By Todd Bradley, www.dcsportsfan.com
MaxPreps.com
Could St. John’s College High School senior L.J. Hoes be Brian Roberts’ successor? The Orioles think he could be.
Hoes was drafted in the third round, 81st overall, by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Hoes has played third base, centerfield and pitcher for the Cadets, but he worked out at second base last Tuesday in Baltimore.
"It was a really good feeling," Hoes said. "I'm very happy just to see one of my dreams come true."
Hoes is expected to play in the Appalachian rookie league in Bluefield, W.Va., if he completes a contract. Hoes has had an incredible career at St. John’s, and his senior year was no exception. Hoes hit .524 with 8 home runs and 29 RBI’s. He hit safely in 44 of 84 at-bats, scored 44 runs, stole 32 bases, walked 21 times and reached base .600 percent of the time.
Hoes also pitched for the Cadets where he held opposing batters to a .111 batting average. In just over 26 innings pitched, Hoes struck out 26 batters and went 2-0 with 3 saves while only allowing 4 earned runs and 7 walks.
If Hoes does not sign a contract with the Orioles, he is expected to attend the University of North Carolina in the fall.
Not to be outdone by their cross-town rival, former Gonzaga College High School standout Mike Sheridan (2005) was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays with the first pick of the fifth round. The 143rd overall pick, Sheridan is a left-handed first baseman from William & Mary in Virginia who hit .423 with 15 home runs and a conference-best 72 RBIs while striking out only 11 times.
With his impressive season, Sheridan etched his name in William & Mary’s record book. He established single-season school records for hits (96), runs scored (76), RBI (72) and doubles (26). Sheridan also ranked among the program’s single-season top 10 in batting average (.423), home runs (15), slugging percentage (.744), total bases (169) and at-bats (227).
Sheridan concluded his career with the second-best batting average in school history (.373) and, despite playing just three seasons, ranked among the program’s career top 10 in home runs, doubles, total bases and RBI.
Todd Bradley is the Editor-in-Chief of www.dcsportsfan.com, which covers high school athletics in the Washington, D.C. area. E-mail Todd at editor@dcsportsfan.com.