Two LSU Tigers stars cracked ESPN's elite draft prospect list, along with a couple of highly-viewed commits.
The LSU Tigers have always been fairly productive at producing MLB-level talent, but things have taken another step up under Jay Johnson.
They were responsible for the first two picks in the 2023 draft and the third-overall pick in the most recent draft. Now, they have the chance to deliver at least one more top-five talent this year.
ESPN's Kiley McDaniel released a ranking of the top prospects for the 2026 MLB draft. There were two Tigers included in the top 50. Here's where they fell:
CF Derek Curiel - No. 6
Curiel has entered this season carrying the same hype that he has since early in his high school career. He was stellar as a freshman on LSU's championship-winning team last year. Now, as a sophomore, he is draft eligible.
Season two has not started off as kind at the plate. There were hopes of increased power, but that hasn't been showcased so far. He's slashing .333/.413/.389 so far. He has hit just two extra-base hits, and his wRC+ has dropped from 127 to 70.
There's no reason to panic, though. He'll be fine, and the extra bases should come with time. He's been off to a solid defensive start in center field, where he has moved to showcase his range.
RF Jake Brown - No. 46
Brown might be the biggest riser on the team so far this season. He's hitting the seams off the ball and is probably the Tigers' best player.
Through nine games, he's slashed .429/.478/.786. Seven of his 18 hits have gone for extra bases and he has four home runs. That matches his total for his freshman year and is halfway to his total from last season.
If Brown keeps up this level of performance, he could certainly be in the running for a first-round pick.
Alongside those two LSU standouts, two commits for next year made the list of 64. That obviously makes the odds that they ever make it to Baton Rouge lower, but not impossible.
Logan Schmidt, a southpaw pitcher from California, ranks at No. 22 in this list. He already has a fastball that can at least get to the mid-to-high 90s and mostly pairs it with a slider.
Jensen Hirschkorn is a righty pitcher, also from California, and ranks No. 29. His fastball sits in the mid-90s, and he stands at 6-foot-7, 205 pounds. If he bulks up a bit, he could easily be a triple-digit fastball kind of guy.
Both would be fun, but don't anticipate them choosing college. Neither of the commits that made last year's version of this list ended up Tigers.