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LSU alum Jake Fraley makes great diving catch for Cincinnati Reds

PeterWarrenPhoto2by:Peter Warren•04/18/23•

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Cincinnati Reds v Atlanta Braves
(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Cincinnati Reds outfielder and former LSU baseball player Jake Fraley should be able to watch himself on SportsCenter later tonight.

The 27-year-old right fielder made an outstanding diving catch in the sixth inning of Monday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays had the bases loaded with two out in the top of the sixth and Manuel Margot at the plate against relief pitcher Ian Gibaut. Gibaut got ahead in the count, 1-2, and threw Margot an inside four-seam fastball at 94.8 miles per hour.

Margot got his bat around but was jammed on the pitch, sending a weak fly out to right field. It was on the edge of no-man’s land between the right field and second baseman where both are starting to creep towards the right field line.

But Fraley hustled down the line to get there and make a great diving catch. The play kept the Rays scoreless and preserved the 4-0 Cincinnati lead.

Fraley entered Monday’s contest having 39 at-bats on the season with 11 hits, two double and one home run to go along with eight walks and 10 RBIs.

Jake Fraley was a standout at LSU

Jake Fraley spent three years at LSU and was a key player for the Tigers during his time with the team from 2014-2016.

He was a starter on the 2015 team that made the College World Series. During all tournament play, he led the team with a .387 batting average.

Seven players from that 2015 LSU team have made the major leagues. Alex Bregman, who was selected second overall in that year’s MLB Draft, is by far the highest profile name in the group. Bregman is a two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion with the Houston Astros.

Fraley was drafted in the second round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. He was the highest-drafted LSU player in that year’s draft. He spent the next three season in the Tampa Bay organization until being traded to the Seattle Mariners in November 2018.

He made his major league debut in 2019 with the Mariners and had played a few games for the squad during the 2020 COVID season.

In 2021, Fraley played in 78 games for Seattle. He was traded in the offseason to the Cincinnati Reds.

During his first year with the Reds in 2022, Fraley hit .282 with a .396 on-base percentage and 12 home runs in 68 games.