The first week of May is a time when most high school baseball teams in the upper half of the country have a month worth of play under their belts and the teams down south are heading into the postseason, making it the perfect time to check out the leading candidates for MaxPreps National Player of the Year.
Many of the candidates play on teams ranked in the MaxPreps Top 25 and the majority are two-way players who excel on the mound and at the plate. Leading off is an outfielder-pitcher who could be the top high school player chosen in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft.
Konnor Griffin, Jackson Prep (Jackson, Miss.)It's not hard to figure out why Griffin
is the leading candidate for MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors. His
Patriots are ranked No. 3 in the nation and he is ranked as the No. 2
recruit in the country by Perfect Game. Mock drafts also list him as one
of the top two or three players to be selected in the MLB Draft in
July. His stats back up the hype. He is among the national leaders
in runs scored (70) and stolen bases (78). He is batting .582
with 36 RBI, 12 doubles, three triples and nine home runs. On the mound,
he is 9-0 with a 0.64 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched.
Seth Hernandez, Corona (Calif.)
One
of the top two-way players in the Class of 2025, Hernandez has Corona
contending for a Southern Section Division 1 championship and a national title. The Panthers are ranked No. 2 in the country and
Hernandez leads the team in home runs (7), RBI (31) and pitching wins
(7). He also has 59 strikeouts in 42.2 innings pitched with a 0.49 ERA.
He's batting .364 with 24 runs and six doubles.
Cade Brown, Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.)
One
of the leading home run hitters in the nation last year, Brown has
equaled his homer total from last year (14) and currently leads the
nation in round-trippers. He is batting .495 with 53 runs, 49 RBI, 12
doubles and two triples. Parkview is also ranked in the MaxPreps Top 25 and in
contention for Class AAAAAAA state championship.
Bryce Rainer, Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
One
of the top infielders in the nation since his freshman season with
the Wolverines, Rainer bats lead-off and is batting .456 on the year. He
also has seen time on the mound as the Wolverines' closer. Perfect Game
ranks Rainer as the nation's top shortstop and No. 3 overall prospect.
William Schmidt, Catholic (Baton Rouge, La.)
The
Bears are ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps and Schmidt is a big
reason why. Ranked by Perfect Game as one of the top pitchers in the
nation and a possible first round draft pick,
Schmidt is 7-0 on the season with a 0.56 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 49.2
innings pitched.
Cade Arrambide, Tomball (Texas)
The nation's
top-ranked catcher by Perfect Game, Arrambide has been on a tear the
last two weeks, posting 15 RBI and five home runs over three games.
Blessed with an outstanding throwing arm, Arrambide has also shown power
at the plate with 10 home runs, eight doubles and four triples. He is
batting .392 with 30 RBI and 18 runs.
Slade Caldwell, Valley View (Jonesboro, Ark.)
Caldwell
has helped Valley View to a top ranking in Arkansas, batting .491 with
43 runs scored, seven doubles, two triples and two RBI. He ranks as one
of the top four outfielders in the nation by Perfect Game.
Cam Caminiti, Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Caminiti,
who reclassified to the Class of 2024, started out his high school
career as a positional player but he has evolved into one of the top
pitchers in the nation. He is batting .508 with 32 runs, 27 RBI, four
doubles, five triples and three home runs. He is even more impressive on
the mound, with a 7-0 record, a 0.91 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 38.2
innings pitched.
Drew Rogers, Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)
One of the
top transfers in the nation, Rogers came to Hamilton from Minnesota,
where he was the MaxPreps Player of the Year as a junior. He is in
contention for Arizona Player of the Year in 2024 after blasting
11 home runs and 13 doubles. Batting .440 with 21 runs and 42 RBI, the catcher also has time to pitch, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.52 ERA
and 30 strikeouts.
Talan Bell, Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.)
Another standout two-way player, Bell has a 7-1 pitching
record with a 0.99 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 49.1 innings pitched. He is
also batting .384 with 25 RBI, six doubles and three home runs.
Past MaxPreps National Players of the Year
2008 — Jake Odorizzi, Highland (Ill.)
2009 — Matt Hobgood, Norco (Calif.)
2010 — Stetson Allie, St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)
2011 — Dylan Bundy, Owasso (Okla.)
2012 — Joey Gallo, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
2013 — Jack Flaherty, Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
2014 — Jack Flaherty, Harvard-Westlake
2015 — Joe DeMers, College Park (Pleasant Hill, Calif.)
2016 — Kyle Muller, Dallas Jesuit (Dallas)
2017 — Jordan Adell, Ballard (Louisville, Ky.)
2018 — Nolan Gorman, O'Connor (Phoenix)
2019 — Bobby Witt Jr., Colleyville Heritage (Colleyville, Texas)
2020 — No winner selected due to pandemic
2021 — Jack Walker, Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
2022 — Brock Porter, St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)
2023 — Christian Rodriguez, Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
