CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball announced its 55-player preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list today, beginning the process of identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country for the 2021 season. The 43rd Golden Spikes Award will be presented in July.
The 2021 preseason watch list features 55 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 players, allowing athletes to play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the season.
Headlining the 2021 watch list is top MLB Draft prospect Kumar Rocker (Vanderbilt), who is making his second consecutive appearance on the preseason watch list this year. Rocker is joined by seven other 2020 Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list members, including Alex Binelas (Louisville), Colton Cowser (Sam Houston), Adrian Del Castillo (Miami), Trenton Denholm (UC Irvine), Josh Elvir (Angelo State), Bobby Seymour (Wake Forest), and Ethan Wilson (South Alabama). Additionally, Kevin Abel (Oregon State) returns to the list in 2021 after being named to the 2019 Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list.
“We are thrilled to be bringing the Golden Spikes Award back this year and kicking off the 2021 amateur baseball season with the fifty-five-player preseason watch list,” said Paul Seiler, Executive Director/CEO of USA Baseball. “The athletes who make up this year’s initial watch list have an incredible amount of talent and we are looking forward to their return to the diamond so we can follow their journeys during what will undoubtedly be a highly competitive season.”
The 2021 Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list features five athletes that will look to become just the third player from a non-NCAA Division I school to win the award, following in the footsteps of Alex Fernandez (1990) and Bryce Harper (2010). Elvir returns to the preseason watch list for the second year in a row representing NCAA Division II, while Mo Hanley (Adrian) and Luis Vargas (Wayland Baptist) represent NCAA Division III and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA), respectively.
Jordan Lawlar (Dallas Jesuit High School) and Andrew Painter (Calvary Christian High School) are the only high school baseball players recognized by the advisory board for the 2021 preseason watch list. Lawlar and Painter are the first players from their respective schools to be named to the Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list.
Sixteen different collegiate athletic conferences are represented on the 2021 preseason watch list with eight of those conferences boasting multiple selections, including the American Athletic, Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten, Big West, Pac-12, Sun Belt and Southeastern Conferences.
Florida leads the list of schools represented with three players on the 2021 list, followed closely by Arkansas, Boston College, Louisville, Miami, Ole Miss, Tennessee, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and Wake Forest, which all boast a pair of athletes.
Oregon State’s Adley Rutschman took home the prestigious award most recently in 2019, joining a group of recent winners that include Andrew Vaughn (2018), Brendan McKay (2017), Kyle Lewis (2016), Andrew Benintendi (2015), 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).
Fan voting will once again play a part in the Golden Spikes Award in 2021. Amateur baseball fans will be able to vote for their favorite players on GoldenSpikesAward.com, starting on June 8 with the naming of the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. USA Baseball will announce the finalists for the award on June 24 and fan voting will open at GoldenSpikesAward.com concurrently, remaining open through July 2.
The winner of the 43rd Golden Spikes Award will be named in July. To stay up-to-date on the 2021 Golden Spikes Award visit GoldenSpikesAward.com and follow @USAGoldenSpikes on Twitter and Instagram.
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- The 2021 Golden Spikes Award timeline:
- April 14: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list announced
- June 8: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists announced, fan voting begins
- June 15: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists fan voting ends
- June 24: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists announced, fan voting begins
- July 2: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists fan voting ends
- July: USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award trophy presentation
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- A complete list of the 55-player USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list is as follows:
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- Name; Position; School; Conference
- Andrew Abbott; LHP; Virginia; Atlantic Coast Conference
- Kevin Abel; RHP; Oregon State; Pac-12 Conference
- Hunter Barco; LHP; Florida; Southeastern Conference
- Alex Binelas; 3B; Louisville; Atlantic Coast Conference
- Mason Black; RHP; Lehigh; Patriot League
- Tyler Black; 2B; Wright State; Horizon League
- Brooks Carlson; 2B; Samford; SoCon Conference
- Parker Chavers; OF; Coastal Carolina; Sun Belt Conference
- Maxwell Costes; 1B; Maryland; Big 10 Conference
- Colton Cowser; OF; Sam Houston; Southland Conference
- Ryan Cusick; RHP; Wake Forest; Atlantic Coast Conference
- Henry Davis; C; Louisville; Atlantic Coast Conference
- Adrian Del Castillo; C; Miami; Atlantic Coast Conference
- Trenton Denholm; RHP; UC Irvine; Big West Conference
- Josh Elvir; OF; Angelo State; Lone Star Conference
- Jud Fabian; OF; Florida; Southeastern Conference
- Max Ferguson; 2B; Tennessee; Southeastern Conference
- Richard Fitts; RHP; Auburn; Southeastern Conference
- Christian Franklin; OF; Arkansas; Southeastern Conference
- Sal Frelick; OF; Boston College; Atlantic Coast Conference
- Zack Gelof; 3B; Virginia; Atlantic Coast Conference
- Hunter Goodman; C/UTL; Memphis; American Athletic Conference
- Peyton Graham; INF; Oklahoma; Big 12 Conference
- Steve Hajjar; LHP; Michigan; Big 10 Conference
- Mo Hanley; OF/LHP; Adrian; Michigan Intercollegiate Conference
- Jaden Hill; RHP; LSU; Southeastern Conference
- Gunnar Hoglund; RHP; Ole Miss; Southeastern Conference
- Grant Holman; RHP/1B; California; Pac-12 Conference
- Jordan Lawlar; INF; Dallas Jesuit High School
- Jack Leiter; RHP; Vanderbilt; Southeastern Conference
- Seth Lonsway; LHP; Ohio State; Big 10 Conference
- Tommy Mace; RHP; Florida; Southeastern Conference
- Christian MacLeod; RHP; Mississippi State; Southeastern Conference
- Ty Madden; RHP; Texas; Big 12 Conference
- Robby Martin; OF; Florida State; Atlantic Coast Conference
- Michael McGreevy; RHP; UC Santa Barbara; Big West
- Matt McLain; SS; UCLA; Pac-12 Conference
- Troy Melton; RHP; San Diego State; Mountain West Conference
- Robert Moore; 2B; Arkansas; Southeastern Conference
- Cody Morissette; 3B; Boston College; Atlantic Coast Conference
- Dylan Neuse; OF; Texas Tech; Big 12 Conference
- Doug Nikhazy; LHP; Ole Miss; Southeastern Conference
- Braden Olthoff; RHP; Tulane; American Athletic Conference
- Andrew Painter; RHP; Calvary Christian High School
- Connor Pavolony; C; Tennessee; Southeastern Conference
- Zach Pettway; RHP; UCLA; Pac-12 Conference
- Connor Prielipp; LHP; Alabama; Southeastern Conference
- Kumar Rocker; RHP; Vanderbilt; Southeastern Conference
- Bobby Seymour; 1B; Wake Forest; Atlantic Coast Conference
- Alex Toral; 1B; Miami; Atlantic Coast Conference
- Jose Torres; INF; NC State; Atlantic Coast Conference
- Luis Vargas; OF; Wayland Baptist; Sooner Athletic Conference
- Luke Waddell; SS; Georgia Tech; Atlantic Coast Conference
- Jordan Wicks; LHP; Kansas State; Big 12 Conference
- Ethan Wilson; OF; South Alabama; Sun Belt Conference
