Harper takes Golden Spikes Award

Jul 13, 2010 - 10:26 PM ANAHEIM, Calif.(AP) -- No. 1 draft choice Bryce Harper has won the Golden Spikes Award, given to the country's top amateur baseball player.

Harper hit a school-record 31 home runs and batted .443 with 98 RBIs as a freshman at the College of Southern Nevada. The 17-year-old slugger left high school two years early and enrolled in junior college to become draft eligible sooner. The Nationals picked him first.

Harper is the second junior college player to win the award. Alex Fernandez did it in 1990. They are the only two non-NCAA Division I players to get the award.

The other finalists were: Central Florida outfielder Chris Duffy, Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal, Mississippi left-hander Drew Pomeranz and Florida Gulf Coast lefty Chris Sale.