RHP William Schmidt makes final decision on MLB or LSU
LSU commit William Schmidt has chose to remove his name from MLB Draft considerations and announced on Sunday evening he will be heading to Baton Rouge to play for Jay Johnson and LSU. Just a few hours before the start of the MLB Draft, the Tigers have a massive addition to their pitching staff for 2025 and beyond.
Schmidt was the No. 5 overall high school prospect and No. 1 right handed pitcher in the country and had just led Catholic High School in Baton Rouge to a state championship. For most of his season, it was assumed Schmidt was headed to the major leagues right out of college, but instead, he is headed up the road to LSU and as he said in his post, it’s “Time for another Natty”.
Schmidt is a late first-round talent, with evaluations ranging in the 25-40 range of this year’s draft.
Here is MLB.com’s evaluation of Schmidt’s game:
“Schmidt can spin his curveball at upwards of 3,000 rpm, and it’s an low-80s hammer that breaks so much that it often fools umpires as well as hitters. He has good command of a fastball that has gained 3 mph this spring, now sitting in the mid-90s and maxing out at 99 mph with carry and arm-side run. He rarely has needed a third pitch but shows some feel for a low-80s changeup with some sink.
Not only does Schmidt have some of the best stuff in the Draft, but he also generates it with ease and fills the strike zone. He still has room to add more strength to his wiry 6-foot-4 frame, so he could get better. He used to elicit comparisons to three-time All-Star Adam Wainwright, but now he’s better at the same stage of his career.”
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The Tigers have now successfully rebuilt their pitching rotation with the departures of Luke Holman and Gage Jump and several other arms who left after the 2024 season. The long list of transfer additions is impressive, but getting Schmidt further raises the ceiling for this program for years to come. LSU will also be watching to see Griffin Herring’s decision in the coming days to whether he heads to the MLB or stays in college for another year.
After a disappointing 2024 season, Jay Johnson has been aggressive in all facets of rebuilding this roster for 2025, looking to get LSU back to Omaha and back to the top of the mountain. This was a significant step towards raising the potential depth of pitching he’ll have available in 2025.
“Obviously, there are some situations where guys are in between pro baseball and coming back,” Johnson said after the season. “All of those guys will be welcomed back and have a place on our roster. Even with that, we have a lot of work to do to have the team we want to have. It will have a lot of high impact. I’m not so worried about the numbers. That’s where my head is at in terms of building the roster moving forward and at a place like LSU you can do that. It’s really fluid right now.”
