His name is Kaleb Cowart, a switch-hitter who is drawing comparisons to Chipper Jones. Cowart is one of about a half-dozen high school players from Georgia who have a chance to be drafted in the first round of the major leagues’ June draft.
Cowart, an infielder/pitcher with national player of the year credentials, leads that list. He has nine home runs and 44 RBI for a 19-2 team that is ranked No. 1 in Georgia’s Class AA.
Cowart also pitches. He’s 5-0 with a 0.41 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched.
During four home games, Cook coach Bob Owsley had Cowart do batting practice at 1 p.m. ahead of a late afternoon game so that scouts, often as many as 30 of them, could watch Cowart up close without distracting the team.
"We’re bombarded with scouts,’’ Owsley said. "He’s done a mature thing staying focused on his play.’’
Here are five more highly regarded Georgia prospects and their high school statistics this season:
Zach Alvord, South Forsyth: Alvord is a shortstop with the kind of power that draws comparisons to another Georgia native, Gordon Beckham of the White Sox. Alvord is hitting .400 with eight home runs. Alvord has signed with Auburn. His team, South Forsyth, was the Class AAAAA runner-up this season, and despite losing all but two starters, the War Eagles are 17-5 overall and 11-3 in Region 7-AAAAA.
Cam Bedrosian, East Coweta: The son of Steve Bedrosian, a former major league Cy Young Award winner, Cam Bedrosian (6-1, 1.78 ERA) has struck out 79 batters in 39 1/3 innings. His team is 18-3 and the likely champion of Region 4-AAAAA. His fastball can be overpowering, but his size is not for a power pitcher. He’s 6-foot-1, 195 pounds. Bedrosian has signed with LSU.
Chevez Clarke, Marietta: Like Cowart, Clarke is a switch-hitter. He’s batting .400 (20 for 50) with four home runs and 10 stolen bases, but he’s being pitched around a lot (14 walks, .543 on-base percentage) on a team that’s struggling in a tough region at 8-12. Clarke plays center field. He has signed with Georgia Tech.
Trey Griffin, M.L. King: Griffin, a strong-armed outfielder, is batting .476 (20 for 42) with 17 stolen bases and 20 runs scored for M.L. King, a DeKalb County school that’s better known for its football team. Griffin’s Lions are 10-13 overall and 6-5 in Region 2-AAAAA. Griffin’s half-brother, Xavier Avery, was a second-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2008. Griffin has signed with Oklahoma State.
DeAndre Smelter, Tattnall Square: Smelter is a pitcher/player prospect who’s also a top football player, but it’s likely he’ll stay with baseball at Georgia Tech, unless he goes pro. Tattnall Square is a private school in Macon that plays in the Georgia Independent Schools Association, and Smelter is that organization’s marquee player. He’s hitting .441 (26 for 59) with four home runs, 20 RBI and 15 steals for a 12-9 team. As a pitcher, the position he’s likely to play at the next level, he’s 5-1 with a 1.12 ERA with 74 strikeouts 37 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting just .106 against him.
