Summertime…it’s a veritable feast at the buffet table we call baseball.

Baseball is at its finest and I’ll be firmly ensconced on the couch this weekend to watch the College World Series.  I can't think of anything better to watch the best college teams go at it for the glory of a national championship (ping).  The CWS starts on June 14th and runs through June 25th, and for fantasy fans this is a rare opportunity to get a leg up on the competition and check out how some of these potential fantasy prospects play the game.

College players have tendency to move faster through minor league systems. They’ve had the opportunity to refine their game against tougher competition, so they often need less seasoning. That means you should pay special attention to the college kids once they hit the minors.  High school players need time to learn how to play at a higher level.  All you have to do is look at guys like Ryan Zimmerman, Evan Longoria and Huston Street to see how fast some college players can make a fantasy impact.  Rookies this year who’ve made some serious impact and could be ripe for the fast track include Matt Wieters, (C, Baltimore) and David Price (SP, Tampa Bay). Wieters is mashing and the Orioles are in the midst of a youth movement.  Price was considered ready for prime time, but an elbow injury that looks to be in the past slowed, if only briefly, his ascendancy.

I love to watch these kids play and see for myself what kind of tools they have and how hard they play the game.  I would rather say "I saw him play and he looks like a stud" than say "I read somewhere that said he is a stud".  You can't put a value on  seeing for yourself what kind of stuff these kids are have, and with pitchers especially to see how they handle the pressure.

So, to enhance your viewing experience we have created a guide for watching the CWS.  Each player is grouped by team and listed by their draft position.

	Pick	Player	Team	Pos
Stanford Cardinal	10	Jason Castro	Houston Astros	C	He is a left-handed power hitting catcher whose defensive skills should keep him at catcher.  Fantasy Value:  A homerun hitting catcher (20+ HR) doesn’t come along every day.  Keep your eye on him, but I am a still a J.R. Towles fan.
	44	Jeremy Bleich	New York Yankees	LHP	He was Stanford’s top pitcher before an elbow strain sidelined him.  A southpaw known for his command, his fastball sits in the high 80’s.  His control is a bit suspect as he had 21 BB in 33 IP this year.  Fantasy Value:  Left-handed pitching is a need in the Yankees system but I don’t have a good read on him yet.   But a soft tosser with questionable control doesn’t strike me as a major league pitcher.
	107	Robert Phelps	Cleveland Indians	2B	A switch-hitting 2B who has developed a little pop.  Fantasy Value:  Any kind of power potential from a 2B is going to get my attention.
	134	Sean Ratliff	New York Mets	CF	He has a power bat (20 HR) and could prove to be a steal for the Mets.  Fantasy Value:  HR and RBI’s.
	367	Austin Yount	Los Angeles Dodgers	3B
	405	Erik Davis	San Diego Padres	RHP
	1272	Randy Molina	Seattle Mariners	1B
Florida State Seminoles	5	Buster Posey	San Francisco Giants	C	Keep your eye on Posey; he should be on the fast track in San Francisco’s system.  He has a good bat and a great approach but we will have to watch and see how the power carries over to the professional level.  Fantasy Value:  Any catching prospect that can hit has value.  He could develop into a very good fantasy catcher.
	187	Anthony Delmonico	Los Angeles Dodgers	SS	The former FSU SS is a good hitter but his glove may need some work as he led his team with 26 errors.  He may not be able to stay at SS but his value could be high if he can stay somewhere in the middle infield.  Fantasy Value:  The question mark about his glove and what position he plays will dictate his fantasy value.
	270	Ryan Strauss	Chicago White Sox	RHP
	410	John Rye	New York Yankees	OF
	513	Dennis Guinn	Texas Rangers	1B
	808	Elih Villanueva	Florida Marlins	RHP
	1049	Matthew Fairel	Cincinnati Reds	LHP
Georgia Bulldogs	8	James Beckham	Chicago White Sox	SS	He always seems to get a good look at the ball and has some pop.  He could stick at SS which would increase his value.  Fantasy Value:  A MI with some HR potential will always be on my must watch list.  Could move quickly.
	20	Joshua Fields	Seattle Mariners	RHP	I love college closers because they always have potential to get the Majors fast.  He has good stuff and could very well be groomed as Seattle’s closer of the future.  Fantasy Value:  Future Closer?
	298	Trevor Holder	Florida Marlins	RHP
	317	Stephen Dodson	Colorado Rockies	RHP
	326	Nathan Moreau	Baltimore Orioles	LHP
	377	Ryan Peisel	Colorado Rockies	3B
University of Miami	7	Yonder Alonso	Cincinnati Reds	1B	Cincinnati definitely took one of the top college bats in the draft.  Alonso’s defense is nothing to write home about but it won’t need to be.  His power bat combined with a good plate approach and his ability to drive the ball to the opposite field will do the talking. Fantasy Value:  A middle of the order guy who will help in Batting Average, Homeruns and RBI’s.
	12	Jemile Weeks	Oakland Athletics	2B	Jemile is Rickie Weeks’ younger brother. Just so happens both play 2nd base but that is where the similarities end.  Jemile is a line-drive hitter lacking the power that Rickie has, but he does have very good speed. Fantasy Value:  Could be a good source of SB down the road.
	27	Carlos Gutierrez	Minnesota Twins	RHP	He is a relief pitcher and maybe the biggest surprise of the first round.  Carlos has already had Tommy John surgery, is known to have a good sinker and could move quickly for bullpen help.  Fantasy Value: Not much here unless he shocks everyone and can be a 8th or 9th inning guy.
	66	Dennis Raben	Seatlle Mariners	OF	A back injury took him out of the first 11 games this year and may have hurt his ability at the plate.  He has an above-average power bat but has a long swing. Should be able to stay at one of the OF corner spots on a team desperate for some power in the OF. Fantasy Value:  Should be a low BA and decent HR guy.
	101	Blake Tekotte	Sand Diego Padres	OF	An true leadoff hitter with the ability to set the tone for his team.  Fantasy Value:  Good BA and OBP guy with good SB potential.
	129	Robert Sobolewski	Toronto Blue Jays	3B	A solid bat, hit .326 BA with 58 RBI in 57 games.  Fantasy Value:  May need to time to develop into a decent fantasy contributor.
	719	Enrique Garcia	Cincinnati Reds	RHP
	786	Adan Severino	Minesotta Twins	OF
Fresno State Bulldogs	48	Tanner Scheppers	Pittsburgh Pirates	RHP	Above-average fastball and upside make him an intriguing prospect.  He hasn’t been pitching long but there is movement on his fastball and his slider is a plus pitch when he finds the strike zone.  Fantasy Value:  Good fastball could mean a strikeout pitcher.
	144	Justin Wilson	Pittsburgh Pirates	LHP	I imagine he got the Pirates attention when they where scouting Mr. Scheppers above…had 83 K’s in 99 IP but 53 BB.  Fantasy Value:  Not much to see here right now.
	407	Erik Wetzel	Colorado Rockies	2B
	483	Justin Miller	Texas Rangers	RHP
	586	Stephen Susdorf	Philadelphia Phillies	OF
	817	Clayton Allison	Los Angeles Dodgers	RHP
Rice Owls	45	Bryan Price	Boston Red Sox	RHP	He has a mid-90’s fastball with movement and doesn’t have a lot of wear and tear on his arm.  Fantasy Value:  I like his K potential.  He has the makings of a #3-5 starter.
	217	Allen St. Clair	Los Angeles Dodgers	LHP	A 6’ 5” southpaw who has had good stuff in the past but was searching for it most of the year.  Fantasy Value:  May have some down the road as taller pitchers take longer to develop their pitching motion.
	225	Adam Zornes	San Diego Padres	C
	275	Aaron Luna	St. Louis Cardinals	OF
	351	Matthew Langwell	Cleveland Indians	RHP
	403	Jared Gayhart	Detroit Tigers	RHP
	549	Robert Bell	Toronto Blue Jays	RHP
	638	Lucas Luetge	Milwauke Brewers	LHP
	721	Christopher Kelley	Washington Nationals	RHP
	877	Jonathon Runnels	Los Angeles Dodgers	LHP
	1321	Juan Padron	Washington Nationals	1B
LSU Tigers	267	Ryan Verdugo	San Francisco Giants	LHP	Highest drafted player for the Tigers who at this point is just another live arm.  Not much here.
	375	Matthew Clark	San Diego Padres	1B
	421	Harold Coleman	Washington Nationals	RHP
	516	David Martin	Minnesota Twins	LHP
	545	Jared Bradford	St. Louis Cardinals	RHP
	603	Mike Hollander	Texas Rangers	SS
	1181	Jordan Brown	Chicaco Cubs	RHP
North Carolina Tar Heels	231	Timothy Fedroff	Cleveland Indians	OF	Has a compact swing but led the Tar Heels in HR this year with 12.  He has good speed and may have some SB potential at the next level.  Fantasy Value:  Decent BA, Good SB and Little HR potential.
	232	Timothy Federowicz	Boston Red Sox	C	An average college catching prospect.  Fantasy Value:  Don’t look for much.
	398	Robert Wooten	Milwaukee Brewers	RHP
	647	Tyler Trice	Colorado Rockies	RHP
	1101	Adam Warren	Cleveland Indians	RHP
	1214	Seth Williams	New York Mets	OF

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