Florida and California have been the traditional places to find the top high school baseball players in the country, but this year the Midwest takes center stage with three of the top five players on the MaxPreps Top 100 High School Baseball Players list.
Multi-sport start Derek "Bubba" Starling of Gardner Edgerton in Gardner, Kansas heads the list while a pair of Oklahoma pitchers, Archie Bradley of Broken Arrow and Dylan Bundy of Owasso, come in at Nos. 3 and 4.
Florida and California are represented in the top five as Henry Owens from Edison of Huntington Beach is the nation's top-ranked pitcher at No. 2 overall and Francisco Lindor of Montverde Academy in Florida is the No. 1 shortstop and the No. 3 player overall.
Bubba Starling
Photo by Tom Lemming
Following is a closer look at the top 10 players on the
MaxPreps Top 100 list:Derek "Bubba" Starling,
Gardner-Edgerton (Gardner, Kan.) - A three sport star who has signed to play quarterback at Nebraska, Starling could be the top high school pick in the Major League Baseball Draft in June. He was one of the top hitters at the Area Code Games and batted .339 with three home runs for Team USA 18U. Also can pitch and had seven strikeouts in 4.1 innings for the national team.
Henry Owens,
Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.) - Possibly the best pitcher in the class of 2011, Owens' tall, wiry frame (6-5) makes him an imposing figure on the mound. He had the top pitching performance at the Area Code Games and was 3-0 for Team USA 18U with 31 strikeouts in 19.1 innings pitched.
Francisco Lindor,
Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) - The top shortstop in the country, Lindor showcased his talents with Team USA 18U as he had nine doubles and two home runs and a .333 batting average.
Archie Bradley,
Broken Arrow (Okla.) - A two-sport star, Bradley was the Broken Arrow quarterback during football season. He possesses a fastball that reaches the high 90s.
Dylan Bundy,
Owasso (Okla.) - A two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year, Bundy was 11-1 last year with a mid-90s fastball that produced 164 strikeouts in 79.2 innings pitched. He will play at Texas next year if he does not sign with an MLB team.
Daniel Norris,
Science Hill (Johnson City, Tenn.) - Norris starred on the mound and at the plate. He was 8-0 with 140 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched and batted .483 with seven home runs and 55 RBIs. He reaches the low 90s on his fastball and played in the Aflac All-American Game.
Blake Swihart,
Cleveland (Rio Rancho, N.M.) - Swihart moved from first base to catcher last year and led Team USA 18U with a .448 batting average and five home runs.
Josh Bell,
Dallas Jesuit - An all-state player in Texas last season, Bell hit 11 home runs and batted .412. The switch-hitter plays in the outfield and has signed with Texas.
Nicky Delmonico,
Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.) - Delmonico moved to catcher this year after playing infield last year, and was a member of Team USA 18U (batting .279) and helped lead the Admirals to a state championship last season.
Tyler Beede,
Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.) - Beede pitched at the Aflac All-American Game and the Area Code Games and showed a fastball in the low 90s. The 6-4, 200-pound pitcher had six strikeouts in one outing at the Area Code Games.
