PERFECT GAME CROSSCHECKER'S DAILY TOP TEN LIST
WEEK 11: 4/16/07 - 4/22/07
 
Friday, April 20, 2007
Chicago White Sox lefthander Mark Buehrle’s no-hitter Wednesday night was the 60th started by a pitcher selected in the 42-year history of the baseball draft. Buehrle, a 38th-round draft pick in 1998, also earned the distinction of being the lowest-round pick to ever start a no-hitter.

Over the years, second-round picks have started more no-hitters (14) than any other round—including the first, which is supposed to be the round that produces pitchers with ‘no-hitter stuff’ but has done so on only 10 occasions. Interestingly, the 10th round has produced seven no-hitters through the years—all seven by Nolan Ryan. The seventh round is the only round in the first 10 that has never produced a pitcher that has thrown a no-hitter.

Following are the rounds that have produced the most no-hitters that are officially recognized by Major League Baseball. In the case of combined no-hitters, only the starter is recognized. The most recent no-hitter is noted in parentheses.
 
Most No-Hitters, By Rounds
1. Second round (Randy Johnson, 2004) 14
2. First round (Eric Milton, 1999) 10
3. Tenth round (Nolan Ryan, 1991) 7
4. 16-25th rounds (*Roy Oswalt, 2003) 6
  26th round-later (Mark Buehrle, 2007) 6
6. Fourth round (Bud Smith, 2001) 5
7. Third round (David Cone, 1999) 4
8. Fifth round (Dave Stieb, 1990) 2
  Ninth round (A.J. Burnett, 2001) 2
  11-15th rounds (Kevin Millwood, 2003) 2
*Combined no-hitter
-- Allan Simpson
 
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The number of unbeaten teams in the North Carolina high school ranks dwindled to zero last weekend when East Rutherford High (16-1) took down South Caldwell High (16-1), 2-1, in a battle of the state’s top two ranked teams. East Rutherford’s Michael Milan hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning off lefthander Madison Bumgarner, a projected first-rounder in this year’s draft, to break up a tight pitcher’s duel between Bumgarner and fellow University of North Carolina recruit Ryan Leach. Both pitchers threw five-hitters, with Leach striking out 11 and Bumgarner 10.

A day earlier, in a battle of Asheville powerhouses, A.C. Reynolds knocked T.C. Roberson (18-1) from the unbeaten ranks, winning decisively 14-4.

Following are North Carolina’s top 10 teams, as ranked by PG Crosschecker’s Jeff Simpson, with records through April 16. Both East Rutherford and South Caldwell are ranked in the PG Crosschecker top 50 national rankings, published every two weeks.
 
Top 10 HS Teams, North Carolina
  School Class Record
1. East Rutherford HS, Forrest City 2-A 16-1
2. South Caldwell HS, Hudson 4-A 16-1
3. Butler HS, Matthews 4-A 16-1
4. T.C. Roberson HS, Asheville 3-A 18-1
5. North Lenoir HS, La Grange 2-A 14-2
6. West Forsyth HS, Clemmons 4-A 15-2
7. Providence HS, Charlotte 4-A 15-2
8. South Granville HS, Creedmoor 3-A 16-3
9. AC Reynolds HS, Asheville 4-A 14-4
10. Fred T. Foard HS, Newton 3-A 12-4
-- Jeff Simpson
 
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
The top 10 active career batting leaders in Major League Baseball include six former first-round draft picks, including two No. 1 selections overall—Chipper Jones (1990) and Alex Rodriguez (1993). The list also includes a former 13th-rounder (Albert Pujols), a 62nd-rounder (Mike Piazza) and two foreign-born and developed players, Vladimir Guerrero (Dominican Republic) and Ichiro Suzuki (Japan).
 
Top 10 Active MLB Hitters (Career Avg.)
1. Todd Helton, Rockies .333
2. Albert Pujols, Cardinals .330
3. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners .330
4. Vladimir Guerrero, Angels .325
5. Nomar Garciaparra, Dodgers .318
6. Derek Jeter, Yankees .317
7. Manny Ramirez, Red Sox .313
8. Mike Piazza, Athletics .309
9. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees .306
10. Chipper Jones, Braves .305
-- Allan Simpson
 
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Stout pitching is normally the foundation of a team’s success, at any level. But the results are inconclusive at the Division I level as the colleges with the best team ERAs this spring aren’t necessarily the ones at the top of the college polls.

Here are the schools with the 10 best ERAs through Sunday’s games, with their rank in the PG Crosschecker top 50 weekly college rankings noted in parentheses:
 
Top 10 Division I Colleges, Team ERA
1. Charlotte (21) 2.31
2. Virginia (7) 2.49
3. Wichita State (11) 2.61
4. North Carolina (5) 2.66
5. Louisville (48) 2.69
6. Evansville (NR) 2.86
7. Coastal Carolina (25) 3.00
8. Florida State (1) 3.02
9. Rice (13) 3.08
10. South Carolina (4) 3.09
  Stetson (28) 3.09
-- Allan Simpson
 
Monday, April 16, 2007
College closers will be heavily in demand in this year’s draft, with the possibility that as many as 10 pitchers who have been used in predominantly closer roles this spring will be selected before the second round begins. The list starts with Clemson lefthander Daniel Moskos, who spent the first two months of the 2007 season as a closer before moving to the Clemson rotation over the weekend. He’s expected to be among the first 10 players drafted.

Of the projected top 10 college closers for this year’s draft that are on the accompanying list, it’s interesting to note that eight of the 10 were not drafted out of high school, and the other two were late-round afterthoughts.
 
Top 10 College Closer Prospects, 2007 Draft
1. Daniel Moskos, lhp, Clemson Not drafted
2. Brett Cecil, lhp, Maryland Not drafted
3. Casey Weathers, rhp, Vanderbilt Not drafted
4. Josh Fields, rhp, Georgia Not drafted
5. Eddie Kunz, rhp, Oregon State Not drafted
6. Cole St. Clair, lhp, Rice Not drafted
7. Sam Demel, rhp, TCU Rangers ’04 (35)
8. Wynn Pelzer, rhp, South Carolina Not drafted
9. Daniel Schlereth, lhp, Arizona Not drafted
10. Brant Rustich, rhp, UCLA Twins ’03 (47)
-- Allan Simpson/David Rawnsley