The College World Series kicks off Saturday with Stanford taking on Florida State. The Baseball Analysts has a guide to all the players participating that were selected in the recent draft. Rice leads the way with 11 players selected, including Bryan Price, a RHP taken with the 45th overall (first round supplemental) pick by the Red Sox.
The highest pick on display will be Buster Posey, the catcher from Florida State that was selected 5th overall by the San Francisco Giants. The White Sox first round pick (#8) Gordon Beckham, who many thought the Reds should have taken at #7, starts at shortstop for the University of Georgia. Instead the Reds took Yonder Alonso, an OBP machine who plays first for the University of Miami. Those two schools will face off in the late game Saturday.
It is Alonso’s squad that stands as Baseball America’s list of favorites to win the title. The Hurricanes grade out at 65 (the writer is using a 20-80 scouting scoring system), as does the University of North Carolina. UNC’s top draft choice was Tim Fedroff, an outfielder taken by the Indians in the 7th round. His teammate, catcher Tim Ferderowicz, was also taken in the 7th (Red Sox).
BA also has a full preview in a downloadable PDF with even bigger previews and rosters.
And last but not least it is with great enthusiasm that I can report to you the one and only Candlebox played at the opening ceremonies Friday night in Omaha. It was also announced that the City of Omaha and the NCAA have agreed to a 25-year contract extension that will keep the College World Series in Nebraska through the year 2035. A new downtown ballpark will open in two years.
Now if they can get Candlebox to sign a similar contract to play the College World Series opening ceremonies until 2035 we’ll really have something going.
5 responses so far ↓
1 Swi // Jun 14, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Candlebox played at my high school during the 90s. It was before they got big and they all had short hair. It was weird to see them become what they became. What they were.
Wonder what the connection to the college ws is.
2 TrackStarr // Jun 15, 2008 at 12:08 am
Miami has a great team. Alonso is great, but Jemile Weeks is even better. Oakland got a steal with that pick. So was Blake Tekotte to the Padres in the fourth.
Miami should take it. Fla St. is good and my darkhorse is LSU, who had no players taken really high but a lot of good no-name (you know what I mean) players. They have a great coach in Mainieri.
3 Westbaystars // Jun 15, 2008 at 10:37 pm
I thought that the College World Series (IV Baseball University World Championship) was happening in the Czeck Republic from July 17th to 27th, 2008. Or is this another one of those “U.S. == The World” things?
4 Ken // Jun 16, 2008 at 10:06 pm
For some reason I remember Candlebox playing during halftime of an NBA all-star game.
5 Shinsano // Jun 16, 2008 at 10:37 pm
I just found this on USA Today, regarding Candlebox:
I’m not sure what’s more shocking — that Baseball Tonight is airing an REO Speedwagon video, that Peter Gammons likes Ozomatli, or that Candlebox has the chance to win some kind of popular-people-physically-voting contest. Even on ESPN.
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