Tag: LSU in MLB

Tre Morgan off to hot start in Rays organization

Another former Tiger is off to a scorching hot start with his professional club.

Following his success with LSU in the College World Series, [autotag]Tre Morgan[/autotag] is off to a hot start in the Rays organization.

The Rays used their third-round pick on Morgan last month. He was lauded for his bat to ball skills and elite defense. So far, he’s living up to the hype.

In Single-A, he’s hitting .400 and to pair with his .538 on-base percentage.

On the whole, Morgan’s professional OPS is sitting at 1.063 with 13 hits in just nine games. Morgan is producing despite being a year younger than the average player in his league.

Perhaps the most impressive feat thus far is Morgan has only struck out once.

It’s early and Morgan still has a lot to prove at this level, but with his defense, we could see Morgan in the big leagues sooner than most third-round picks.

He was a three-year starter at LSU, so he’s no stranger to big-time baseball.

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WATCH: Paul Skenes makes Single-A debut with Livvy Dunne in attendance

Paul Skenes issued two strikeouts in a scoreless inning during his Single-A debut.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] made his Low-A debut in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system on Tuesday night.

After being called up following just one inning of work at the rookie level, Skenes tossed just one inning again on Tuesday night for the Bradenton Marauders. But it was a good one.

Skenes allowed one hit, but he also issued a pair of strikeouts while giving up no runs or walks. Having pitched an entire college season, we’re likely only to see limited work from Skenes down the stretch in the minor league season, but the No. 1 2023 MLB draft pick impressing early on in his time with the Pirates organization.

In attendance for Skenes’ Single-A debut was LSU gymnast [autotag]Livvy Dunne[/autotag], who is rumored to be dating the former Tigers pitcher.

Skenes and teammate [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] became the first college teammates to go first and second overall in the same draft, and the former signed a record-setting signing bonus for a drafted player worth $9.2 million.

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How to watch Paul Skenes make his Single-A debut on Tuesday night

Paul Skenes will make his Single-A debut with the Bradenton Marauders in a game that’s free to stream.

Former LSU Tiger and No. 1 overall 2023 MLB draft pick Paul Skenes will make his debut in Single-A with the Bradenton Marauders, a minor league affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

LSU fans can watch Skenes’ debut for free in what will be the Minor League Free Game of the Day. The stream will be available on MLB.com and MLB.TV for the game against the Lakeland Flying Tigers, which begins at 5:30 p.m. CT.

Don’t expect Skenes to see a ton of action in the game, though. He earned the call-up after pitching just one inning — a 1-2-3 affair that took just 11 pitches — at the rookie level.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said the club will be “very conservative” when it comes to Skenes’ workload after he pitched a full collegiate season already this summer. He may not see more than 20 innings the rest of the way.

Skenes could be on the fast track through the minor leagues, and LSU fans will get a glimpse of him against some better professional hitters on Tuesday.

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Dylan Crews named Carolina League Player of the Week

Dylan Crews was named the Carolina League Player of the Week after slashing .414/.469/.793 in six games with five extra-base hits.

[autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] seems to be adapting well to minor-league baseball.

The former LSU star was promoted to Class-A ball after just one game in the rookie leagues, and he’s quickly making his mark with the Fredericksburg Nationals. Crews was named the Carolina League Player of the Week after slashing .414/.469/.793 in six games.

That stretch included five extra-base hits.

Crews had a rough debut with Fredericksburg, going 0 for 5 at the plate. But he bounced back with his first professional homer in the next game, and he would later hit a grand slam for the club. With a stat line that dominant, Crews could be getting another promotion sooner rather than later.

A two-time SEC Player of the Year selection and the 2023 Golden Spikes Award winner, Crews was the No. 2 pick in July’s MLB draft. He signed the biggest bonus ever for a position player, and he could be on the fast track to the major leagues, given the way he’s played so far to close out 2023.

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WATCH: Paul Skenes efficient in minor league debut with Pirates

Paul Skenes only pitched one inning in his debut, but it was a good one.

[autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], the No. 1 pick in the 2023 MLB draft, made his first appearance as a professional baseball player on Thursday with the Florida Complex League Pirates.

Making the start for the rookie-level Pittsburgh affiliate, Skenes pitched just one inning but retired all three of the batters he faced. His pitches topped out at 101 MPH, and he struck out fifth overall pick and Minnesota Twins prospect Walker Jenkins with a 99 MPH fastball.

The Pirates are likely to be cautious with Skenes down the stretch this season as he’s coming off a pretty hefty workload while leading LSU to a national title and earning National Pitcher of the Year honors.

Skenes, who agreed to a record signing bonus of $9.2 million, isn’t the only former Tiger impressing early in the minors. After going 3-for-3 in his rookie-level debut, No. 2 pick [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] earned a call-up to Washington’s Class-A team, the Fredericksburg Nationals.

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WATCH: Dylan Crews hits a grand slam with Fredericksburg Nationals

Dylan Crews blasted a “Crews Missile” to right field off of the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh inning.

It’s only been a few days since [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] hit his first professional home run for the Fredericksburg Nationals. He has since continued his hot streak as he hit his first grand slam on Tuesday.

Crews jumped on a first-pitch fastball in the bottom of the seventh inning as he blasted a “Crews Missile” to right field off of the scoreboard. The Nationals were up 4-2 at the time and that one hit doubled their lead as the Nationals went on to win 11-2 over the Lynchburg Hillcats (single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians).

Crews is 5-for-15 (.333 batting average) with two homers, five RBI, a walk and a stolen base so far at Fredericksburg. Crews etched his name in LSU record books and Tiger lore forever as he finished his career as one of the best Tigers players of all time.

He could have been an early-round draft pick out of high school but he wanted to go to LSU and win a National Championship. He accomplished that goal this year.

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WATCH: Gavin Dugas records 1st professional home run with Class-A Fredericksburg Nationals

Dylan Crews was not the only former Tiger who hit a milestone home run Sunday afternoon.

[autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] was not the only former Tiger who hit a milestone home run Thursday afternoon. As a matter of fact, Crews wasn’t the only one to do it for the Class-A Fredericksburg Nationals.

[autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] was selected by the Washington Nationals in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB draft. He joined Crews in rookie ball to start, and after two games, he was called up to Fredericksburg.

In the bottom of the fifth inning in Sunday’s game against the Salem Red Sox, Dugas hit his first professional home run. That solo shot gave the Nationals a 5-2 lead and would propel them to an eventual walk-off win.

Dugas was a second baseman during his time at LSU but he has transitioned to left field at the minor league level. It remains to be seen if he will stay there for an extended amount of time or if it is just a temporary move.

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WATCH: Dylan Crews records 1st professional home run with Class-A Fredericksburg Nationals

After a rough debut with Fredericksburg on Saturday, Dylan Crews homered in his first plate appearance on Sunday.

No. 2 MLB draft pick [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] made his first appearance at the Class-A level with the Fredericksburg Nationals of the Carolina League, but the former LSU star didn’t have the success he had in his rookie-level debut.

Crews saw five at-bats with the Washington Nationals minor league affiliate, but he didn’t record any hits and notched a strikeout against the Salem Red Sox. However, Crews’ second appearance with the team on Sunday started off much stronger.

On a full count, Crews crushed one over the wall in left-center field to record his first professional home run. What a way to bounce back from a rough debut.

Crews, who is playing alongside his former LSU teammate [autotag]Gavin Dugas[/autotag] in Fredericksburg, could be on the fast track through the minor leagues after the Nationals signed him to a $9.2 million signing bonus, the most for a position player and second-most ever behind just his teammate [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], who went first overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

He began his professional career with the Florida Complex League Nationals, but after he went 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs and a double in his debut, he quickly earned the call-up to Class-A.

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Dylan Crews earns promotion with Nationals to Class-A Fredericksburg

Dylan Crews went 3-for-3 at the plate in his one game at the rookie level with the Florida Complex League Nationals.

Well, that didn’t take long.

Just two weeks removed from signing his professional contract with the Washington Nationals, No. 2 overall pick [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] made his debut at the rookie level for the Florida Complex League Nationals.

After just one game in which the former LSU start went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and three runs, he’s already earned a promotion to the Class-A Fredericksburg Nationals, the organization’s low A club.

Crews will make his Class-A debut with Fredericksburg on Saturday night.

The 2023 Golden Spikes winner and two-time SEC Player of the Year went second overall behind his teammate [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag], who went to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Each received record-setting signing bonuses, with Crews signing for north of $9 million, the most ever for a position player.

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WATCH: Dylan Crews impresses in rookie league debut with Nationals organization

Dylan Crews recorded hits and runs in all three of his at-bats, which included a double.

Well, that didn’t take long.

Former LSU star and second overall MLB draft pick for the Washington Nationals [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] made his professional debut on Thursday with the Florida Complex League Nationals, and he did not disappoint in his first taste of rookie-level action.

In three plate appearances on Thursday, Crews recorded hits in all of them. One of those hits was a double, and he managed to score runs on all three. That’s certainly a way to introduce yourself to your new ballclub.

You can check out all the highlights from Crews’ first appearance with the Nationals organization below.

Wyatt Langford, another SEC outfielder who went to the Texas Rangers with the fourth pick, has already been promoted to High-A ball. If Crews continues to play like this, he’ll likely be receiving a similar call sooner rather than later.

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