The CBB continues our countdown to the 2009 College Baseball season with our Top 50 players to watch. We will be providing one player each day (Monday-Saturday) until we reach number 1. We continue our list with junior right handed pitcher Jeffrey Inman of Stanford.
The Bakersfield, California, native burst onto the scene as a Freshman in 2007, logging 73.2 innings with a 4-4 record, and was named Stanford’s Most Outstanding Freshman. After arm issues in the offseason, Inman came back in 2008 to be one of the most consistent pitcher amongst a very deep staff, going 7-2 in 11 appearances during the regular season. Inman made 5 appearances in the postseason, including getting the win in a regional elimination game against UC Davis and the no-decision in a loss to eventual runner up Georgia. He totaled 13 starts and 16 appearances for the 2008 season.
Inman had a great sophomore campaign, but was somewhat overlooked amongst the superstars of the Stanford Cardinal staff. This summer is where he really made a name for himself playing for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod League. He went 1-1 with a 3.73 in 6 starts, and had 34 strikeouts over 31.1 innings, 13 of those coming in his last start against eventual CCBL champions the Harwich Mariners. That was enough to deem him the 9th best Cape Cod prospect by Baseball America; the 4th highest rated pitcher on that list.
Even though Stanford lost a lot of pitching to the draft this year, they still could have one of the best pitching staffs in the country this season, headlined by Inman, Danny Sandbrink and Alex Pracher. We’ll be watching for Inman to be the ace of this rotation as he tries to lead the Cardinal to a Pac-10 title, and more importantly, another appearance in Omaha in 2009.
