And that means it’s time for my annual preseason All-American team. With the usual distinction, only players that have previously participated at Perfect Game showcase events are eligible.

Catcher

Trevor Coleman- Missouri
Coleman has admirably handled some impressive pitchers over the last three seasons, and has quietly enjoyed a solid college baseball career. A switch hitter, he has a cumulative .289 batting average over his first two seasons with the Tigers and 13 home runs over 360 at-bats. The 2009 class isn’t expected to be particularly strong with college catchers, but Coleman is one of the more interesting prospects that should go in the top two or three rounds of the draft. He was the starting catcher for the West All-Stars last summer as a participant in the Cape Cod League, and handled a rather impressive staff for the Falmouth Commodores.

Honorable mention: Diego Seastrunk, Rice

First Base

Rich Poythress, Georgia
As Gordon Beckham had a huge, All-American season for Georgia last spring, Poythress offered him valuable protection in the Bulldogs lineup serving as the cleanup hitter. That means losing Beckham won’t be as big of a blow to the team that finished second in the College World Series. Poythress offers a large, imposing presence with power to all fields. He has played third base in the past, but is better suited across the diamond at first. He hit .374 with 22 doubles and 15 home runs, slugging .626 while driving in 75 while showing solid on-base skills.

Honorable mention: Hunter Morris, Auburn

Second Base

Kyle Seager – North Carolina
I mentioned in a previous column that Seager is in a prime position to improve his draft stock, since his games will be well-attended by the scouting community due to teammates Dustin Ackley and Alex White. That isn’t to say that Seager wouldn’t draw a crowd on his own, finishing third on the loaded Tar Heels team a year ago in batting (.347), second in home runs (nine) and first in doubles (30), triples (5) and RBI (75). He is lauded for his leadership skills and instincts for the game of baseball, and would seem to be a relatively safe pick to succeed at the next level.

Honorable mention: Joseph Sanders, Auburn

Third Base

Chris Dominguez - Louisville
Based on raw tools, few match up to Dominguez impressive combination of power at the plate and arm strength at the hot corner, and his hulking, physically imposing presence only adds to his value. Whether or not he will be able to stick at the hot corner for the long-run, and whether or not he will be able to make the necessary adjustments to tone down his swing, are two large questions when Dominguez’ name in relationship to his future potential comes up. He has hit 36 home runs in his two full seasons with the Cardinals, and led the Cape with 10 dingers last summer, and that should be enough for him to go early on draft day in June.

Honorable mention: Victor Sanchez, San Diego

Shortstop

Grant Green - USC
Green is the cream of this crop, overall among his fellow All-Americans and also among his own positional category. No position is as deep for the 2009 draft at the college level than shortstop, with Robbie Shields, Ryan Jackson and D.J. LeMahieu all in the running for the nomination. Green’s combination of power, speed and the ability to stick at shortstop defensively makes him one of the top prospects overall among those available for the 2009 draft, and he cemented his status with a successful stint swinging a wood bat on the Cape last summer. He will enter the spring as one of the most heavily scouted players in the nation, and will be looking to enjoy a Golden Spikes caliber season.

Honorable mention: Robbie Shields, Florida Southern

Outfield

Kentrail Davis - Tennessee
Few players can match Davis’ natural hitting instincts, as he as exhibited a professional approach at the plate since high school that led to him being named to the 2006 Aflac All-American team. He made a big enough impression as a freshman at Tennessee and during his stint last summer with Team USA that he is being considered as an early first-round pick as a draft-eligible sophomore. Overall he is an exciting offensive player with a good burst out of the box and on the basepaths, with budding power potential. He can bat leadoff, but if he continues to stroke balls over the outfield fence, he’s a better fit in the three-hole.

Aaron Senne - Missouri
Senne is the second of two Mizzou Tigers on this list, as he and Trevor Coleman will provide a pair of impact bats in the heart of their lineup while serving as rocks up the middle defensively for a team loaded with pitching. Senne’s swing, size and long, strong limbs have garnered comparisons to Paul O’Neil, although Senne needs to work on shortening his swing and his overall approach at the plate before he comes close to putting up numbers similar to O’Neil’s. He has hit for power the past two summers in the Northwoods League, leading the circuit in that category in 2007, and is poised for a big year after taking a big step forward from his freshman year to last spring.

Blake Dean - LSU
The LSU program may have returned to its perennial, national prominence with a strong showing at the College World Series a year ago and lofty preseason expectations, and Dean is their most lethal hitter. He’s not going to sneak up on anyone this year after leading the Tigers in hitting (.353 and .316 respectively) and RBI (73, 46) the past two years while also socking 20 home runs last spring. He’s not overly toolsy, but he does have a strong throwing arm for an outfielder, which allowed him to star as both a hitter and as a pitcher in high school. He’s a fit for the usual collection of teams that emphasize production over projection come June.

Honorable mention: Tim Wheeler, Sacramento State, Jared Mitchell, LSU, Gabe Cohen, UCLA,

Utility

Robert Stock - USC
After arriving at USC with a tremendous amount of fanfare, having bypassed his senior year in high school by meeting all of his school’s requirements early, Stock has quietly put together a solid college career, serving as the team’s starting catcher and as the team’s closer. He receives high marks for his work in every facet of his game, including two summer stints on the Cape, and his overall package is highlighted by his arm strength. His prodigious power potential at the plate has been slow to develop the past few years, but he has shown a very disciplined eye and overall approach at the plate.

Honorable mention: Aaron Miller, Baylor

Starting Pitcher

Andrew Oliver – Oklahoma State
Oliver’s season is still in question, since he currently is scheduled to be suspended for 40 of Oklahoma State’s 56 regular-season contests. That could change by the end of the week, as his case currently is under trial. If the suspension is lifted, Oliver could put together a Golden Spikes caliber season for the Cowboys, where scoring runs has never been an issue. Oliver has been the team’s staff ace pretty much since stepping onto campus, and has enjoyed successful summers the past two years on the Cape and with Team USA. Armed with a power fastball and blessed with a sturdy and strong yet projectable frame, Oliver stands to go early in June’s draft regardless of his fate in court.

Mike Minor - Vanderbilt
Minor has pitched like a savvy veteran pretty much since stepping onto Vanderbilt’s campus, with a polished and cerebral approach that is reminiscent to southpaws such as David Price, Ryan Mullins and Jeremy Sowers that have preceded Minor at Vandy. He has pitched each of the past two summers with Team USA, and his approach has allowed him to also enjoy success on the international circuit. While his best pitch is his changeup, his fastball velocity has improved from the mid-to-upper 80s while in high school to the 88-91 range, and he also has made strides tightening up his breaking pitch.

Kendal Volz - Baylor
Volz hopes to carry his success over from last summer, in which he was used as Team USA’s closer, to the spring, where he will lead a weekend rotation that includes Craig Fritsch and Shawn Tolleson, arguably the best such trio in the nation. Volz and Tolleson as well as teammates Aaron Miller and Dustin Dickerson were part of a highly regarded recruiting class from a few years ago, and they were expected to carry the Bears to bigger and better things. That hasn’t happened, at least not as well as predicted, to this point, but there is plenty of talent to emerge from this group for the Bears to enjoy a big season. Volz and his power repertoire could lead the way.

Honorable mention: Matt Thomson, San Diego, Matt Harvey, North Carolina, Kyle Smith, Kent State

Relief Pitcher

Scott Bittle, Ole Miss
Bittle had a season last year statistically that makes you rub your eyes to make sure you’re reading the line properly: 7-1 record, 1.78 ERA, 35 hits and 30 walks allowed in over 70 innings of work with 130 strikeouts. And this came from a player who made all of his appearances (27) out of the Ole Miss bullpen. He decided not to sign with the Yankees last summer after being drafted in the second round, and has returned to campus in an attempt to push the Rebels to Omaha. He has the single best signature pitch of any collegian, an absolutely nasty cut-fastball that looks and acts like both a slider and a split-fingered fastball. Such pitches have defined some of the best closers in the game at the Major League level.

Honorable mention: Jason Stoffel, Arizona.

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.