The first 25 years of the 21st century featured a number of high school baseball players destined to become some of the greatest in the history of the game. That presented a challenge in determining the best during that time span.
Who should be No. 1 on the list?
The only Hall of Famer of the quarter century would seem to be a no-brainer in the top spot, but what about the 11-time All-Star? Or the three-time Cy Young Award winner? Or the two-time league MVP?
All four are certainly worthy recipients of the No. 1 spot. Read on to find out who we went with along with the rest of the top 25 players of the 21st century.
1. Joe Mauer, Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.) 2001
The easy choice for No. 1 considering he is the only player who started playing in the 21st century now in the Hall of Fame. The Gatorade National Player of the Year in baseball and football batted .600 with 15 home runs and 53 RBI. Went No. 1 overall in the 2001 MLB Draft.
2. Mike Trout, Millville (N.J.)
Class: 2009
The 12th high school player taken in the 2009 MLB Draft, Trout is easily the most accomplished player selected. His career WAR of 86.9 is 47 points higher than the next highest player. In fact, his WAR ranks 50th all-time and is higher than any player who began play in the 21st century. He came out of Millville as a MaxPreps All-American after hitting a state record 18 home runs.
3. Clayton Kershaw, Highland Park (Dallas, Texas)
Class: 2006
If this was strictly a MLB ranking, Kershaw, who recently joined the 3,000 strikeout club, would likely come in behind Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, who both have 400 more career strikeouts and a similar number of Cy Young Awards during the past 25 years. But this is a high school ranking and Kershaw comes in No. 1 among those three. He was the national player of the year, went 13-0 with 139 strikeouts and was the No. 1 overall pick.
4. Bryce Harper, Las Vegas (Nev.)
Class: 2009
When he was 18, Harper batted .297 with 17 home runs, 63 runs and 58 RBI. Not bad numbers for a high school senior. Except that Harper wasn't a high school senior. He was in his first year of AA and A ball with the Washington Nationals minor league teams after being drafted No. 1 overall in 2010. The Las Vegas native had a short, but impressive high school career. He left high school after an All-America sophomore season (.626, 14 home runs). At the age of 23 in 2015, he became the youngest unanimous National League MVP, an award he won again in 2021.
5. Andrew McCutchen, Fort Meade (Fla.)
Class: 2005
The 2013 National League MVP was the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year in baseball after batting .709 with 16 home runs his senior year. The third high school player taken in the 2005 draft, McCutcheon is the top player in the Class at the MLB level with a career WAR of 49.4
6. Bobby Witt Jr., Colleyville Heritage (Colleyville, Texas)
Class: 2019
Witt Jr. was the easy choice as MaxPreps National Player of the Year. He was among the national leaders in home runs with 15, runs scored with 65 and RBI with 55. Drafted as the top prep in 2019, Witt has the highest WAR of any high school draft pick since 2016.
7. Justin Upton, Great Bridge (Chesapeake, Va.)
Class: 2005
Upton twice earned All-America honors from USA Today, picking up national POY honors as a senior after batting .519 with 11 home runs. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, Upton appeared in four All-Star games and had his best season in 2011 when he was fourth in the MVP voting.
8. Gerrit Cole, Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Class: 2008
Cole is one of 30 players to be drafted in the first round twice. He was a MaxPreps All-American for the Lancers, striking out 121 batters as a senior. He was a unanimous choice for the National League Cy Young in 2023. In his 12th season in the Major Leagues, Cole ranks fifth among active strikeout leaders with 2,251.
9. Royce Lewis, JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Class: 2017
After earning All-Area Player of the Year honors from the Los Angeles Times as a junior and MaxPreps All-American as a senior, Lewis went No. 1 overall to the Minnesota Twins in 2017. He didn't make his pro debut until 2022, but he has been a steady home run threat with the Twins, tying a postseason team record with four home runs in the 2023 AL Wild Card Series and belting four career grand slams.
10. Dylan Bundy, Owasso (Okla.)
Class: 2011
Bundy was a unanimous national player of the year honoree in 2011, earning recognition from seven media outlets including MaxPreps. He struck out 158 batters with a 0.25 ERA. He also batted .457 with 54 RBI, 50 runs and 11 home runs. Bundy's professional career was beset with injuries as he appeared on the injured list four times in 10 seasons.
11. Zack Greinke, Apopka (Fla.)
Class: 2002
A Cy Young winner in the Major Leagues, Greinke actually started his baseball career as a shortstop in high school, hitting 31 career home runs. It shouldn't be any surprise that he won two Silver Slugger awards in the Major Leagues. He was the Gatorade National Player of the Year as a senior with a 9-2 record and 118 strikeouts.
12. Rick Porcello, Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, N.J.)
Class: 2007
The No. 1 high school prospect going into the 2007 MLB Draft, Porcello was selected No. 27 overall. Porcello put it all together in 2016 when he was named the American League Comeback Player of the Year and the Cy Young Award winner, one of just four players in league history to double up on those awards. As a prep, Porcello went 10-0 with 103 strikeouts while earning national POY honors.
13. Delmon Young, Camarillo (Calif.)
Class: 2003
In hitting his way to becoming the first overall pick in 2003, Young broke a number of Ventura County records set by his brother Dmitri, who also played in the Major Leagues. Young hit 35 career home runs to go with 150 RBI and 180 basehits. He played 10 seasons in the bigs, earning American League Championship Series MVP honors while leading Detroit to the World Series in 2012.
14. Jack Flaherty, Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
Class: 2014
The only two-time MaxPreps National Player of the Year, Flaherty went 23-0 over his junior and senior seasons with 237 strikeouts. He lasted until the 34th pick of the 2014 draft and has a 60-50 record in nine seasons in the league.
15. Manny Machado, Brito (Miami, Fla.)
Class: 2010
Machado emerged as one of the top prospects in the Class of 2010 after he batted .639 with 27 doubles, 12 home runs and 56 RBI for Brito. He ranks fourth among active players with 359 career home runs and he is eighth in WAR at 60.7.
16. Nolan Arenado, El Toro (Lake Forest, Calif.)
Class: 2009
Although he only hit five home runs his senior year at El Toro, he has hit 30 or more home runs seven times in his 13-year career. A MaxPreps All-American in 2009, Arenado went in the second round to the Rockies. He has hit 351 career home runs.
17. Madison Bumgarner, South Caldwell (Hudson, N.C.)
Class: 2007
While Bumgarner has a rather ordinary career record of 134-124, he is arguably the greatest World Series pitcher of all-time. With a 4-0 record, Bumgarner won three championships with the San Francisco Giants and ranks No. 1 in Fall Classic history with a career ERA of 0.25. In high school, Bumgarner was the state player of the year and an All-American with an 11-2 record and 143 strikeouts in 86 innings pitched.
18. Kris Bryant, Bonanza (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Class: 2010
Bryant will forever be remembered as the player who sparked the Chicago Cubs to their first World Series championship in 108 years. He was the National League MVP that year with a league best 120 RBI. At Bonanza, Bryant was a high school All-American with 47 career home runs.
19. Francisco Lindor, Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
Class: 2011
A MaxPreps All-American, Lindor batted .528 with six home runs as a senior and was drafted No. 8 overall by the Indians. He is a five-time All-Star and ranks 14th among active players in career WAR at 52.8.
20. Cory Seager, Northwest Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.)
Class: 2010
The MaxPreps All-American batted .532 with 10 home runs as a senior and was the 18th overall pick in the 2010 draft by the Dodgers. He's been a hero in the postseason, earning World Series MVP honors during the Dodgers' wins in 2020 and 2023.
21. David Wright, Hickory (Chesapeake, Va.)
Class: 2001
Wright went late in the first round (No. 38) to the Mets after an All-American season at Hickory. As a senior he batted .544 with six home runs and 20 RBI. He was a seven-time All-Star during a 14-year career.
22. B.J. Upton, Greenbrier Christian Academy (Chesapeake, Va.)
Class: 2002
The USA Today National Player of the Year, Upton batted .614 with 10 home runs and 47 RBI. He went No. 2 overall in the draft as a shortstop, but he ended up playing 12 seasons in the Major Leagues mostly as a centerfielder.
23. Scott Kazmir, Cypress Falls (Houston, Texas)
Class: 2002
Kazmir was nearly unhittable in high school as he had four straight no-hitters during his senior year with five total no-hitters for the season. He struck out 172 batters in just 75 innings pitched and earned All-American honors. Drafted No. 15 overall in 2002, Kazmir was a three-time All-Star in a 13-year career.
24. J.T. Realmuto, Carl Albert (Midwest City, Okla.)
Class: 2010
An infielder in high school, Realmuto has been one of the top catchers in the Major Leagues, making three All-Star games and earning three Silver Slugger Awards. Realmuto had amazing stats as a senior, knocking 28 home runs with a national record 119 RBI and 88 basehits while earning MaxPreps All-American honors.
25. Joey Gallo, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Class: 2012
The MaxPreps National Player of the Year after leading the Gaels to four straight state championships, Gallo finished his career with 70 home runs. He had a pair of 40-home run seasons early in his career and finished with 208 home runs.
