Mahtook Named First-Team All-American

LSU outfielder and Lafayette native Mikie Mahtook was named a 2011 first-team All-American yesterday by Baseball America Magazine.

Last week, Mahtook was drafted in the first round of the MLB draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. He is the third Tiger in the last four seasons to earn first-team All-American honors. Here is more from LSUsports.net.

Mahtook, a native of Lafayette, La., was a 2011 first-team all-SEC selection, and he completed the regular season as the conference leader in slugging percentage (.709), walks (41), triples (5) and steals (29). He was No. 2 in the SEC in batting average (.383), home runs (14), total bases (139), on-base percentage (.496) and runs scored (61) and No. 3 in the league in RBI (56).

Mahtook, who was also named to the 2011 SEC all-Defensive Team, batted .441 (26-for-59) in the final 15 games of the season with four doubles, two triples, four homers, 18 RBI, 19 runs and eight steals.

Mikie's career at LSU has been nothing short of fantastic. His All-American honor comes as no surprise. He has the physical tools and the right mindset to reach the majors, and find success once he gets there.

In my opinion, the Rays got a steal with the 31rst overall pick. Many MLB mock drafts had Mahtook going between the 9th and 20th selections overall.