USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award on Baseball Almanac

USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award

The Golden Spikes Award is presented each year to the baseball player who exhibits exceptional athletic ability AND exemplary sportsmanship. Past winners of this prestigious award include current Major League Baseball stars Robin Ventura, Jason Varitek, Mark Kotsay and Phil Nevin, as well as 2001 winner Mark Prior of the Chicago Cubs.

For the previous thirty years, USA Baseball has honored the top amateur baseball player in the country with this award. The Golden Spikes Award is sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), underscoring the commitment of Major League Baseball players to the grassroots development of baseball programs, particularly for youth, around the world. Baseball Almanac is pleased to present each recipient of the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award.

"I wanted to go out and play every game as hard as I could this season, with it being my last year in college. To be able to look back on the year and know that I was named the best amateur player as the Golden Spikes Award winner, it’s just a very special honor." - 2002 USA Golden Spikes Award winner Khalil Greene

USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award In Chronological Order
Year	Player Name	College Attended^(Quantity)
1978	Bob Horner	Arizona State University⁽¹⁾
1979	Tim Wallach	Cal State Fullerton⁽¹⁾
1980	Terry Francona	University of Arizona⁽¹⁾
1981	Mike Fuentes	Florida State University⁽¹⁾
1982	Augie Schmidt	University of New Orleans⁽¹⁾
1983	Dave Magadan	University of Alabama⁽¹⁾
1984	Oddibe McDowell	Arizona State University⁽²⁾
1985	Will Clark	Mississippi State University⁽¹⁾
1986	Mike Loynd	Florida State University⁽²⁾
1987	Jim Abbott	University of Michigan⁽¹⁾
1988	Robin Ventura	Oklahoma State University⁽¹⁾
1989	Ben McDonald	Louisiana State University⁽¹⁾
1990	Alex Fernandez	Miami-Dade Community College⁽¹⁾
1991	Mike Kelly	Arizona State University⁽³⁾
1992	Phil Nevin	Cal State Fullerton⁽²⁾
1993	Darren Dreifort	Wichita State University⁽¹⁾
1994	Jason Varitek	Georgia Institute of Technology⁽¹⁾
1995	Mark Kotsay	Cal State Fullerton⁽³⁾
1996	Travis Lee	San Diego State University⁽¹⁾
1997	J.D. Drew	Florida State University⁽³⁾
1998	Pat Burrell	University of Miami⁽¹⁾
1999	Jason Jennings	Baylor University⁽¹⁾
2000	Kip Bouknight	University of South Carolina⁽¹⁾
2001	Mark Prior	University of Southern California⁽¹⁾
2002	Khalil Greene	Clemson University⁽¹⁾
2003	Rickie Weeks	Southern University⁽¹⁾
2004	Jered Weaver	Long Beach State University⁽¹⁾
2005	Alex Gordon	University of Nebraska⁽¹⁾
2006	Tim Lincecum	University of Washington⁽¹⁾
2007	David Price	Vanderbilt University⁽¹⁾
2008	Buster Posey	Florida State University⁽⁴⁾
2009	Stephen Strasburg	San Diego State University⁽²⁾
2010	Bryce Harper	College of Southern Nevada⁽¹⁾
2011	Trevor Bauer	UCLA⁽¹⁾
2012	Not Yet Announced^(07-2012)	--
Year	Player Name	College Attended^(Quantity)
Golden Spikes Award

When the 2002 Baseball Golden Spikes Award was announced, they simultaneously celebrated their 25th Anniversary and announced their anniversary team (below):

25th Anniversary Golden Spikes Award Team

Pitchers: Jim Abbott, Ben McDonald & Mark Prior.
Infielders: Pat Burrell, Will Clark, Bob Horner, Phil Nevin & Robin Ventura.
Outfielders: J.D. Drew, Terry Francona, & Mark Kotsay.

Did you know that Khalil Greene (2002 recipient of the Golden Spikes Award) played for the Clemson Tigers and was the second NCAA player to ever collect four-hundred hits during his collge career?

Do you know who was drafted ahead of Greene? Do you remember what team drafted Greene? Check the 2002 First Round Draft Picks today. Names which appear on the chart above in gray did not make it to the Major League level.

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