Rutgers sophomore Steve Nyisztor is slated to be in Orleans this summer. If some of the preseason hype holds, he may head in as one of the league’s top players.
Baseball America college guru Aaron Fitt tabbed Nyisztor as his top breakout player in the country, saying that the infielder is “poised to make the leap to college baseball superstardom this spring.”
Nyisztor was ranked by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Northwoods League last summer, and the pick wasn’t just about tools. Nyisztor also produced, earning league MVP honors with a .306 average, eight home runs and 56 RBI.
As a freshman, the 6-4, 200-pound Nyisztor started from day one and hit .410 for the Scarlet Knights. Fitt compares him to former Rutgers and Chatham star Todd Frazier. They hail from the same baseball-rich community of Tom’s River, N.J.
On a down note, I don’t know if it’s trend or coincidence, but for the third year in a row, the top freshmen arms in the country are not slated to come to the Cape. This year, Dylan Covey and Karsten Whitson, both first-round picks last year, are nowhere to be found on Cape rosters. Last year, TCU’s Matt Purke didn’t pitch on the Cape, and the year before that, UCLA’s Gerrit Cole and Texas’ Taylor Jungmann never made it. In some cases, these kind of players have been on rosters but went to Team USA. In the case of Covey and Whitson, the Cape apparently isn’t an option at this point. There are some top freshmen slated to be on the Cape like LSU’s Kevin Gausman, but it’s interesting that the top-top-level pitchers have not been making it across the bridges. I’d love to hear thoughts on this. Maybe it’s a trend or maybe it’s just the way things have gone.
On the brighter side, 12 of the top 20 players on Baseball America’s list of the top freshmen are on Cape rosters. Stanford’s Austin Wilson, who’s ranked third, is the top player. He’s on the Harwich roster.
College baseball starts Friday. I’m planning on posting some stuff on the weekend’s action tomorrow. I’ll also continue with the team notes over the next few weeks.
