The CBB continues our countdown for the 2010 College Baseball season by checking in on the Top 100 Players in the country. We will be providing one player per day until we reach number 1.
We continue the list today with number 70 in our countdown with UCLA junior LHP Rob Rasmussen. He picked up four letters at Pasadena Polytechnic School in Pasadena California. He had a career record of 38-2 with an ERA of 1.04 while striking out 492 batters in only 248.2 innings. In his entire high school career, he only gave up 37 earned runs. He picked up several awards in his high school career including being named a third-team All-American by Baseball America and first-team All-State honors from CalHi Sports.
Rasmussen made 10 appearances during his freshman season including two starts. His season was cut short when he suffered a broken foot in his first career start making him miss 10 weeks. He ended up finishing his freshman season with a 0-2 record and a 5.60 ERA. He spent the summer of 2008 with the Orleans Cardinals in the Cape Cod Baseball League where he went 4-3 with a 4.12 ERA in 39.1 innings.
Rasmussen’s sophomore season saw him make 18 appearance (six starts) where he had a 4-2 record with a 6.75 ERA. He went a perfect 3-0 with a 4.95 ERA in his 12 relief appearances while compiling 27 strikeouts and 12 walks in 20.0 innings. He spent the summer of 2009 back with the Orleans Cardinals in the Cape Cod Baseball League where he went a perfect 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA while leading the team in strikeouts with 42 in 35 innings of work. He was the only pitcher in the league to win four or more games without a loss. He was named the starter in the CCBL All-Star game where he pitched one inning giving up two unearned runs on one hit to Zach Cox that hit the center field wall at Fenway Park.
Baseball America named him the 16th best prospect in the CCBL and we believe that Rasmussen will be a perfect number 3 starter for the UCLA Bruins this season as they have two outstanding pitchers in Trevor Bauer and Gerrit Cole. If Rasmussen can find his form from his summer league days, then he will live up to my expectations for him.
You can check out the rest of the Top 100 countdown by clicking here.
5 comments
Another perfect example of my gripe with your Top 100 countdown. I could care less what a guy did in Summer ball if he repeatedly fails to carry it over into D-I play. Rasmassen is the opinion of many– including UCLA fans– is not even the third best pitcher on the Bruins (as many believe Claypool should be the Sunday starter based on college performance the past 2 – 3 years). How the heck is Rasmussen ranked ahead of guys such as Erickson, Solis and Ojala. I’d take any of the above trio over Rasmussen, despite their injury rehabs. Pitchers with Rasmussen’s two-year stats are a dime a dozen in college baseball. Does he have potential? Sure..but to rank him anywhere near the Top 100 returning college players– let alone all the way up at #70– is a complete joke.
Ojala and Erickson are in the same category major rehab on their pitching arms. You never know what your going to get. Can they come back at the same level? Yes, but from my experience it is always the second full season of pitching that the arm comes back.
Solis had a back injury and some shoulder problems last year.
True, Brian…but we’re talking about elite pitchers when healthy, and all guys who have proven themselves repeatedly at the D-I level. Rasmussen has yet to demonstrate anything but mediocrity during his first two years at UCLA, and he’s been given every opportunity by Savage, even when he has repeatedly let the team down. Again, IMO, there are dozens upon dozens of pitchers every bit as good as Rasmussen within the college ranks. I wouldn’t have Rasmussen in my Top 75 pitchers, let alone Top 70 college players. He’s done absolutely nothing at the D-I level to warrant such distinction. Nada. Quite honestly, he’s been more a disappointment up to this point than a proven player.
I love your list of players that really excelled well in College baseball. You have some players in the list that I really admire and also some that are not a favorite of mine.
I batted .500 off that dude when I was a freshman in high school
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