College Baseball Daily continues our countdown to the start of the 2013 college baseball season by checking in on the Top 100 Players in the country. We will be providing one player per day until we reach number 1.
Number 86 on our Top 100 Countdown is Arizona’s Mathew Troupe. The 6’2 right-handed pitcher from Northridge, California was a 16th-round draft pick by the Yankees in 2011 that contributed significantly to the Wildcats during his freshman campaign in route to their 2012 national championship.
As a freshman, Troupe saw quite a bit of time as a reliever for the Wildcats, appearing on the mound in 24 games throughout the 2012 season. Troupe posted a 6-1 record on the season with six saves and an ERA of 3.47. During his 36.1 innings pitched, Troupe walked 19 and struck out 44. Perhaps the most memorable moment in Troupe’s freshman campaign was when Troupe was in fact the winning pitcher in game two of Arizona’s College World Series championship series win over South Carolina.
The faith that the Wildcats have already shown in Troupe in just one season is truly remarkable. In the championship-clinching game two of the CWS, the Wildcats turned to Troupe who took over on the mound in the eighth with two outs and the tying run on third. Troupe proved clutch, and continued not only to get Arizona out of a jam in the eighth but also to do the same on the biggest stage in college baseball in the ninth, securing the Wildcats’ victory and national championship.
From a scouting perspective, Troupe has a great deal of potential and has already shown glimpses of what he is capable of. He has a solid frame that allows room for his velocity to continue to peak. While his velocity definitely may continue to increase, his fastball is already maxing out in the low to mid-90s. His repertoire also includes a few other great pitches that he’s capable of including a plus changeup, a good slider and a great curve ball. Troupe’s ability to come out clutch in high pressure situations make him a great go-to reliever, but he definitely has the tools and potential to fill into a starting role if the Wildcats see a desire for him there. The fact that Troupe has already proven to come up clutch in high pressure situations leaves a lot of room for excitement among Wildcat fans and college baseball fans alike, making him one of the top players to watch for in 2013.
You can check out the rest of our Top 100 by clicking here.
