Yonder Alonso

The Miami Hurricanes enter this season having one of the top lineups in college baseball, and the most advanced hitter in the group is junior Yonder Alonso. The 6'2" 215 pound lefthanded hitting first baseman is patient at the plate and drives the ball to all fields. He has great balance and a short stroke, with the ability to wait on off speed pitches and smack them the other way, as well as turn on the ball inside.

As a freshman at the U, Alonso helped lead a young team to a College World Series appearance. He hit .295 and became only the second freshman in school history (Brewers Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun being the other) to pace the team in homers (10) and RBI (69).

Playing for Luray in the Valley League that summer, Yonder stroked 8 HR's with a .556 slugging percentage in only 99 at bats. Also showing soft hands around the bag, Baseball America named him the league's top pro prospect.

Returning to school as a sophomore, Alonso raised his game to the next level. For an underachieving squad that went 37-24, he hit .376 with 13 doubles, 18 home runs, and 74 runs batted in. While slugging an astounding .705, he still managed to have double the amount of walks as strikeouts (64 BB, 31 K's). He even stole 13 bases for good measure. For his achievements, he was named to the 2nd Team All ACC and 2nd Team All America by Baseball America and Louisville Slugger.

During the summer of '07, Alonso made his way to Cape Cod to play for the Brewster Whitecaps. As the league's most well rounded hitter, he hit .338 while leading the circuit with 36 walks and a .468 on base percentage. Focused on lining the ball all over the diamond, he smoked 16 extra base hits, including 4 HR's and drove in 25 runs. An All League selection at 1st base, Baseball America rated him the #2 overall prospect in their Cape League top 30.

In order to prepare himself for the upcoming season, Yonder has been reported to be training with Yankee All Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez in the UM athletic facilities. A tireless worker, he is pushing himself to raise his abilities in all aspects of the game as well as become a better all around athlete. One of the top 5 college prospects entering 2008, Alonso should lead a murderous row of Miami hitters deep into the NCAA tournament.

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Forum Topic: Basestealing

New forum topic: Which player creates the most havoc for opposing teams on the basepaths?
Prospect Forum

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Prospect Watch: Garrett Nash

Utah native Garrett Nash became the highest drafted player in the history of his home state when the Texas Rangers picked him in the 4th round of the 2007 draft. Apparently, Nash was looking for a seven digit signing bonus to play in the Rangers farm system, and instead chose to attend school at defending back to back National Champion Oregon State. AA 5'11" 174 pound speedster, Nash is a legitimate "80" runner on the 20-80 scouting scale, having been clocked at 6.4 seconds in the 60 yard dash. He displays solid range in the field, capable of playing either middle infield position as well as center. At the plate, Nash has gap power from the right side while displaying more of a slashing approach from the left.

With an opening due to the loss of Beaver shortstop Darwin Barney to the professional ranks, Nash looks to start for the Beavers at 2B. Slick fielding Joey Wong is expected to make the shift from second to short to begin the year. Along with center fielder Chris Hopkins, OSU should be solid if not spectacular up the middle in 2008.

A pure athlete who has been described as "electric," Nash should impress right out of the gate once Oregon State opens their season Feb 22nd against Vanderbilt at the Arizona State Tournament in Tempe.

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Brian Matusz

The San Diego Toreros enter 2008 as having perhaps the top pitching staff in the country, headlined by junior Brian Matusz. The lanky 6'4" lefty was a top prospect coming out of high school, yet fell to the Angels in the 4th round after telling big league clubs that he wanted a minimum of $1.475 million to sign. Negotiations between the two broke down, and he became the highest draft pick ever to attend USD.
Matusz commands 3 quality pitches with impeccable control; a low 90's fastball, a good curveball and a solid change. Thrown into the fire right away by starting 13 games as a freshman, he went 4-3 with a 4.25 ERA. He struck out 93 batters while walking only 39. The cornerstone of an up and coming program, Brian was named a Freshman All American by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball.

In 2007, Matusz went 10-3 and led his Toreros to a 43-18 record. He set a San Diego single season record with 163 strikeouts, which was 2nd in the country only to Vandy's David Price, the #1 overall pick in the '07 draft. In 123 innings pitched, Brian had a 2.85 ERA, holding opponents to a .214 average. He displayed his dominance by striking out 13 batters on 3 separate occasions, while ringing up at least 10 in 9 different contests. Besides being named a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, Baseball America, the NCBWA, and Collegiate Baseball all gave him a spot on their All American teams.

Starting for the U.S. National Team this summer, Matusz started 4 games, going 3-1 with a 1.33 ERA. Along with Mississippi's Lance Lynn and Virginia's Jacob Thompson, he left the team in late July to avoid a heavy workload, having accumulated 143 combined innings.

With another strong performance this spring, Matusz is a favorite to go in the first 5 picks in this June's draft.

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Baseball America Pre Season College Podcasts

Baseball America's John Manuel and Aaron Fitt have recorded 2 new podcasts and posted them on their site. Here they preview their Pre Season Top 25 in depth as well as analyze some of the best players from around the country. These podcasts are free, just click the listen tab next to the 2 most recent items.

Baseball America College Podcasts Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Brandon Crawford

Baseball America ranked UCLA #1 on its Preseason Top 25 which was announced Tuesday morning. If the Bruins are to get to Omaha this year, it will be because junior shortstop Brandon Crawford led them there. At 6'2" 200 pounds, Crawford is a legitimate 5 tool player. He's a plus runner who is a wizard defensively at short, exhibiting great range and a cannon for an arm. From the left side of the plate, Brandon has the ability to hit for both average and power. Starting every game for the Bruins as a freshman, Brandon hit .318 with 14 doubles, 6 triples, and 6 home runs. He emerged as a leader on a young team, driving in the game winning run in a Malibu Regional game against UC Irvine. Displaying smooth actions in every phase of the game, he was tabbed as a Freshman All American, and scouts had already projected him as a top 5 pick for the '08 draft.

His strong freshman campaign received notice from the U.S. National Team, where he appeared in 23 contests for a squad that went 28-2-1. While the tools were there, Crawford's raw ability needed more polish, and he started only 10 games, going 9 for 35 with 2 doubles and 3 walks.

With his experience playing with the top players in the nation on Team USA, Brandon returned to UCLA in 2007 driven to succeed. He earned All Pac 10 honors by hitting .335 with 17 doubles, 2 triples, 7 home runs and 11 stolen bases. A clutch hitter, Crawford drove in 55 runs and was the centerpiece of many late Bruin comebacks. His 2 out grand slam in the bottom of the eighth led his team to a 9-7 victory against East Carolina on February 18th. On April 14th against rival USC, Crawford smacked an 0-2 pitch the other way to tie the game at 6-6, before scoring what proved to be the game winning run one at bat later. No surprise that he was voted team MVP a second consecutive year.

This past June, instead of returning to Team USA, Crawford made his way to Massachusetts to play for the Orleans Cardinals in the Cape Cod League. Although his tools were still evident, he struggled mightily with wood. By not shortening his swing and adjusting his approach, the Pleasanton, California native hit .189 with 4 home runs and 45 strikeouts. His poor performance at the plate affected his play in the field, where he committed 13 errors.

After his disappointing summer with Orleans, Crawford returns to a UCLA team with huge expectations, the favorite by some to win the College World Series. He must learn from and build upon his recent struggles to raise his game to the next level. With increased maturity, look for Crawford to prove any doubters wrong and put up ridiculous numbers in 2008.

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Jemile Weeks

Jemile Weeks, the younger brother of Milwaukee Brewers 2nd baseman Rickie Weeks, is entering his junior season at the University of Miami. Jemile is an electrifying player who possesses plus speed on the base paths and surprising power from both sides of the plate. He spurned an offer from the Brewers as an 8th round draft pick to play 2nd base for the U.
Weeks exploded onto the scene as a freshman by hitting .352 with 6 home runs, 18 doubles, and 40 RBI. He exemplified his exciting style of play by leading the ACC in triples with 8 and scoring 69 runs. Miami reached the CWS in 2006, where Weeks hit .308, including a 4 hit game against Rice. His breakout frosh season earned him Freshman All American honors from numerous publications.

Following his strong debut with Miami, Weeks joined Team USA in the summer. Proving that his game translates well to wood, he hit .348 with 4 home runs and 24 RBI. Showing a keen eye at the plate, Jemile drew 23 walks while creating havoc for opposing pitchers with 14 stolen bases.

Primed for an encore in 2007, Weeks was hampered by a groin injury throughout his sophomore year. He appeared in only 50 games, yet managed to hit .298 with 9 doubles, 6 triples, and 5 homers. Invited to play for Team USA once again, Jemile had to sit out and rest for the summer.

Back to 100 percent in 2008, look for Weeks to regain his status as the most feared leadoff hitter in the country. Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Gordon Beckham Interview

In a new College Baseball Prospects exclusive interview, Georgia's Gordon Beckham was nice enough to answer a few questions about himself and the upcoming 2008 season. The Pre Season All American shortstop hit .307 with 13 home runs as a sophomore. He followed that up by leading the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox to a Cape Cod Summer League Championship, as well as pace the circuit in HR's and RBI. College Baseball Prospects: How do you think your strong performance on the Cape affected the way scouts see you as a player?

Gordon Beckham: Obviously I am not a scout so I don't know how they would evaluate my summer season. If you play for the scouts, you're playing for the wrong reason. At this level, every player that competes plays the game because they love it. I love to have fun while playing. I also love to compete and I feel I play a hard-nosed style of baseball. So, while it does not matter to me what they think, I hope they saw that I enjoy playing and that I play the game the right way.

College Baseball Prospects: How tough was it to adjust to the wood bats being used in Cape Cod this summer? Did you have to change your approach at all?

Gordon Beckham: I actually enjoy wood bats more than metal. I realized there is a lot less room for error and I guess tried to tighten up my swing. I tried to do less, and by doing so I did more.

College Baseball Prospects: What aspects of your game would you like to improve on?

Gordon Beckham: I think that every player has to improve every aspect of their game on a constant basis. If you loosen up on any phase of the game it will come back to bite you. You can never disrespect the game because this game will humble you quickly.

College Baseball Prospects: Looking back on your first 2 years in college, what has been your most memorable moment on the field as a Georgia Bulldog?

Gordon Beckham: Well I think there are a couple of moments that stand out. Obviously, when we advanced to Omaha my freshman year, that was unbelievably exciting. Probably the most memorable was the win over Georgia Tech at Turner Field my freshman year. I scored the winning run from first base on a double by Bobby Felmy in extra innings.

College Baseball Prospects: Do you see power as being a big part of your game after hitting 25 home runs in 2 seasons with the Bulldogs and leading the Cape Cod League in homers this summer?

Gordon Beckham: I don't believe that I am a per-say “power hitter.” In my opinion, I hit long line drives that sometimes leave the park. I think it used to be a big deal to me. But, as I have matured as a player I have begun to realize that it's more important to constantly put pressure on the defense, to fight and claw for every hit to help the team. That is more important to me.

College Baseball Prospects: Are there any major leaguers you try to model your game after?

Gordon Beckham: No. Every player is inherently different, therefore in my opinion it makes no sense to model your game after someone. I believe you need to watch major leaguers, see how they carry themselves, and see how they handle their business. I would love to lead my team the way Derek Jeter does, but other than that I don't model my game after anyone.

College Baseball Prospects: Finally, what are your goals for the upcoming season?

Gordon Beckham: Help my team get to Omaha, and then win it.

Read more about Beckham here: http://www.collegebaseballprospects.net/2008/01/gordon-beckham.html

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Player Interview Coming Soon

Stay tuned for an exclusive College Baseball Prospects interview with Pre Season All American and Georgia shortstop Gordon Beckham! Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Dustin Ackley

In 2007, Dustin Ackley, a first baseman/outfielder for UNC, set a Tarheel single season record and led the nation with 119 hits as a freshman. He added to that by batting .402 with 20 doubles, 10 home runs, and 74 runs batted in to lead North Carolina to their second straight College World Series finals.
Along with his keen batting eye and sweet left handed swing (shown by his 30:21 strikeout to walk ratio), Ackley displays above average speed which helped him steal 11 bags in 14 tries. From February 28th to April 14th, he carried a 28 game hitting streak, compiling a .504 average during that stretch. All of this earned him Freshman of the Year honors by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball.

Maybe even more impressive is his ability to come through in the clutch. After struggling in his first couple of rounds in the NCAA postseason, Dustin was moved down in the lineup by coach Mike Fox. He exploded when his team needed him most by hitting 3 HR's with 8 RBI in Omaha, en route to being named to the College World Series All Tournament Team.

Expect Ackley to build upon his eye popping statistics in 2008 and become one of the top position players for the 2009 draft.


Video by CSTV

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Who would you pick?

Who would you pick to be College Baseball's Pre Season Player of the Year? Go to the forum and post what you think!
Prospect Forum Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Pre Season All America Team

Pos	Player	School	Yr	Avg	OBP	SLG	Runs	Hits	HR	RBI	SB
C	Buster Posey	FSU	Jr.	.382	.453	.520	66	94	3	65	4
1B	Justin Smoak	USC	Jr.	.315	.434	.631	64	82	22	72	0
2B	Jemile Weeks	Miami	Jr.	.298	.393	.489	40	56	5	27	7
3B	Pedro Alvarez	Vanderbilt	Jr.	.386	.463	.684	76	105	18	68	6
SS	Gordon Beckham	Georgia	Jr.	.307	.399	.570	43	70	13	51	6
OF	Dennis Raben	Miami	Jr.	.280	.378	.514	46	61	12	48	3
OF	Dustin Ackley	UNC	So.	.402	.448	.591	70	119	10	74	10
OF	Jordan Danks	Texas	Jr.	.332	.440	.479	63	79	4	38	19
DH	Yonder Alonso	Miami	Jr.	.376	.519	.705	57	79	18	74	13
UT	Josh Romanski	San Diego	Jr.	.335	.402	.438	43	75	3	30	8
Pos	Player	School	Yr	W	L	ERA	SV	IP	H	BB	K
SP	Aaron Crow	Missouri	Jr.	9	4	3.59	0	117.2	109	33	90
SP	Brian Matusz	San Diego	Jr.	10	3	2.85	0	123.0	98	37	163
SP	Jacob Thompson	Virginia	Jr.	11	0	1.50	0	114.0	79	32	101
RP	Cole St. Clair	Rice	Sr.	0	0	1.91	9	28.1	22	8	26
UT	Josh Romanski	San Diego	Jr.	9	1	3.05	0	112.0	90	24	92

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Visit the College Baseball Prospects Forum!

Check out the new College Baseball Prospects message board linked on the right side of the page. Here you can share any information or questions regarding College Baseball with others. Enjoy! Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Coming Soon: Pre Season All Americans

Stay tuned for the announcement of the 2008 Pre Season All American list here at College Baseball Prospects! Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Grant Green

Sophomore shortstop Grant Green earned Pac 10 Co-Freshman of the Year honors for the Trojans in 2007 by hitting .316-2-24. Green is lanky (6’3” 180 lbs) and has a ton of athletic ability. At the plate, Green’s super quick hands produced a USC record 10 triples in his first season. At short, he only made nine errors and has good range and arm strength for the position. Baseball America and Louisville Slugger named him a Freshman All American. Playing for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in Cape Cod this past summer, Green batted .291 in 127 at bats. With 4 home runs and 11 steals, he helped lead YD to its second straight Cape League Championship. Covering multiple infield positions for the Red Sox while Gordon Beckham manned shortstop, he adapted well and was able to handle the switch. Next summer he won't be pushed aside by anyone.

Green is primed to bust out for an All America sophomore season and put himself at the forefront of the top notch shortstops in the nation. Read more

Sphere: Related Content

2008 Season

Once the 2008 season is underway, check back for daily updates. See how the premier players around the country are performing, and find out who else steps up to join the elite. Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Aaron Crow

The first pitcher that we preview won the Robert A. McNeece Top Pro Prospect Award for the 2007 Cape League season; Missouri right hander Aaron Crow. The 6’2” 200 pound junior was 3-1 last summer with a 0.67 ERA (best in the league) in 40 1/3 innings. His fastball ranges from 93-96 mph, and he has been clocked as high as 98. Crow backs that up with a sharp slider and a dirty changeup.

As a freshman at Mizzou, Crow compiled 60 strikeouts in 77.2 innings pitched. He followed that up with a first team all Big 12 selection in ’07, winning 9 games with a 3.59 ERA. He struck out 90 hitters while only walking 33, and had 2 complete games.

After Baseball America named Crow #1 on its top 30 Cape League Prospects list, a Major League scouting director was quoted as saying, “I’ll bet if the draft was tomorrow, Crow would go No. 1.”

Missouri opens their season Feb 22nd at the Stetson Tournament in DeLand, Florida against UConn.

Video by Cape Prospects Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Gordon Beckham

Shortstop Gordon Beckham is an excellent athlete who has quick wrists and plus bat speed. At 6'0" 180 lbs, the junior has good range and a strong enough arm for shortstop, but sometimes gets burned by trying to do too much at the plate and in the field. He burst onto the college scene his freshman year at Georgia by batting .280 with 12 homers and 54 RBI to lead his Bulldogs to the College World Series. Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball named him a Freshman All American for his efforts. He followed that up with an impressive .307-13-51 line as a sophomore.

This past summer playing for the Yarmouth Dennis Red Sox, Beckham showed scouts what kind of damage he could do with wood. He displayed the most power on the Cape for a middle infielder since Evan Longoria, leading the CCBL with nine home runs and tied Miami's Dennis Raben for league best with 35 RBI. He was second in extra base hits (19) to Wichita State's Conor Gillaspie and had a .284 batting average.

Look for Beckham to post monster numbers in 2008 and be a potential first round draft pick in June. Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Justin Smoak

South Carolina's Justin Smoak is a 6'4" switch hitting junior first baseman for the University of South Carolina. One of the top players in the SEC, Justin has immense power from both sides of the plate along with being a gold glove defender. He set freshman records at USC for home runs (17) and RBI (63). That summer, playing for the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League, Smoak led all hitters with 11 home runs, a .565 slugging percentage and 21 extra base hits. His performance earned him MVP honors as well as being named the Cape's top prospect by Baseball America.

Last spring, Smoak continued his hot hitting and led the Gamecocks with 22 HR's, 72 RBI, and 164 total bases to go along with a .315 average. Maybe even more impressive is the fact that he walked 54 times opposed to only 40 strikeouts.

Invited to play for Team USA in June, Smoak tore it up during their opening 6 game tour of the NECBL, hitting 3 home runs and 3 doubles. However, once international play began he struggled for the first time, ending up with a .223 average while failing to adjust to off speed pitches, and didn't hit another home run all summer.

Although he had a rough stint with Team USA, the Goose Creek, S.C. native had already showed that he could handle wood bats in the Cape and he looks to lead his Gamecock team to Omaha this spring.

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Pedro Alvarez

We start off our list of prospects for the 2008 college baseball season with perhaps the most talented position player in the country: Vanderbilt's junior third baseman Pedro Alvarez. Previously drafted in 2005 in the 14th round by the Red Sox, Alvarez is the pre season favorite to be the first pick of the MLB draft this June. At 6'2" 225 pounds, Alvarez possesses tremendous power from the left side and has a cannon for an arm. Baseball America named Alvarez their Freshman of the Year in 2006 after hitting .329 with a Vanderbilt school record 22 home runs (more than 1/3 of the team's HR's and tops among all third basemen in the nation) and 64 RBI's. The following summer, Alvarez led Team USA with a .378 average along with 5 HR's and a team high 48 RBI's.

As a sophomore, Alvarez improved upon his impressive freshman campaign in one of the nation's toughest conferences, the SEC. He hit .386 with 18 HR's and 68 RBI's to garner unanimous first team All America accolades. Invited to join the National squad for a second straight summer, Pedro led the team with 30 RBI's, 70 total bases, and a .551 slugging percentage. He hit .315 with 7 HR's and 9 doubles, and was 5-10 in stolen base attempts.

As good of a hitter as he is, Alvarez may be a better person. He is humble and respectful to others. This past summer, no one on Team USA signed more baseballs or posed for more pictures with fans than Pedro. On Feb 22nd against defending National Champs Oregon State in Tempe, AZ, the junior third baseman out of Horace Mann High School in the Bronx looks to start building upon his impressive resume and cement his status as the country's top collegiate hitter going into the draft.

Read more

Sphere: Related Content

Welcome!

Welcome to College Baseball Prospects! We aim to provide information about the top NCAA Baseball players in the country and let you know why they stand out from the rest. In the upcoming weeks there will be player profiles listed as well as a Top 10 list of athletes to be on the lookout for during the 2008 season. Read more

Sphere: Related Content