Prominent MLB draft writer slams LSU baseball for 'irresponsible' decision in Tigers' series against the Oklahoma Sooners
The Athletic's Keith Law, perhaps the top MLB draft writer in the business, slammed the LSU Tigers for what he perceived as an "irresponsible" decision in last weekend's series in Norman against the Oklahoma Sooners. Law was in Norman to scout several players for both programs and he took issue with LSU's decision to let […]
The Athletic's Keith Law, perhaps the top MLB draft writer in the business, slammed the LSU Tigers for what he perceived as an "irresponsible" decision in last weekend's series in Norman against the Oklahoma Sooners.
Law was in Norman to scout several players for both programs and he took issue with LSU's decision to let LHP Kade Anderson throw 135 pitches in a complete game shutout in the Tigers' 2-0 win against the Sooners in the series-opener.
From The Athletic: Anderson finished the seventh at 108 pitches, a great outing that should have ended his day in a sane and rational world. Instead, LSU had him throw the eighth, which he finished with 119 pitches, so of course they sent him out for the ninth. The shutout took 135 pitches, on a night where the temperature had dropped below 50 degrees by the final inning. It's mind-boggling that in 2025 there are still college coaches out there ignoring the mountains of evidence showing that pitching too much increases the risk of injury.
No MLB pitcher threw 135 pitches in any game last year, or in any year since 2013. Since 2019, only Alex Cobb (131) has gone over 130 pitches (and that was in a game he finished one out away from a no-hitter). And I'm going to go on a limb and say that Louisiana State University, with all its pitching resources, probably had someone in its bullpen who was capable of getting those last three outs. Letting Anderson throw that much in a game is just irresponsible, even more so when he's staring at a $3 million bonus in just a few months, and just more data that MLB cannot just farm out player development to college baseball and pretend the minors don't matter.
135 pitches is certainly a lot. It's rare to see an MLB starting pitcher go much over 100 pitches in a game. LSU's decision to let Anderson throw 135 pitches, though, isn't necessarily unique.
In 2023, Johnson allowed Paul Skenes to throw 124 pitches in a nine inning shutout against Tulane. Skenes also threw 120 pitches in eight innings in LSU's 2-0 win against Wake Forest in Omaha in 2023 (Skenes hasn't had any health issues since getting drafted and he's already one of the top starting pitchers in MLB).
That same year, Stanford's Quinn Mathews threw 156 pitches against Texas. Southern Mississippi's Tanner Hall threw 123 pitches Samford in a regional game that year, too.
Every pitcher is unique. And, right or wrong, the culture in college baseball is a bit different than what we see at the pro level.
Whether Law is correct in his assessment is up for debate. Completely dismissing Law's opinion, however, wouldn't be wise. Law is as knowledgeable when it comes to scouting as any MLB draft writer/analyst in the country. If he's sounding an alarm, it's probably worth considering his point of view.
