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Arizona Wildcats 2B Trent Gilbert was picked with the 462nd overall pick in the 15th round by the Oakland Athletics.
Trent Gilbert's Wildcat career started out quiet, hitting in the bottom-third of the lineup for his freshman season. He did start each and every game in his three years at Arizona though.
At second base, Gilbert was a little bit of a defensive liability. He doesn't have the range that one would expect from a middle infielder, and his footwork is not ideal for getting the ball to his intended target.
While he struggled at the plate his freshman year compared to the rest of the lineup, he did set a UA freshman record for sac bunts with 12. But just like everyone else, the 2012 postseason is where Gilbert really turned it on.
The freshman hit .303 in the 10 postseason games, including going 2-for-4 in the CWS-clinching game against South Carolina, and drove in three of the four Arizona runs scored in that game.
You could argue that game vaulted him into a successful collegiate career at the plate. Over the next two years, Gilbert found himself in the middle of the lineup, and was squarely in the running to win the team's batting crown each season. He started to develop more power, but in a park like Hi Corbett and some of the other Pac-12 stadiums, the numbers don't really show that.
His only two home runs came in 2014, but don't let that fool you. Gilbert has the potential to be a threat to hit the long ball. What's really going to need to improve for him to have success is his defense. He's not powerful enough to make a living as a DH or first baseman, so he'll need to get the second base thing figured out.
After that 2012 regular season, I would have never guessed that the scrawny second baseman I saw out there would have ever developed into the kind of offensive threat he is now. I would imagine that he'll only continue to grow and improve at the plate.
Career Stats:
Year | Avg. | GP-GS | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | K | SB-ATT |
2012 | .272 | 64-64 | 235 | 34 | 64 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 20 | 42 | 4-5 |
2013 | .344 | 55-55 | 221 | 45 | 76 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 49 | 21 | 28 | 5-9 |
2014 | .324 | 55-55 | 225 | 38 | 73 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 39 | 18 | 33 | 2-3 |
Totals | .313 | 174-174 | 681 | 117 | 213 | 36 | 15 | 2 | 130 | 59 | 103 | 11-17 |