LSU Baseball will get one of its top signees from the 2026 class to campus. Malachi Washington will forego professional baseball for the time being and join the Tigers next season, according to a social media post on his account on Sunday.
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Washington at No. 528 overall in the 18th round, but it appears the outfielder wants a chance to boost his standing. MLB ranked Washington as the No. 118 prospect in the draft class, but he fell well below scouts' projections of where he would get picked. That's usually what happens when scouts expect it will take a lot of cash to pull a player away from the college ranks.
Instead, Washington will play baseball in the SEC under head coach Jay Johnson. Getting a player of his caliber to campus fills immediate needs for the Tigers as they're replacing their whole starting outfield and multiple spots in the top half of the batting order.
The six-foot-one, 195-pounder is a top-five outfielder in the 2026 class. Washington is one of a handful of talented prospects LSU expects to hit campus. Even with a few draft losses, there's a chance LSU signs the top-ranked recruiting class in college baseball.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Elite outfielder to play for LSU baseball, forgo signing with MLB