2017 College Top 100 Draft Prospects
SEE ALSO: High School Top 100 SEE ALSO: 2017 Draft Archive The calendar turning this week to 2017 is the latest sign both the start of the college baseball season and the draft are fast approaching. As players prepare for the season, scouts are also readying for the spring. The college class is rich in pitching, as both USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team and the Cape Cod League demonstrated over the summer. The CNT’s pitching staff posted a 1.81 ERA and held opponents to a .197 batting average in 18 games last summer, while the Cape’s Top 30 draft prospects was again dominated by pitchers. As a result, college pitching is one of the strengths of the 2017 draft class. For the second year in a row, a Florida pitcher tops the College 100 ranking entering the spring. A year after lefthander A.J. Puk ranked No. 1, righthander Alex Faedo goes into 2017 atop the list. Puk ultimately was the first college pitcher selected last year, though he slipped on draft day and went No. 6 overall to the Athletics after an up-and-down spring. Faedo, who will take over as Florida’s ace this season, will hope for a steadier draft year. Though he sat out the fall as he recovered from minor knee surgery, he has the stuff, size and track record to be the top pick in the draft. Listed at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds, Faedo has a plus fastball-slider combination and improved his changeup this summer while pitching with the CNT. He went 13-3, 3.18 and ranked third in the country with 133 strikeouts in 104.2 innings last season. A host of pitchers join Faedo near the top of the list. Righthanders J.B. Bukauskas (North Carolina), Kyle Wright (Vanderbilt), Alex Lange (Louisiana State) and Tanner Houck (Missouri) all joined him this summer with Team USA and turned in impressive performances. Righthander Tristan Beck is a draft-eligible sophomore who has a chance to be the latest Stanford pitcher to be picked early in the first round. Vanderbilt center fielder Jeren Kendall has established himself as the top college position player. A well above-average runner with surprising power in his wiry frame, he has the ability to impact the game in multiple ways. Scouts will also be keeping a close eye on another center fielder in Nashville, as Lipscomb’s Michael Gigliotti has the skill set to profile at the top of the lineup. Sluggers Keston Hiura (UC Irvine), J.J. Schwarz (Florida) and Pavin Smith (Virginia), as well as Florida shortstop Dalton Guthrie are among the other position players who will receive first-round consideration. Louisville’s Brendan McKay, the 2015 Freshman of the Year, could fit near the top of either the position players or pitchers. He has been the best two-way player in the country the last two years, and there is still no consensus as to whether he will be developed as a lefthander or first baseman in pro ball. Florida and North Carolina lead all schools with five players each on the top 100. South Carolina and Virginia closely follow with four players. In all 61 colleges are represented.
| Rank | Name, Pos., School | B-T | Ht. | Wt. | Previously drafted |
| 1 | Alex Faedo, rhp, Florida  |
R-R | 6-5 | 220 | Tigers ’14 (40) |
| 2 | Jeren Kendall, of, Vanderbilt |
L-R | 6-0 | 190 | Red Sox ’14 (30) |
| 3 | J.B. Bukauskas, rhp, North Carolina |
R-R | 6-0 | 196 | D-backs ’14 (20) |
| 4 | Brendan McKay, lhp/1b, Louisville |
L-L | 6-2 | 212 | Padres ’14 (34) |
| 5 | Kyle Wright, rhp, Vanderbilt |
R-R | 6-4 | 220 | Never drafted |
| 6 | Tristan Beck, rhp, Stanford | R-R | 6-4 | 190 | Brewers ’15 (34) |
| 7 | Alex Lange, rhp, Louisiana State |
R-R | 6-3 | 201 | Never drafted |
| 8 | Tanner Houck, rhp, Missouri | R-R | 6-5 | 218 | Blue Jays ’14 (12) |
| 9 | Pavin Smith, of/1b, Virginia |
L-L | 6-2 | 210 | Rockies ’14 (32) |
| 10 | Seth Romero, lhp, Houston | L-L | 6-3 | 240 | Never drafted |
| 11 | Wil Crowe, rhp, South Carolina | R-R | 6-2 | 250 | Indians ’16 (21) |
| 12 | Brendon Little, lhp, State JC of Florida |
L-L | 6-2 | 215 | Giants ’15 (36) |
| 13 | Colton Hock, rhp, Stanford | R-R | 6-5 | 220 | Never drafted |
| 14 | Michael Gigliotti, of, Lipscomb | L-L | 6-1 | 176 | Never drafted |
| 15 | J.J. Schwarz, c, Florida |
R-R | 6-2 | 215 | Brewers ’14 (17) |
| 16 | Griffin Canning, rhp, UCLA |
R-R | 6-1 | 170 | Rockies ’14 (38) |
| 17 | Clarke Schmidt, rhp, South Carolina |
R-R | 6-1 | 205 | Never drafted |
| 18 | Dalton Guthrie, ss, Florida |
R-R | 5-11 | 175 | Twins ’14 (40) |
| 19 | Peter Solomon, rhp, Notre Dame | R-R | 6-4 | 191 | Padres ’14 (21) |
| 20 | Keston Hiura, of/2b, UC Irvine | R-R | 6-0 | 188 | Never drafted |
| 21 | Kevin Smith, ss, Maryland | R-R | 6-0 | 188 | Never drafted |
| 22 | Evan Skoug, c, Texas Christian |
L-R | 5-11 | 200 | Nationals ’14 (34) |
| 23 | Corbin Martin, rhp, Texas A&M | R-R | 6-2 | 200 | Never drafted |
| 24 | Taylor Walls, ss, Florida State | B-R | 5-10 | 180 | Never drafted |
| 25 | Dylan Busby, 3b/1b, Florida State |
R-R | 6-3 | 190 | Never drafted |
| 26 | Joe Dunand, ss/3b, North Carolina State | R-R | 6-2 | 205 | Indians ’14 (35) |
| 27 | Jake Burger, 3b, Misssouri State | R-R | 6-2 | 210 | Never drafted |
| 28 | Mike Rivera, c, Florida |
R-R | 5-10 | 205 | Athletics ’14 (33) |
| 29 | Jake Mangum, of, Mississippi State | B-L | 6-0 | 185 | Never drafted |
| 30 | David Peterson, lhp, Oregon |
L-L | 6-6 | 242 | Red Sox ’14 (28) |
| 31 | Zach Rutherford, ss, Old Dominon | R-R | 6-2 | 180 | Never drafted |
| 32 | Deon Stafford, c, St. Joseph’s | R-R | 6-0 | 202 | Never drafted |
| 33 | Evan White, of/1b, Kentucky | B-L | 6-3 | 200 | Never drafted |
| 34 | Drew Rasmussen, rhp, Oregon State |
R-R | 6-1 | 226 | D-backs ’14 (39) |
| 35 | Tyler Johnson, rhp, South Carolina | R-R | 6-2 | 205 | Never drafted |
| 36 | Carl Chester, of, Miami |
R-R | 6-0 | 205 | Brewers ’14 (38) |
| 37 | Riley Adams, c, San Diego | R-R | 6-4 | 210 | Cubs ’14 (37) |
| 38 | Morgan Cooper, rhp, Texas | R-R | 6-4 | 220 | Nationals ’16 (34) |
| 39 | Will Gaddis, rhp, Furman | R-R | 6-1 | 185 | Yankees ’14 (36) |
| 40 | Zac Lowther, lhp, Xavier | L-L | 6-2 | 235 | Never drafted |
| 41 | Nate Pearson, rhp, JC of Central Florida | R-R | 6-6 | 245 | Never drafted |
| 42 | Kade McClure, rhp, Louisville | R-R | 6-7 | 235 | Never drafted |
| 43 | Jayson Rose, rhp, Utah | R-R | 6-0 | 180 | Never drafted |
| 44 | Ricky Tyler Thomas, lhp, Fresno State |
R-L | 6-1 | 175 | Never drafted |
| 45 | Keegan Thompson, rhp, Auburn | R-R | 6-2 | 209 | Tigers ’16 (33) |
| 46 | Devin Hairston, ss, Louisville | R-R | 5-7 | 162 | Never drafted |
| 47 | Clay Fisher, ss, UC Santa Barbara | R-R | 6-1 | 175 | Never drafted |
| 48 | K.J. Harrison, 1b, Oregon State |
R-R | 6-0 | 208 | Indians ’14 (25) |
| 49 | Brock Deatherage, of, North Carolina State | L-L | 6-1 | 186 | Never drafted |
| 50 | Logan Warmoth, ss, North Carolina | R-R | 6-0 | 189 | Never drafted |
| 51 | Connor Seabold, rhp, Cal State Fullerton | R-R | 6-2 | 185 | Orioles ’14 (19) |
| 52 | Matt Whatley, c, Oral Roberts | R-R | 5-10 | 190 | Never drafted |
| 53 | J.J. Matijevic, of/1b, Arizona |
L-R | 6-0 | 206 | Red Sox ’14 (22) |
| 54 | Kyle Johnston, rhp, Texas | R-R | 6-0 | 220 | Never drafted |
| 55 | Glenn Otto, rhp, Rice |
R-R | 6-5 | 240 | Never drafted |
| 56 | Garrett Cave, rhp, Tampa | R-R | 6-4 | 205 | Yankees ’14 (17) |
| 57 | Tarik Skubal, lhp, Seattle | L-L | 6-3 | 218 | Never drafted |
| 58 | Hunter Williams, lhp, North Carolina | L-L | 6-3 | 225 | Giants ’14 (32) |
| 59 | Ernie Clement, 2b/of, Virginia | R-R | 6-0 | 165 | Never drafted |
| 60 | Michael Baumann, rhp, Jacksonville |
R-R | 6-4 | 225 | Twins ’14 (34) |
| 61 | Josh Anthony, 3b, Auburn | R-R | 5-10 | 195 | Braves ’16 (16) |
| 62 | Mitch Hart, rhp, Southern California | R-R | 6-4 | 195 | Giants ’14 (35) |
| 63 | Adam Haseley, of, Virginia |
L-L | 6-1 | 195 | Never drafted |
| 64 | Zach Warren, lhp, Tennessee | L-L | 6-5 | 200 | Pirates ’14 (23) |
| 65 | Tyler Wilson, lhp, Rhode Island | L-L | 6-4 | 225 | Never drafted |
| 66 | James Karinchak, rhp, Bryant | R-R | 6-3 | 230 | Never drafted |
| 67 | Kyle Nelson, lhp, UC Santa Barbara | L-L | 6-1 | 180 | Never drafted |
| 68 | Jake Bird, rhp, UCLA | R-R | 6-3 | 205 | Never drafted |
| 69 | Evan Steele, lhp, Chipola (Fla.) JC | R-L | 6-5 | 210 | Never drafted |
| 70 | Tommy Doyle, rhp, Virginia | R-R | 6-6 | 235 | Nationals ’14 (35) |
| 71 | Patrick Mathis, of, Texas | L-L | 6-1 | 215 | Never drafted |
| 72 | Brian Miller, of, North Carolina | L-R | 6-0 | 186 | Never drafted |
| 73 | Erich Uelmen, rhp, Cal Poly | R-R | 6-3 | 195 | Never drafted |
| 74 | Zach Pop, rhp, Kentucky | R-R | 6-4 | 225 | Blue Jays ’14 (23) |
| 75 | Brigham Hill, rhp, Texas A&M | R-R | 6-0 | 185 | Athletics ’16 (20) |
| 76 | Zack Gahagan, 3b, North Carolina | R-R | 6-2 | 197 | D-backs ’14 (40) |
| 77 | Jake Latz, lhp, Kent State | R-L | 6-2 | 196 | Blue Jays ’14 (11) |
| 78 | Quinn Brodey, of, Stanford | L-L | 6-1 | 195 | Nationals ’14 (37) |
| 79 | Mike Papierski, c, Louisiana State | B-R | 6-3 | 210 | Blue Jays ’14 (16) |
| 80 | Will Toffey, 3b, Vanderbilt |
L-R | 6-2 | 205 | Orioles ’16 (25) |
| 81 | Stuart Fairchild, of, Wake Forest | R-R | 6-0 | 195 | Nationals ’14 (38) |
| 82 | Charlie Barnes, lhp, Clemson | L-L | 6-1 | 170 | Never drafted |
| 83 | Greg Deichmann, of/1b, Louisiana State |
L-R | 6-2 | 191 | Twins ’16 (26) |
| 84 | Zach Willeman, rhp, Kent State | R-R | 6-3 | 200 | Never drafted |
| 85 | Logan Sowers, of, Indiana |
R-R | 6-4 | 220 | Padres ’14 (31) |
| 86 | Alex Destino, of, South Carolina |
L-L | 6-2 | 225 | Never drafted |
| 87 | Evan Mendoza, 3b, North Carolina State | R-R | 6-2 | 200 | Never drafted |
| 88 | Connor Wong, c, Houston | R-R | 6-0 | 181 | Never drafted |
| 89 | Zach Schellenger, rhp, Seton Hall | R-R | 6-5 | 210 | Never drafted |
| 90 | Deacon Liput, 2b, Florida | R-R | 5-10 | 190 | Yankees ’16 (39) |
| 91 | Luis Gonzalez, of/lhp, New Mexico | L-L | 6-0 | 185 | Never drafted |
| 92 | Brandon Bielak, rhp, Notre Dame | L-R | 6-1 | 209 | Never drafted |
| 93 | Kyle Serrano, rhp, Tennessee | R-R | 6-3 | 200 | Brewers ’16 (40) |
| 94 | Gunnar Troutwine, c, Wichita State | R-R | 6-2 | 222 | Never drafted |
| 95 | Brady Puckett, rhp, Lipscomb | R-R | 6-9 | 242 | Mets’ 14 (33) |
| 96 | Ryan Noda, of/1b, Cincinnati | L-L | 6-3 | 216 | Never drafted |
| 97 | Nick Feight, c, UNC Wilmington | R-R | 5-11 | 200 | Never drafted |
| 98 | Daulton Varsho, c, Wisconsin-Milwaukee | L-R | 5-10 | 200 | Never drafted |
| 99 | Tyler Buffett, rhp, Oklahoma State | R-R | 6-2 | 197 | Astros ’16 (7) |
| 100 | Bryce Montes de Oca, rhp, Missouri | R-R | 6-7 | 261 | White Sox ’14 (14) |
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