| Our college rankings are the newest member of a family of established prospect rankings | ||||||||||||||||
| No. | Player | Pos | Notes | Age | YR | TM | CON | Pre. | ||||||||
| 1 | Pedro Alvarez | 3B | Patient power hitter has 40 HR through his first 2 collegiate seasons | 20 | Jr. | VAN | SEC | n/a | ||||||||
| 2 | Justin Smoak | 1B | Switch-hitter with a sweet, powerful stroke and good athleticism | 20 | Jr. | SC | SEC | n/a | ||||||||
| 3 | Brian Matusz | LHP | Powerful lefty with the polish and stuff to be a dominant pro pitcher | 20 | Jr. | SD | WAC | n/a | ||||||||
| 4 | Brett Wallace | 1B | Pac-10 2007 Player of the year mashes with a sound plate approach | 20 | Jr. | ASU | Pac-10 | n/a | ||||||||
| 5 | Jemile Weeks | 2B | Good batting eye and baseball instincts; offers some speed, power | 20 | Jr. | MIA | ACC | n/a | ||||||||
| * Ages are as of 7/3/07 | ||||||||||||||||
| ** TM is the player's school | ||||||||||||||||
| *** CON is the player's conference | ||||||||||||||||
| **** Pre. is the player's rankings from our last college rankings. | ||||||||||||||||
| ***** Our rankings combine a player's ceiling with the odds that he'll reach it and favor recent production | ||||||||||||||||
With the 2007 MLB Draft in the past and next year’s installment a mere 11 months away, it’s never too early to get a head start on evaluating a new class of talent. To make sure that college baseball’s presence is felt year-round this offseason, Project Prospect will preview the nation’s best collegiate talent by presenting College Prospect Rankings on alternating weeks. Each week will offer a longer list of rankings, as we build up to our weekly updated in-season Top 25 College Prospect Rankings.
1. Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Vanderbilt (2/6/87)
Two years as a collegiate baseball player, two years as a First Team All-American. After bursting onto the scene with a .329/.456/.675 vital line and 22 home runs, the first-year sensation proved he was no one-hit wonder, improving to .386/.463/.684 with 18 home runs for his sophomore campaign. A 6-foot-2, 215-pounder, Alvarez earns top honors for a combination of patience (40 BB) and power (42 XBH) well beyond his years.
2. Justin Smoak, 1B, South Carolina (12/5/86)
In 1990, there was little to no doubt as to who would be the No. 1 overall selection in the MLB Draft: Chipper Jones. With Justin Smoak routinely called a second coming of Jones, Smoak’s power stroke lands him among the nation’s best with ease. Drawing comparisons to Jones for both his frame (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and sweet, switch-hitting stroke, Smoak, 20, posted a .315/.434/.631 vital line with 22 home runs in 2007. While fans will be left in awe of his 38 XBH, talent evaluators are left drooling over a pure slugger that has already developed a keen eye at the dish (54:40 BB to K).
3. Brian Matusz, LHP, San Diego (2/11/87)
Brian Matusz earns honors as the top pitcher in a hitter-heavy college 2008 draft class. Holding a 6-foot-4 frame with a deep arsenal from the left side, Matusz posted a 10-3 record, 2.85 ERA, and 1.10 WHIP for the Toreros to turn the club into a legitimate title contender. Team a powerful fastball with two strong off-speed pitches (changeup, curveball) and a 163:37 K to BB rate in 123.0 IP and the Cave Creek, Ariz. native is the complete package that scouts are gunning for.
4. Brett Wallace, 1B, Arizona State (8/26/86)
Selected in the 42nd round out of Justin-Sienna (Napa, Calif.) H.S. in the 2005 MLB Draft, Brett Wallace opted to honor his commitment to Arizona State over the low minors of the Toronto Blue Jays farm system. After being named the 2007 Pac-10 Player of the Year, it’s pretty clear that Wallace made the right decision. A 6-foot-1, 245-pound beast, Wallace, 20, paced the Sun Devils with an imposing .404/.484/.687 vital line. Wallace holds the pure power potential that is extremely hard to come by, solidifying himself near the forefront of the 2008 draft class.
5. Jemile Weeks, 2B, Miami (FL) (1/26/87)
Everything seems to be going the right way for Jemile Weeks. A 5-foot-9, 155-pounder, he has a strong major league bloodline and plays a position that’s scarce with high-end talent. Weeks has cast his older brother Rickie’s shadow aside to develop into a prospect of his own. Going .298/.393/.489 in 2007, he has proven himself as a player with an excellent combination of on-base and slugging ability.
Ready to get a start on next year’s draft boards, too? Adam Loberstein can be reached at adamloberstein@gmail.com.