The college ranks lack a true elite bat at first base,
though there are several sticks that could end up producing good power at the Major League level, if everything clicks. The
prep ranks feature a couple of the better overall bats in the class at first base, with several more candidates that missed
our list capable of flying up the ranks due to their projection. There also remains a good possibility that a few of the names
listed below will ultimately wind-up in the outfield, in order to try and maximize their value. But we've tried to avoid
placing listed first basemen that we feel are locks for another position (such as Try Griffin). Again, these pre-season lists
should be viewed as a summary of the players we'll be keeping our eyes on in rough order of current preference -- it's
likely these will shuffle around a fair amount between now and June:
- Kris Bryant, Senior, Bonanza HS (Nev.)
- Jared Lakind, Senior, Cy-Woods HS (Texas)
- Hunter Morris, Junior, Auburn Univ.
- Conrad Gregor, Senior, Carmel HS (Ind.)
- Austin Southall, Senior, University HS (La.)
- Andy Wilkins, Junior, Univ. Arkansas
- Kyle Roller, Senior, East Carolina Univ.
- Mickey Wiswall, Junior, Boston College
- Christian Yelich, Senior, Westlake HS (Calif.)
- Phil Cerreto, Senior, Longwood Univ.
- Taylor Ard, Sophomore, Mt. Hood (Ore.)
- Jaren Matthews, Junior, Rutgers Univ.
- Blake Dean,
Senior, Louisiana St. Univ.
- Daniel Palka, Senior, Greer HS (S.C.)
- Rhoderick Shoulders, Senior, Brandon HS (Fla.)
Best Hitter: Jared Lakind
Best Power: Kris Bryant
Best Defense:
Conrad Gregor
Best Arm: Jared Lakind
Best Speed: Conrad Gregor
