2025 Draft Prospect - C - Brady Neal - Alabama

 

link  –

C BRADY NEAL (LSU TO ALABAMA)

64 Analytics Portal Rank: #13

A significant loss for LSU, Neal was a force behind the dish for the Tigers, slashing .276/.409/.578 with a .986 OPS. Neal heads to Alabama, where he will give Head Coach Rob Vaughn a solid contributor and consistent leader behind the dish and in the lineup. 

Neal possesses extreme raw power from the left side and hits the ball very hard to the right side of the field, and has pretty good exit velo numbers to the poolside. Neal needs to improve his ability to make consistent contact so he can tap more into that raw power. 

He strikes out at a higher clip than you’d like to see. He offsets some of those issues with a fairly decent walk rate. Regardless, the 5’10, 193lb Neal can stick behind the plate thanks to his strong arm and athleticism. The upside with the bat is what you want to say for a potential catcher in the draft, regardless of some of the swing-and-miss concerns.

 

https://lsusports.net/sports/bsb/roster/player/brady-neal/ -

2024 Season

• Played in 44 games (33 starts), batting .276 (32-for-116) with eight doubles, nine homers, 31 RBI and 25 runs … started 23 games at catcher, six games in right field and four games at DH

• Hit .273 (3-for-11) in the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional with three RBI

• Homered in three straight games – vs. Grambling State (April 30), vs. Texas A&M (May 5) and vs. Northwestern State (May 7)

• 2-for-4 with one double, one homer, three RBI and three runs vs. Grambling State (4/30/24)

• Homered in back-to-back games vs. New Orleans (April 16) and at Missouri (April 19)

• 2-for-4 with two homers, five RBI and three runs at Rice (Feb. 28)

• 3-for-3 with two doubles, a grand slam and six RBI vs. VMI (Feb. 18)

 

https://collegesportswire.usatoday.com/2024/07/01/transfer-portal-brady-neal-alabama-crimson-tide-commitment/ -

One of the top catchers available in the transfer portal has made a decision as to where he will play next season, as LSU Tigers sophomore Brady Neal has officially committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

A former top prospect out of high school, Neal originally began his collegiate career in 2023 as LSU’s starting catcher as a true freshman, but saw action in only 26 games before missing the remainder of the year due to an injury. As a freshman, Neal slashed .209/.411/.388 with three HR and nine RBI for a LSU team that eventually went on to win the national championship.

This past season as a sophomore, Neal appeared in 44 games with the Tigers to slash .276/.408/.578 with nine HR and 31 RBI.

With those totals, Neal’s career stats while at LSU sat at a combined slash line of .251/.409/.508 with 12 HR and 40 RBI. Neal also held a combined K-BB ratio of 61-41, amassing at-least 20 walks drawn in each season.