One of top freshman signees has decided to hold off the start of his professional career — but it’s unclear if that move is a sign he’s coming to Baton Rouge.
, a left-handed pitcher from California, said Sunday evening in a social media post that he has “made the difficult decision not to sign with the Cleveland Guardians” — the club that selected him with the 59th overall pick of the 2026 MLB Draft. The high-profile prospect was the first LSU signee chosen in the draft, and he had until Monday to decide if he wanted to join the Guardians organization.
“I have a great deal of respect for that organization and for everyone I met throughout this process,” Schmidt said. “We were not able to come to an agreement, but I appreciate the time they invested in getting to know me and my family…I am excited for what’s next!”
Schmidt can now either play for LSU next season and reenter the draft in 2029, or he could enroll at a junior college and put his name back into the draft next year.
The Tigers would certainly welcome Schmidt onto their 2027 roster. He’s a 6-foot-4, 210-pound lefty who didn’t turn 18 until after the draft this year. He was a top-60 prospect in all the major pre-draft rankings, in large part because his fastball sits at 97 mph, and he also throws a slider and a changeup.
“You can say it's one of the best left-handed fastballs in the class with a clean delivery and a starter's frame,” one scout told The Advocate. “The concern is that he doesn't have a go-to second pitch quite yet. But he has the ingredients to get there.”
As of Sunday, LSU had 39 players on the roster for next season — the number coach said he expected to have once the dust settled on the draft.
Koki Riley contributed to this report.