Cole Figueroa

Sophomore shortstop Cole Figueroa is one of the most exciting young athletes in the SEC. Rather than sign with the Blue Jays after being taken in the 9th round of the '06 draft, he decided to attend the University of Florida. He has a strong arm and good speed, with great hand eye coordination. At 5'10," he showed surprising pop from the left side of the plate as a freshman, slugging 11 home runs. Cole hit .332 with 12 doubles and 7 stolen bases. Driving in 50 runs, he matched first round pick Matt Laporta with 13 multi RBI games. He started the first 17 games at second base before shifting to short for the rest of the year. In the SEC Tournament, Figueroa led the Gators with a .538 average. For his efforts, Baseball America named him a Freshman All American.

Selected to join the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod League, Figueroa started the summer off strong with a hit in each of the first 11 games. He impressed scouts with his impressive play at shortstop, where he committed only 7 errors. He earned a starting spot for the East in the All Star Game in Wareham, and ended the summer with a .281 average. He collected 49 total bases and 41 hits. Perhaps more impressive, Cole collected more walks (18) than strikeouts (17).

Look for Figueroa to post strong numbers after a year of experience in the SEC. He is considered one of the top prospects in the conference for the 2009 draft.

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