2008 PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA CHECKLIST

Compiled by Allan Simpson and David Rawnsley; text written by Rawnsley

THIRD BASEMEN (15)

1. Pedro Alvarez, Jr., Vanderbilt
Alvarez sits atop a very strong group of collegiate third baseman, just as he has the past two years. He is an intimidating presence in the middle of the Vandy lineup and has been treated as such by opposing pitchers since the beginning of his freshman year. The New York native will have the added scrutiny of being a potential top pick in the 2008 draft.

2. Brett Wallace, Jr., Arizona State
Wallace’s huge .404-16-76 sophomore season showed his potential and put him into player-of-the-year discussions. His offensive struggles in regional play and the summer against top-level pitching will have to be factored in by scouts, as will the likelihood that he is a first baseman at the next level.

3. James Darnell, Jr., South Carolina
In addition to Justin Smoak and Reese Havens, Darnell gives South Carolina a third infielder who will be a high-round pick in the 2008 draft, possibly even a first-rounder. As a sophomore, he hit .331-19-63, tying Smoak for the team lead in homers. Darnell is a complete package, but power is understandably his best tool. He attacks balls when he gets a pitch he can drive, and his balls leave the park quickly. Darnell also has above-average arm strength and adapted well to playing third base in 2007, both in college and summer ball, after spending the previous year in the outfield.

4. Conor Gillaspie, Jr., Wichita State
The lefthanded-hitting Gillaspie was the most valuable player in the Cape Cod League last summer, leading everyone in batting average, slugging percentage and extra-base hits. He consistently hit the ball hard to all fields and showed much more power with wood than he did during the spring (.325-6-53). Gillaspie is a steady defender at third base but only an average athlete.

5. Logan Forsythe, Jr., Arkansas
Forsythe may be the most well-rounded player in college baseball, based on what he brings to the field in hitting, power, plate discipline, defense, base running and leadership. Hitting with more raw power would impress the scouts but would take away from Forsythe’s ability to work counts and move the ball around the field.

6. Nick Romero, Jr., San Diego State
Romero was a slick-fielding shortstop out of high school but his overall speed was a step short, so it’s no surprise that he’s an excellent defensive third baseman, especially on athletic/range plays. He has hitting ability and power potential from both sides of the plate on offense.

7. Chris Dominguez, So., Louisville
The multi-talented Miami native started showing his raw power potential late last spring when he shortened his swing, became more selective and started driving the ball out of the park. He’s still prone to striking out at an alarming rate, however. His defense remains outstanding, notably his arm strength.

8. Mark Sobolewski, So., Miami
Draft-eligible as a sophomore, Sobolewski is still uncertain at third base after playing middle infield in high school and some outfield as a freshman at Miami. What is certain is that he’s going to hit; his .345-8-54 freshman season could be just a warm up for this spring.

9. Jermaine Curtis, Jr., UCLA
Curtis won’t blow you away with his raw tools, but he plays hard, has excellent makeup and finds a way to get the most out of his ability. He has a good line-drive swing that produced a .329 average with four homers as a sophomore at UCLA. He should add power as he continues to get stronger. He’s an above-average defender at third base with good hands and excels at coming in on balls, though his arm strength—his weakest tool—is considered just marginal.

10. Alex Buchholz, Jr., Delaware
Buchholz has put up huge numbers his first two years, including a total of 29 home runs and 127 RBIs, but he is more than a product of a small-school environment. He shows power to all fields and has a very strong throwing arm that has landed him at third base this season after spending his first two years at Delaware at second.

11. Dillon Baird, So., Arizona
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Baird steps right into the cleanup spot for the country’s pre-season No. 1 team after one year at Yavapai (Ariz.) JC, where he led the wood-bat swinging Arizona JC ranks in home runs in 2007.

12. Tommy Mendonca, So., Fresno State
A silver lining in the wake of first-rounder Brad Mills’ untimely transfer from the Fresno State lineup a year ago was the emergence of the lefthanded-hitting Mendonca, who got a chance to play every day. He could blossom this year as a sophomore—especially with a year of experience under his belt. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Mendonca is an excellent defender at third, has above-average power and is an average runner.

13. Kyle Bellows, So., San Jose State
Bellows started the 2007 college season as a first baseman at San Jose State and finished it by earning freshman All-America honors as a shortstop. He lacks the footwork and speed to remain at shortstop and will spend this season at third base. He has plenty of offensive ability to be a productive corner player. He homered only six times as a freshman and should hit for more power as he fills out his frame. He also has a third baseman’s arm and is adept at handling slow rollers.

14. Adam Abraham, Jr., Michigan
Abraham has been overshadowed somewhat by teammate Zach Putnam. Both share a very similar tool set with similar two-way ability as a third base/righthander prospects. Abraham has an interesting background; he didn’t play high school baseball as a junior or senior because he was playing junior hockey.

15. Matt Hague, Sr., Oklahoma State
Hague succeeds another noted transfer, 2007 supplemental first-round pick Matt Mangini, as the OSU third baseman. The strong-armed Hague hit .353-13-49 as a junior at Washington and had a strong summer in the Cape Cod League as well.

OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH (Alphabetical order)
T.J. Baxter, Jr., New Orleans
Scott Boley, Sr., Toledo
Dan Brewer, Jr., Bradley
Tyler Cannon, So., Virginia
Vinny Catricala, So., Hawaii
Daniel Cook, Sr., Florida Atlantic
Chris Duffy, So., Central Florida
Chad Flack, Sr., North Carolina
Nate Hanson, Jr., Minnesota
Jeff Kobernus, So., California
Patrick Long, So., Georgia Tech
Cody Overbeck, Jr., Mississippi
Connor Powers, So., Mississippi State
Rich Poythress, Jr., Georgia
Victor Sanchez Fr., San Diego
Diego Seastrunk, So., Rice
Rob Segedin, Fr., Tulane
Jake Smith, So., Alabama
Nate Tenbrink, Jr., Kansas State
Travis Tucker, Jr., Texas
Russell Wilson Fr., North Carolina State
Gil Zayas, Jr., St. John’s