Analytics Peg Hiura As Top College Performer
Scouts rank UC Irvine’s Keston Hiura among the top college bats in this year’s draft class. The numbers also assert that he is the best. Hiura produced at a rate, as measured by park-adjusted weighted runs created plus (wRC+), that surpasses all Division I batters.
Top Draft-Eligible Batters
Batters are ranked using park-adjusted weighted runs created plus (wRC+).
1. Keston Hiura, DH, UC Irvine
Batting line: .442/.567/.693 (246 wRC+)
Defensive questions aside, Hiura excels at controlling the barrel. His feel to hit ranks among the best in the draft, and he produces above-average power thanks to his natural strength and bat speed.
Hiura’s achievement gains heft when placed in the context of pitcher-friendly Cicerone Field (where 20 percent fewer runs are scored than on the road) and the pitcher-friendly Big West Conference.
2. Brent Rooker, 1B, Mississippi State
Batting line: .395/.498/.827 (236 wRC+)
Rooker has shown true plus power this season while flirting with .400. The catch is Dudy Noble Field. It’s a hitter’s park that boosts run-scoring by about 5 percent, which deflates Rooker’s production somewhat.
3. Daulton Varsho, C, Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Batting line: .362/.490/.643 (205 wRC+)
At the plate, Varsho is praised for his all-fields approach and overall feel to hit. The athletic receiver also records solid run times. His home park, Henry Aaron Field, is about as neutral as can be.
4. Jake Adams, 1B, Iowa
Batting line: .335/.417/.747 (195 wRC+)
While he’s not an elite prospect, Adams has bat speed, (on display in his regional performance), great raw power and solid barrel ability. Iowa’s Duane Banks Field enhances run production by nearly 10 percent. Adams’ statistics aren’t discounted to the same degree as others because Iowa played just 43 percent of their games at home.
5. Will Robertson, OF, Davidson
Batting line: .336/.405/.644 (195 wRC+)
Davidson shockingly won the Atlantic-10 Conference tournament and then upset North Carolina to advance to super regionals. Robertson, a senior outfielder, helped lead the way. His home park, Wilson Field, plays as a neutral venue.
The top 25 Division I batters (min. 150 plate appearances) this year as ranked by wRC+.
No. | Player | School |
Conference | AVG |
OBP | SLG |
wRC+ |
1 | Keston Huira | UC Irvine | Big West | .402 | .546 | .669 | 246 |
2 | Brent Rooker | Mississippi State | Southeastern | .408 | .516 | .878 | 236 |
3 | Daulton Varsho | Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Horizon | .366 | .496 | .655 | 205 |
4 | D.J. Artis | Liberty | Big South | .357 | .521 | .538 | 204 |
5 | Brock Hale | Brigham Young | West Coast | .386 | .473 | .703 | 195 |
6 | Jake Adams | Iowa | Big Ten | .347 | .427 | .743 | 195 |
7 | Will Robertson | Davidson | Atlantic 10 | .349 | .407 | .675 | 194 |
8 | Adam McGinnis | Western Illinois | Summit | .363 | .471 | .580 | 194 |
9 | Jake Burger | Missouri State | Mo. Valley | .351 | .462 | .703 | 193 |
10 | Rylan Bannon | Xavier | Big East | .337 | .448 | .653 | 192 |
11 | Trey Ganns | Northern Kentucky | Horizon | .353 | .452 | .662 | 192 |
12 | Mike Corin | Rhode Island | Atlantic 10 | .295 | .398 | .636 | 186 |
13 | Josh Evans | Stephen F. Austin | Southland | .401 | .444 | .672 | 185 |
14 | James Free | Pacific | West Coast | .345 | .412 | .673 | 185 |
15 | J.J. Matijevic | Arizona | Pacific-12 | .401 | .444 | .671 | 184 |
16 | Matt Johnson | South Dakota State | Summit | .343 | .430 | .612 | 182 |
17 | Jeremy Eierman | Missouri State | Mo. Valley | .330 | .441 | .695 | 182 |
18 | Evan White | Kentucky | Southeastern | .388 | .464 | .667 | 181 |
19 | Rob Calabrese | Illinois-Chicago | Horizon | .375 | .448 | .619 | 181 |
20 | Danny Sullivan | Gardner-Webb | Big South | .317 | .407 | .628 | 181 |
21 | Adam Haseley | Virginia | Atlantic Coast | .402 | .492 | .693 | 181 |
22 | Chris Sharpe | UMass-Lowell | America East | .338 | .432 | .677 | 180 |
23 | Alex Mauricio | Norfolk State | Mid-Eastern | .374 | .457 | .573 | 180 |
24 | Michael Donadio | St. John’s | Big East | .378 | .480 | .573 | 180 |
25 | Drew Ellis | Louisville | Atlantic Coast | .393 | .485 | .749 | 179 |
Top Five Draft-Eligible Pitchers
Pitchers are ranked using park-adjusted ERA minus (ERA-).
1. Luke Heimlich, LHP, Oregon State
Pitching line: 11-1, 0.76 (20 ERA-)
The Pacific-12 Conference pitcher of the year relies on a deceptive 89-91 mph fastball and superb control. Goss Stadium is a pitcher’s park, but Heimlich excelled so much that a park adjustment doesn’t affect his standing.
2. Andrew Crane, RHP, Troy
Pitching line: 6-2, 1.47 (20 ERA-)
The 6-foot-4 Crane might only top 90 mph on occasion, but he dominated the Sun Belt Conference by pounding the zone unrelentingly. While Riddle-Pace Field plays as a slight pitcher’s park, he allowed just six earned runs.
3. Danny Marsh, RHP, Wagner
Pitching line: 6-2, 1.96 (26 ERA-)
Marsh moved into the Wagner rotation this year and allowed just 11 earned runs in 66 innings while pitching off an upper-80s fastball. Wagner shares baseball facilities with the short-season Staten Island Yankees, creating a roomy environment for pitchers to work in.
4. Jake Thompson, RHP, Oregon State
Pitching line: 13-0, 1.30 (30 ERA-)
Thompson, a redshirt junior, consistently pitches with a hard fastball that sits at 93-94 mph and throws an above-average slider for strikes. His 1.11 ERA ranked fourth in the country before park adjustments.
5. Austin Bizzle, RHP, Alabama State
Pitching line: 7-1, 1.95 (30 ERA-)
Bizzle pitched to a 5.53 ERA over 42.1 innings last season in the notoriously hitter-friendly Southwestern Athletic Conference, but he morphed into a dominant reliever with a mid-80s fastball this year.
The top 25 Division I pitchers (min. 50 innings) this year as ranked by ERA-.
No. | Player | School |
Conference | IP |
BB | SO |
ERA- |
1 | Luke Heimlich | Oregon State | Pacific-12 | 94 | 20 | 106 | 20 |
2 | Andrew Crane | Troy | Sun Belt | 58 | 13 | 57 | 20 |
3 | Sean Mooney | St. John’s | Big East | 90 | 15 | 82 | 26 |
4 | Danny Marsh | Wagner | Northeast | 66 | 31 | 57 | 26 |
5 | Jake Thompson | Oregon State | Pacific-12 | 89 | 27 | 89 | 29 |
6 | Austin Bizzle | Alabama State | Southwestern | 70 | 18 | 73 | 30 |
7 | Nate Harris | Louisiana Tech | Conference USA | 82 | 10 | 88 | 32 |
8 | Brendan McKay | Louisville | Atlantic Coast | 85 | 27 | 116 | 32 |
9 | Cory Abbott | Loyola Marymount | West Coast | 84 | 22 | 103 | 33 |
10 | Devin Hemmerich | Norfolk State | Mid-Eastern | 98 | 14 | 111 | 34 |
11 | Will Gaddis | Furman | Southern | 94 | 15 | 81 | 35 |
12 | Clarke Schmidt | South Carolina | Southeastern | 60 | 18 | 70 | 37 |
13 | Brian Shaffer | Maryland | Big Ten | 97 | 17 | 98 | 38 |
14 | Robert Broom | Mercer | Southern | 57 | 23 | 74 | 38 |
15 | Josh McMinn | Oral Roberts | Summit | 75 | 21 | 62 | 39 |
16 | Chris Enns | Quinnipiac | Metro Atlantic | 52 | 18 | 37 | 40 |
17 | Colton Laws | Charlotte | Conference USA | 87 | 13 | 80 | 40 |
18 | Logan Gilbert | Stetson | Atlantic Sun | 77 | 22 | 96 | 40 |
19 | Kutter Crawford | Florida Gulf Coast | Atlantic Sun | 72 | 25 | 81 | 40 |
20 | Heath Donica | Sam Houston State | Southland | 94 | 22 | 91 | 40 |
21 | Jake Fromson | Missouri State | Missouri Valley | 63 | 12 | 76 | 41 |
22 | Miguel Ausua | Oral Roberts | Summit | 72 | 26 | 72 | 41 |
23 | Ryan Weiss | Wright State | Horizon | 76 | 13 | 69 | 41 |
24 | Thomas Ponticelli | San Francisco | West Coast | 64 | 10 | 60 | 41 |
25 | Joey Murray | Kent State | Mid-American | 64 | 27 | 93 | 43 |
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