SUMMER 10

Pollock Powers Way To Top

The star power of the 2009 college draft class spent the 2008 summer season as members of Team USA’s historic college national team, which went 24-0 on the season and captured the World University championship in late July in the Czech Republic. Several members of that team, led by ace righthander Stephen Strasburg, are projected early first-rounders.

Not all of the top college talent spent the summer with Team USA, however. Two Cape Cod League players, in particular—Falmouth outfielder A.J. Pollock (Notre Dame) and Chatham shortstop Grant Green (Southern California)—positioned themselves as potential first-rounders a year from now with strong performances in summer-league competition.

There are other summer-league players who may become first-rounders, as well, but none performed quite to the level of Pollock and Green, both rising juniors.

Pollock hit .377-4-25 for Falmouth, and topped the Cape Cod League with 61 hits, 15 doubles and a .556 slugging average. He pushed past Green on the final night of the Cape season to finish first in slugging. Green (.348-6-21) was second at .547.

Numerous other college players enhanced their 2009 draft stock with strong performances in summer-league competition and we’ve highlighted 20 (not the normal 10) on the accompanying Summer 10 list. The list isn’t designed, to be clear, to measure draft potential. It’s more intended to highlight some of the top individual, non-Team USA players in the nation’s summer college leagues from a performance standpoint. We’ll be ranking the top players from a prospect standpoint in all the summer leagues later this month, including the top 100 in the Cape Cod League.

Rank Player Pos. '09 School Summer Team Summer Stats
1. A.J. Pollock OF Notre Dame Falmouth/Cape Cod .377-4-25, *61 H, *15 2B, *.556 SLG
2. Grant Green SS Southern California Chatham/Cape Cod .348-6-21
3. Carlos Ramirez C Arizona State Mankato/Northwoods .315-*10-44, 19 2B, *.560 SLG
4. Brint Hardy OF Alabama-Birmingham AIA Fire/Alaska *.421-4-24, *27 SB; Alaska player of year
5. Matt Thomson RHP San Diego Orleans/Cape Cod 4-0, 1.66
6. Joe Gardner RHP UC Santa Barbara Peninsula/Alaska 6-0, *0.60, 45 IP/29 H/17 BB/33 SO
7. Kevin Mahoney 3B Canisius Forest City/Coastal Plain .324-*13-*46
8. Jimmy Cesario 2B Houston Falmouth/Cape Cod *.387-1-30
9. Tim Boyce RHP Rhode Island North Adams/New England *7-1, 0.95, 57 IP/37 H/16 BB/*65 SO
10. Andrew Carraway RHP Virginia Hyannis/Cape Cod 4-2, *1.23, 44 IP/28 H/9 BB/53 SO
11. Tyler Townsend 1B Florida International Winchester/Valley *.387-12-36
12. Justin Sarratt RHP Clemson Thomasville/Coastal Plain 7-1, 1.05, 59 IP/35 H/9 BB/57 SO
13. Matt Hiserman RHP San Francisco Bethesda/Cal Ripken Sr. 3-0, 0.00, 10 SV, 34 IP/17 H/2 BB/37 SO
14. Derek McCallum 2B Minnesota St. Cloud/Northwoods .338-6-42, *79 H
15. Brandon Sizemore 2B College of Charleston Waynesboro/Valley .377-10-34
16. Deck McGuire RHP Georgia Tech Peninsula/Coastal Plain 7-0, 1.28, 56 IP/35 H/28 BB/65 SO
17. Christian Bergman RHP UC Irvine Anchorage Bucs/Alaska 4-2, 1.34
18. Carson Andrew RHP Jacksonville Santa Barbara/California 4-0, *0.77, 47 IP/24 H/13 BB/45 SO
19. Zach Hurley OF Ohio State Cincinnati/Great Lakes *.433-3-30
20. Marc Krauss OF Ohio Bourne/Cape Cod .344-3-*34

* League Leader

--COMPILED BY ALLAN SIMPSON