Louisville Players Who Could Get Selected in 2021 MLB Draft
(Photo of Henry Davis: George Walker IV - Tennessean.com)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the Louisville baseball program heading into the offseason, one of the first orders of business after summer assignments is roster management. More specifically, figuring out what players you will and will not be losing to the MLB Draft.
The 2021 iteration of the draft, once again, will be shorter than usual. Instead of the normal 40 rounds, but increasing from last year's five, it will be 20 rounds long, and take place a month later than normal on Jul. 11 through Jul. 13.
While it will be half of what it normally is, the Cardinals will still be losing a sizable amount of talent to the draft. Below is what the program is expected to lose via the draft, as well as some who are not guaranteed to either be selected or sign if drafted:
Likely Departures
Glenn Albanese
Position: Right Handed Pitcher
Measurables: 6-6, 240
2021 Stats (Four appearances, three starts): 3.71 ERA, 17.0 IP, 17 K, 3 BB, 13 H, .217 AVG
Albanese had a rough 2020, but not in terms of performance. Between a pair of injuries and a bout with COVID, he was only able to make three starts and four total appearances. But when he was on the mound, he showed why Dan McDonnell chose him as the Friday night starter to begin the season.
Alex Binelas
Position: Corner Infielder
Measurables: 6-3, 225
2021 Stats (50 games, 195 AB): .256 BA, 19 HR, 63 RBI, 21 BB, 10 2B,.348 OBP, .621 SLG
While Binelas had a downright terrible slump to start the season, once he got going, he was red hot. Despite no homers and just four RBI in his first 13 games, he would end the season leading Louisville in both categories by a sizable margin.
Cooper Bowman
Position: Second Baseman
Measurables: 6-0, 205
2021 Stats (48 games, 191 AB): .293 BA, 8 HR, 22 RBI, 23 BB, 7 2B, .387 OBP, .455 SLG, 20-24 SB
Bowman started out incredibly strong, batting .395 over the first fourteen games of the season. While he did finish the season under .300, and had the third-most fielding errors on the year with seven, his overall resume including his time at Iowa Western C.C. should warrant a draft selection.
Luke Brown
Position: Outfielder
Measurables: 5-10, 195
2021 Stats (50 games, 206 AB): .320 BA, 0 HR, 20 RBI, 15 BB, 13 2B, 4 3B, .381 OBP, 17-22 SB
Brown was consistently one of the first two batters in the order for Louisville, and only got better as the season went on. He bat .382 int he final 17 games of the season, and had back-to-back four-hit games against North Carolina and USC Upstate.
Henry Davis
Position: Catcher
Measurables: 6-2, 210
2021 Stats (50 games, 184 AB): .370 BA, 15 HR, 48 RBI, 31 BB, 9 2B, .482 OBP, .663 SLG, 13-15 CS, 10-13 SB
There's a very real chance Davis could go No. 1 overall. Not only is he incredibly well-rounded offensively, he is arguably the best defensive catcher in the draft, with an incredible ability to both frame pitches and throw out runners.
Lucas Dunn
Position: Infielder/Outfielder
Measurables: 6-0, 205
2021 Stats (50 games, 184 AB): .266 BA, 6 HR, 31 RBI, 21 BB, 10 2B, 3 3B, .358 OBP, .451 SLG, 12-14 SB
Dunn has shown incredible versatility over the years. He has played numerous positions defensively, and has elevated his game to add a bit of power after mainly just a hit for contact player in his first three years. He'll have to cut down on his fielding errors, but he should be a lock for a draft pick.
Adam Elliott
Position: Left Handed Pitcher
Measurables: 6-1, 200
2021 Stats (20 appearances, two starts): 4.84 ERA, 48.1 IP, 49 K, 18 BB, 37 H, .208 AVG
Although the senior was snakebitten by the home run ball at times, Elliott still put on display his swing and miss stuff. He had the third-most strikeouts on the team, as well as the third-lowest opponent's batting average.
Michael Kirian
Position: Left Handed Pitcher
Measurables: 6-6, 260
2021 Stats (16 appearances, 11 starts): 4.80 ERA, 69.1 IP, 75 K, 28 BB, 70 H, .257 AVG
Though not the season he envisioned having, Kirian still found himself having a moderately successful season. While the wheels eventually fell off as a starter, he still had two months worth of good outings, as well as a handful of solid relief appearances.
Luke Smith
Position: Right Handed Pitcher
Measurables: 6-3, 175
2021 Stats (12 appearances, 11 starts): 5.85 ERA, 40.0 IP, 32 K, 17 BB, 50 H, .307 AVG
Smith had his fair share of good starts, but also a few that inflated his ERA, eventually being relegated to midweek starter. The potential as a major leaguer is there if the senior can work on throwing more quality strikes.
On The Fence
Trey Leonard
Position: Outfielder
Measurables: 6-1, 180
2021 Stats (45 games, 144 AB): .313 BA, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 10 BB, 7 2B, 1 3B, .367 OBP, .458 SLG, 7-9 SB
After being just a .262 batter over his first two years, Leonard finally had a breakout year in 2021. He was hitting as high as .416 during the month of April, until he had a sizable slump during the second half of the season. Put another solid season under his belt, and he should hear his name in 2022.
Carter Lohman
Position: Left Handed Pitcher
Measurables: 6-2, 205
2021 Stats (Nine appearance, three starts): 5.31 ERA, 20.1 IP, 26 K, 16 BB, 21 H, .266 AVG
Lohman has real potential to be one of the better bullpen arms next year, or maybe even a starter. The elevated ERA is a tad misleading, but a deeper look shows that seven of his earned runs came in two appearances where he pitched 0.1 innings. A team could take a waiver based on his potential, but some work in the offseason and next season will earn him a higher pick.
Cam Masterman
Position: Infielder/Outfielder
Measurables: 6-2. 225
2021 Stats (46 games, 125 AB): .240 BA, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 22 BB, 6 2B, .373 OBP, .432 SLG
Masterman got off to a blazing start, batting .375 with four home runs and 11 RBI in the first 13 games. However, he went ice cold from that point on, including collecting just two base hits in the final 19 games of the season.
Jack Perkins
Position: Right Handed Pitcher
Measurables: 6-1, 215
2021 Stats (11 appearances, one start): 7.31 ERA, 16.0 IP, 15 K, 22 BB, 13 H, .217 AVG
Perkins has plenty of potential, but was unable to really find his rhythm in his first season since Tommy John surgery. Another healthy offseason should get him on the right track
Jared Poland
Position: Infielder/Right Handed Pitcher
Measurables: 6-0, 215
2021 Stats (Five appearances, two starts): 3.94 ERA, 16.0 IP, 14 K, 11 BB, 11 H, .200 AVG
Poland missed most of the season due to injury, and was unable to step in the box because of it, but he put on display his abilities from the mound. While a small sample size, he had the second-lowest opponent's batting average on the team.
Luke Seed
Position: Left Handed Pitcher
Measurables: 5-11, 200
2021 Stats (12 appearances, 12 starts): 2.64 ERA, 47.2 IP, 44 K, 29 BB, 41 H, .233 AVG
Seed was one of the more pleasant surprises this season for Louisville. He eventually worked his way from midweek starter to No. 1 in the rotation, although longevity in games could be a question mark going forward.
Levi Usher
Position: Outfielder
Measurables: 6-0, 210
2021 Stats (49 games, 134 AB): .216 BA, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 26 BB, .358 OBP, 26-28 SB
This past season, Usher established himself as one of the fastest players and best base stealers in college. The issue, however, was that his ability to put the bat on the ball took a tremendous tick downward. He had the second-most strikeouts (47) on the team, as well as the lowest BA of any regular starter.
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