May 30, 1997
Florida State's J.D. Drew Named Baseball America's
Player Of The Year

More school info below...


OMAHA, Neb. -- J.D. Drew capped an outstanding college career Thursday by receiving Baseball America's 1997 College Player of the Year award during a press conference in Omaha on the eve of the 51st College World Series.

This spring, Drew became the first player in college history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season. The Florida State center fielder batted .455 with 31 homers and 32 steals, scoring 110 runs and driving in 100. He also was named Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year.

Drew, 21, led the Seminoles to within a victory of the College World Series, but they lost 5-2 to Auburn in the championship game of the East Regional. Had he reached Omaha, Drew could have built on his CWS records for homers in a game (three), Series (four) and career (five). He was named to the all-CWS team for the decade of the 1990s last year.

Drew likely will be in the news again next week, when Major League Baseball begins its annual amateur draft on Tuesday, June 3. Baseball America has rated Drew the top prospect available in the draft, and projects that he will be taken with the No. 2 choice by the Philadelphia Phillies.

"J.D. Drew has the complete package of tools that major league teams look for," Baseball America managing editor Jim Callis said. "He broke out as a freshman at the 1995 College World Series, and he has just kept getting better and better. He shouldn't need much time in the minors before becoming a big league star."

A 20th-round pick by the San Francisco Giants in 1994 out of Lowndes County High in Hahira, Ga., Drew has blossomed in three years at Florida State. After batting .358 with 38 home runs in his first two seasons, he added 20 pounds of muscle through offseason weight training. Now 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, the work paid off as he turned in one of the best all-around seasons in college history.
Only two other college players have approached the 30-30 milestone. Virginia Tech first baseman Franklin Stubbs tied for the Division I lead with 29 homers and stole 34 bases in 1981. Utah outfielder Casey Child hit 31 homers and swiped 27 bases this spring.

Drew repeated as a first-team selection on Baseball America's annual All-America teams as well. The team, which features two sophomores, 11 juniors and two seniors, also includes Drew's roommate, Jeremy Morris. Joining Drew and Morris in the first-team outfield is Florida's Brad Wilkerson.

Rice first baseman Lance Berkman, North Carolina State second baseman Tom Sergio, UCLA third baseman Troy Glaus and Louisiana State shortstop Brandon Larson form the first-team infield. Clemson's Matthew LeCroy is the catcher, while Miami's Pat Burrell is the DH. Burrell joins Drew as the only repeaters from the 1996 first team.

The first-team pitching staff consists of Rice's Matt Anderson, UCLA's Jim Parque, Stanford's Kyle Peterson, Pacific's Dan Reichert and Fresno State's Jeff Weaver. Peterson was also a first-team selection in 1995.

Baseball America expanded its All-America teams this year by including utilitymen in order to honor players who star both at the plate and on the mound. Auburn's Tim Hudson was selected at that position on the first team.

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