The regular college baseball season starts February 16 and as we have come to know each season, new emerging players come to the fore competing against some of our favourites. 2018 is no different with new prospects coming in with good praises. Here are our picks that we think will have stellar seasons. As the season starts, it also heralds the start of the betting season for baseball bettors and you can place your bets online at NetBet Sport.
Brady Singer (Florida)
Al eyes in Florida will be on Brady Singer. The 6-5, 210 pound junior enjoyed great success in 2017. Overall he made 19 starts last season in addition to two appearances at the College World Series in which he won both those matches. He also managed to set a new College World Series record with his 12 strikeouts in the first game against LSU. Rumours doing the rounds suggest he is on top of the Detroit Tigers wish list for the Major League Baseball draft in June.
Shane McClanahan (South Florida)
Though Shane spent some time out after an injury layoff, his stats of last season are still pretty impressive. The 6-2, 188 pounder was ranked the eighth best player in the country thanks to his the 12.32 strike out per nine innings last season and a .181 batting average. Shane’s fast ball and effective changeup have made him draw comparisons with Chris Sale and propelled him to be rated as the number 1 or 2 draft eligible left hander.
Nick Madrigal (Oregon State)
Its sounds a bit over the top to put consistent and junior in the same sentence but that is exactly what Nick is. He is a young emerging consistent player. At 5-8, 165 pounds, Nick was defensive player and player of the year in the Pac 12 in 2017. The reason for this recognition being clear for all to see, he made just five errors in 233 chances, split time between second base and shortstop, stole 16 bases in 18 attempts and batted .380 with 20 doubles, two triples, four home runs, and 40 RBIs.
Matt Wallner (Southern Mississippi)
Matt Wallner emerged onto the national scene last year with the Golden Eagles. His stellar campaign with the Eagles saw him put in the same bracket with another quick hitter Brendan McKay as the two best two way players in the country. With Brendan McKay moving on, Matt remains as probably the best two way player for 2018. This will have to be proved during the course of the season but if he can carry on with the impressive stats that saw him bat .336 with 19 homers and 63 RBIs in 2017, then he can surely eclipse his performance of last season. Matt had a slugging percentage of .655, a .463 on base percentage and took 45 runs. At 6-5 220 pounds, Matt has the perfect shape for a OF/RHP and can follow Brendan McKay at the end of the season.
