Dust Devils Outfielder A Finalist For Golden Spikes Award

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Story Published: Jul 14, 2009 at 9:19 PM PST

By Keith Leventhal

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In last month's Major League Baseball draft, the Colorado Rockies went on the clock in the 4th round and saw that a player they really wanted was still on the board.

Kent Matthes had just wrapped up a stellar career at the University of Alabama.

And with the 121st overall pick, the Rockies grabbed Matthes.

He started his professional career with the Dust Devils, and through the teams first 24 games, Matthes has hit .278 with one home run and 11 RBIs.

Those numbers are nice, but nothing like what he did in college.

This past year, he hit 28 home runs, more than anyone else in the country, and batted just a shade under .360.

Those stats are a big reason why he's a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award...and when I caught up with him this weekend, he said its an honor being called one of the best players in the country.

Matthes says, "I'm just thrilled to be a part of it and be recognized with the top 5 players and I'm in great company with the 4 other guys and, you know, there's a lot of talent there and its definitely an honor to be chosen and recognized for the accomplishments this year."

The Golden Spikes Award was handed out Tuesday afternoon in St. Louis.

And unfortunately, Matthes didn't win the award...it went to first overall draft pick, pitcher Steven Strasburg.

The other finalists were Dustin Ackley, the Mariners top draft pick, Mike Leake from Arizona State, and Kansas State's A.J. Morris.

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