DURHAM, N.C. — USA Baseball unveiled its 50-player preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list on Tuesday, beginning the process of identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country for the 2016 season. Sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, the 39th Golden Spikes Award will be presented on June 30 in Los Angeles.
The preseason watch list features 50 of the nation’s top amateur players, from high school and college baseball. The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will maintain a rolling list of athletes, allowing players to play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the season.
“We are pleased to announce the 50 members of the preseason Watch List for the 2016 Golden Spikes Award,“ said Paul Seiler, Executive Director/CEO of USA Baseball. “We look forward to following these athletes closely during the course of the baseball season and identifying the best representatives for this prestigious award.”
Headlining the 2016 watch list are seven athletes the Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board has recognized in the past. Zack Collins (C, Miami), Kyle Funkhouser (RHP, Louisville), Sheldon Neuse (IF, Oklahoma), and Cal Quantrill (RHP, Stanford) have been named to the preseason watch list for the second consecutive year, while Luke Gillingham (LHP, Navy), Brendan McKay (LHP, Louisville) and Mike Shawaryn (RHP, Maryland) are the only players on the watch list that were named a semifinalist for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award in 2015.
Jason Groome (LHP, Barnegat High School) and Riley Pint (RHP, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School) are the only high school players represented on the list and Keivan Berges (RHP/OF, Keiser) is the lone NAIA player represented. Division III athlete, Sam Dexter (IF, Southern Maine), and Division II players Will Albertson (C, Catawba), Reese Gregory (RHP/IF, St. Cloud State), Tyson Miller (RHP, California Baptist), and Ryan Olson (RHP, Cal Poly Pomona) are five non-Division I athletes playing in the NCAA on the list. To this day, Alex Fernandez (1990) and Bryce Harper (2010) are the only non-NCAA Division I athletes to win the Golden Spikes Award.
19 different collegiate athletic conferences from NAIA and the NCAA are represented on the 2016 preseason watch list. The Southeastern Conference leads the way with 11 representatives, while the Atlantic Coast Conference has nine and the Pac-12 Conference has six. Florida and Louisville lead all schools in representation with three players each. Missouri, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and Virginia all had a pair of athletes identified on the watch list.
Starting on April 11 and ending April 17, fans will be able to nominate their favorite players for the Golden Spikes Award for the first time ever prior to the reveal of Midseason Watch List on April 20. The semifinalists list will be sent to a voting body consisting of past USA Baseball National Team coaches and press officers, members of the media that follow the amateur game closely, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the 38 previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters.
Fan voting will continue to be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2016, starting on June 1 with the naming of the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. Amateur baseball fans across the country will be able to vote for their favorite semifinalists at GoldenSpikesAward.com. On June 13, USA Baseball will announce the finalists and voting will begin that day and last until June 25.
The winner of the 39th Golden Spikes Award will be named on Thursday, June 30, at a presentation in Los Angeles. The finalists and their families will be honored at the Rod Dedeaux Foundation Dinner that evening at the Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles.
Last year, University of Arkansas’ outfielder Andrew Benintendi took home the prestigious award, joining a group of recent winners that include A. J. Reed (2014), Kris Bryant (2013), Mike Zunino (2012), Trevor Bauer (2011), Bryce Harper (2010), Stephen Strasburg (2009), Buster Posey (2008), and David Price (2007).
The anticipated timeline for the 2016 Golden Spikes Award announcements:
- Tuesday, February 16: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list
- Monday, April 11: 2016 Golden Spikes Award fan nominations begin
- Sunday, April 17: 2016 Golden Spikes Award fan nominations end
- Wednesday, April 20: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list
- Wednesday, June 1: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists, voting begins
- Wednesday, June 8: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists, voting ends
- Monday, June 13: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists, voting begins
- Saturday, June 25: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists, voting ends
- Thursday, June 30: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award trophy presentation
A complete list of the 50-player USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list is as follows:
Name, Position, Class, School, Conference
Will Albertson, C, Senior, Catawba, South Atlantic Conference
Nick Banks, OF, Junior, Texas A&M, Southeastern Conference
Carmen Benedetti, UT, Junior, Michigan, Big Ten Conference
Keivan Berges, RHP/OF, Junior, Keiser, Sun Conference (NAIA)
Ryan Boldt, OF, Junior, Nebraska, Big Ten Conference
Bryson Brigman, IF, Sophomore, San Diego, West Coast Conference
Zack Collins, C, Junior, Miami, Atlantic Coast Conference
Will Craig, RHP/IF, Junior, Wake Forest, Atlantic Coast Conference
Bobby Dalbec, IF, Junior, Arizona, Pac-12 Conference
Sam Dexter, IF, Senior, Southern Maine, Little East Conference
Kyle Funkhouser, RHP, Senior, Louisville, Atlantic Coast Conference
Luke Gillingham, LHP, Senior, Navy, American Athletic Conference
Reese Gregory, RHP/IF, Senior, St. Cloud State, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference
Jason Groome, LHP, Senior (High School), Barnegat High School, High School
Alec Hansen, RHP, Junior, Oklahoma, Big XII Conference
KJ Harrison, C/IF, Sophomore, Oregon St., Pac-12 Conference
Kevin Hill, RHP, RS-Junior, South Alabama, Sun Belt Conference
Keston Hiura, UT, Sophomore, UC Irvine, Big West Conference
Tanner Houck, RHP, Sophomore, Missouri, Southeastern Conference
Ryan Howard, IF, Junior, Missouri, Southeastern Conference
Zach Jackson, RHP, Junior, Arkansas, Southeastern Conference
Daulton Jefferies, RHP, Junior, California, Pac-12 Conference
Kel Johnson, OF, Sophomore, Georgia Tech, Atlantic Coast Conference
Connor Jones, RHP, Junior, Virginia, Atlantic Coast Conference
Anthony Kay, LHP, Junior, UCONN, American Athletic Conference
Matt Krook, LHP, Sophomore, Oregon, Pac-12 Conference
Alex Lange, RHP, Sophomore, Louisiana State, Southeastern Conference
Andrew Lantrip, RHP, Junior, Houston, American Athletic Conference
Eric Lauer, LHP, Junior, Kent State, Mid-American Conference
Kyle Lewis, OF, Junior, Mercer, Southern Conference
Brendan McKay, LHP/IF, Sophomore, Louisville, Atlantic Coast Conference
Tyson Miller, RHP, Junior, California Baptist, Pacific West Conference
Sheldon Neuse, RHP/IF, Junior, Oklahoma, Big XII Conference
Chris Okey, C, Junior, Clemson, Atlantic Coast Conference
Corbin Olmstead, RHP/IF, Senior, North Florida, Atlantic Sun Conference
Ryan Olson, RHP, Junior, Cal Poly Pomona, California Collegiate Athletic Association
Riley Pint, RHP, Senior (High School), Saint Thomas Aquinas High School, High School
A.J. Puk, LHP, Junior, Florida, Southeastern Conference
Cal Quantrill, RHP, Junior, Stanford, Pac-12 Conference
Corey Ray, OF, Junior, Louisville, Atlantic Coast Conference
Buddy Reed, OF, Junior, Florida, Southeastern Conference
Bryan Reynolds, OF, Junior, Vanderbilt, Southeastern Conference
JJ Schwarz, C, Sophomore, Florida, Southeastern Conference
Nick Senzel, IF, Junior, Tennessee, Southeastern Conference
Mike Shawaryn, RHP, Junior, Maryland, Big Ten Conference
Matt Thaiss, C, Junior, Virginia, Atlantic Coast Conference
Mitchell Traver, RHP, RS-Junior, TCU, Big XII Conference
Donnie Walton, IF, Senior, Oklahoma State, Big XII Conference
Colby Woodmansee, IF, Junior, Arizona State, Pac-12 Conference
Kyle Wright, RHP/IF, Sophomore, Vanderbilt, Southeastern Conference
About Golden Spikes Award
Since 1978, USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country with the Golden Spikes Award. Following the first-ever presentation of the Award to Bob Horner of Arizona State, the Golden Spikes Award has been presented each year to the player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability and exemplary sportsmanship. The 2015 Golden Spikes Award winner was Andrew Benintendi of the University of Arkansas. Past winners of this prestigious award include current Major League Baseball players such as Kris Bryant (’13), Mike Zunino (’12), Trevor Bauer (’11), Bryce Harper (’10), Stephen Strasburg (’09), Buster Posey (’08), David Price (’07), Tim Lincecum (’06), Alex Gordon (’05), Jered Weaver (’04), Rickie Weeks (’03) and Mark Kotsay (’95). Former Major League stars that have captured the award include Pat Burrell (’98), Robin Ventura (’88), Jim Abbott (’87), Will Clark (’85), Dave Magadan (’83), Terry Francona (’80), Tim Wallach (’79), and Horner (’78). For more information, please visit GoldenSpikesAward.com. Fans can follow the Golden Spikes Award on Twitter @USAGoldenSpikes.
About USA Baseball
USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, Premier12 and Pan Am teams (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women’s National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. The organization is responsible for the continued proliferation and health of the sport, and leads a number of amateur initiatives including PLAYBALL and Pitch Smart. USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. For more information, please visit the organization’s official websites: USABaseball.com, PLAYBALL.org, PitchSmart.org, GoldenSpikesAward.com and USABaseballShop.com.
