The Fastest Players You've Never Heard Of
March 30, 2010
Yep, the college game is different. Against the unpolished defenses of just about every D-1 team, many coaches let their players run wild, testing the arm strength of catchers and outfielders alike.
We want to know who is running the wildest. And hey, maybe we'll unearth a prospect or two in the process.
We enlisted the help of Bill James's "Speed Score," a stat that takes into consideration stolen base percentage, stolen base attempts, triples, and runs scored. (For the full explanation, I'll hand it over to David Appelman.)
Speed score puts every player on a scale between 0 and 10, where 0 is a Molina brother and 10 is a better-coached Willie Mays Hayes. Last year, Michael Bourn led the majors with a speed score of 8.6, while ten other players reached 7.0.
At this point in the young season, many NCAA players are blowing the Astros outfielder out of a water. Here are the top collegiates who are questioning Bourn's supremacy:
Player School PA Spd Willie Wesley Jackson State 85 9.6 Sean Deegan Penn State 103 9.5 Adam Eaton Miami (OH) 97 9.4 Cortez Cole Jackson State 76 9.4 Mike Drowne Sacred Heart 75 9.3 Chris Bangi Campbell 123 9.3 Jeff Holm Michigan State 90 9.3 Billy Burns Mercer 87 9.3 Justin Bencsko Villanova 86 9.2 Kevin Rodland Nevada 105 9.1 Nate Roberts High Point 114 9.1 Garrett Custons Air Force 102 9.1 Gary Brown Cal State Fullerton 110 9.0 Isaac Ballou Marshall 85 9.0 Justyn Carter St. Peter's 83 9.0
Okay--this isn't exactly the Baseball America Top Prospects list. Among better-known players, LSU's Leon Landry checks in at 8.7, Florida senior Matt den Dekker appears at 8.4, and FSU's Tyler Holt registers a 7.7.
We'll revisit speed score later in the season to see whether Landry can crack the top 15, or if anything can stop those Jackson State Tigers on the basepaths.