The Prospect League has produced over 175 MLB players, including former NL MVP Ryan Howard and a pair of Hall of Famers in Kirby Puckett and Mike Schmidt.

None, however, have tallied as many hits in a season as Butler’s Elliott Caldwell — and he’s still going.

The BlueSox All-Star broke the league record of 80 hits on July 27 against Richmond and was up to 90 after Friday’s contest against Lorain County.

“I know there’s kids that have been drafted, not just from the league, but from the Butler team in previous years,” said Caldwell. “It’s pretty cool to know that I got as many hits as they hit, but more.”

The historic summer was hard to see coming after Caldwell hit .245 with one double and four RBIs in 49 at-bats with Winthrop University during the collegiate season.

Caldwell put the struggles behind him, though, and looked forward to an opportunity with the BlueSox.

“I didn’t really think much about expectations. I didn’t play much in college, so I was just looking to get some at-bats,” said Caldwell. “I figured it would take me a while to get back to what I’m capable of, but I came out here and somehow I just started hitting from get-go and haven’t really stopped.”

He almost never started.

Butler manager Anthony Rebyanski was in need of a player after his original plan for a starting shortstop dropped from the roster on the day before mini-camp.

“He was actually a really, really late pickup,” said Rebyanski. “I came across Elliott not knowing what to expect. I didn’t really get a chance to do too much research on him, just trying to fill a spot.”

Plan B turned out more productive than Rebyanski could have hoped.

Entering Friday’s action, Caldwell ranked among the Prospect League’s best in a variety of categories, including the top five in batting average (.370), runs scored (60), doubles (16) and triples (6), while his seven homers and 46 RBIs place in the top 16.

“He’s a good all-around offensive hitter,” said Rebyanski. “He’s got some power to the opposite field and can hit the ball hard on the pull side, as well. It’s hard to find guys that can hit for power the other way like he can.”

The gaudy numbers only partially illustrate Caldwell’s value to the BlueSox, though. The South Carolina native has proven to be durable and versatile.

He has missed just one inning in 55 games and was the everyday shortstop until Brendan Costantino arrived. Since then, he has mostly rotated between the outfield and third base.

“He’s honestly a better infielder, but it’s hard to take a guy like that out of the outfield because he can track balls down with his speed and he has a very good arm, as well,” said Rebyanski. “It’s very good to have a kid with that kind of versatility.”

The revolving defensive assignments never took a toll on his bat and his dedication to improvement is a big reason why.

“I’ve been working hard before the game, hitting in the cages ... getting as many swings as I can to stay consistent,” said Caldwell. “I hit a slump here recently, but I’ve started hitting again.

“I’m working hard, not letting up, not relaxing,” he added. “I just keep working hard and keep going after it.”

The short-lived funk could be partially attributed to the pressure of chasing the record.

“I was struggling for the past week or so because I knew it was coming up,” he admitted. “I was trying to go ahead and get to it.”

He eventually got there, and with plenty of time to spare.

Caldwell belted a homer against Slippery Rock on July 25 to tie the single-season hit mark, before the July 27 single put him in the record books.

“It took a lot of pressure off my back,” Caldwell said, “but you know, it felt good once it happened, too.

“It was cool that my teammates knew it was coming. When I got it, they congratulated me and they announced it in the stands and the fans were cheering,” he continued. “The coaches were congratulating me, the other team congratulated me. It was pretty cool.”

Caldwell is transferring from Winthrop to Spartanburg Methodist College and believes his experience with the BlueSox will be beneficial next season.

“I picked up confidence this summer after not having a good freshman year,” he explained. “I’ll have confidence going there.”

Rebyanski is intrigued to see how much Caldwell can progress going forward.

“There are some things he’s still a little bit raw with,” the Butler manager said, “but I think he’s going to pan out to be a pretty good player and has the ability to be a potential draft pick someday.

“No matter where he goes after this, I think he’s going to do very well,” he added. “It’s going to be fun to follow him over the next several years.”