2023 College World Series Player Spotlight: Tommy Troy
Stanford has become a regular attendee of the men’s College World Series. Its season has ended in Omaha three years in a row, and although each time it has ended with a loss instead of a dogpile, even reaching the College World Series is an accomplishment in and of itself. It has been a well-rounded effort from David Esquer‘s club year in and year out, but one of the anchors has been star infielder Tommy Troy. Troy was a heralded prospect from Los Gatos, Calif. and if it was not for the Coronavirus shortening the 2020 draft to just five rounds, he could have been offered enough money to sign out of high school.
The summer of his senior year of high school, Troy took his talents to Traverse City, Mich., where he would play for the Traverse City Pit Spitters of the Northwoods League. Due to the cancellation of the Cape Cod League and other summer leagues in 2020, the Northwoods was especially loaded. Against some of the best high school and college players in the country, Troy hit .318 with five doubles, a pair of triples, and 14 RBIs in 21 games.
In his freshman year for the Cardinal, Troy was an everyday member of the lineup. He spent most of his time manning second base, but he also got reps at third base, shortstop and even a corner outfield spot. Across 49 games played he hit six doubles, 10 home runs and drove in 28 RBIs.
Troy’s performance earned him an invitation to play in the Cape Cod League, which is the best summer collegiate league in the United States. In a league that is usually pitching-centric, Troy had an outstanding summer. He hit .299 with three doubles, three triples, four home runs and 19 RBIs. He established himself as a potential day one pick, and thrust himself onto the national prospect scene.
Troy carried his hot hitting over to his sophomore year. With incredibly high expectations as a household name, Troy rose to the occasion and had a career season. He hit .339 with 15 doubles, three triples and seven home runs. He spearheaded Stanford’s gutsy run to Omaha, which included coming out of the loser’s bracket in regional play, and overcoming an 0-1 hole in super regional play.
While an invitation to Team USA’s Collegiate National Team was very much in play after his stellar sophomore season, Troy again spent his summer on the Cape. He somehow upstaged his standout freshman summer and would hit .310 with six doubles, five home runs and 20 RBIs across 30 games played. He split time between shortstop and second base, showing he could more than handle the shortstop position. Troy flashed range in either direction, an ever-improving game clock and premier athleticism. He routinely posted exit velocities over 100 mph and consistently got the ball up in the air with authority. He was named the league’s Top Pro Prospect for his performance.
This past season for Stanford, Troy lit the world on fire with by far the best season of his standout career. He set career highs in every statistical category and thrust himself into the top half of the first round discussion for this year’s draft. Like his freshman year, he guided the Cardinal out of the loser’s bracket to advance to super regionals, where Stanford would then take two games in a row from Texas to advance to the College World Series. Although Stanford went 0-2 in Omaha, Troy had a strong showing which included a 2-for-4 game against Rhett Lowder and Wake Forest. He finished the season with a whopping .394 average, 17 doubles, 17 home runs, 17 stolen bases and an impressive 58 RBIs in as many games played. Troy refined his approach and drastically improved his swing decisions, leading to a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 42-to-35.
Troy has experience playing all over the infield, but likely profiles best professionally as an above-average second baseman. He has quick feet, immense range in either direction and is comfortable throwing on the run from all angles. Troy is an excellent athlete with a knack for making the big play. At the plate he has a relatively upright stance with a moderately high handset. There is a very minimal load, but Troy uses a slight barrel tip as a timing mechanism and a trigger. His hands are lighting fast, which allows his barrel to explode through the hitting zone. Troy finishes his swing beautifully, extending through the baseball with slight scissor action in his back leg. At this point, he is likely a lock for the first round with a chance to be selected among the first 15 overall picks.
