Every summer, Perfect Game CrossChecker covers the nation’s top summer collegiate leagues more extensively than anyone else in the country. And every summer, PGC identifies the top professional prospects that played in each of those leagues.
This year, PGC recognized the top 25 players in the Texas Collegiate League. Six players from the Victoria Generals made the list.
Rudy Flores was the highest ranked player from the Generals, coming in at #3. Flores, a 21st round draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks, was the only player on the list to sign professionally during the TCL season. The Generals third baseman played in the first 11 games of the season before signing with the Diamondbacks. During that time, Flores hit .357 with three doubles, five walks, nine RBI, and seven runs scored. After weighing his options, Flores decided to sign with the Diamondbacks rather than return to Florida International University for his senior year.
Dillon Newman, ranked #10 overall, was the first of four Generals pitchers named to the list. Newman, a right-hander from Baylor university, made nine appearances and started six games for the Generals, posting a 3-1 record with one save. Newman struck out 46 batters in 40.2 innings to go along with a 1.99 ERA. Newman was selected to the South TCL All-Star Team and struck out all three batters he faced in the exhibition game. Newman, now a junior, will be eligible for the 2013 draft for the first time since he was selected by the New York Mets in the 49th round out of high school in 2010.
Next on the list at #11 was another junior right-handed pitcher from Baylor, Trae Davis. Davis appeared in 10 games for the Generals, making eight starts and posting a 2-4 record. Davis struck out 23 batters in 41 innings to go along with a 2.20 ERA. Davis, too, was a TCL All-Star and will be eligible for the 2013 draft for the first time since 2010 when he was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 29th round out of high school.
Generals’ relief pitcher Dallas Ponder received the #15 spot. The hard-throwing right-hander saw his draft stock quickly rise over the summer as he turned in a dominant season. Ponder, now a junior at Texas A&M University – Kingsville, appeared in 15 games this summer, recording 45 strikeouts and just seven walks in 27.1 innings. Ponder went 2-1 on the season with five saves and a 1.98 ERA.
The final pitcher to appear on the list for the Generals was the most decorated of the group as Jordan Pacheco checked in at #16. Pacheco, now a sophomore at the University of Texas – San Antonio, was selected to the TCL All-Star game as well as the All-TCL Team as the league’s top right-handed pitcher. The Victoria native went 6-2 on the season, tying him for the league lead in wins during the regular season. Pacheco finished third in the TCL in both ERA (1.90) and strikeouts (50). Pacheco’s best outing of the summer came in the post-season as he led the Generals to an opening game win against the East Texas Pump Jacks in the TCL Championship Series. Pacheco tossed seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits with a season-high nine strikeouts.
Rounding out the list was Generals All-TCL outfielder Jude Vidrine. Vidrine, ranked #16, caught the attention of several scouts when he blasted two home runs during the TCL All-Star Game in Victoria on his way to being named the game’s MVP. Vidrine, now a junior at Lamar University, led the TCL with 39 walks and a .459 on-base percentage. His .317 batting average was good enough for the fourth highest in the league. Vidrine added nine doubles, four home runs, 28 RBI, and 28 runs scored on the season.
To view the complete list of the Perfect Game CrossChecker’s top 25 professional prospects in the Texas Collegiate League, visit http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=7583.
