Catcher:
Preseason Actual
1: Tony Caldwell-Auburn 1: Mike Zunino-Florida
2: Mike Zunino-Florida 2: James McCann-Arkansas
Zunino was lights out for the Gators, leading the conference in total bases and placing 2nd in hitting with a .383 avg. The sophomore led the league with 15 home runs and added 7 SBs in 9 attempts for good measure. The was a large group vying for the second position, but catcher is more than what you do with the bat. No one was better defensively than Arkansas's McCann. He kept would be base stealers anchored to first base while hitting .309 with 6 HR.
First Base:
Preseason Actual
1: Preston Tucker- Florida 1: Christian Walker-USC
2: Christian Walker- USC 2: Aaron Westlake-Vandy
OK, we did not envision Preston Tucker moving to RF for Florida, but regardless, he was outplayed by both of these guys. Walker and Westlake should almost be 1 and 1A with Westlake hitting .360 and 127 total bases while Walker hit .358 on 125 total bases. Westlake won the home run battle 14 to 9 thanks to a late season power outage by the Gamecock, but Walker takes RBI 57 to 43 and struck out 21 less times at 25 to Westlake's 46. Arkansas's Dominic Ficociello comes in a close 3rd.
Second Base:
Preseason Actual
1: Anthony Gomez-Vandy 1: Scott Wingo-USC
2: Tyler Hanover-LSU 2: Alex Yarbrough-Miss
Make no mistake about it, Vanderbilt sophomore Anthony Gomez is the best pro prospect at second in the league. We are as surprised as anyone that Wingo hit .340, just one point shy of Gomez's .341. Plus, Wingo knocked 4 home runs, including a walk off in the Saturday game against Arkansas to quiet a thunderous Hog comeback. Gomez did not homer all season. Scott Wingo's defense single handedly kept the conference champions in over a dozen games this year and deserves to be praised. Gomez committed 15 errors. Yarbrough hit .350 with 6 home runs to lead the Rebels, while Hanover moved to third base. Khayyan Norfolk for Tennessee also deserves mention with a .332 avg and 29 SBs, as does Georgia's Levi Hyams who finished at .333, LSU's Jacoby Jones at .338, and Florida's Josh Adams at .340. You would be hard pressed to find a better group anywhere in the country.
Third Base:
Preseason Actual
1: Jason Esposito-Vandy 1: Jason Esposito-Vandy
2: Austin Maddox-Florida 2: Jarrod Parks-Miss St
We did not foresee Maddox's move to first or his power outage (dropping from 17-6). Esposito's defense was even more impressive than his bat, and that is saying a lot, especially when he committed 13 errors. He made some spectacular plays while hitting .341 with 6 home runs and 20 doubles (second in the conference). Wildcat fans will wonder why Thomas McCarthy's .371 avg was overlooked when it placed 4th in the league, but Jarrod Parks hit over .400 most of the season and he led the league at .385.
Shortstop:
Preseason Actual
1: Austin Nola-LSU 1: Nolan Fontana-Florida
2: Nolan Fontana- Florida 2: Casey McElroy-Auburn
Nola was serviceable hitting just below .300. McElory on the other hand logged a .370 avg with 8 home runs and 51 RBI. Alabama's Jarrod Reaves out hit Fontana .341 to .318, but Fontana's glove is what sets him apart. That is especially important at the shortstop position. He added 5 triples for good measure. McElroy had the higher average, but his 13 errors carry more weight at this position.
Outfield:
Preseason Actual
1: Jackie Bradley Jr-USC 1: Mikie Mahtook-LSU
1: Mikie Mahtook-LSU 1: Taylor Dugas-Bama
1: Taylor Dugas-Bama 1: Chad Wright-Kentucky
2: Colin Kuhn-Arkansas 2: Tony Kemp-Vandy
2: Zach Cone-UGA 2: Mason Katz-LSU
2: Justin Fradejas-Auburn 2: Mike Yastrzemski-Vandy
Jackie Bradley requiring mid-season wrist surgery was a punch in the gut for the Gamecocks. We envisioned Gamecock RF Adam Matthews playing his way to post-season honors before his hamstring caused him to spend more time in the training room than the field. Mahtook and Dugas were off the charts. Mahtook hit .383, blasted 14 home runs (second in the SEC), and swiped 29 bases. Can you say 1st round pick? Kuhn, Cone, and Fradejas all had good, but not ALL-SEC seasons. We admit we knew very little about Kentucky's Chad Wright before the season, but a .359 avg and 16 SBs are hard to miss. Kemp is a freshman, so we get a pass on not foreseeing his .342 avg and 11 SBs. Katz hit .337 with 51 RBI, while Yaz was .309 while going 20 of 23 in the stolen base department.
DH:
Preseason Actual
1: Brian Johnson-Florida 1: Raph Rhymes-LSU
2: Brady Thomas-USC 2: Brian Johnson-Florida
Johnson had a good sophomore season at .324, 10 HR, and only 24 strikeouts, but Rhymes hit .360. Thomas was primarily a catcher due to teammates' injuries.
Starting Pitcher
Preseason Actual
1: Sonny Gray-Vandy 1: Sonny Gray-Vandy
1: Nathan Kilcrease-Bama 1: Michael Roth-USC
1: Hudson Randall-Florida 1: D.J. Baxendale-Arkansas
2: Alex Panteliodis-Florida 2: Hudson Randall-Florida
2: Alex Meyer-Kentucky 2: Alex Meyer-Kentucky
2: Chris Stratton-Miss St 2: Grayson Garvin-Vandy
Gray performed like the first round pick he will be with 9 wins (3rd), 105 K (2nd), a .193 opponents avg, and a 2.17 era (3rd). Nobody could predict the stats Roth and Baxendale would put up after coming out of the bullpen last year. Roth was 1st in era at 1.28. We cannot believe we just wrote that. 1.28! Baxendale wasn't too shabby either at 1.62. He did allow one less earned run at 13 than Roth's 14. Roth was 2nd with 10 wins. Baxendale had 8. Randall was as good as advertised with 8 wins, a 2.45 era and count em-7 walks. Some guys walk 7 in a single game. Meyer led the conference with 100 Ks, 48 of which were looking. The next guy had 29. Garvin was just as good as his teammate Gray with a conference leading 11 wins, a 2.32 era, and a .216 opponent's avg. We were suspicious about Panteliodis in the preseason and noted it, but couldn't ignore his 2010 campaign. He proved us right as a average at best weekday starter. Kilcrease finished 6-4.
Relief Pitcher:
Preseason: Actual
1: Matt Price-USC 1: Matt Price-USC
1: Brett Huber-Miss 1: Tyler Maloof-UGA
2: Steven Rodriguez-Florida 2: Navory Morre-Vandy
2: Matty Ott-LSU 2: John Taylor-USC
Maloof led the league in saves with 16 to Price's 15. That was the majority of UGA's wins on the year. Price is simply intimidating and has ice water in his veins. Moore's stuff is better than everyone else's in the league. A 98 mph fastball. Are you kidding? Taylor led the SEC in appearances with 38 (2nd was 28). His era was in the low ones for most of the year.
Newcomer of the year: Karsten Whitson-Florida. We missed on Stanek as he spent the majority of the year in the bullpen, but he has electric stuff if he can find his control. Whitson was 7-0 with a 2.47 era as the Gator Sunday starter. At least we had him at #2.
Player of the year: Michael Roth-USC You can't go wrong with our pre-season pick of Gray here, but Roth's minuscule era has to be recognized. He simply made hitters from both sides of the plate look silly all year, which was surprising for someone who spent 2010 as a lefty specialist. If it were not for some shotty defense and complete lack of run support in a few contests, he would have 13 wins.
