An unsigned third-round pick of the Houston Astros in the 2007 draft, Georgia Tech
shortstop Derek Dietrich was the obvious talent in this year’s freshman shortstop
class entering the season. But the 2008 crop of freshman shortstops extends well
beyond Dietrich and has proven to be an exceptionally talented and deep group—a
blend of mid- to-late round draft picks and players that weren’t drafted at all.
Dietrich and Rice’s Rick Hague have made the biggest impact to date, and have been
key players for teams that have been nationally ranked most of the year. Along with
his shortstop duties, Dietrich has led the Yellow Jackets in home runs and RBIs
this season. Hague, a late-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers last June,
has also provided Rice with a big boost offensively as he is in the top three of
all the triple-crown categories for the Owls.
Numerous other teams contending for national honors are doing so by playing freshmen
shortstops.
Here’s how we stack up this year’s freshmen shortstop class at the midpoint of the
2008 season:
|
|
Rank |
Player |
School |
Accomplishment |
Drafted ’07 (Round) |
|
1 |
Derek Dietrich |
Georgia Tech |
.338-10-34 |
Astros (3) |
|
2 |
Rick Hague |
Rice |
.358-6-36 |
Brewers (37) |
|
3 |
Mike Olt |
Connecticut |
.315-8-33, 12 SB |
Not drafted |
|
4 |
Chris Wade |
Kentucky |
.325-4-37 |
Not drafted |
|
5 |
D.J. LeMahieu |
LSU |
.331-4-24 |
Tigers (41) |
|
6 |
Christian Colon |
Cal State Fullerton |
.323-1-20 |
Padres (10) |
|
7 |
Greg Hopkins |
St. John’s |
.327-3-24 |
Not drafted |
|
8 |
Josh Rutledge |
Alabama |
.377-0-16, 10 SB |
Not drafted |
|
9 |
Bryce Ortega |
Arizona |
.338-0-11 |
Not drafted |
|
10 |
Jonathan Roof |
Michigan State |
.292-2-12 |
Red Sox (39) |
|
|
|
|
--JEFF SIMPSON |
Top Ten List Archives |
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