It’s been three years since the 2023 LSU Tigers climbed the mountain of college baseball.
They knocked off Tennessee twice. Those Vols would win the next natty. They toppled a sensational Wake Forest team two more, and then they took down an immensely talented Florida team in three games. As title runs go, that was as challenging as it gets.
They’ve been on their own for over 1,000 days, so let’s take a look at how Jay Johnson’s first title team is faring in baseball beyond LSU.
Paul Skenes, RHP (Pirates) – Let’s just get this one out of the way. He’s as good a pitcher as there is in the game. Skenes has started the last two All-Star Games and won last year’s NL Cy Young on a terrible baseball team. In 68 career starts, he’s got a 2.17 ERA. He’s a bona fide superstar.
Dylan Crews, CF (Nationals) – Crews struggled upon his call up in 2024. He hit .218 in 31 games as a rookie and followed that up with an injury-riddled second season where he hit .208 in 85 games in 2025. Those struggles carried over to Spring Training, so Washington sent him to AAA to open the 2026 season. That had to be a sobering reality for the former No. 2 overall pick. He played 41 games in Rochester to open this season and was called back up in May. He homered on Saturday, but it still hasn’t been great. He’s 12-for-61 in 16 games, a .211 batting average with a .262 on base. He’s trimmed the strikeouts down a little bit, but Crews needs to find a groove.
Tre Morgan, 1B (Rays) – Morgan was the Rays Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2024. He hit .324 over three levels and reached AAA. He wasn’t quite as good in AAA in 2025. He hit .274 with eight homers for the Durham Bulls and never got the call to The Show. This season he suffered a lower body injury after six games and has been on a rehab assignment in the Complex League for a couple of weeks. He’s spending most of his time at first base with some spot starts in left field. He’ll need to get healthy and find his 2024 swing to make it to Tampa.
Tommy White, 3B (Athletics) – Tanks is going to play in the big leagues this year, I think. He got off to a ripping start in AA this spring, hitting .301 over 21 games for Midland. That earned him the call up to AAA Las Vegas. In 32 games at the minor leagues’ highest level, he’s hitting .281 with three homers and 23 driven in. His walk numbers are miniscule, and we know that’s not exactly what the Athletics organization wants, but he can hit. If someone on the major league roster goes down, White could be the next one headed for Sacramento. And yes, that’s the big league team.
Jordan Thompson, SS (Dodgers) – Thompson is teetering. It was not a good 2024 when he hit .210 in 100 games in High-A. He’s only played two games this season. At 24-years-old in High-A, his leash is likely short. May 1 was his last documented game.
Gavin Dugas, 2B (Nationals) – Like Thompson, Dugas is running out of time. He hit .181 last year in High-A as a 25-year-old. Now, he’s in the complex league, perhaps on a rehab assignment. Perhaps he’s there as an organizational body.
Brayden Jobert, RF – Jobert is playing independent baseball for Tri City in the Frontier League. That’s not affiliated with an MLB organization. He is no longer with the Cardinals after hitting .210 in High-A last year.
Hayden Travinski, C – Travinski is also in independent ball. He’s with the Brockton Rox hitting .256 with five homers.
Ty Floyd, RHP (Reds) – Floyd has only pitched in 12 games over two years. He had shoulder surgery in 2024 which is always terrifying for a pitcher. The good news is that his seven innings on rehab in the Arizona Complex League were awesome. He’s threw seven innings with 12 strikeouts and no walks. He’s been assigned to the Daytona Dragons where he’s made two starts and worked 6.1 innings of four-run baseball with seven strikeouts. It a slow road back from shoulder work, so hopefully Floyd feels good and can progress in his age 24 season.
Riley Cooper, LHP (Orioles) – Riley Cooper made it to AAA. The big left-hander was in Norfolk and made one appearance. It was a three-inning outing, but he was immediately sent from AAA to High-A afterward. That happened on May 1. I’m not sure why the violent yo-yo there, but that had to be tough. Maybe the AAA team needed an arm for a day? Cooper turns 25 later this fall.
Thatcher Hurd, RHP (Yankees) – Hurd caught a brutal break. He had to have Tommy John in February of 2025, his first spring training as a pro. He’s back now and has made two starts in Single-A. They haven’t gone well, but it’s seven innings off surgery. Hopefully the 23-year-old can get stronger and finish this summer/fall with some good stuff. His Tiger career will always be amongst the most puzzling. So many struggles, but when LSU had to have him against Oregon State, Wake Forest, Florida and North Carolina, he answered the bell.
Nate Ackenhausen LHP (Royals) – Ackenhausen made it to AAA last season. He pitched in five games for the Omaha Storm Chasers. This year, he hasn’t appeared in a game and is on the 60-day IL. He’s still just 23, so hopefully he can get back to action late this summer.
