A Bid Farewell

After much speculation involving the status of DJ LeMahieu, it's official. LeMahieu has signed with the Chicago Cubs. The 2nd round pick (#79 pick overall) will begin his professional career after having spent two seasons with the Tigers. You can read about it here.

LeMahieu began his career at LSU in 2008, and as a freshman, he started 67 games at shortstop. He batted .337 (87-for-258) with eleven doubles, one triple, six home runs, 44 RBI, and ten steals.

In 2009, DJ was part of a bold move by Head Coach Paul Mainieri. Mainieri brought in freshman shortstop Austin Nola, moved LeMahieu to 2nd base and Ryan Schimpf to left field. Prior to the move, LSU was 28-12 and had not turned a 6-4-3 double play all season long. The end result: A 28-5 record down the stretch, en route to an SEC regular season title, a second consecutive SEC tournament title, regional and super regional titles, and a national championship. Nola may not have produced the most glaring numbers at the plate, but his defense was top notch, and as most baseball enthusiasts know, strong defense up the middle is an integral part of any team's success.

Now, back to LeMahieu. DJ started off the season red hot, and throughout the year, he was one of the most consistent hitters we had. His transition to 2nd base was taken in stride, and he, along with Derek Helenihi at 3rd base, provided some of the best defense in the postseason that Tiger fans have seen in a long time. Carl Dubois once commented on the defensive play of LeMahieu by saying, "he could play 2nd base on his knees." What Tiger fans will remember most about DJ LeMahieu is his top of the ninth heroics against Texas in game one of the championship series, when he doubled down the left field line with two outs to score Helenihi and Leon Landry to tie the game at six and send it into extra innings. Mikie Mahtook would deliver in the top of the eleventh with an RBI-single that scored LeMahieu from third. LeMahieu set the play up by stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error.

DJ finished the CWS 12-for-27 for a .444 average with 9 runs scored, 4 walks, a home run, triple, double, and 4 RBI. He led all hitters in the CWS with hits and runs scored, was tied for the lead in stolen bases (2 steals in 3 attempts). Add his outstanding defensive play into the equation and you have perhaps the most outstanding player of the series. Although the honor went to Jared Mitchell, I still feel like LeMahieu was far more impressive. I feel this way because he made his presence known at the plate and in the field. Not to take anything away from Jared Mitchell, because he was clutch, no doubt.

DJ finished his sophomore season batting .350 to lead the team, 57 runs scored, 13 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 43 RBI, and twelve stolen bases.

Being a Chicago Cubs fan, this is bittersweet for me. I'm elated, but at the same time, I'm sad to see him leave. But for a guy that was once a 41st round draft pick by the Detroit Tigers, for him to surge to the top of many teams' draft boards in a matter of two years, and wind up as a 2nd rounder in this year's amateur draft, that speaks volumes. I wish him the best, and I know the rest of the Tiger faithful will wish him well. Should he join the big league club, there will be three former LSU Tigers on the roster whom have won national championships (Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot are the other two). The next step? Win one for the Cubs.