LOUISIANA

2007 FOLLOW LIST  

OVERVIEW: By its own lofty standards, this was hardly a banner year for college baseball inLouisiana . Five-time College World Series champion Louisiana State (29-26, 12-17 in the Southeastern Conference) had its poorest showing in years as it failed to even qualify for the eight-team SEC tournament. The Tigers certain to be left out of NCAA regional play for a second year in a row. Tulane (32-24, 9-15 in Conference USA ) encountered a rare off year, as well. It raced out to a fast start in the first half but collapsed over the final six weeks.

LSU is in transition with a new coaching staff, but may have only one player drafted in the first 10-12 rounds. Tulane simply sunk in the second half in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, whose lingering aftereffects prevented the Green Wave from moving back into their own campus facility in April, as scheduled. When the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs opened the Pacific Coast League season in early April, Tulane immediately became second-class tenants at Zephyr Field, their makeshift home for two years after the hurricane destroyed Turchin Stadium. Coincidentally, Tulane’s three best prospects for the draft, righthander Sean Morgan, second baseman Mark Emaus and outfielder Warren McFadden, all slumped badly and their draft stock took a predicted nosedive.

The aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina have also continued to be felt at the high school level. Many players were forced to relocate to other parts of the state after the hurricane left widespread damage in and around the New Orleans area. Dual-sport star Chad Jones is the acknowledged top player in the state for this year’s draft, but scouts say he’s actually shown little progress in two years since he was a sophomore in 2005 at New Orleans’ St. Augustine high, which was destroyed. He spent his junior and senior year at Southern Lab High in Baton Rouge , his new home. Scouts and recruiters have also they’ve had a difficult time over the last year or two keeping tabs on relocated high school players.

STRENGTH: Outfielders.
WEAKNESS: Dearth of prospects at Louisiana State .
OVERALL RATING (1-to-5 scale): 3.

Best Out-of-State Prospect, Louisiana Connection: Jordan Brown, rhp, Meridian (Miss. ) CC (Attended high school in Luling).
Top 2008 Prospect: Shooter Hunt, rhp, Tulane U.

Highest Pick, Draft History: Danny Goodwin, c, Southern U. (1975, Angels/1^st round, 1^st pick); Ben McDonald, rhp, Louisiana State U. (1989, Orioles/1^st round, 1^st pick).
Highest Pick, 2006 Draft: Ryan Adams, 3b, Jesuit HS, Mandeville (Orioles/2^nd round).

Best College Team: Louisiana-Lafayette.
Best Junior College Team: Delgado JC.
Best High School Team: Barbe HS, Lake Charles .

TOP 40 PROSPECTS / By Allan Simpson

 GROUPS (College, Junior College, High School)
      1   High-round draft (Rounds 1-3)
      2   Mid-round draft (Rounds 4-10)
      3   Late-round draft (Rounds 11-25)
      4   Chance draft / Player to follow

*Draft-and-follow; eligible to sign before 2007 draft

GROUP ONE
Rank  Player                                  Pos.       Yr     B-T      HT     WT     School                              Hometown                 Drafted/(Commit) B’date
     1.   Jon Lucroy                              C      Jr.     R-R     6-0     200     U. of Louisiana-Lafayette   Umatilla, Fla.          Never drafted       6-13-86
SCOUTING REPORT: Lucroy has always hit. He batted .379-5-48 as a freshman, .333-12-68 as a sophomore and was hitting .373-15-59 at the end of the 2007 regular season. He’s gotten better each year through natural progression. He’s primarily a line-drive hitter to all fields, but has continued to add power with greater bat speed and more loft, and became a better two-strike hitter this year. Lucroy’s biggest advancement has been on defense. Primarily a DH as a lightly-recruited freshman, he has grown to a point that he is an excellent receiver with solid skills across the board. His feet have gotten better and his release quicker—both resulting in a strong, accurate arm. Scouts admire his high-energy, blue-collar approach to catching, and his ability to call a game and handle a pitching staff. Projected as a fourth- to sixth-rounder at the start of the year, he has improved to a point where he should be one of the first two or three catchers taken in a deep college catching crop.