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Seth Beer Tops Golden Spikes Watch List



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Seth Beer (Photo by Tony Farlow)[/caption] USA Baseball on Wednesday unveiled the 55 players on its preseason watch list for the 2017 Golden Spikes Award, which honors the country’s top amateur player. Clemson first baseman Seth Beer, a Golden Spikes finalist as a freshman last year and Baseball America’s Freshman of the Year, leads a group of 13 Atlantic Coast Conference players on the list, joined by fellow first-team Preseason All-Americans Brendan McKay of Louisville and Pavin Smith of Virginia. The Southeastern Conference is tied with the ACC with 13 players on the list, and 16 different conferences are represented in all. Florida, Stanford and Texas Christian lead all individual teams with three players on the list apiece. Three players from outside Division I appear on the list as well. State JC of Florida lefthander Brendon Little, a third-team Preseason All-American, is the lone junior college player, along with two high schoolers in Hunter Greene and Royce Lewis, both of whom are first-team Preseason High School All-Americans. Two junior college players have won the award in the past, most recently Bryce Harper in 2010. Players who don’t appear on the watch list can still play their way into consideration for the Golden Spikes, thanks to what the Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board calls its “rolling list” of players. Fans will continue to be part of the process as well, as they can nominate players starting on March 27. A midseason watch list will be announced on April 12, and voting for semifinalists begins May 31. USA Baseball will announce the Golden Spikes Award finalists on June 14, and the Award will be presented June 29.
Royce Lewis Photo By Brace Hemmelgarn Minnesota Twins Getty Images

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2017 Golden Spikes Award Watch List
Riley Adams, c, Jr., San DiegoTanner Houck, rhp, Jr., Missouri
Luken Baker, 1b, So., Texas ChristianKel Johnson, of, Jr., Georgia Tech
Elliott Barzilli, 3b, Sr., Texas ChristianJeren Kendall, of, Jr., Vanderbilt
Tristan Beck, rhp, So., StanfordZach Kirtley, 2b, Jr., Saint Mary’s
Andrew Beckwith, rhp, Sr., Coastal CarolinaAlex Lange, rhp, Jr., Louisiana State
Seth Beer, 1b, So., ClemsonRoyce Lewis, of, HS-Sr., JSerra Catholic High, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Quinn Brodey, of, Jr., StanfordBrendon Little, lhp, So., State JC of Florida
J.B. Bukauskas, rhp, Jr., North CarolinaNick Madrigal, 2b, So., Oregon State
Jake Burger, 3b, Jr., Missouri StateJake Mangum, of, So., Mississippi State
Dylan Busby, 3b, Jr., Florida StateCorbin Martin, rhp, Jr., Texas A&M
Griffin Canning, rhp, Jr., UCLABrendan McKay, lhp/1b, Jr., Louisville
Carl Chester, of, Jr., MiamiBrian Miller, of, Jr., North Carolina
Wil Crowe, rhp, Jr., South CarolinaBrian Mims, 2b, Jr., UNC Wilmington
Joe Davis, 1b, So., HoustonGlenn Otto, rhp, Jr., Rice
Joe Dunand, ss, Jr., North Carolina StateKramer Robertson, ss, Sr., Louisiana State
Colton Eastman, rhp, So., Cal State FullertonSeth Romero, lhp, Jr., Houston
Alex Faedo, rhp, Jr., FloridaJayson Rose, rhp, Jr., Utah
Stuart Fairchild, of, Jr., Wake ForestClarke Schmidt, rhp, Jr., South Carolina
Nick Feight, c, Jr., UNC WilmingtonJ.J. Schwarz, c, Jr., Florida
Michael Gigliotti, of, Jr., LipscombColton Shaver, c/1b, Jr., Brigham Young
Luis Gonzalez, lhp/of, Jr., New MexicoEvan Skoug, c, Jr., Texas Christian
Hunter Greene, rhp/ss, HS-Sr., Notre Dame High, Sherman Oaks, Calif.Kevin Smith, ss, Jr., Maryland
Dalton Guthrie, ss, Jr., FloridaPavin Smith, 1b/of, Jr., Virginia
K.J. Harrison, 1b, Jr., Oregon StatePeter Solomon, rhp, Jr., Notre Dame
Adam Haseley, lhp/of, Jr., VirginiaTrey Truitt, of, Jr., Mercer
Keston Hiura, of, Jr., UC IrvineTaylor Walls, ss, Jr., Florida State
Colton Hock, rhp, Jr., StanfordEvan White, 1b, Jr., Kentucky
Kyle Wright, rhp, Jr., Vanderbilt

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