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The history of college baseball is rich and impressive. Brilliant players have competed since the early days of the game. Many of the names of college baseball legends are familiar to MLB fans, but others are not. Here's a closer look at 10 of the biggest legends of college baseball.
Top 10 college baseball players of all time
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#10. Jac Caglianone, Florida
Caglianone is the only active college baseball player on this list because he's been simply remarkable. The 6-foot-5 Caglianone is a two-way star. As a hitter, he's doing enough to be on this list. He hit 33 home runs a year ago and has 27 and counting in 2024.
For his career, Caglianone is batting .346 with 67 home runs in 573 at-bats. Furthermore, he has knocked in 171 runs and struck out only 96 times.
As a pitcher, he's not half bad either. Caglianone is 12-5 on the mound with a 4.36 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 128 innings pitched. His professional future could not be much brighter.
#9. Buster Posey, Florida State
Posey began as a shortstop before he became a game-changing catcher. A .398 college hitter, Posey's power exploded in 2008 as he hit 26 home runs and added 93 RBIs. He was college Player of the Year from most entities after that season.
In MLB, Posey was a seven-time All-Star and the 2012 NL MVP. He hit .302 for his career before retiring at age 34.
#8. Ben McDonald, LSU
Now an ESPN commentator, McDonald came to fame as a 6-foot-7 fireballer from LSU. He was 29-14 in three seasons at LSU with a 3.24 ERA and 373 strikeouts in 308 2/3 innings pitched. McDonald won a gold medal on the 1988 US Olympic team. He also pitched in the College World Series, twice.
McDonald was the No. 1 pick in the 1989 MLB draft. He compiled a 78-70 record in the big leagues with a 3.91 ERA. However, shoulder injuries prematurely ended his career.
#7. Greg Swindell, Texas
A hard-throwing lefty, Swindell was dominant at Texas. He posted a 43-8 record and a 1.92 career ERA. He pitched 32 complete games and 14 shutouts. Swindell helped Texas go deep into the College World Series.
Cleveland took Swindell in the 1986 MLB draft, and he made his big-league debut that season. Swindell went 123-122 in the major leagues, mostly with Cleveland, and was chosen for the All-Star Game in 1989. Swindell went on to spend 17 years in the major leagues.
#6. Barry Bonds, Arizona State
Bonds was a collegiate superstar. He hit .347 with 45 home runs during his time at Arizona State. He had 23 home runs in 1985. He also tied an NCAA record by getting hits in seven straight at-bats in the College World Series.
Of course, Bonds went on to MLB stardom. He set the all-time home run record with 762 homers. His career was besmirched by steroid allegations and Bonds made few friends with the media or teammates during his time.
#5. Todd Walker, LSU
A lightly recruited infielder, Walker became a massive star at LSU. At the end of his college career, Walker was LSU's all-time leader in hits (310), runs scored (234) and RBIs (246). He also hit a walk-off home run to win the 1993 College World Series.
Walker hit .289 with 107 MLB homers in a solid but not spectacular pro career. It would have been hard to play better than he did in college.
#4. Robin Ventura, Oklahoma State
Ventura was one of the purest hitters in college history. He hit .428 at Oklahoma State and put together a 58-game hitting streak. He was a star on the gold medal-winning 1988 Olympic team.
Ventura also had a solid MLB career. He was a two-time All-Star and won six Gold Glove awards at third base. He was a lifetime .267 hitter with 294 big-league homers.
#3. Will Clark, Mississippi State
Another sweet-swinging lefty, Clark was phenomenal at Mississippi State. He batted .391 for his career, ripping 61 homers and 199 RBIs. Clark's MSU OPS of 1.318 boggles the mind. Clark led MSU to the cusp of a College World Series title, but couldn't quite complete the job.
He had an excellent MLB career as well. A six-time All-Star, Clark hit .303 with 284 home runs with a bevy of teams. Notably, the San Francisco Giants retired his jersey No. 22.
#2. J.D. Drew, Florida State
Drew was perhaps one of the top prospects in college baseball history. He dominated college baseball at FSU. He hit .391 with 69 home runs and 257 RBIs. He was one of only three players to have 100 hits, runs scored and RBIs in one season.
After contentious negotiations that caused him to be drafted twice in MLB, Drew batted .278 with 242 home runs in the big leagues. He was an All-Star in 2008, but probably never quite lived up to his mammoth potential.
#1. John Olerud, Washington State
Like Caglianone above, Olerud starred as a hitter and pitcher. He had arguably one of the craziest college seasons ever in 1988. Olerud batted .464 with 23 home runs and went 15-0 as a pitcher with a 2.49 ERA. However, a brain aneurysm shortened Olerud's 1989 season, but college baseball has never seen a better two-way player.
Playing the field in a batting helmet because of his brain surgery, Olerud had an excellent MLB career. He batted .295 with 2,239 career hits. A two-time All-Star and winner of two World Series rings, Olerud won the 1993 AL batting title. However, he didn't pitch in the big leagues.
Which college baseball stars did you think we missed? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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