What the Los Angeles Dodgers are getting in LSU baseball shortstop Jordan Thompson
LSU baseball shortstop Jordan Thompson has been selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the 460th overall pick in the 15th round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Thompson was a steady force in the middle infield during his three years with the Tigers.
He posted a .794 on-base plus slugging percentage this past season and hit a career-high 11 home runs, all while flashing the leather with SportsCenter Top-10 worthy defensive plays at shortstop. Thompson was also a three-year starter for LSU.
Here's what the Dodgers are getting in Thompson.
Strengths
Thompson can make major league level plays with the glove when he's at his best defensively, whether its fielding tough ground balls in the hole or making tough throws to first base on the move.
And most importantly, he has the athleticism, speed and arm strength to stick at shortstop for the foreseeable future, even if his physical frame fills out more as his career progresses.
On offense, Thompson has more power than his slight frame suggests, hitting 11 home runs this past season. It's mostly pull-side power, but its still an intriguing tool for him, especially when paired with his defensive potential.
Weaknesses
Thompson may flash the potential to be a plus defensive shortstop at the next level, but he still has a way to go before he can become a reliable defender at the position.
Simply put: Thompson makes too many mistakes defensively. He's recorded at least 15 errors in each of his three seasons at the collegiate level, with many of his blunders coming on routine plays.
At the plate, Thompson swings and misses far too often. He struck out a career-high 71 times this past season.
And the worst of his struggles came against greater competition. Thompson struck out 15 times in 36 at-bats at the College World Series, going 1-for-30 at the plate heading into Game 3 of the CWS final.
Those woes contributed to Thompson's strikeout rate going up and his walk rate going down in comparison to last season.
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Overall
Thompson's combination of sneaky power and defensive potential gives him the ceiling of a solid MLB starter.
But he'll need to improve in a number of key areas — chief among them, defensive consistency and strikeouts — in order to be a real contributor in the major leagues.
Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Los Angeles Dodgers select LSU baseball's Jordan Thompson in MLB Draft
