Cincinnati Reds select LSU right-handed pitcher Luke Holman in 2024 MLB Draft

LSU right-handed pitcher Luke Holman has been selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft, taken with the No. 71 overall selection in the draft.

He put together a strong college career after playing for a pair of SEC schools: Alabama and LSU.

Holman spent the first two years of his career at Alabama, where he emerged as a capable starting pitcher, then parlayed that success into a jump to the defending national champions at LSU. He had even more success with the Tigers.

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During his 2024 campaign at LSU, Luke Holman recorded a 9-4 record with a 2.75 ERA, starting 16 games. He pitched 91.2 innings and gave up just 28 earned runs on 57 hits, striking out 127 and walking just 33. That type of command earned him looks in the big leagues.

But he was pretty good at Alabama in 2023, too.

In his final season with the Crimson Tide, Holman went 7-4 in 15 starts, recording a 3.67 ERA. He had 81.0 innings pitched and struck out 87 while walking 31.

In total across his three years in college, Holman produced a 3.43 ERA with 238 strikeouts and 72 walks in 191.2 innings pitched. He gave up 20 home runs and 73 earned runs.

What MLB Draft analysts are saying about Luke Holman

Holman doesn’t have insane velocity, and scouts actually noticed that his velocity came down a hair during his 2024 season. But with his ERA also dropping considerably, it showed that Holman’s command was getting even better.

Here’s what MLB.com had to say about him as a prospect, ranking him as the No. 45 overall prospect going into the draft:

“Holman’s fastball has dipped a bit in 2024, sitting at 92 mph and topping out at 94, but it plays better than its velocity because he commands it well and rides it at the top of the zone with a quality-induced vertical break. His best pitch is a low-80s slider that he also locates well and features two-plane depth. He also has an upper-70s breaking ball with similar shape and curveball velocity but doesn’t have the same feel for it or a sparsely-used mid-80s changeup with some fade and sink.

“Holman has a high floor as at least a No. 4 starter because he throws consistent strikes with his two main offerings. He already shows aptitude for sequencing his pitches and mixing locations. He has a lean 6-foot-4 frame and more projection remaining than a typical college junior, so his stuff could get better.”