The Best Current MLB Lineup from Each Power Five Conference

The College World Series is right around the corner so I decided to do something a little different here.  This was fun to do, and it took both my own knowledge and some hard-hitting research to put this together (yeah yeah I know its not totally complete but it’s the best I could do). While it seems like a lot of the talent in Major League Baseball has come both straight out of high school and internationally, there have still been many to come through college.  You all probably know what NFL players came from the SEC, or what NBA players came from the ACC. But what about the MLB? Well, I’ve broken down what I believe to be the best lineups of current players from each of the Power Five conferences. Which conference is the best represented? I have my thoughts, but I’ll leave it up to you. Enjoy!

**Side note: a couple conferences have a player out of position but they were too good to leave off**

ACC

C Buster Posey (Florida State)

1B Mark Teixiera (Georgia Tech)

2B Devon Travis (Florida State)

3B Kyle Seager (University of North Carolina)

SS Brad Miller (Clemson)

OF Ryan Braun (University of Miami)

OF Charlie Blackmon (Georgia Tech)

OF Ryan Zimmerman (Virginia)

P Matt Harvey (University of North Carolina)

P Marcus Stroman (Duke)

Pac 12

C Nick Hundley (Arizona)

1B Lucas Duda (USC)

2B Dustin Pedroia (Arizona State)

3B Jason Kipnis (Arizona State)

SS Brandon Crawford (UCLA)

OF Michael Conforto (Oregon State)

OF Kole Calhoun (Arizona State)

OF Jacoby Ellsbury (Oregon State)

P Gerrit Cole (UCLA)

P Mike Leake (Arizona State)

Big 10

C Josh Phegley (Indiana)

1B ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

2B ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

3B Todd Frazier (Rutgers)

SS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

OF Alex Gordon (Nebraska)

OF Kyle Schwarber (Indiana)

OF Nick Swisher (Ohio State)

P Tanner Roark (Illinois)

P J.A. Happ (Northwestern)

Big 12

C Cameron Rupp (Texas)

1B Brandon Belt (Texas)

2B Jedd Gyorko (West Virginia)

3B Matt Carpenter (TCU)

SS Jordy Mercer (Oklahoma State)

OF ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

OF ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

OF ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

P Jake Arrieta (TCU)

P Garrett Richards (Oklahoma)

SEC

C Alex Avila (Alabama)

1B Pedro Alvarez (Vanderbilt)

2B Ian Kinsler (Missouri)

3B Josh Donaldson (Auburn)

SS DJ Lemahieu (LSU)

OF Jackie Bradley Jr. (South Carolina)

OF Chris Coghlan (Ole Miss)

OF Lonnie Chisenhall (South Carolina)

P David Price (Vanderbilt)

P Max Scherzer (Missouri)

So who comes out on top?

Catcher – ACC. This one is pretty obvious. I’ll take the 3-ring/Rookie of the Year/MVP, Buster Posey.   

First Base – ACC. With a handful of Gold Gloves, a ring, some All-Star appearances, and just under 400 big flies, Mark Teixeira seems like the pick.

Second Base – Pac-12. I have to go with Dustin Pedroia over Ian Kinsler.  A pair of rings, 4 Gold Gloves, 4 All-Star appearances, an MVP and a Rookie of the Year. Sorry Ian, be better?

Third Base – SEC. This was a bit tougher, but I have to pick Donaldson over Frazier.  The reigning AL MVP is, simply put, that guy.

Shortstop – Pac-12. One of the most underrated players in the entire league in my opinion is Brandon Crawford, and he is definitely the best shortstop on this list.

Outfield – ACC. I think I have to give the edge to the ACC over the Pac 12 here because of how established all three of these guys are.  Ryan Braun (yes I know he’s a cheater but I’m strictly looking at numbers) has been a franchise guy for Milwaukee, Blackmon has been VERY solid for Colorado, and Zimmerman was the guy for Washington before Harper and company came along.
Pitching – SEC. Another tough pick but I have to give Price and Scherzer the nod, both of whom own a Cy Young award.