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Every year a number of young players make a name for themselves in the postseason, and this October was no different.
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As the calendar turns to August and the end of summer is in sight, the USA Baseball National Team is basking in the summer sun after finishing a 24-0 summer tour. The team of college players from across the country finished the tour with a 1-0 win over Japan in the gold medal game.
Kentrail Davis 5-foot-9, 165 OF Tennessee Left-handed
Davis only participated in nine games earlier in the tour but was very good during his time. He went 10-27 (.370) with five RBI and two stolen bases. He drew four walks and stuck out seven times during the exhibition part of the schedule.
Blake Smith 6-foot-2, 220 OF California Left-handed
He saw action in 20 games, which included 16 starts, and saw him develop into one of the top power threats for Team USA. He went 18-55 (.327) with three home runs, 13 RBI, and a .618 slugging percentage. He added three outfield assists, and his .493 on-base percentage was the highest among those who went to the Czech Republic for the tournament.
Josh Fellhauer 5-foot-11, 175 OF Cal-State Fullerton Left-handed
Starting in all 23 games in which he appeared, Fellhauer was solid throughout at the plate as he drew 11 walks to just 10 strikeouts. All in all, he went 26-87 (.299) with two home runs and 15 RBI to go with a team-high 21 runs scored. However, he was two for five in stolen bases and had two errors in the outfield.
Jared Clark 6-foot-4, 215 OF Cal-State Fullerton Right-handed
The big outfielder from Fullerton saw action in 13 games with some time at first base and delivered with solid power number. He went 12-43 (.279) with a team-high four home runs and 11 RBI to go with a team best .628 slugging percentage. His six strikeouts also were a nice figure for a power hitter.
Matt den Dekker 6-foot-1, 205 OF Florida Left-handed
Dekker was the exception to what was a strong outfielder core on this team by going 16-70 (.229) and showing limited power potential. He had 11 walks and 17 strikeouts, as well, but was caught stealing bases twice.
Hunter Morris 6-foot-4, 215 1B Auburn Left-handed
Morris lost his starting job to Clark and, in the end, started 10 of 19 games in which he appeared. He went 10-37 (.270) with three home runs and nine RBI. I question his ability to hit for average as he enters professional baseball. Also, losing a position battle doesn’t bode well for draft stock as of today.
Christian Colon 6-foot-1, 180 INF Cal-State Fullerton Right-handed
He was the only player to start all 24 games for team USA although his play was disappointing. He went 26-99 (.263) with an OPS of .682. He also committed a team high five errors and only turned in three extra base hits. The bright side for Colon was he did contribute 14 RBI and five steals.
Derek Dietrich 6-foot-1, 185 SS Georgia Tech Left-handed
He went 14-54 (.259) with five RBI and nine runs. His discipline at the plate came into question with five walks and 15 strikeouts in 20 games. He also owned a .426 slugging percentage, which is good for the type of player he projects to be.
Ryan Jackson 6-foot-3, 180 SS Miami Right-handed
Jackson had a poor tournament as he went 16-69 (.232) and showed limited power while committing five errors in 22 games. Although perfect in his three steal attempts, he was given 21 starts, which must be taken into consideration.
Tommy Mendonca 6-foot-1 200 3B Fresno State Left-handed
He went 12-52 (.231) and had a terrible .298 on-base percentage to go with two walks and 26 strikeouts. He also had three errors and showed marginal power numbers, at best, for a corner infielder.
Scott Woodward 6-foot-1, 185 INF Coastal Carolina Left-handed
He appeared only in 11 games later into the tour but showed promise during this time. He went 7-31 (.226) with two home runs, eight runs scored, and an .819 OPS. Added to this were his two stolen bases.
Micah Gibbs 5-foot-11, 223 C LSU Switch-hitter
Gibbs did a good job handling a rotation which ended the tournament with a 0.88 ERA, but he only threw out a little over 28% of his runners. That can be contributed in part to amateur pitching, as well. He went 19-72 (.264) with a club leading 17 RBI and showed improvement as team USA went through group play. However, both his slugging percentage and one-base percentage were below .400.
Ryan Lipkin 6-foot-1, 200 C San Francisco Right-handed
The back-up catcher went 10-39 (.256) with two home runs and seven RBI. He was a paltry 1-9 (11%) in throwing out runners and, like Gibbs, had three passed balls.
Stay tuned for our breakdown of the pitchers on Team USA.
Which hitter stood out to you from Team USA? Email your thoughts to Douglas.Benton@realgm.com
