2020 College Baseball Preseason All-Americans

Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson and Georgia righthander Emerson Hancock, the top two ranked prospects in the 2020 draft class, highlight the 2020 Baseball America Preseason All-America team.

Baseball America annually polls major league organizations’ scouting departments to vote on the team and asks that they make their selections based on performance, talent and professional potential. In the past, the Baseball America Preseason All-America team has been a predictor both of the first round of the draft and of team success.

Fourteen of the 16 regional hosts in the 2019 NCAA Tournament had at least one Preseason All-American. Those 14 schools combined to produce 18 of the 42 players on the three teams.

Eight members of the 2019 preseason first team became first-round picks last June, including College Player of the Year and first-overall selection Adley Rutschman. In all, 13 players from last year’s Preseason All-America teams were last year drafted in the first round, including six of the first 10 picks.

Torkelson, New Mexico State second baseman Nick Gonzales, Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad and Vanderbilt third baseman Austin Martin were unanimous first-team selections.

Baseball America this year received votes from a dozen major league teams.

Patrick Bailey, C, North Carolina State

The top-ranked catcher in the 2020 class, Bailey entered college as an advanced defender with offensive concerns. He proved those concerns were unwarranted by leading all Atlantic Coast Conference freshmen in hitting (.321) before batting .325/.444/.598 as a sophomore. He brings power from both sides of the plate. Bailey also has strong plate discipline.

Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Arizona State

The best hitter in the 2020 draft class, Torkelson has the impact bat to profile at any corner and should fly off the draft board in June. He is a career .337/.443/.723 hitter with 48 home runs through two seasons and has top-of-the-scale power potential. While Torkelson’s most likely defensive home is first base, he has the athleticism to give a corner outfield spot a try.

Nick Gonzales, 2B, New Mexico State

A freshman All-America in 2018, Gonzales led New Mexico State in hitting (.347) as a freshman before leading the country as a sophomore (.432). He also showed his hitting chops last summer in the Cape Cod League (.351/.451/.630) against better pitching. He ranked as the league’s top prospect. Gonzales showed he could hit for power (seven home runs) with a wood bay and away from elevation.

Austin Martin, 3B, Vanderbilt

Martin led the nation in runs (87) as a sophomore at the top of a potent Vanderbilt offense and has one of the best hit tools in the country. His excellent bat speed and athleticism allows him to confidently play third, shortstop and center field. Martin also began tapping into more power, going from one home run as a freshman to eight in his follow-up campaign.

Casey Martin, SS, Arkansas

Martin has an enticing power-speed combination. He has 28 home runs and 18 stolen bases over two years with Arkansas, including a .316/.392/.551 career slash line. He started every game at shortstop as a sophomore and has the agility and hands to stick there. He can further take advantage of his tools if he refines an offensive approach that is overaggressive at times and has led to a 22% strikeout rate.

Daniel Cabrera, OF, Louisiana State

Known for his hitting prowess dating back to his high school days, Cabrera is a bat-first corner outfielder who consistently hits the ball hard and was named a Freshman All-American after hitting .315/.405/.525 with eight home runs in 2018. Cabrera’s exit velocity numbers stack up with the best hitters in the country, though his strikeout rate climbed from 14 percent 
in 2018 to 21% in 2019.

Heston Kjerstad, OF, Arkansas

Kjerstad has been a consistent power source in two years with Arkansas, hitting 14 homers as a freshman and 16 as a sophomore. He has hit .331/.412/.563 for his career. He also led all Team USA batters last summer with a .395/.426/.651 line, proving that he could hit with impact with both a metal and wood bat, and also handle a variety of pitching styles. Currently, he is a rudimentary defender.

Garrett Mitchell, OF, UCLA

One of the top-ranked hitters to make it to campus in 2018, Mitchell is tooled-up in every way with plus speed, power and arm strength. After battling inconsistencies with his swing in high school and as a freshman, Mitchell broke out offensively as a sophomore and led the nation and broke a UCLA record with 12 triples. A Type I diabetic, he still has plenty to overcome but has the tools to do so.

Garrett Crochet, SP, Tennessee

Crochet ran up a 4.77 ERA in 128.2 innings as a starter and reliever in his first two seasons at Tennessee. Still, scouts loved the progress he showed last fall and think he might have the best fastball in the country. It’s an upper-90s heater that explodes out of his 6-foot-5 frame. Crochet has also flashed plus with his slider, but he will need to improve the consistency and control of his breaking pitch this spring.

JT Ginn, SP, Mississippi State

A first-round pick out of high school in 2018, Ginn didn’t come to terms with the Dodgers and instead was one of the best freshmen in the country with Mississippi State, joining Eric Dubose as the only two Bulldogs freshmen to reach 100 strikeouts in a season. Ginn racked up 103. He has a fastball that gets into the upper 90s with excellent life and a hard breaking ball to pair with it.

Emerson Hancock, SP, Georgia

The No. 2 pitching prospect out of Georgia behind current Orioles lefty DL Hall in high school, Hancock had a middling freshman season at Georgia before exploding on the scene last spring. Hancock posted a 1.99 ERA over 14 starts and has four pitches that project as plus, with good control of the entire arsenal. He is the favorite to be the first pitcher drafted in June.

Asa Lacy, SP, Texas A&M

The top-ranked lefthanded in the 2020 class, Lacy has posted back-to-back sub-3.00 ERA seasons with Texas A&M and as a sophomore allowed fewer hits per nine innings (4.97) than any Division I pitcher. Lacy has a strong frame and explosive pure stuff and will battle Hancock to be the first pitcher drafted. Coaches and scouts alike admire Lacy’s bulldog demeanor on the mound.

Burl Carraway, RP, Dallas Baptist

Carraway barely pitched as a Dallas Baptist freshman but came into his own as a sophomore, posting a 2.81 ERA in 28 games. He struck out 72 batters in 41.2 innings and his strikeout rate of 15.6 per nine innings was good for the second best in school history. Carraway has an electric fastball/breaking ball combination that creates uncomfortable at-bats for hitters, but his control can come and go at times. He’s also an impressive athlete.

Max Meyer, Utility, Minnesota

Meyer’s explosive fastball/slider combination makes him squarely a pitching prospect for pro teams. He has a 2.11 ERA as a starter and reliever with the Golden Gophers over two years—but he also hit in the middle of Minnesota’s lineup as a sophomore, batting .256/.323/.314. Meyer’s slider is arguably the best in the country, but some question whether he can hold that stuff in a starting role this spring.Welcome to EditPad.org - your online plain text editor. Enter or paste your text here. To download and save it, click on the button below.

Prospect Report: Heston Kjerstad Connects For Third Home Run Of The Spring

Kjerstad continued his torrid pace, Miguel Bleis had a big day and more.

All-American Best Tools

Best Athlete (Position Player): Garrett Mitchell, UCLA
Best Hitter: Nick Gonzalez, New Mexico State
Best Power: Spencer Torkelson, Arizona State
Fastest Runner: Casey Martin, Arkansas
Best Defensive Catcher: Patrick Bailey, North Carolina State
Best Defensive Infielder: Alika Williams, Arizona State
Best Defensive Outfielder: Garrett Mitchell, UCLA
Best Catcher Arm: Casey Opitz, Arkansas
Best Infield Arm: Gage Workman, Arizona State
Best Outfield Arm: Parker Chavers, Coastal Carolina
Best Fastball: Garrett Crochet, Tennessee
Best Fastball Movement: JT Ginn, Mississippi State
Best Curveball: Asa Lacy, Texas A&M
Best Slider: Max Meyer, Minnesota
Best Changeup: Emerson Hancock, Georgia
Best Control: Reid Detmers, Louisville
Best Athlete (Pitcher): JT Ginn, Mississippi State
Closest To The Majors: Spencer Torkelson, Arizona State