By Hunt Palmer
Baseball season is rapidly approaching. Jay Johnson’s 2025 team is ranked in the top five no matter where you look. The incoming portal class was ranked No. 1 by multiple outlets, and the freshman class earned that honor as well.
The force that was a 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation is gone, and so is the thunderous bat of Tommy White. But some familiar faces return as well, and, as usual, the anticipation around the program is ratcheted up this time of year.
Let’s take a look around the roster for this 2025 LSU baseball team starting at catcher.
WHO’S GONE: Alex Milazzo (Graduation), Hayden Travinski (Graduation), Brady Neal (Transfer)
WHO’S BACK: NONE
WHO’S NEW: Luis Hernandez (Transfer: Indiana State), Blaise Priester (Transfer: Meridian Community College), Cade Arrambide (Freshman), Eddie Yamin IV (Transfer: Dayton)
Milazzo, Neal and Travinski started all of LSU’s game at catcher in 2023 and 2024. That’s 137 straight starts at catcher for that trio. Milazzo hit a respectable .267 last season, and Travinski provided 16 homers. Neal went 6-for-42 (.143) in SEC play, and seven of his nine home runs came against non-conference pitching. He moved on to Alabama.
LSU had to completely overhaul this position, and they’ve done it with three transfers and a highly recruited freshman.
It was made very clear to all of the catchers before fall practice began that defense would be the priority behind the plate. Johnson has said repeatedly in his preseason speaking engagements that he was pleased with the defense in the fall.
I’m told that Hernandez exited the fall with a very slight edge on Arrambide, and it’s very much expected that both will get early playing time behind the plate. Priester hit the cover off the ball in the fall, but he has work to do defensively. Right now, Yamin is probably the fourth option.
Hernandez has not caught much over three seasons at Indiana State. According to baseball reference, he appeared in 20 games as a catcher in 2022, just one in 2023 and three in 2024. First base has been his primary position when he hasn’t been the designated hitter. He’s adjusted well to the catching part of the equation; the adjustment to SEC pitching from the Missouri Valley Conference is the next question.
Hernandez hit a ton last year, posting an OPS (on base percentage + slugging percentage) over 1.100. He launched 23 home runs and drove in 76 for the Sycamores. In the Lexington Regional, he went 2-for-11 with three walks and a homer. He does not walk very much and had a slightly higher strike out rate than you’d like, but if the power translates, you’ll live with it.
Arrambide is one of the jewels of the 2024 class. He wrestled with the decision to forgo college but decided to come to school. He’s got the entire tool box—a 6-foot-3 frame, strong arm, quickness, bat speed. He’s very, very likely LSU’s future catcher. How quickly that becomes the case is the question.
Johnson said Arrambide hit .360 in the fall, a phenomenal adjustment to college pitching. Both of his at bats on Sunday were excellent. He struggled defensively, though. That’s got to tighten up.
In Hernandez and Arrambide, LSU has a 22-year-old college veteran and a precocious freshman talent. That’s a good blend.
Priester started his career at LSU in 2022 but did not see any action. He transferred to Meridian CC and returned a more mature player. He’s still got a lot of talent, too. Priester led the team in home runs in the fall and has the potential to be a 15-18 homer guy at designated hitter. You can’t rule him out of the catcher competition, but he won’t play enough behind the plate to post those kind of numbers, in my opinion.
HUNT’S TAKE: Catching defense is among my biggest concerns with this roster. The jump from catching in high school to college is massive. It’s far greater than, say, left field. The pitching is way more difficult to handle, and the baserunners can make you pay much, much more. That’s a tough thing for Arrambide to progress to right away. And Hernandez hasn’t caught in two years.
Offensively, LSU will be better at catcher than last year when Neal hit his weight and Milazzo managed four extra base hits on the season. Travinski only caught 12 games. If the defense is almost as good, you’ll call that a win.
I think Arrambide and Hernandez share the workload with Arrambide taking a little bit more as the season progresses. Hernandez will get his at bats at catcher and designated hitter where you hope he runs into 12 to 14 home runs.
Priester will very likely get early looks at designated hitter. If he shows that power in a lineup that is looking for thump outside of Jared Jones, he could see a lot of playing time.
NEXT UP: First Base
