Tommy Troy grew up dreaming of attending Stanford University. When it came to the college recruiting process, the Los Gatos, California, native committed almost immediately after Stanford baseball offered him during his sophomore year of high school.
Troy’s decision to attend Stanford has paid off. He has been a steady producer in Stanford’s lineup while developing into one of the top players in college baseball over the last two years.
His development and success have helped Stanford reach the College World Series in 2021 and 2022. It also has caused him to receive interest from professional scouts in preparation for the 2023 MLB draft. Scouts project the middle infielder as a potential first-round pick in the 2023 draft.
“It is every kid’s dream to play in the College World Series,” Troy said. “It’s a surreal experience. I want one more shot at it this year.
“The plan for me is to not think about the draft. I am really focused on winning games. That part of my career will go hand in hand with working hard and winning games. My plan, for now, is to have a free mind and play hard.”
Troy is a 5-foot-10, 197-pound middle infielder with a balanced toolset. The right-handed hitter has notable power for his size, consistently barrels up pitches and drives the ball to all parts of the field.
He has a solid understanding of the strike zone and consistently puts together quality at-bats. He has thrived against premium pitching between his time at Stanford and in the Cape Cod League.
“I just feel like I have a different edge than other guys just because I have that pretty expanded toolset,” Troy said. “I feel like there is a different presence when I play, and I just want to keep building off that.”
Defensively, Troy played shortstop in high school but has bounced around the field in his first two years at Stanford. Troy has played second base, shortstop, third base, left field and right field at Stanford.
He has primarily played second base at Stanford while seeing time at shortstop and second base in the Cape Cod League.
As he prepares for his junior season, Troy’s defensive position is “still up in the air,” he said. He has solid arm strength and athleticism to handle a middle infield spot moving forward.
“I’m most comfortable at shortstop,” Troy said. “My first couple of years, I haven’t played much of it, but I still am most comfortable there. This summer, I played a lot of shortstop. It was super fun. I see myself as super versatile and can play a lot of different positions.”
Troy hit .297 with 21 doubles, 17 home runs and 51 RBIs in 333 at-bats in his first two years at Stanford. He also has excelled in the Cape Cod League and Northwoods League during the summers, posting a .307 average, 14 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs, 53 RBIs and 22 stolen bases in 296 at-bats.
Stanford has made the College World Series in each of the last two years and will try to make it three straight this spring. Last season, the Cardinal went two and out at the CWS.
Stanford enters this season as one of the top teams in college baseball, with plenty of talent returning on the mound and to their lineup. Stanford will try to capture the program’s first national title since 1988.
“We had an incredible offense last year,” Troy said. “If we can roll that over to this year and expand on our pitching, we will be a huge threat and go farther than we did last year.”
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Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for eight years. He has interviewed 433 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com, The Arizona Republic and The Dallas Morning News, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
