Former LSU catcher Michael Papierski made his Major League Baseball debut Saturday as the starting catcher for the San Francisco Giants in their game at Oracle Park versus the San Diego Padres.
Papierski is the 81st Major Leaguer in the illustrious history of LSU Baseball. He was the ninth-round selection of the Houston Astros in the 2017 MLB Draft and was traded earlier this season from the Astros to the Giants.
Papierski played at LSU from 2015-17, and played an integral role in the Tigers’ drive to the 2017 College World Series Finals. A product of Lemont, Ill., he played in 147 career games (114 starts) for LSU, batting .246 (84-for-342) with 17 doubles, 15 homers, 69 RBI, 61 runs, 76 walks and a .389 on-base percentage.
Papierski played in 65 games (62 starts) in 2017, batting .256 (45-for-176) with six doubles, 11 homers, 39 RBI, 37 runs, 40 walks and a .401 on-base percentage, and he threw out 23 runners attempting to steal over the course of the season.
He helped lead LSU to wins in 25 of its last 30 games, batting .302 (26-for-86) with three doubles, eight homers and 26 RBI.
Papierski batted .281 (9-for-32) in LSU’s 2017 NCAA Tournament games with two doubles, four homers, 13 RBI and 10 runs. He launched three homers and drove in five runs in the 2017 College World Series.
He had the game-winning RBI in both of LSU’s 2017 NCAA Super Regional wins over Mississippi State. He lifted a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning of Game 1 to break a 3-3 tie, and his two-run double in the fifth inning of Game 2 erased a 4-3 MSU lead.
Papierski is the 23rd LSU player coached by former head coach Paul Mainieri to reach the big leagues. LSU has had at least one former player make his MLB debut in 29 of the past 32 seasons.
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