Pack9 pick up commitment from LSU transfer INF Mikey Ryan

Ryan was a Top 200 prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft

The transfer portal significantly depleted NC State’s infield roster, but the Wolfpack picked up a huge piece to resolving that issue for next season with the commitment of LSU infielder Mikey Ryan.

The rising sophomore from Luling, Louisiana, was a Top 125 recruit in the country coming out of high school, and was ranked as a Top 200 prospect in the 2024 MLB Draft, including #202 by MLB Pipeline and #168 by Prospects Live. Here is what Prospects Live had to say about him:

Ryan’s swing is a thing of beauty. He’s twitchy with a short and direct path to the baseball from the right side with an accurate barrel and some thump, utilizing the gaps to his advantage. He’s got an athletic build with projection present, so one would assume his power grows as he matures. There is some swing-and-miss, though he doesn’t expand the zone often and the bat-to-ball skills should come in due time. He’s got great footwork and hands in the dirt, flashing great range at shortstop with a solid arm across the diamond. Part of an otherworldly LSU recruiting class, Ryan has a chance to shoot up boards this spring.

And here is what MLB Pipeline had to say:

Ryan ranks as the top prep position player prospect in Louisiana, but he also tried to do too much at the plate as a senior. With scouts less confident about his bat than they were entering the year, he probably fits between the fourth and sixth rounds. That may not be early enough to lure him away from his Louisiana State commitment.

When Ryan stays under control at the plate, he employs a more compact right-handed stroke and is quick to the ball, producing hard contact from gap to gap. When he looked to hit for more power this spring, he got overly pull-conscious and let his swing get too uphill. He needs to stay more under control, focus on his bat-to-ball skills and let his 15-homer pop come naturally.

Ryan’s best tool is his plus speed, and he plays with constant energy. He has basestealing ability and also uses his quickness to cover ground at shortstop, where he displays solid arm strength. He’s more of a reliable than flashy defender, with a chance to remain at short but not a lock to stay there.

This spring for the national champion Tigers, Ryan played in 16 games mostly as a late-game defensive substitution in blowout wins. His last appearance was on April 1st, so it’s unclear if he’ll be eligible for a redshirt for the 2025 season, but it’s doubtful.

Of his 16 games played, Ryan tallied 8 games at SS, 6 at 3B, and 5 at 2B. He managed just 5 PA for the Tigers on the year, sporting a .333/.600/.333 slash line in the very small sample size, with 2 BB and 2 K. Ryan is playing in the Northwoods League this summer and is currently tearing it up, posting a line of .292/.551/.479, 4 2B, 1 HR, 30.8 BB%, 19.2 K%, 24-28 SB.

This pickup is similar to the additions of Ryan Jaros, Trenton Lyons, and Matt Ossenfort last year: rising sophomores who played sparingly at their initial stop, but were highly regarded prep talents. None of those three necessarily worked out for the Wolfpack, but Ryan offers something neither Jaros or Ossenfort did: defensive chops. Time will tell if the bat will play, but Chris Hart is one of the best hitting coaches in the country and will surely be able to coax productivity out of Ryan. After all, Jaros and Ossenfort both hit well enough for the Pack (injuries ruined Lyons season), they just couldn’t find a spot in the field to earn their way into regular playing time.

The Wolfpack may still add another transfer infielder into the mix as right now the list of player on the dirt is JR 1B Chris McHugh, JR 2B Luke Nixon, SO 1B/3B Brandon Novy, SO 2B/3B/SS Mikey Ryan, FR 3B/SS Aidan West, and FR 3B Quinn Bentley. West and Bentley are potential draftees (more on that next week), so the coaching staff likely wants to lineup an insurance policy in the event they lose one or both of them. NC State has kept at least 8 infielders each of the last three seasons, although the reduction from a 40-man roster to a 34-man roster likely will whittle down the number of infielders.