Yasmani Grandal Named Finalist for the 2010 Dick Howser Trophy
June 21, 2010
OMAHA, Neb. – University of Miami junior catcher Yasmani Grandal has been named one of three finalists for the 2010 Dick Howser Trophy, in balloting by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and in conjunction with the College Baseball Foundation, the Dick Howser Trophy committee and the St Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce.
Grandal is joined by Mississippi pitcher Drew Pomeranz and Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon as finalists for the 24th Annual Howser Trophy, which embodies the principles of character, leadership, desire, and competitive spirit exhibited by Dick Howser.
The winner of the Howser Trophy will be announced in Lubbock, Texas, on July 2, during the College Baseball Awards Show, held at the United Spirit Arena and shown on MLB.com. The nationally broadcasted event will follow the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on July 1 in Lubbock.
Grandal had one of the most impressive offensive seasons in Miami history, leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in batting average (.401), slugging percentage (.721) and on-base percentage (.527). He is the 2010 ACC Player of the Year, a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award and first team All-America selection by Baseball America and the NCBWA. Grandal was also selected by the Cincinnati Reds with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. On the year, he had 89 hits, 24 doubles, 15 homers, 60 RBI, 57 walks, 56 runs scored and 160 total bases in 62 games.
Pomeranz was named Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year after going 9-2 with a 2.24 ERA to go along with 139 strikeouts. Rendon is just the second player in Conference USA history to be named Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons, hitting .402 in conference play and finished the season hitting .394 overall.
The Dick Howser Trophy, given in memory of the former Florida State All-America shortstop and major league player and manager who died of brain cancer in 1987, is regarded by many as college baseball’s most prestigious award. After his playing days with the Seminoles, Howser later became the head coach at FSU, before managing the Kansas City Royals to the world championship in 1985. Criteria for consideration for the trophy include performance on the field, leadership, moral character and courage, qualities that were exemplified by Dick Howser’s life.
NCBWA membership includes writers, broadcasters and publicists. Designed to promote and publicize college baseball, it is the sport’s only college media-related organization, founded in 1962.
The College Baseball Foundation was established in 2004 and has inducted 57 greats into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock. The group promotes the highest ideals and recognition of greatness on college baseball diamonds in the 150 years since the first intercollegiate contest in 1859 between Amherst and Williams.
The Howser Trophy was created in 1987, shortly after Howser’s death. Previous winners of the Howser Trophy are Mike Fiore, Miami, 1987; Robin Ventura, Oklahoma State, 1988; Scott Bryant, Texas, 1989; Alex Fernandez, Miami-Dade Community College South, 1990; Frank Rodriguez, Howard College (Texas), 1991; Brooks Kieschnick, Texas, 1992 and 1993; Jason Varitek, Georgia Tech, 1994; Todd Helton, Tennessee, 1995; Kris Benson, Clemson, 1996; J. D. Drew, Florida State, 1997; Eddy Furniss, LSU, 1998; Jason Jennings, Baylor, 1999; Mark Teixeira, Georgia Tech, 2000; Mark Prior, P, USC, 2001, Khalil Greene, SS, Clemson, 2002; Rickey Weeks, 2B, Southern U., 2003; Jered Weaver, P, Long Beach State, 2004; Alex Gordon, 3B, Nebraska, 2005; Brad Lincoln, P/DH, Houston, 2006; David Price, P, Vanderbilt, 2007; Buster Posey, C, Florida State, 2008 and Stephen Strasburg, P, San Diego State, 2009.
