On Thursday afternoon, Braxton Beaty out of Angleton, Texas, announced on social media that he plans to withdraw his name from the Major League Baseball Draft and head to Baton Rouge.
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Just about every summer, Jay Johnson hears one of his top high school signees announce prior to the draft that they plan to head to campus and officially become a Tiger. Derek Curiel and Omar Serna are two of the most recent examples. Beaty is the first to do so out of the 2026 class, which consists of 24 commits and is ranked #2 by Perfect Game.
As a left-handed pitcher, the 6’0 170 pound senior already possesses an impressive arsenal of pitches. He features a 3-pitch mix, including a fastball that sits in the low 90s and has maxed out at 93 mph, a changeup in the low 80s, and a curveball in the upper 70s. He fills up the zone and throws strikes. His ability to generate whiffs on his secondary pitches makes him intriguing the minute he steps foot on campus.
As far as draft rankings go, Perfect Game had him rated as the #222 prospect. He missed his junior year due to Tommy John surgery, so it’s logical to believe that there are even more rapid improvements on the way. He will not be eligible for the draft again until after his junior season, so LSU could benefit from 3 years of improvements.
As of now, Beaty will join the returning LHP group of Danny Lachenmayer, Cooper Williams, and Ethan Plog. Santiago Garcia is expected to be drafted next month. Jonah Aase is another lefty, having redshirted in his freshman year due to injury.