**Auburn CF Chris Stanfield Transfers to LSU and Other MLB Draft Process Updates**
Former Auburn centerfielder Chris Stanfield announced on Tuesday his decision to transfer to LSU, as revealed on his social media account.
Stanfield played a key role in Auburn’s lineup during his freshman and sophomore seasons at Plainsman Park, maintaining consistent performance throughout both years.
In a related move, Auburn has brought in LSU transfer relief pitcher Samuel Dutton and star East Carolina freshman outfielder Bristol Carter, likely to fill Stanfield’s spot.
Stanfield entered the transfer portal as soon as it opened earlier in June, according to D1 Baseball’s transfer tracker, making him the most significant departure from Auburn’s disappointing 2024 team.
Despite the transfer, Stanfield is still involved in the MLB Draft process and is one of 319 participants listed for the 2024 MLB Draft Combine. Participating in the Combine does not prevent a player from returning to college, similar to the NBA Draft process.
The Combine is scheduled from June 18-23, while the MLB Draft will take place from July 14-16.
Three Auburn pitchers are also participating in the Combine. Chase Allsup is the only current Auburn pitcher attending. Head coach Butch Thompson noted throughout the 2024 season that Allsup, despite being inconsistent, was likely to pursue the MLB Draft due to his mid-to-upper 90s fastball and SEC experience. Allsup had a 4-3 record this year with 74 strikeouts over 62.1 innings, allowing only five earned runs in his final four appearances while striking out 31 in 21.1 innings.
Auburn is particularly concerned about two top incoming freshman signees, both pitchers, who are also on the Combine list: Connor Gatwood from Mobile and Christian Chatterton from Killen. Both are top 50 overall players in the 2024 high school class, with MLB.com ranking Gatwood as the 101st overall prospect for this year’s MLB Draft.
Thompson has emphasized the importance of Auburn’s top-five rated signing class for re-tooling its pitching staff, which is heavy on pitchers, headlined by Gatwood and Chatterton.
Their participation in the Combine does not guarantee they will be selected in the MLB Draft, known for its complexity due to the inclusion of high school players and the focus on slot value signing bonuses.
Auburn’s incoming transfer class includes three heavily-used bullpen pitchers: Dutton, Creighton transfer Mason Koch, and Cal Baptist transfer Ryan Hetzler.
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