Predicting LSU baseball pitching rotation, depth chart after MLB Draft
· Yahoo Sports
The MLB Draft has come and gone. So has college baseball's 2026 transfer portal. LSU baseball's 2027 roster is close to complete.
Jay Johnson's Tigers got a gift last week when high school pitcher Logan Schmidt committed to attending LSU after Schmidt didn't reach an agreement with the Cleveland Guardians. Schmidt was MLB.com's No. 45-ranked prospect in the MLB Draft -- Schmidt turning pro felt like a sure thing. It's rare for a prospect of his caliber to make it to college, but LSU is happy to have the uber-talented left-hander.
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With LSU's roster set, we can start predicting how Johnson will deploy the talent next spring. Today, we'll predict what LSU's 2027 pitching rotation and depth chart will look like.
Friday Starter: Casan Evans
Casan Evans returns for his junior campaign after an up-and-down sophomore year. Evans began the year with high expectations, but it was his first time taking on a role as a full-time starter. Evans struggled with command before dealing with an injury late in the year.
Now with a year of starting experience under his belt, Evans should be in the same role next year. When Evans is on, he's one of the best pitchers in the SEC. But he needs to find consistency. I think another year of development should have Evans ready to be LSU's ace. The stuff is electric and sometimes it takes talented pitchers time to find their footing in the SEC.
Saturday Starter: William Schmidt
Schmidt emerged as LSU's most consistent starter down the stretch in 2026. He wasn't perfect, but he checked the boxes you want to see from a developing pitcher. Schmidt finished the year with a 4.22 ERA and 85 strikeouts. Schmidt was a top recruit for LSU in 2025, and the production began to align with the talent level in 2026. That's a good sign for 2027. Schmidt has tremendous upside entering next year and should be a reliable No. 2 starter for the Tigers.
Sunday Starter: Cooper Moore
Cooper Moore suffered a season-ending injury in March, which delivered a blow to LSU's starting rotation. LSU missed Moore's veteran presence and struggled to replace him. Moore, a Kansas transfer, decided to return to LSU for another year of college baseball. We don't know what Moore will look like returning from injury, but he's not a pitcher who relied on a lights-out fastball anyway. He knows how to use offspeed pitches to get outs.
Top Reliever: Landon Hood
Hood was LSU's top pitching addition in the transfer portal. He burst on the scene as a freshman at Gonzaga and was ranked a top-10 transfer of the class by ESPN. The stuff is elite. If LSU wasn't returning all three pitchers from its 2026 rotation, Hood would be an easy pick to take on a starting role. Instead, I think we see Hood emerge as LSU's top reliever.
Hood will take on a role similar to what we saw from Zac Cowan and Casan Evans in 2025. Both were used when LSU needed outs from the pen, but each was good enough to start games in the postseason. Expect Hood to contribute in multiple ways.
High Leverage: Zion Theophilus
Zion Theophilus saw immediate action as a true freshman in 2026 after signing with LSU as the top-ranked right-hander from Ohio. Theophilus had growing pains, but he finished the year with a 4.96 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched. That's not bad given what the rest of the LSU bullpen looked like. Theophilus will need to improve the K/BB ratio, but the upside is there. Watch for a breakout in 2027.
High Leverage: Diego Velazquez
Velazquez transferred to LSU after one year at USC and figures to make an immediate contribution in the bullpen. With the Trojans, Velazquez posted a 4.55 ERA while striking out 34 in 29.2 innings. He posted a decent K/BB ratio, something LSU needs after the pitching staff struggled to throw strikes in 2026. Velazquez also earned a few starts with the Trojans and could be an option to start midweek games or postseason contests.
Flexible Options: Reagan Ricken and Kaden Smith
LSU will need a couple of guys it trusts to deliver length out of the bullpen and start midweek games. LSU blew some midweek games early in the year in 2026, which made the Tigers' path to the postseason impossible once they faltered in conference play. LSU needs to pitch better in midweek games next year.
Reagan Ricken and Kaden Smith can help with that. Ricken returns to LSU after his freshman campaign that saw mixed results. Johnson trusted Ricken enough to throw him out there, but Ricken looked like a true freshman. Another year of development could have Ricken ready to go. As for Kaden Smith, he's a transfer from USF who worked out of the pen and started games for the Bulls. Expect a similar role at LSU.
Lefty specialist: Cooper Williams
Cooper Williams posted a 7.94 ERA in 2026 and didn't take the step forward that many predicted. Still, he stuck around, which signals this staff believes in him and has a role for him in 2027. LSU doesn't have many lefties on the roster, but Williams is an experienced lefty reliever with upside.
Depth: Ethan Plog and Danny Lachenmayer
2026 was Plog's first year at LSU after he began his career at a JUCO. He ended up leading LSU with 22 appearances, though he posted a 9.98 ERA in that span. Lachenmayer made 18 appearances as a sophomore, posting a 7.56 ERA. Both Plog and Lachenmayer have talent and should be better in 2027.
Which freshman arms can make an immediate impact?
Despite the depth of this room, there will be chances for a couple of freshmen to make an impact. Logan Schmidt, LSU's top-ranked signee, stands out with an electric fastball. But Schmidt reclassified and is a year younger than typical freshman enrollees. It's not a given that he will be ready to face SEC hitters. Still, he's too talented to write off.
Lucas Nawrocki is another name to know. He owns an elite slider that should play right away.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Predicting LSU baseball pitching rotation, depth chart after MLB Draft