FULLERTON, Calif. – David Schoenfield of ESPN.com ranked college baseball programs all-star lineups, Cal State Fullerton came in at No. 13 on his list.
College World Series appearances: 18 (last in 2017)
Titles: 4 (last in 2004)
Able to recruit locally in the baseball hotbed of Southern California, Fullerton has never had a losing season since moving up to Division I in 1975. Augie Garrido won three titles in two different stints as coach, while George Horton coached the 2004 champs. The school has produced 14 first-round picks, including Phil Nevin, the first overall pick in 1992 by the Astros (famously, Astros scout Hal Newhouser quit after the team passed on drafting Derek Jeter with the pick).
C - Kurt Suzuki (20.0 WAR, 1,409 G, 116 HR, in 13th big league season)
1B - Tim Wallach (38.5 WAR, 2,212 G, 260 HR, five-time All-Star)
2B - Justin Turner (24.3 WAR, 967 G, 94 HR, two top-10 MVP finishes)
3B - Matt Chapman (13.5 WAR, 262 G, 46 HR, 2018 Gold Glover)
SS - Christian Colon (1.8 WAR, 142 G, 1 HR)
LF - Khris Davis (12.7 WAR, 807 G, 203 HR, three straight 40-HR seasons)
CF - Mark Kotsay (21.3 WAR, 1,914 G, 127 HR, .276 career BA)
RF - Aaron Rowand (20.9 WAR, 1,358 G, 136 HR, All-Star in 2007)
DH - Phil Nevin (15.9 WAR, 1,217 G, 208 HR, 41 HR & 126 RBI in 2001)
Bench - Reed Johnson (10.3 WAR, 1,320 G, 65 G, .279 career BA)
P - Ricky Romero (9.9 WAR, 129 G, 51-45, 4.16 ERA, 2011 All-Star)
P - Mike Harkey (6.3 WAR, 131 G, 36-36, 4.49 ERA, fourth pick in 1987)
P - Chad Cordero (7.3 WAR, 314 G, 20-15, 2.89 ERA, 128 saves)
P - Chris Devenski (5.0 WAR, 172 G, 14-12, 2.82 ERA)
P - Michael Lorenzen (4.1 WAR, 191 G, 18-16, 4.06 ERA)
TOTAL WAR: 211.8
Kotsay was one of the greatest players in college baseball history, twice hitting over .400, with 20-plus home runs each season, while also serving as the closer on the 1995 title team (he was Most Outstanding Player of the CWS that year). Chapman, Oakland's first-round pick in 2014, has developed into one of the best all-around players in the majors. We'll slide Turner over to second base and put Khris Davis in the cleanup spot. The pitching is thin on starters -- Romero was off to a promising start before a sudden inability to throw strikes -- but deep in relievers.
All-time great: Tim Wallach was the Golden Spikes winner in 1979 and led the Titans to the CWS title. The Expos drafted him 10th overall, and he reached the majors the following season. From 1982 to 1990, he averaged 4.0 WAR per season, and was known for his outstanding defense at third base (although he moves to first base in this lineup to accommodate Chapman).
Best current major leaguer: A's third baseman Chapman has gone from late first-round pick to Gold Glove winner and top-10 MVP finisher. In other words: one of the best players in the game.
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