Crack of the Bat
by David Rawnsley
FRESHMAN WATCH UPDATE (5/26/05)
2-Way Stars
C-RHP Matt Weiters (Georgia Tech): Weiters was named the ACC Rookie of the Year and should be a leading candidate for national FOY. He hit .376, 9, 63 with 38 walks and also threw out 35% of opposing base runners attempting to steal. As Georgia Tech's closer went 1-2, 3.00 with 5 saves in 21 games.
1B-LHP Joe Savery (Rice): Savery ended the season with a 24 game hitting streak and finished with a team leading.390 batting average, along with 5 home runs, 39 Rbi's and 30 walks. He also led the Rice pitching staff in ERA at 2.50, innings pitched (100.2) and strikeouts (112) while going a hard luck 7-5.
1B-LHP Sean Doolittle (Virginia): Doolittle led UVA with 11 home runs and finished second to probable high draft Ryan Zimmerman in batting average (.327) and Rbi's (53). Working as a middle reliever, Doolittle put up some outstanding numbers: 2-0, 2 saves, 0.87 ERA, 41 innings, 21 hits, 11 walks, 58 K's. Doolittle has been invited to the USA Baseball National Team Trials.
Hitters
2B Taylor Harbin (Clemson): Harbin set a school record with 28 doubles on his way to .362, 9, 57 numbers. He also only made 6 errors in 56 games while earning first team All-ACC honors. Harbin can just flat hit.
OF Michael Taylor (Stanford): Taylor's raw numbers don't compare with many freshmen but in perspective they are impressive. Taylor has started 51 of the The Cardinal's 53 games and is hitting .276 with 4 HR's and 24 Rbi's, along with 39 runs scored. His 22/28 BB/K rate is very good for a young player, too. The perspective is that Taylor is a great athlete who is raw in his hitting skills. For him to compete well against Pac 10 pitching bodes well for the future.
2B Jordan Pacheco (New Mexico): Yes, the air is a bit thin and the average New Mexico score this year was almost in double digits. But Pacheco's team leading .414 batting average and 14 home runs, 47 Rbi's and 63 runs scored earned him All-MVC honors as a freshman. His batting average ranks 19th nationally among Division I players and his .723 slugging % ranks 14th.
2B Trey Sutton (Southern Mississippi): Sutton led the 39-17 Southern Mississippi team in batting average at .352 and added 6 home runs and 40 Rbi's while only making 9 errors.
3B Beau Mills (Fresno State): Mills has put his claim on being the top freshman power hitter in the country, blasting 21 long balls for Fresno State. He's hitting .322 with 61 Rbi's and has been invited to the USA Baseball National Team trials.
Pitchers
RHP Josh Fields (Georgia): We know the 7.00 ERA is ugly (but not the 3-1 record) but if Fields ever figures out where his mid-90's stuff is going, it could be lights out for SEC hitters. He struck out 49 hitters in 27 innings this year.
RHP Johnny Dorn (Nebraska): Dorn flew beneath the national prospect radar last year but won't when he's a junior, where he projects as a high pick. The All-Big 12 selection has present big league stuff and went 9-1, 1.96 for the Cornhuskers. His ERA is the leader among freshman pitchers nationally.
RHP Mickey Story (Florida Atlantic): Story started the year as Florida Atlantic's closer and ended it as their top starter. The final totals are 8-1, 1.98 with 7 saves in 77 innings. Expect even bigger things of him next year.
LHP David Price (Vanderbilt): W-L records can be deceiving. Price was only 2-4 for Vanderbilt but his 2.86 ERA and 92 K's in 69 innings tell the real story. His talent was such that Price was one of the early selections for the 2005 USA National Team trials.
Teammates
SS Josh Horton and 1B Chad Flack (North Carolina): These two freshman were instrumental in UNC's success. Horton led the team in hitting at .376 and had 2 home runs and 34 Rbi's. Flack set a school freshman home run record with 14 and hit .342 with 45 Rbi's.
C J.P. Arencibia and LHP James Adkins (Tennessee): Arencibia has started all 56 Vols games as catcher or DH and is hitting .329, 13, 63. Many of those starts have been handling Adkins, who even after tailing off after a fast start is still 7-4, 3.49 with 89 K's in 95 innings. If you want a Pitcher/Catcher duo to build a program around, it doesn't get much better. Arencibia was named the Southeast Conference Freshman of the Year.
2B Brad Emaus and RHP Sean Morgan (Tulane): Emaus was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year after his .344, 12, 47 season that included a near triple crown .388, 8, 31 performance in 30 league games. Morgan lost his closer's role during the season due to erratic command but still ended up 6-0 with 5 saves and a 2.62 ERA.
OF Matt McGuirk, RHP Sam Demel and C Andrew Walker (TCU): Texas Christian is one of the up and coming programs in the country and these three freshmen will help lead the way. Demel was only 5-4, 4.09 in the regular season but threw a complete game win in the first game of the conference playoffs and struck out 97 in 92 innings on the year. McGuirk (.333, 7, 37) and Walker (.315, 11, 37) are projectable talents who could become dominant offensive players.
2B Brett Lilley, OF Tony Langford and SS Ross Brezovosky (Notre Dame): The Fighting Irish had an uncharacteristic 33-22 record this year and no national ranking. But 3 freshmen started and improved throughout the year. Langford is a 2-way talent who has the best tools but Lilley is a unique type of college performer. The 5-7 second baseman has no power but hit .354 with 35 walks and an NCAA leading 25 HBP's. That's a .506 OB%!
LHP Nick Schmidt and RHP Shaun Siebert (Arkansas): When in doubt, recruit out of state, as Razorback coach Dave Van Horn did in going to Missouri (Schmidt) and Illinois (Siebert). They are the best pitchers on the 37-18 Arkansas team, with Schmidt going 7-2, 2.90 and Siebert 5-2, 2.93. Schmidt is one of the four freshman who have already been invited to the USA Baseball National Team trials.