick Howser Award winner, the D1 Baseball National Player of the Year, and the SEC Pitcher of the Year, compiled a 13-2 record and a 1.69 ERA in 122.2 innings with 20 walks and an SEC-record 209 strikeouts. He finished No. 1 in the nation in strikeouts (209), strikeouts per nine innings (15.33) and WHIP (0.75).

Skenes, a product of Lake Forest, Calif., finished No. 2 in the nation in ERA (1.69), No. 3 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.45), and No. 5 in hits allowed per nine innings (5.28). He was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series, as he was 1-0 in two starts with a 1.15 ERA in 15.2 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with two walks and 21 strikeouts.

Skenes posted a win over Tennessee (June 17) in LSU’s opening game of the CWS, working 7.2 innings and allowing two runs on five hits with one walk and 12 strikeouts. He then faced Wake Forest in the CWS semifinal round (June 22) on just four days’ rest and limited the Deacons to no runs on two hits in 8.0 innings with one walk and nine strikeouts.

Skenes, a member of the 2023 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, pledged $10 for every strikeout he recorded this season to Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of military and first responders who have died or been disabled.

Crews, a junior from Longwood, Fla., batted .426 (110-for-258) for LSU’s 2023 National Championship team with 16 doubles, two triples, 18 homers, 70 RBI and 100 runs. He was voted to the College World Series All-Tournament Team, batting .375 (12-for-32) in the CWS with one double, one triple, one homer, three RBI and 11 runs scored.

The 2023 Golden Spikes Award winner and the SEC Male Athlete of the Year, Crews finished No. 1 in the nation in runs scored (100), No. 1 in walks (71), No. 2 in on-base percentage (.567), No. 2 in base hits (110) and No. 3 in batting average (.426). He completed the year with a reached base streak of 75 games, which included all 71 games of this season and the last four games of the 2022 season.

Crews is a two-time member of the SEC Community Service Team for his exemplary work in the Baton Rouge area with families affected by autism. He was also named to the 2023 SEC Academic Honor Roll.