Star LSU Tigers CF Prospect Nathaneal Davis Withdraws From MLB Draft

The LSU Tigers baseball staff has to be ecstatic on Monday as star high school outfielder Nathaneal Davis announced that he would be withdrawing his name from the MLB draft and instead be heading to campus next season.

This comes at a perfect time as they lose Derek Curiel, who was a similar star-level player coming into college. NIL has changed the game, and Jay Johnson continues to show that he is one of the best recruiters that the sport has to offer. Getting Davis to Baton Rouge is a major win.

The Florida native was projected to be somewhere around a third-to-fourth round selection, which is about when you start to see players deciding to go the college route. MLB had him ranked as the No. 138 player. It was a major win for Curiel, who is now going to be an early first-round pick and should have a shorter stint in the minors.

Davis is a left-handed batter with big time speed and a solid arm. His swing has potential, but is hitting skills are certainly the most questionable part of his game. Right away, he'll be able to contribute defensively, though.

There is certainly a chance that Davis comes in and starts right away in center field, but the Tigers have done a good job of building out the roster already, so there is also a chance that he sits and develops for most of this season. The expected starter in center right now is Jason Wachs, who slashed .327/.453/.574 with nine home runs for the Tulane Green Wave last year.