Ss we dive deeper into the college baseball season, some common names are beginning to buoy their way to the surface as prime performers. It’s only been three weeks. The road is long and winding ahead. Much can change. And it will. But week three provided a few familiar names, and a few less-so to keep an eye on moving forward…
Stock Rising…
PITCHERS
TY MADDEN, RHP, TEXAS
9 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 14 K
Two weeks in a row Madden finds himself highlighted in our stock watch. After totally shutting down BYU last week, Madden turned in an even more impressive performance during week three. It was the best start of his career.
Madden was dominant all night, commanding his fastball brilliantly and allowing the slider and curveball to contrast his mid-to-upper 90s velocity off the edges. Every pitch, including his fastball, was generating whiffs. The heater was still brushing 97 in the last couple innings.
Madden’s game has taken a big step forward in 2021 and now figures to be a pretty consistent talking point inside the top ten picks of the MLB Draft. Given his size, his arsenal, and his big school/big conference track record, there will be a lot of organizations interested come July.
For the season, Madden has 20 innings under his belt, punching out 30 along the way. He’s issued just six free passes. The ERA sits at 1.35 on the year.
BRYCE MILLER, RHP, TEXAS A&M
7 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 15 K
Like Madden, Miller’s year started a little turbulent, but his last two starts have been simply dazzling. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound righty out of New Braunfels, Tex. dominated the bump this week, completely immobilizing New Mexico State.
Miller showcased a fastball that was up to 98, holding 95+ into the 7th inning of his start. He was commanding the heater very well all day, especially at the top of the zone where he generated most of his whiffs. He worked in an impressive 12-6 curveball and a stiffer slider that he used to lock up lefty bats.
Miller was a popular name coming into the 2021 season with his high-octane arsenal. After working out the kinks from week one, he appears to be back on track. Miller has first round stuff and could certainly work his way into that conversation as we get into conference play.
On the year, Miller now has 15.2 innings logged with 27 strikeouts to show for it. He’s walked 6 batters and owns a 2.30 ERA for his efforts.
Mccade Brown, RHP, Indiana
7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 12 K
McCade Brown was always thought to have a good arm, but command and secondary polish held him off some watchlists. That changed during the summer of 2020. Over 22.1 innings in the Kernals Collegiate League, Brown seared through the competition to the tune of a 0.93 ERA, allowing five hits, striking out 50(!) hitters. He did allow 11 free passes along the way. The fastball was suddenly up to 97 and his curve had developed into a true plus offering.
That trend continued in Indiana’s season opener as Brown was again into the mid-90s, showcasing the power curveball. He worked in one changeup as well, though it was spiked into the dirt.
At 6-foot-6, 225-pounds, Brown is built like a big leaguer. He’s got a shorter arm action and a sound move to the plate he repeats well. Right now it’s primarily a two-pitch mix, but if the changeup comes on in conference play, Brown could find himself in first round conversations.
The biggest key for Brown moving forward will be the command. He may not have had the most dominant outing in college baseball this weekend, but when you post a line with zero walks and 12 Ks, you’ll catch the attention of scouts everywhere.
Other Notables: Tanner Bibee (Cal State Fullerton), Ben Casperius (Connecticut), Dustin Saenz (Texas A&M), Dom Hamel (Dallas Baptist), Cooper Stinson (Duke), Patrick Monteverde (Texas Tech), Zane Mills (Washington State), Jordan Wicks (Kansas State), Andrew Abbott (Virginia), Justin Wrobleski (Oklahoma State), Travis Adams (Sacramento State), Michael McGreevy (UC-Santa Barbara), McCade Brown (Illinois), Troy Melton (San Diego State), Jesse Bergin (UCLA), Kumar Rocker (Vanderbilt), Russell Smith (TCU), Mike Vasil (Virginia), Jack Leiter (Vanderbilt)
HITTERS
Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College
8 for 14 (.571/.647/1.118) 3 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 0 K
You could have just have easily made the case that Sal Frelick should have been on this list last week. He’s off to one of the hottest starts in college baseball this season. Frelick leaves the weekend series at Auburn with a .476/.605/.907 slash.
Frelick entered this season every bit one of the best outfielders in the country and he continued to hammer that point home this week. He added three dingers, including a game-tying 3-run homer - to overcome an eight run deficit in the 9th inning - against Auburn on Sunday. He has just three stolen bases on the season, but as we get into conference play, you can be rest assured Frelick will use his double-plus speed on the base paths as well.
There’s so much to like about Frelick in every facet of the game. He’s a plus athlete with 70-grade speed and sneaky pop. He plays a pure centerfield and can even slide into second base if a pro team deems fit. He’s cementing his name as a first round talent right now and has a big up arrow next to his name.
Tim Elko, 3B, Ole Miss
10 for 17 (.588/.696/1.471)
Nobody in college baseball had a better week at the plate than did Rebels third baseman Tim Elko. He homered in three straight games to start the week, then capped it off with a multi-dinger effort on Sunday against Belmont. For the season, Elko pushed his slash line to .310/.568/.690 for the year.
Elko was draft-eligible in 2020, but went unselected mostly due to teams not having a good idea where he fit on the diamond. He played mostly in the corner outfield spots, occasionally at first base, as well as DH’ing. With Tyler Keenan and Anthony Servideo both being selected in the draft, two spots opened up on the left side of the infield. Elko, a natural third baseman, took over the hot corner this season.
Ultimately, at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Elko may be a first baseman at the next level. He’s a fringy athlete with below average quickness. He’s got plenty of arm, but scouts are unsure whether he can handle all that’s necessary in a pro third baseman. The bat is the calling card here, and this week will surely catch some folks’ attention.
Kenyon Yovan, DH, Oregon
7 FOR 15 (.467/.636/1.267) 4 HR, 11 RBI, 7 BB, 4 K
If you’re a fan of college baseball, you’ll certainly know Kenyon Yovan’s name by now. A 5th year junior for the Ducks, Yovan has been a mainstay on the Oregon roster since 2017. He’s battled numerous injuries along the way.
Yovan has battled hand injuries as well as shoulder injuries in his collegiate journey. In 2019, he was considered one of the better pitching prospects in the country, as was expected to go in the top five rounds of the draft. But he missed the season with blood clots in this pitching arm. Yovan went 6-4 with a 2.98 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP, and punched out 98 batters over 84.2 innings in 2018 as a freshman. He was named an All-American. He may be done pitching now.
But Yovan has always had a good bat too. He’s been a power hitter since his days at Westview High. In fact, in 2020, Yovan hit .429 with four homers and 15 walks. He struck out only 9 times. The bat is very real, but at the next level, he’ll need to prove he has value at first base or somewhere on the diamond should he hope to be picked early like was once anticipated. Yovan is no stranger to the draft though. He’s twice been selected; once in 2016 in the 32nd round by the Seattle Mariners, and again in 2019 in the 27th round by the Los Angeles Angels.
Other Notables: Spencer Hargert (Ohio), Caleb Roberts (North Carolina), Jacob Blas (Arizona), Christian Franklin (Arkansas), Cullen Smith (Arkansas), Austin Schultz (Kentucky), Tyler Miller (Auburn), Tyler McDonough (NC State), Jake Rucker (Tennessee), Kamren James (Mississippi State), Branden Boissiere (Arizona), Lucas Dunn (Louisville)