Anthony Rendon Could Make It All Better

On Opening Day, fans of every team in baseball entertain wild thoughts of making the playoffs. A couple weeks into the season, many still do, but fans of some unfortunate teams - such as this year’s Orioles - have to change their focus, their dreams having already been dashed. That focus? Playing for the future, and gunning for the next year’s #1 draft pick.

↵It’s a sad race, but an exciting one when all else is lost. The race two years ago competed for Stephen Strasburg. The race last year competed for Bryce Harper. And the race this year? It might be a little early to say, but it’s probably competing for Anthony Rendon.

↵Rendon, 19, is a sophomore third baseman at Rice University. In 2009, his debut season, he was selected National Freshman Of The Year. In 2010, he’s built on his previous success by mashing a team-best .369/.541/.723. He leads the Owls in home runs with 13, has 48 walks to go with just 15 strikeouts, and, for good measure, he also plays a good third base. In short, the teenager has been one of the best overall players in the country, and he’s done it for a big program against a difficult schedule. For the sake of perspective, he’s playing better than Evan Longoria and Ryan Zimmerman did at the same age.

↵Pitchers like UCLA’s Gerrit Cole and Texas’ Taylor Jungmann, among others, are hanging around near the top of the draft board, but Rendon is in the lead, and right now it isn’t very close. He would need to really slip up to fall back down to the pack.

↵It’s never fun to stumble out of the gate and watch a miserable season, but sometimes the bumpiest roads can lead to unthinkable riches. Some fans may already be willing to concede the 2010 season, and for those fans, let the race for the #1 draft pick commence.