PG College Top 25 | Video Vault
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Draft
Watch
Here
is how the players currently ranked among the top 50 of Perfect Game's top 250 draft-eligible prospects have fared so far this season.
Hitters
| Rk. |
Player |
Pos. |
School |
Stats |
| 6 |
Dansby Swanson |
SS |
Vanderbilt |
.365/.475/.573, 7 2B, 3 HR, 10 SB |
| 16 |
Richie Martin |
SS |
Florida |
.272/.389/.391, 4 2B, 1 HR, 7 SB |
| 17 |
Alex Bregman |
SS |
Louisiana State |
.316/.375/.612, 9 2B, 6 HR, 13 SB |
| 20 |
Ian Happ |
OF |
Cincinnati |
.427/.542/.800, 7 2B, 7 HR, 5 SB |
| 25 |
Christin Stewart |
OF |
Tennessee |
.343/.483/.716, 5 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR |
| 26 |
D.J. Stewart |
OF |
Florida State |
.304/.534/.684, 3 2B, 9 HR, 25 RBI |
| 34 |
Chris Shaw |
OF |
Boston College |
.221/.333/.426, 2 2B, 4 HR, 20 RBI |
| 40 |
Gio Brusa |
OF |
Pacific |
.239/.386/.521, 6 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR |
| 44 |
Steven Duggar |
OF |
Clemson |
.259/.369/.309, 4 2B, 17 BB, 3 SB |
47th-ranked
prospect, Joe McCarthy, out with back injury
Pitchers
| Rk. |
Player |
Pos. |
School |
Stats |
| 3 |
Michael Matuella |
RHP |
Duke |
1-0, 0.44 ERA, 20.1 IP, 18:6 |
| 4 |
Kyle Funkhouser |
RHP |
Louisville |
2-2, 2.61 ERA, 38 IP, 42:17 |
| 5 |
Walker Buehler |
RHP |
Vanderbilt |
2-0, 2.55 ERA, 17.2 IP, 19:6 |
| 8 |
Carson Fulmer |
RHP |
Vanderbilt |
3-1, 1.85 ERA, 34 IP, 48:18 |
| 11 |
Cody Ponce |
RHP |
Cal Poly Pomona |
2-0, 1.59 ERA, 11.1 IP, 14:2 |
| 14 |
Nathan Kirby |
LHP |
Virginia |
3-1, 1.16 ERA, 38.2 IP, 54:19 |
| 18 |
Kyle Cody |
RHP |
Kentucky |
2-2, 4.88 ERA, 31.1 IP, 30:7 |
| 19 |
Jake Lemoine |
RHP |
Houston |
1-1, 4.50 ERA, 24 IP, 15:4 |
| 21 |
Riley Ferrell |
RHP |
Texas Christian |
0-1, 1.54 ERA, 7 SV, 11.2 IP, 20:6 |
| 27 |
James Kaprelian |
RHP |
UCLA |
5-1, 2.13 ERA, 38 IP, 46:8 |
| 29 |
Dillon Tate |
RHP |
UC Santa Barbara |
3-2, 1.69 ERA, 42.2 IP, 49:14 |
| 31 |
Alex Young |
LHP |
Texas Christian |
4-1, 1.21 ERA, 29.2 IP, 29:7 |
| 36 |
Brett Lilek |
LHP |
Arizona State |
1-2, 5.32 ERA, 23.2 IP, 22:15 |
| 38 |
Tyler Ferguson |
RHP |
Vanderbilt |
0-0, 18.69 ERA, 4.1 IP, 4:19 |
| 43 |
Marc Brakeman |
RHP |
Stanford |
0-1, 3.71 ERA, 17 IP, 13:7 |
30th-ranked prospect, Jon Duplantier, out
with arm soreness
Freshman/Sophomore Stat Pack
During the course of the season our friends at CollegeSplits.com are going to be providing statistical leaders in the freshmen and sophomore classes in five different offensive categories and four different pitching categories. Each week we will choose one of those categories to share in the weekly PG college baseball national notebook, with RBI and ERA being listed this week.
Runs Batted In
|
Freshmen |
|
|
|
|
Sophomores |
|
|
| Rk. |
Name |
School |
RBI |
|
Rk. |
Name |
School |
RBI |
| 1 |
K.J. Harrison |
Oregon State |
28 |
|
1 |
Will Craig |
Wake Forest |
37 |
| 2 |
Kel Johnson |
Georgia Tech |
25 |
|
2 |
Nate Mondou |
Wake Forest |
34 |
| 2 |
Kyle Marsh |
UCF |
25 |
|
3 |
Nate Palace |
Valparaiso |
29 |
| 4 |
J.J. Schwarz |
Florida |
24 |
|
4 |
Trenton Brooks |
Nevada |
27 |
| 4 |
Dlan Busby |
Florida State |
24 |
|
5 |
Casey Hughston |
Alabama |
26 |
| 6 |
Ryan Flick |
Tennessee Tech |
23 |
|
6 |
Donnie Dewess |
North Florida |
25 |
| 7 |
Michael Morman |
Richmond |
22 |
|
6 |
Bobby Dalbec |
Arizona |
25 |
| 8 |
Stuart Fairchild |
Wake Forest |
21 |
|
8 |
Gavin Supienski |
UNC-Wilmington |
24 |
| 8 |
Alex Destino |
South Carolina |
21 |
|
8 |
Preston Palmeiro |
N.C. State |
24 |
| 8 |
Connor Wong |
Houston |
21 |
|
8 |
Chris DeVito |
New Mexico |
24 |
|
|
|
|
|
8 |
Sheldon Neuse |
Oklahoma |
24 |
Earned Run Average
|
Freshmen |
|
|
|
|
Sophomores |
|
|
| Rk. |
Name |
School |
ERA |
|
Rk. |
Name |
School |
ERA |
| 1 |
Ryan Selmer |
Maryland |
0.54 |
|
1 |
Drew Harrington |
Louisville |
0.41 |
| 2 |
Shane McCarthy |
Seton Hall |
0.73 |
|
2 |
Jett Meenach |
Navy |
0.74 |
| 3 |
Robbie Metz |
George Washington |
0.74 |
|
3 |
Thomas Belcher |
Indiana |
0.79 |
| 4 |
Connor Mayes |
Texas |
0.87 |
|
4 |
Conner O'Neil |
Cal State Northridge |
0.96 |
| 4 |
Ron Marinaccio |
Delaware |
0.87 |
|
5 |
Michael Farley |
South Florida |
0.98 |
| 6 |
Devin Sweet |
North Carolina Central |
1.01 |
|
6 |
Evan Challenger |
Georgia Southern |
1.02 |
| 7 |
Brendan McKay |
Louisville |
1.04 |
|
7 |
Collin Kober |
McNeese State |
1.04 |
| 8 |
Zac Lowther |
Xavier |
1.08 |
|
8 |
Mitchell Traver |
Texas Christian |
1.07 |
| 9 |
Connor Simmons |
Georgia Southern |
1.35 |
|
9 |
B.J. Butler |
Ball State |
1.08 |
| 10 |
Drew Rasmussen |
Oregon State |
1.36 |
|
10 |
Anthony Kay |
Connecticut |
1.28 |
| 10 |
Michael Baumann |
Jacksonville |
1.36 |
|
|
|
|
|
Cal
State Fullerton, 1, at Long Beach State, 6 (Sunday)
Sunday
afternoon belonged to the Dirtbags and gave them the series win in
the non-conference matchup between the Big West rivals. After the
first two games of the series went into extra innings, the Dirtbags
got a lights-out performance from freshman starter Chris Mathewson
and were led by their All-American, sophomore shortstop Garrett
Hampson, en route to the 6-1 victory at Blair Field.
The
6-foot-1, 190-pound freshman righthander Mathewson continues to
impress for the Dirtbags early in the season and looks ready to help
guide his club through a gritty Big West schedule that starts next
Friday at Santa Barbara. The 28th round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2014, Mathewson’s free and easy
release and smooth mechanics allow him to maintain a very repeatable
delivery and showed tremendous feel with both his fastball and slider
that had good, heavy, sideways tilt to it. Mathewson had Titan
hitters guessing at the plate all afternoon and continued to mix up
his pitch sequence throughout his entire outing. Mathewson’s
fastball sat 88-91 mph with his slider at 80-82, and pounded both
sides of the plate with consistency. Mathewson threw seven complete
innings giving up four hits, one run (unearned), one walk and seven
strikeouts, four of which he froze Titan hitters. The freshman
improved his record to 2-2 in his four starts this year and is second
on the staff with a 1.88 earned run average.
Dirtbag
shortstop Garrett Hampson, Perfect Game's 25th rated sophomore, lived
up to expectation yet again and continues to prove why he will be at
the top of the draft charts come June of 2016. He flashes great range
in the middle of the field with an above average arm. His footwork is
incredible and the more and more you watch him you see the leadership
qualities he possesses.
He
is super smooth with quick hands and gets rid of the baseball in a
hurry. Standing 5-foot-11, 175-pounds he has a very mature approach
at the dish. This guy does not get cheated. He takes big, aggressive
swings but stays very short to the ball and has the ability to throw
the hands and get the head out consistently.
Hampson
can also really run and is threat on the bases. His instincts in the
field and on the bases are remarkable and he is the type of player
that can carry a team because of how dynamic he is. He finished the
day 3-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored, and he leads the
Dirtbags in hitting (.307), runs scored (17) and stolen bases (9).
National
Notes
• There
might not be a direct correlation to junior shortstop Donnie Walton’s
return and Oklahoma State’s success this weekend against TCU, but
you can be assured the Cowboys are glad to have him back. Starting
just his second game of the year after battling an injury, Walton not
only brings back one of the top OSU bats from 2014 (.310-3-36), but
he also brings leadership to the team and solidifies the defense up
the middle. In his debut, Walton slapped a single through the
right-side hole, plating a run while picking up his first hit and RBI
of 2015.
Cowboys'
senior lefty Michael Freeman has been magnificent this spring and was
so once again facing a tough Horned Frogs lineup, improving to 4-0 on
the year after throwing a complete game, six-hit shutout, striking
out nine with just one walk.
• After
the Horned Frogs fell behind quickly in their Sunday loss to Oklahoma
State, 6-foot-9 sophomore righthander Brian Howard was summoned from
the 'pen to relieve starter Alex Young, who gave up six runs in 2 2/3
innings (although none of them were earned). Howard picked up where
he left off last Tuesday, when he delivered four shutout innings in a
mid-week start over UT Pan American, throwing another 4 1/3
scoreless, allowing only two hits and a walk in a nearly identical
performance. He uses his size very well to pitch on a downhill plane,
making him that much more difficult to hit, and he also exhibits very
good command for a young pitcher of his stature. It's easy to
envision Howard adding a few more ticks to his fastball as the spring
and summer seasons progress, and it's also easy to envision him
serving a weekend role, along with fellow current mid-week starter
Tyler Alexander and lefthanded reliever Ryan Burnett, next season.
• It
might not be Division I news, pertaining more so to the draft, but
Cal Poly Pomona righthander Cody Ponce returned to the mound on
Sunday after missing his last few starts. Ponce was impressive,
working consistently in the low-90s and peaked at 95 in his third and
final inning of work, a pre-determined number of innings that he
would throw. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Ponce wasn’t limited to
throwing just his fastball, as he also threw his low-80s curveball
and upper-80s slider, throwing each for strikes. He’ll continue to
work himself back into mid-season form but it was a very strong
comeback start, working a quick three innings allowing just three
hits while striking out three and walking none. He threw just 44
pitches, improving to 2-0 on the year.
• Missouri's
5-1 start in SEC conference play isn't the only thing that has the
Tigers garnering national attention right now. Part two of the
equation is that Missouri's No. 22 ranked freshman class is
legitimate and this group is already making a huge impact.
Tanner
Houck headlines this group as he is already the Missouri Saturday
starter and a potential first round pick for 2017. As we mentioned
previously, Houck has drawn comparisons to Jared Weaver and Aaron
Nola because of his big velocity from a lower three-quarters arm
slot. He is the real deal.
Catcher
Brett Bond is a physical (6-foot-1, 210-pounds) switch-hitter who
leads the team in hitting and hits fifth in the everyday lineup.
Outfielder Trey Harris, who has also earned a starting role, brings
great strength at 5-foot-10 and 215-pounds and he has electric bat
speed. Harris plays with a contagious energy and swagger and he had
the walk-off base hit in game two versus South Carolina.
And
if that's not exciting enough, the Tigers have two more freshman
waiting in the wings. Bryce Montes De Oca, their highly touted
behometh right-hander, saw his first SEC action against South
Carolina, and while he lacks polish, the arm strength and projection
are off the charts. Montes De Oca, who is 6-foot-7 and 262-pounds,
touched 96 mph with his fastball and the arm action is plenty clean.
He wasn't able to hold runners or consistently throw strikes but the
upside is something to dream on.
Finally,
infielder Shane Benes, the son of long-time Big Leaguer Andy Benes,
already possesses the biggest power in the program and he figures to
be a middle-of-the-order hitter for Mizzou in the short term.
Unfortunately, Benes also has terrible luck as he has missed two
seasons in a row, including 2015 to this point, with injuries. He
first injured his knee during his senior season of high school
basketball and then re-injured it this fall. Benes' talent is not in
question but the layoff could be a short-term issue for him. The
Tigers hope to get him back sometime in April.
Missouri
recruiting coordinator Kerrick Jackson has a scouting background so
it's no surprise that the combination of his skill set and the
Tigers' new membership in the SEC have allowed this program to
restock baseball talent in a big way.
• The
theme of the Washington State-Oregon State series in Corvallis should
have been "Bring Your Own Radar Gun" as both teams featured
dominating arms. The Beavers' freshman phenom Drew Rasmussen
continued his upward climb with a perfect game in game two of the
series. Rasmussen touched 96 mph and commanded his fastball to both
sides of the plate. Not only does Rasmussen possess elite arm
strength but he's a quick learner also. After battling through a
rough start at Arizona State the previous week, Rasmussen quickly
adjusted to post a perfect outing just one week later.
Ian
Hamilton, the Cougars' sophomore closer, is a 6-foot righthander who
has jumped forward this spring. Hamilton brings a power arsenal and
has touched as high as 98 mph. He was 94-96 this weekend and he is
definitely a name for 2016 draft lists.
Apparently
velocity is contagious because Beaver freshman lefthander Luke
Heimlich worked at 88-92 mph this weekend also. Heimlich sat at 82-86
mph as a starter earlier in the year but the move to the bullpen has
produced a sizable tick up in velocity. Heimlich should only be a
senior in high school right now as he graduated early to join the
Oregon State program in January.
• Something
had to give in Charlottesville this weekend as Virginia, who owns a
reputation as one of the best strike-throwing programs in the
country, hosted Florida State, whose offense has led the nation in
walks five times since 2008 while never finishing lower than third.
Well
score one for the Martin family as the Seminoles drew 32 walks
throughout the three games of their road series victory over the
Cavaliers. Mike Martin Jr. works with the Seminole hitters and he and
his father have once again coached the Martin family competitive
streak into this lineup.
The
Cavaliers look more vulnerable right now than maybe they ever have
under Brian O'Connor. Injuries to key veteran hitters Joe McCarthy
and John La Prise have thrust five freshman into the starting lineup.
Now their veteran rotation appears to be pressing to compensate for
these losses and the end result is a 3-6 start in ACC play for
Virginia.
The
coaching staff of O'Connor, Kevin McMullan, and Karl Kuhn are in
their 12th year together. This staff is among the nation's most
respected, so as grim as this current situation might appear, betting
against this group feels premature.
• Freshman
Griffin Canning has replaced Cody Poteet in the UCLA weekend rotation
and he has not disappointed. Canning ran his record to 4-1 by
defeating Utah this weekend and he had retired an incredible 28
straight hitters during his last two starts.
• At
5-foot-8 and 155-pounds, it is more than possible to miss Dallas
Baptist sophomore shortstop Camden Duzenack standing in a crowd. It
is not possible to miss his play over the last two seasons however.
Duzenack
led the Patriots in hitting as a freshman in 2014, hitting .321 over
42 starts. He capped his rookie campaign by being named Most
Outstanding Player of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Duzenack
is at it again in 2015 with a slash line of .333/.429/.519 and he has
just two errors over 21 games for a fielding percentage of .979.
Despite his slight frame, Duzenack also has three home runs so far
this season.
We
missed Duzenack in our recent piece on this year's incredible crop of
college shortstops and it led to an enormous compliment for his
outstanding play. We had an opposing coach from a Regional caliber
program, who also had his own shortstop make this list, comment that
Duzenack might be the best of all of those names. That is high praise
indeed.
• Michael
Murray and Brady Anderson turned in dazzling back-to-back
performances for Florida Gulf Coast in their first two games against
Bethune-Cookman this past weekend. Both delivered complete games
efforts, using 112 and 101 pitches respectively. Murray allowed only
six hits and struck out four while Anderson gave up four hits and a
walk, as well as one unearned run, while striking out 10. Their
performances allowed FGCU to send five fresh pitchers to the mound on
Sunday in a 9-8 win, which led to the series sweep. Anderson was
named the co-Pitcher of the Week in the Atlantic Sun Conference for
his performance.