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Two potential LSU pitching prospects who could be on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ draft radar

After taking Paul Skenes from Louisiana State University last year, the Pirates could take another LSU pitcher in this year's draft.

ByNoah Wright|
LSU Tigers line up along the dugout with a modest number of fans behind them. University of Oregon
LSU Tigers line up along the dugout with a modest number of fans behind them. University of Oregon | Dana Sparks/The Register-Guard via Imagn
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Luke Holman

Luke Holman wasn’t one of Skenes’ teammates last year but pitched for another SEC school, the University of Alabama. Holman has since transferred to LSU and has pitched great thus far. Holman was also previously drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021 as a high schooler in the 20th round, but the two sides obviously did not come to an agreement, so Holman went to college instead.

Holman has pitched 39 innings in his junior season, working to a 1.38 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 4.69 K:BB ratio. The right-hander struggled with some inconsistent control in the past but currently holds an 8.3% walk rate. He’s also struck out 61 batters for a K% just a shade under 40% at 39.1%. On top of that, he’s allowed two dingers for a HR/9 rate of 0.46.

Holman has a four-pitch mix, with three pitches projecting above average or better. He typically sits low/mid-90s with his fastball with good carry through the zone. His best offering is his slider, which sits in the low-80s with what MLB Pipeline describes as two-plane depth. Holman has another breaking pitch, a curveball with some legit potential. Although Holman has a change-up, he hasn’t used it very much throughout college. Holman keeps a short arm through his wind-up with an over-head delivery.

Holman should be on the Pirates’ radar right now for a few reasons. First is that Holman is ranked around where the Pirates would be selecting their competitive balance round A pick, which is the 38th overall selection. MLB Pipeline currently pins him at #35 while Future Star Series has him at #40, and Baseball America pins him at #28. Future Star Series, which is written by Joe Doyle, currently has

Holman going to the Pirates with the 38th overall pick in his most recent mock draft, which was published on March 25th.

If Holman continues to improve and pitch as he has thus far, he might go before the draft reaches the Pirates’ competitive balance round A pick or their second-round selection. But as of right now, he’d probably still be on the board if the draft was tomorrow. Of course, there’s a lot of time between now and then, so things can always change, but at this moment, he’s definitely a pitcher to keep an eye on. Holman is also from Pennsylvania, specifically Reading, PA.

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