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Name: Carl Stajduhar
Born: Fort Collins, Colorado
Age: 21 (4/29/96)
Height/Weight: 6'1"/215 lbs
Position: 3B/1B
Bats/Throws: R/R
School: University of New Mexico
Greg Stajduhar was a collegiate baseball player at Colorado State University: Pueblo, and his son, Carl, followed in his footsteps. Carl played baseball for all four years he attended Rocky Mountain High School, winning a litany of awards and honors, and was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 2014 MLB Draft with their 27th round pick. Stajduhar did not sign with the Braves and instead attended the University of New Mexico.
Stajduhar hit a robust .322/.386/.545 with nine home runs in his freshman year—it must be noted that the NCAA Mountain West Conference is a hitter’s environment—leading New Mexico in hits, doubles, home runs, total bases, and HBPs. He set a UNM freshman record with 53 RBIs and was named Freshman All-America by both Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and the NCBWA. His sophomore season in 2016 was more of the same. He hit .331/.411/.623 with 12 home runs, and was named Tony Gwynn Player of the Year by the Mountain West Conference. That summer, he left for the cape and played for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. For the first time in virtually his entire baseball career, he tasted adversity, as he hit only .149/.231/.213 in 35 games.
Stajduhar returned to UNM that fall and put his troubles behind him. He had his best season yet, hitting .350/.453/.650 with 18 home runs, putting him in the top 30 nationally in home runs, runs batted in, runs scored, and slugging percentage.
Stajduhar has plus raw power, having shown the ability to pull the ball and to hit the ball to the opposite field. While he hit an impressive .334/.417/.607 in his three years with the Lobos, he has too much swing-and-miss in his game to be counted on to hit for average. He only possesses average bat speed, and his swing is long and can be easily exploited. The fact that he hit so poorly in the Cape Cod League, where wood bats are used, as opposed to metal composite NCAA bats, can be potentially problematic as well.
While he plays third base, he profiles better as a first baseman. Stajduhar is not the most athletic, and his lack of range and twitch muscle would be hidden better at first base.