Crack of the Bat
By David Rawnsley
Freshman of the Year Watch
It’s approximately the mid-point of the 2006 College Baseball Season and we thought it was a good time to pick out 20 freshmen to keep a special close eye on for the potential top freshman in the country.
Why are freshman so interesting to follow?
For the Perfect Game staff, it’s because we’ve seen so many of these players perform recently and in many cases got to know them and their families. It’s a personal thing
And since we’re in the business of evaluating players, it’s always good to hold up your evaluations against what actually happens down the road. It’s a business thing, too.
Professional scouts go through much the same thing, only with players who are freshly signed and out in rookie ball or perhaps A ball. You ask a scout how “his” players are doing and he’ll always mention the ones that just recently signed. The ones that have moved up the ladder a ways and may even be on the door step of the big leagues are farther from his mind.
So here are some special freshman to watch, along with some comments (stats through April 3). Alpha Order.
2B David Adams (Virginia) .374, 4, 28, 34 runs
Some scouts considered Adams the best “present” hitter in the 2005 high school class. He’s done nothing to disappoint thus far in college. Power, Average, Plate Discipline…it’s all there.
1B Yonder Alonso (Miami) ..339, 5, 42
See Ike Davis’s stats below for the West Coast version. Alonso frequently batted cleanup in the star studded Florida Bombers line up, even as an underclassman. He’s doing the same thing at Miami. He can flat hit.
3B Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt) .337, 4, 16, 28 walks
There was plenty of talk about how the Red Sox should have bought Alvarez, their 14th round pick, out of Vandy after he was named MVP of the WWBA 18U championship last summer. It must have been tempting.
1B/LHP Jared Bolden (Virginia Commonwealth) .467, 1, 26/3-2, 2.57
Bolden was more highly acclaimed as a hitter entering the season than as a pitcher. He can obviously do both at a very high level.
SS Brandon Crawford (UCLA) .330, 2, 16
Crawford is one of only 2 players to start every game for the Bruins and also leads the team in walks, steals and triples.
RHP Matt Daly (Hawaii) 5-0, 1.04, 1 save, 34 IP, 23 H, 4 BB
Still working out of the bullpen for the 24-9 Rainbows.
1B/LHP Ike Davis (Arizona State) .346, 5, 42
Ignore the 2-3, 7.20 pitching line, I’ve always wondered why he was considered a pitching prospect. Teammate C Preston Paramore would be #21 on the list of top 20.
1B Allan Dykstra (Wake Forest) .356, 11, 35, 32 walks
National Player of the Week last week. Look at those walk totals! A rare player who goes to the East Coast from Southern California, he might be a trendsetter.
3B Jeremy Farrell (Virginia) .398, 1, 20
Farrell’s father, John, is the Cleveland Indians farm director and a former ML pitcher, so you could figure that son Jeremy would be ready for high level college ball.
C Tim Federowicz (North Carolina) .317, 5, 26
Federowicz gets extra credit for stepping in as a freshman and catching a pitching staff that includes two probable first round picks in Andrew Miller and Daniel Bard.
SS Ryan Flaherty (Vanderbilt) .373, 1, 19
Not much adjustment time needed going from high school ball in Maine to the SEC. Never underestimate the polish the son of a coach has, regardless of where he is from.
RHP Scott Grogan (UC Irvine) 3-2, 2.43, 55 IP, 39 Hits
Having All-American closer Blair Erickson watching your backside helps, but the 5-10 Grogan has been aces for the Anteaters.
RHP Dan Hudson (Old Dominion) 5-0, 1.75
Scouting notes from 2004 Jupiter: “Good frame, pitchers body, long loose arm action, smooth mechanics, good rhythm, some sink on FB, good handside movement on CH, Top 89 FB, 75 CB, good stuff”
OF Roger Kieschnick (Texas Tech) .403, 5, 40
More than just a hitter, Brooks cousin runs and throws at high prospect level. Leads the Big 12 in many offensive categories.
RHP Tommy Milone (Southern California) 5-0, 3.88
Milone and fellow freshman RHP Evan Cook are both weekend starters for the Trojans and both (Cook is 3-3) have better records than pre-season All-American Ian Kennedy.
OF/RHP Jared Prince (Washington State) .429, 1, 30/4-0, 0.36
It’s only fitting that Prince is one of the top two-way prospects in the country. He was an incredible 3 sport high school athlete in Washington and almost gave up baseball for football at one point.
OF Kyle Russell (Texas) .346, 6, 30
Started off his college career with a walk off pinch hit HR and has followed up impressively. Fellow frosh OF’er Jordan Danks isn’t far behind Russell.
RHP Jacob Thompson (Virginia) 5-1, 2.52, 35 hits in 50 innings
I personally couldn’t understand why Thompson wasn’t talked about as a potential top draft pick last spring. He has 4 potential plus Major League pitches and is 6-6, 190.
RHP Alex Wilson (Winthrop) 6-1, 3.43, 65 innings pitched
West Virginia native blossomed into a 92-93 mph pitcher as a high school senior. 65 innings pitched might be a workload concern and something to watch.
LHP Austin Wood (Texas) 17 G, 3-1, 3 saves, 1.37
Mature southpaw who doesn’t have 90+ stuff but really knows how to pitch. The long relief role is so important in college baseball.