Rendon named National Player of the Year by Baseball America
First Owl to earn magazine’s top honor

BY ARIE WILSON PASSWATERS
Rice News staff

Rice sophomore third baseman Anthony Rendon added to his growing list of honors this week when he was named National Player of the Year by Baseball America magazine.

It might be unusual for such a young player to receive this nod, but for Rendon extraordinary has become the norm.

Just ask longtime coach Wayne Graham; he’s been in the business long enough — more than 30 years with just the Owls — to know an exceptional player when he sees one. So when Baseball America selected Rendon as the 2010 National Player of the Year, Graham wasn’t exactly shocked. It was just another reminder of Rendon’s remarkable abilities.

“He’s a great fielder and offensive player, and he’s successful academically,” Graham said. “He’s got great hand-eye coordination; he’s truly a great player with many strengths.”

Rendon joins a who’s who of players to have previously won the publication’s highest collegiate accolade, including Todd Helton (University of Tennessee, 1994, now with the Colorado Rockies), Mark Teixeira (Georgia Tech, 2000, now with the New York Yankees) and current Washington Nationals rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg (San Diego State, 2009), to name just a few.

“When you put my name in the same list as those guys, it’s just overwhelming,” Rendon said. “I’m honored to be in that kind of company.”

This isn’t the first time Rendon has received accolades from Baseball America. In 2009 the organization named him National Freshman of the Year. How sensational is Rendon’s back-to-back wins? It’s happened only once before and that was more than 20 years ago, by Robin Ventura of Oklahoma State.

This season Rendon hit .394 and finished among the NCAA leaders in home runs (26), RBIs (85) and walks (65). The Houston native from nearby Lamar High School maintained an .801 slugging percentage and a .530 on-base average and scored 83 times in the Owls’ 63 games.

The honor is perhaps the crown jewel of Rendon’s extensive list of achievements. Not only has Rendon been named an All-American by a host of publications, he has also been honored as the District VII Player of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy.

In addition to being a decorated ballplayer and academic heavyweight, Rendon also has a reputation for being a genuinely nice guy and makes an impression on everyone he encounters, Graham said.

“Even his opponents like him,” Graham said. “He’s one of the more likeable players you’ll encounter in baseball. He brings joy to the game and that rubs off on everyone — his teammates, his opposition and even his coaches.”

“When you’re playing the game you love and you’re happy doing it, why wouldn’t you have a positive attitude?” Rendon said. “I love going out there on the baseball field. This is what I want to do the rest of my life. … It’s hard to be upset when you’re doing what you love. I have nothing to be mad about.”

Rendon’s 2010 college season has come to a close, but he still has a chance to represent Rice later this summer. The Owls’ star has been invited to North Carolina to try out for the United States National Team prior to its annual international goodwill tour.