A week ago it felt like LSU needs left-handed hitting and outfielders.
In three days, the Tigers landed Bino Watters and Jason Wachs to satisfy those needs in a big, big way.
Derek Curiel is in line to make north of $5 million in July. Jake Brown took a curtain call with a broken hand on Senior Day. I’d fall out of my chair stunned if Curiel returned. I’m going to leave the door open for Brown with an understanding that he’s a likely seven-figure signing, as well.
Either way, adding experienced and talented left-handed hitters is very much in the Jay Johnson playbook. He’s done it excellently in this portal cycle, and Wachs is the latest piece.
WHAT WE KNOW
Wachs (pronounced WACKS) is a 6-foot-2 outfielder from Pembroke Pines, Fla., down in Broward County. He showed up at Tulane ready to hit. In his first two collegiate games, he was 4-for-7 with a pair of walks, and he never slowed down.
Jason Wachs with a three-run home run!!
b7 6-3 Tulane#RollWave 🌊 pic.twitter.com/fygwzpCmX5
— Tulane Baseball (@GreenWaveBSB) May 10, 2026
Wachs hit .335 as a freshman and .327 as sophomore for the Green Wave. His on base percentage has been over .450 both seasons, and he improved his slugging from .479 to .574 from year one to year two. That progression came with a seven-homer bump from two to nine and an increase in doubles from 14 to 21.
He posted a 1.027 OPS in 2026 and ended the season on a 20-game hitting streak. Part of that was a trip to Baton Rouge where he took a 96 mph Grant Fontenot fastball out of the yard to the pull side.
Jason Wachs has announced he’s committed to @LSUbaseball.
Wachs will be reunited with former Tulane coach Justin Bridgman and adds to an already loaded portal class for LSU. pic.twitter.com/w9EWNlbUDn
— Andrew Riedell (@RiedellAndrew) June 14, 2026
According to Over-Slot’s analytics, Wachs ranks in the 91st percentile in average exit velocity and the 83rd percentile in barreled balls. He hits it hard often. He’s in the 86th percentile in weighted on base average, so he reaches a lot.
The stolen base has not been a huge part of his game. He stole four in each of his two seasons in Uptown New Orleans. He’s played all three outfield spots for the Green Wave with a focus in right field.
THE FIT
I’m a broken record at this point. This is exactly the profile Johnson was talking about in his transfer portal assessments. Wachs is a pure hitter with a comfort in using the back side of the field. He grew into some power as a sophomore, and more may come as a junior.
Over-Slot has him in just the 61st percentile in pull air percentage which means he doesn’t try to pull the ball a lot to generate home runs. Again, this is what Johnson is looking for.
Above all else, he hits a lot of line drives and gets on base a lot. He drew 38 walks this season. That was more than anyone on LSU’s roster.
Big players do big things in big moments.
Jason Wachs gives Tulane a 2-1 lead in a MUST WIN game for Tulane. A loss drops them out of making the conference tournament. pic.twitter.com/IVDXCMoRvq
— Andrew Riedell (@RiedellAndrew) May 3, 2026
Defensively, Wachs could move over to centerfield. William Patrick can also play that position. So could Brown if he makes the surprising decision to return. He’s probably not the defender Curiel is, but he’s a rangy athlete with solid speed.
I could see Wachs hitting anywhere between first and sixth in what has become an incredibly deep and potent lineup. I’ll pencil him in as the centerfielder today, but I think you’ll see LSU’s staff look at a lot of combinations in center and right while Watters plays left.
Wachs is going to be a .310-plus hitter with the potential for double digit home runs. He’s a really nice addition to the fold.
