2007 College World Series Alumni Team

This has probably been done before, but while watching college baseball the other night I found myself wondering what type of talent came out of this year’s eight World Series entrants in the past. Some of the schools, such as Mississippi State, Arizona State and Cal State-Fullerton, are baseball hotbeds that churn out quality players on a yearly basis, while others – the Rices, North Carolinas and Oregon States of the world – are slightly less prolific.

The only real rule that was followed here was that all eight programs had to be represented by at least one player (therefore, it doesn’t matter if a guy actually played in the College World Series; as long as he went to one of this year’s eight participants, he was up for consideration). For the most part, that wasn’t a problem, although Louisville and UC-Irvine both had slim pickings.

The 2007 College World Series Alumni Team is below. Starters are listed first, followed by reserves, with the pitching staff bringing up the rear. If anyone takes issue with the batting order or the inclusion/exclusion of a certain player (it’s not easy getting a roster down to 25 guys), let me know in the comments.

(All school information was taken from Baseball-Reference’s extensive database.)

Starting Lineup

OF – Lance Berkman, Rice (1999-2007) – Not renowned for his speed, he earns the leadoff spot with six consecutive .400 OBP seasons. His power numbers prevent him from batting this high under normal circumstances, but this lineup is stacked enough in the middle that he won’t be missed.

1B – Will Clark, Mississippi State (1986-2000) – “The Thrill”. Got on base fairly regularly throughout his career and provides some pop from the second spot in the order.

OF – Barry Bonds, Arizona State (1986-2007) – Hits third for the CWSAT after primarily batting fourth in San Francisco the past several seasons. Most feared hitter in baseball history would see a lot of RBI opportunities with Berkman and Clark on base in front of him.

OF – Reggie Jackson, Arizona State (1967-87) – “The Straw That Stirs The Drink”. Reggie should probably hit third, Bonds fourth, but that just doesn’t seem right. If ever there was a guy who was SUPPOSED to be a cleanup man, it was Mr. October.

DH - Rafael Palmeiro, Mississippi State (1986-2005) – Stanozolol be damned: 500 and 3,000 puts you in this lineup. Just bring the earplugs.

3B – Bob Horner, Arizona State (1978-1988) – First overall pick went straight from Arizona State to the Atlanta Braves in 1978 and won the NL Rookie of the Year award the same year. Hit four homeruns in a game in ’86 and never, to my knowledge, spent a day in the minor leagues.

2B – Buddy Myer, Mississippi State (1925-41) – Getting old school here: the only true old-timer on the squad played second base for some bad Senators teams in the 1930s (and, to be fair, one decent one in 1933). Never a big power-hitter type, he once drove in 100 runs in a season while going deep only five times.

C – Paul Lo Duca, Arizona State (1998-2007) – Where’d the power go, Paul? 25 homers in his first full season, only 44 in 5+ years since. Made four All-Star Games in a row for the Dodgers, Marlins and Mets, and will probably be in Pittsburgh next month.

SS - Walt Weiss, North Carolina (1987-2000) – Baseball’s best rookie in 1988 was drafted out of North Carolina by Oakland in 1985. Played for the original Florida Marlins in ’93, then sampled the Rockies for a few years. Even that thin air couldn’t provide respectable power numbers: four years, fourteen homers.

Reserves

C – Brent Mayne, Cal State-Fullerton (1990-2004) – What can I say about Brent Mayne? Seriously, what can I say – I got nothin’.

UTIL – B.J. Surhoff, North Carolina (1987-2005) – For the last five years of his career, consistently surprised people with the mere reality that he was still playing.

UTIL – Steve Lyons, Oregon State (1985-93) – Once pulled his pants down on the field because he had dirt on his legs; they didn’t call him “Psycho” for nothing.

OF – Brady Anderson, UC-Irvine (1988-2002) – 1996 was one of the flukiest seasons in major league history.

Starting Pitchers

SP – Floyd Bannister, Arizona State (1977-92) – Brian’s dad won 134 major league games. Unfortunately, he lost 143. Slim pickings among pitchers, however, means he’s the ace of this particular staff.

SP – Ken Forsch, Oregon State (1970-86) – Might have done something as a starting pitcher had he not been used primarily as a reliever from the ages of 27 to 31. Known to me personally throughout my formative years as “Bob Forsch’s less successful older brother”.

SP – Willie Mitchell, Mississippi State (1909-19) – 2.88 career ERA is a lot more impressive if you don’t look at the overall league mark for the same time period (2.98).

SP – Larry Gura, Arizona State (1970-85) – 18 wins for Kansas City in both 1980 and 1982, but no love in the Cy Young voting.

SP – Dave Ferriss, Mississippi State (1945-50) – Short career: two 20-win seasons, a complete game shutout in the 1946 World Series, then arm trouble and oblivion.

Relief Pitchers

RP – Sean Green, Louisville (2006-07) – Ladies and gentlemen, Louisville’s contribution to this team.

RP – Norm Charlton, Rice (1988-2001) – An early member of the B.J. Surhoff Memorial “He’s Still Playing?” School. How his left arm is still attached to his body is a medical mystery.

RP – Jeff Brantley, Mississippi State (1988-2001) – Bad starting pitching on this team, good bullpen. 44 saves in one season should earn a guy a closer’s job – not here, Jeffrey. Not here.

RP – Matt Anderson, Rice (1998-2005) – Saved 1/3 of Detroit’s 2001 wins, then his arm fell off. Last MLB action was 2005, so he might still be kicking around somewhere, biding his time until the next opportunity arises.

SU – Bobby Thigpen, Mississippi State (1986-94) – 44 saves doesn’t earn you the closer’s job on this team – 57 in one season (176 in five seasons) should. I’ll explain in a minute.

SU – Chad Cordero, Cal State-Fullerton (2003-07) – Safe to say he enjoyed the move from Montreal to Washington as much as anybody – 47 saves and 1.82 ERAs have a way of easing the pain of relocation.

CL – Jonathan Papelbon, Mississippi State (2005-07) – Papelbon is young, you say? Papelbon is less established than Thigpen and Cordero, not to mention Jeffrey Hoke Brantley? True and true. But after being forced to cut Marty Barrett and Kevin Romine, two late ‘80s Sox favorites, I decided to put Paps wherever the hell I felt like; therefore, he’s my closer.

Team Doctor – Moonlight Graham, North Carolina (1905) – I wonder if he looked anything like Burt Lancaster in real life?

One Hit (By Pitch) Wonder – Adam Greenberg, North Carolina (2005) – No real place for Greenberg on the team, but the dude needs to be here. 2005, major league debut, playing for the Chicago Cubs, and the first pitch he sees? WHAM – fastball, right upside the noggin. They had to put a pitcher in to run for him. Hasn’t sniffed the bigs since. Damn shame.