Louisville and Florida lead all schools with three players listed on the Golden Spikes Award watch list.
DURHAM, N.C. -- USA Baseball unveiled its 50-player preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list on Tuesday, beginning the process of identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country for the 2016 season. Sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, the 39th Golden Spikes Award will be presented on June 30 in Los Angeles.
The preseason watch list features 50 of the nation's top amateur players, from high school and college baseball. The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will maintain a rolling list of athletes, allowing players to play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the season.
"We are pleased to announce the 50 members of the preseason Watch List for the 2016 Golden Spikes Award," said Paul Seiler, Executive Director/CEO of USA Baseball. "We look forward to following these athletes closely during the course of the baseball season and identifying the best representatives for this prestigious award."
Headlining the 2016 watch list are seven athletes the Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board has recognized in the past. Zack Collins (C, Miami), Kyle Funkhouser (RHP, Louisville), Sheldon Neuse (IF, Oklahoma), and Cal Quantrill (RHP, Stanford) have been named to the preseason watch list for the second consecutive year, while Luke Gillingham (LHP, Navy), Brendan McKay (LHP, Louisville) and Mike Shawaryn (RHP, Maryland) are the only players on the watch list that were named a semifinalist for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award in 2015.
Jason Groome (LHP, Barnegat High School) and Riley Pint (RHP, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School) are the only high school players represented on the list and Keivan Berges (RHP/OF, Keiser) is the lone NAIA player represented. Division III athlete, Sam Dexter (IF, Southern Maine), and Division II players Will Albertson (C, Catawba), Reese Gregory (RHP/IF, St. Cloud State), Tyson Miller (RHP, California Baptist), and Ryan Olson (RHP, Cal Poly Pomona) are five non-Division I athletes playing in the NCAA on the list. To this day, Alex Fernandez (1990) and Bryce Harper (2010) are the only non-NCAA Division I athletes to win the Golden Spikes Award.
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19 different collegiate athletic conferences from NAIA and the NCAA are represented on the 2016 preseason watch list. The Southeastern Conference leads the way with 11 representatives, while the Atlantic Coast Conference has nine and the Pac-12 Conference has six. Florida and Louisville lead all schools in representation with three players each. Missouri, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, and Virginia all had a pair of athletes identified on the watch list.
Starting on April 11 and ending April 17, fans will be able to nominate their favorite players for the Golden Spikes Award for the first time ever prior to the reveal of Midseason Watch List on April 20. The semifinalists list will be sent to a voting body consisting of past USA Baseball National Team coaches and press officers, members of the media that follow the amateur game closely, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the 38 previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters.
Fan voting will continue to be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2016, starting on June 1 with the naming of the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. Amateur baseball fans across the country will be able to vote for their favorite semifinalists at GoldenSpikesAward.com. On June 13, USA Baseball will announce the finalists and voting will begin that day and last until June 25.
The winner of the 39th Golden Spikes Award will be named on Thursday, June 30, at a presentation in Los Angeles. The finalists and their families will be honored at the Rod Dedeaux Foundation Dinner that evening at the Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles.
Last year, University of Arkansas' outfielder Andrew Benintendi took home the prestigious award, joining a group of recent winners that include A. J. Reed (2014), Kris Bryant (2013), Mike Zunino (2012), Trevor Bauer (2011), Bryce Harper (2010), Stephen Strasburg (2009), Buster Posey (2008), and David Price (2007).
The anticipated timeline for the 2016 Golden Spikes Award announcements:
- Tuesday, February 16: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list
- Monday, April 11: 2016 Golden Spikes Award fan nominations begin
- Sunday, April 17: 2016 Golden Spikes Award fan nominations end
- Wednesday, April 20: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list
- Wednesday, June 1: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists, voting begins
- Wednesday, June 8: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists, voting ends
- Monday, June 13: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists, voting begins
- Saturday, June 25: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists, voting ends
- Thursday, June 30: 2016 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award trophy presentation
A complete list of the 50-player USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list is as follows:
| Name | Position | Class | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will Albertson | C | Senior | Catawba |
| Nick Banks | OF | Junior | Texas A&M |
| Carmen Benedetti | UT | Junior | Michigan |
| Keivan Berges | RHP/OF | Junior | Keiser (NAIA) |
| Ryan Boldt | OF | Junior | Nebraska |
| Bryson Brigman | IF | Sophomore | San Diego |
| Zack Collins | C | Junior | Miami |
| Will Craig | RHP/IF | Junior | Wake Forest |
| Bobby Dalbec | IF | Junior | Arizona |
| Sam Dexter | IF | Senior | Southern Maine |
| Kyle Funkhouser | RHP | Senior | Louisville |
| Luke Gillingham | LHP | Senior | Navy |
| Reese Gregory | RHP/IF | Senior | St. Cloud State |
| Jason Groome | LHP | Senior | Barnegat (N.J.) HS |
| Alec Hansen | RHP | Junior | Oklahoma |
| KJ Harrison | C/IF | Sophomore | Oregon St. |
| Kevin Hill | RHP | RS-Senior | South Alabama |
| Keston Hiura | UT | Sophomore | UC Irvine |
| Tanner Houck | RHP | Sophomore | Missouri |
| Ryan Howard | IF | Junior | Missouri |
| Zach Jackson | RHP | Junior | Arkansas |
| Daulton Jefferies | RHP | Junior | California |
| Kel Johnson | OF | Sophomore | Georgia Tech |
| Connor Jones | RHP | Junior | Virginia |
| Anthony Kay | LHP | Junior | UCONN |
| Matt Krook | LHP | Sophomore | Oregon |
| Alex Lange | RHP | Sophomore | Louisiana State |
| Andrew Lantrip | RHP | Junior | Houston |
| Eric Lauer | LHP | Junior | Kent State |
| Kyle Lewis | OF | Junior | Mercer |
| Brendan McKay | LHP/IF | Sophomore | Louisville |
| Tyson Miller | RHP | Junior | California Baptist |
| Sheldon Neuse | RHP/IF | Junior | Oklahoma |
| Chris Okey | C | Junior | Clemson |
| Corbin Olmstead | RHP/IF | Senior | North Florida |
| Ryan Olson | RHP | Junior | Cal Poly Pomona |
| Riley Pint | RHP | Senior | Saint Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) HS |
| A.J. Puk | LHP | Junior | Florida |
| Cal Quantrill | RHP | Junior | Stanford |
| Corey Ray | OF | Junior | Louisville |
| Buddy Reed | OF | Junior | Florida |
| Bryan Reynolds | OF | Junior | Vanderbilt |
| JJ Schwarz | C | Sophomore | Florida |
| Nick Senzel | IF | Junior | Tennessee |
| Mike Shawaryn | RHP | Junior | Maryland |
| Matt Thaiss | C | Junior | Virginia |
| Mitchell Traver | RHP | RS-Junior | TCU |
| Donnie Walton | IF | Senior | Oklahoma State |
| Colby Woodmansee | IF | Junior | Arizona State |
| Kyle Wright | RHP/IF | Sophomore | Vanderbilt |
