Three LSU Baseball Players With a Big Decision to Make

Ethan Frey

Ethan Frey wasn't on many MLB team's radar for this year's draft at the beginning of the season, but he had a monster year as LSU's primary DH and could very well go pro. 

Frey is currently MLB Pipeline's 130th ranked prospect after batting .331 with 15 doubles, 13 homers and 50 RBIs in his third season with the Tigers. The only knock on him is that we haven't seen him play in the field much during his college career, so it feels like he could really boost his draft stock if he stayed for another season and played first base or in the outfield. However, his bat is going to make him a very intriguing prospect to a lot of professional teams, and there's a real chance he's picked in the first five rounds. Plus, if he stays another year, he'll lose all the leverage he has when negotiating his first contract.

I want to think there's a world where Frey stays for another year, but I think he might very well be gone.

Zac Cowan

 After two very strong seasons at Wofford, Zac Cowan transferred to LSU and was one of the best relievers in the country for the first two thirds of the season. He struggled towards the end of the year, but had a great outing against Arkansas which helped LSU make the CWS Finals.

Cowan has great stuff, but his limited velocity really hinders his draft stock. He's not currently listed on MLB Pipeline's top-200 draft prospects list, so I think there's a good chance he returns to LSU and gets a starting role in 2026.

Chris Stanfield

Chris Stanfield is another guy who has a big decision to make this summer. He was a massive part of LSU's national championship run, starting pretty much every game at center field and batting .298 with 15 doubles and 31 RBIs. He was great defensively, posting a .991 fielding percentage in center field.

Stanfield isn't listed on MLB Pipeline's top-200 either, but he made considerable improvements offensively and defensively this year. If a team values his speed and glove enough, he could get enough money that would entice him to leave, but I think I'm leaning towards him staying another year if the staff wants him back.