MLB draft winners and losers from perfectgame.org

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WINNERS

LSU: The Tigers haven't had the best luck with the Major League Baseball draft at times during the coach Paul Mainieri era, but no pun intended, his program stuck gold this summer. The Tigers had some tense moments down the stretch with the Houston Astros making a late run at coveted lefthanded pitcher Mac Marshall. However, Marshall, ranked No. 21 nationally, remained firm in his commitment to the Tigers. The Tigers did lose heralded third baseman Bobby Bradley to the draft, but welcomes lefthanded pitcher Jake Latz (11th round), catcher Mike Papierski (16th round), righthanded pitcher Jake Godfrey (21st round), and shortstop Grayson Byrd (39th round) to Baton Rouge. The Tigers also added the services of a pair of elite prospects who weren't drafted because of signability/other issues, including shortstop Gregory Deichmann (No. 49) and righthanded pitcher Alex Lange (No. 134), among others. With these guys showing up on campus, the Tigers undoubtedly have one of the nation's elite freshman classes.

Missouri: Tim Jamieson's Tigers have had a tough couple of seasons in the Southeastern Conference, but perhaps their luck is about to change with the addition of a talented freshman class. Missouri escaped the MLB Draft in good shape with the addition of righthanded pitchers Bryce Montes de Oca (14th round) and Tanner Houck (12th round), while shortstop Shane Benes, who was ranked No. 72 nationally out of high school, will also attend college at Missouri. Additionally, the Tigers welcome second baseman Trey Harris, who was ranked No. 329 nationally out of high school and talented Texas lefthanded pitcher Luke Dabney. Missouri might not get things turned around overnight, but the additions of these guys, particularly Montes de Oca and Houck, presents a big step in a positive direction.

Arkansas: Outside of LSU, perhaps no team in college baseball had more to cheer about at the signing deadline than the Hogs. Coach Dave Van Horn's club scored big at the deadline. Sure, lefthanded pitcher Sam Hentges, a fourth-round pick to the Indians, was a loss. However, the Hogs scored big with the rest of their class with the additions of several, including RHP Keaton McKinney (42), OF Luke Bonfield (60), RHP Jonah Patten (155), SS Keith Grieshaber (186), C Blake Wiggins (207) and C Nathan Rodriguez (261). The future is very bright for the Hogs.

Florida: The Gators consistently recruit at a very high level, and with that often comes some heartaches at the signing deadline. That heartache were rather limited this year. UF knew it was going to lose righthanded pitcher Grant Holmes, while outfielder Alex Abbott also signed the dotted line. However, UF finished the draft in good shape and welcomes seven top 200 prospects, including C JJ Schwarz (58), RHP Alex Faedo (78), SS Dalton Guthrie (82), 1B Jeremy Vasquez (114), C Michael Rivera (181), Taylor Lane (215) and 3B Hunter Alexander (245). UF also welcomes junior college transfer Taylor Lewis, a 40th-round pick to the Rockies, who was a big-time arm for Chipola JC last spring with a 2.98 ERA in 81 2/3 innings of work.

South Carolina: Those wanting a glimpse at a bright future should look at what the Gamecocks have coming to campus this fall. The Gamecocks have a very, very good freshman class on their hands with lefthanded pitcher Alex Destino (53) leading the charge. Meanwhile, RHP Brandon Murray (83), RHP Braden Webb (131), RHP Jeff Harding Jr. (162), C Hunter Taylor (169) and RHP Clarke Schmidt (230) are other talented headliners. South Carolina's draft couldn't have gone much better, especially when you throw in veteran key hitter Kyle Martin returning to Columbia, S.C., for his senior campaign.

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