Talent evaluators are already looking forward to the strong prep draft class for next June, particularly after the completion of the 2006 WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Florida, where almost all of that talent was on display playing with and against the best players in the nation. While the strong high school class is poised to make the 2007 draft very special, the college class offers a strong base of talent as well, with many of those college players participating in the 2003 WWBA tourney.
I thought it would be interesting to go back and look at some of the more intriguing names from the 2003 tournament that currently are some of the better college prospects available for the 2007 draft. If this team were assembled today, it likely would give Team USA (some of the players listed below did play for Team USA) a run for their money.
Catcher
J.P. Arencibia has strut his stuff as numerous Perfect Game and WWBA events. He has spent the past two summers serving as Team USA’s primary catcher, handling two of the best collective college pitching staffs with aplomb. At Tennessee, he became the Volunteers starting catcher immediately, and is now the heart and soul of the middle of their lineup.
Second Team: Josh Donaldson, Auburn
First Base
When it comes to power, few ’07 draft eligible players can match the power of Lewis-Clark State transfer Beau Mills. A well built, left-handed hitting slugger, Mills spent his first two years at Fresno State, where he immediately made an impact his freshman year by swatting 22 home runs.
Second Team: Chad Flack, North Carolina
Middle Infield
It’s hard to break this category down by shortstop and second base, since all of the players on both the first and second teams are shortstops primarily. Mississippi’s Zach Cozart (Ole Miss) would win the nod at SS over first-team partner Josh Horton of North Carolina for his slick glove. Both have contact bats with a knack for providing their respective teams clutch hits.
Second Team: Brian Friday, Rice, Stan Widmann, Clemson
Third Base
Matt Mangini started to make a name for himself during the summer of 2005 when he was named the top prospect in the Northwoods League. He continued that success through to the beginning of the 2006 season at NC State, and kept on hitting on the Cape this past summer, leading the circuit in batting with a .310 average. Mangini has since transferred to Oklahoma State.
Second Team: Todd Frazier, Rutgers
Outfield
An athletic outfield of Warren McFadden (Tulane), Julio Borbon (Tennessee) and Michael Taylor (Stanford) certainly could cover a lot of ground. Borbon is a prototypical leadoff hitter that played his best baseball for Team USA this past summer, McFadden was tied for second in the Cape Cod League this past summer in home runs with eight, while Michael Taylor’s athletic toolset had him projected to go in the first round of the 2004 draft.
Second Team: Corey Brown, Oklahoma State, Antone DeJesus, Kentucky, Brad Chalk, Clemson
Starting Pitcher
Left-handed pitcher James Adkins is the third of three Tennessee Volunteers to make the first team. He has gone 18-11 with a 3.86 ERA over his first two years in college, striking out 247 batters over 233 innings of work, a testament to his stuff, especially since he is the Vols’ Friday starter in the SEC.
Second Team: Bryan Augenstein, Florida
Closer
Sam Demel (Texas Christian) received quite a few comparisons to Roy Oswalt coming out of high school given his smaller build yet electric stuff. That stuff has allowed him to enjoy quite a bit of success in college, most recently this past summer pitching on the Cape, finishing second in the league with 12 saves.
Second Team: Sean Morgan, Tulane
Congratulations to the Reds Scout Team for winning this year’s championship. Further congratulations to all of the teams, players and coaches that participated, giving the 2006 WWBA World Championship another successful year.
If you haven’t already read Allan Simpson’s detailed day-by-day highlights and notes from the event from WWBA’s website and at PG Crosschecker, be sure to do so.
The thoughts and opinions listed here do not necessarily reflect those of Perfect Game USA. Patrick Ebert is affiliated with both Perfect Game USA and Brewerfan.net, and can be contacted via email at pebert@brewerfan.net.