MaxPreps High School All-Decade Baseball Team

When Scott Kazmir of the Tampa Bay Rays and Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies matched up in the first game of the 2008 World Series, the duel pitted not only two of the best pitchers in the Major Leagues, but also two of the top high school pitchers from the class of 2002.

Kazmir was a first team All-American by USA Today in 2002 while Hamels was a second team pick. Both have gone on to solid careers in the Major Leagues and are rising stars among the group of high school grads from the 21st century.

The end of the 2009 high school baseball season marked the end of the first decade of the 21st century and MaxPreps is celebrating that first 10 years with a National High School All-Decade Team. Players were chosen based on their performance at the high school level as well as their accomplishments at the pro level (although some exceptions were made for the most recent high school grads). Among the 30 players chosen to the team are Kazmir and Hamels along with other former national players of the year, No. 1 draft picks and All-Americans.

MaxPreps 2000-09 All-Decade Baseball Team

Pitchers

Dontrelle Willis, Encinal (Calif.), 2000 – Willis was an all-state selection and was honorable mention All-American by USA Today. He made a quick rise through the Minor Leagues and was the Rookie of the Year in 2003 with the Florida Marlins. Two years later he won 22 games and finished second in the Cy Young voting. A two-time All-Star, Willis is currently with the Detroit Tigers and has a 69-60 career record.

Zack Greinke, Apopka (Fla.), 2002 – The Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2002 and a USA Today All-American, Greinke was 9-2 his senior year at Apopka with 118 strikeouts in 60 innings. He also had 10 home runs and batted .500 with 45 RBI. Greinke strugged his first two years in the majors (leading the AL in losses with 17), but he emerged as a pitching sensation at the start of the 2009 season and is among the league leaders in ERA at 2.12. Career record of 44-50 with the Royals.

Scott Kazmir, Cypress Falls (Texas), 2002 – The Baseball America player of the year, Kazmir was 12-2 with a 0.27 ERA and 181 strikeouts in 78 innings pitched as a senior. An All-Star in 2008, Kazmir led the American League in strikeouts in 2007 with 239. Has a career record of 51-42 with the Rays.

Cole Hamels, Rancho Bernardo (Calif.), 2002 – An all-state performer and a USA Today All-American second team pick, Hamels helped the Phillies win the 2008 World Series. Hamels was the World Series and NLCS MVP. In high school, Hamels was 10-0 with a 0.39 ERA his senior year.

Chad Billingsley, Defiance (Ohio), 2003 – A USA Today second team All-American choice, Billingsley was a first round pick by the Dodgers and has developed into one of the top young pitchers in the National League. An All-Star in 2009, Billingsley is 44-23 as a pro. In high school, Billingsley was 7-2 with a 1.21 ERA as a senior.

Tim Lincecum in 2009

Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Tim Lincecum, Renton Liberty (Wash.), 2003 – The Gatorade State Player of the Year in Washington as a senior, Lincecum led his team to a state championship, going 12-1 with a 0.70 ERA and 183 strikeouts in 91 innings pitched. Lincecum excelled in the Pac-10 at Washington before being drafted by the Giants in 2006. Made his debut in 2007 and won the Cy Young Award in 2008. Started the All-Star Game in 2009. Has a 35-12 overall mark with the Giants.

Clayton Kershaw, Highland Park (Texas), 2006 – The Gatorade and USA Today National Player of the Year, Kershaw was 13-0 with a 0.77 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched for Highland Park. He quickly moved up the ranks for the Dodgers and made his debut in 2008. He is 13-10 in his two seasons at the big league level.

Rick Porcello, Seton Hall Prep (N.J.), 2007 – Like Kershaw, Porcello was the national player of the year by both USA Today and Gatorade. He was 10-0 with 112 strikeouts, a 1.18 ERA and just 15 walks in 71 innings pitched for Seton Hall Prep. He was 20-1 in his high school career. Porcello made his debut this year and is 8-6 with the Detroit Tigers.

Catchers

 

Joe Mauer, Cretin Derham Hall (Minn.), 2001 – The USA Today player of the year in both football and baseball, Mauer batted .605 with 14 home runs, 49 runs, and 53 RBI his senior year at Cretin-Derham Hall. Mauer has already led the American League in batting average twice and currently leads the AL in batting.

Brian McCann, Duluth (Ga.) 2002 – A USA Today second team All-American, McCann belted 42 career home runs for Duluth, including 12 his senior year. He’s been a four-time all-star with the Atlanta Braves.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Royal Palm Beach (Fla.), 2003 – Named to the USA Today All-American second team, Saltalamacchia has been a part time starter for the Texas Rangers the past three seasons. As a senior, he batted .432 with four home runs and 21 RBI.

First Base

Adrian Gonzalez, Eastlake (Calif.), 2000 – A first team USA Today All-American and the Baseball American National Player of the Year, Gonzalez hit 14 home runs and batted .624 as a senior at Eastlake. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2000 draft and has been a two-time All-Star.

Casey Kotchman, Seminole (Fla.), 2001 – Kotchman was the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2001 after hitting .402 with five home runs, 41 runs scored and 29 RBI. He’s been a starter the past three seasons in the major leagues, first with the Angels and now with the Braves.

Prince Fielder, Eau Gallie (Fla.), 2002 – The youngest major leaguer to ever hit 50 home runs in a season, Fielder was the No. 7 pick in the 2002 draft. The Brewer first baseman is a two-time all-star and hit 10 home runs with 41 RBI and a .524 average as a senior. A second team All-American by USA Today, Fielder had 42 career home runs.

Infielders

Aaron Hill, Redwood-Visalia (Calif.), 2000 – One of the rising young stars in the major leagues, Hill was originally drafted in the seventh round out of high school in 2007, but went to college instead. Played at LSU and was a first-round draft pick by the Toronto Blue Jays. Played in his first all-star game this year.

Ian Kinsler, Canyon Del Oro (Ariz.), 2000 – An all-state pick as a senior, Kinsler batted .504 with five home runs before heading to college. He’s become a two-time all-star since joining the Rangers.

B.J. Upton, Greenbrier Christian (Va.), 2002 – The National Player of the Year by USA Today, Upton batted .641 with 11 home runs, and 54 RBI. He had 24 career home runs and 109 RBI at Greenbrier Christian. He was the second overall pick in the draft and has been a starter for the Rays the past three seasons.

David Wright, Hickory (Va.), 2001 – A first team All-American by USA Today, Wright batted .544 with six home runs as a senior. In his fifth year as a starter for the Mets, Wright is a four-time all-star.

J.J. Hardy, Sabino (Ariz.), 2001 – Hardy has played for the Brewers for five seasons, earning all-star honors in 2007. As a senior at Sabino, he batted .455 with eight home runs, and 34 RBI and was a first team USA Today All-American.

Dustin Pedroia, Woodland (Calif.), 2001 – Pedroia earned all-state honors while at Woodland and then was an All-American at Arizona State. He was Rookie of the Year in 2007 and was the American League MVP in 2008.

Tim Beckham, Griffin (Ga.) 2008 – Beckham was the first player chosen in the 2008 draft after making first team All-American by USA Today while batting .482 with six home runs and 41 RBI for Griffin.

Outfielders

Rocco Baldelli, Bishop Hedricken (R.I.), 2000 – The first Rhode Island high school player ever chosen in the first round of the MLB draft, Baldelli was a USA Today first team All-American after batting .510 with six doubles, four triples and eight home runs. Started for two seasons for the Rays before injuries set him back the past three seasons. Now playing for the Red Sox.

Grady Sizemore, Cascade (Wash.), 2000 – Sizemore was a three-sport athlete in Washington and was honorable mention All-American in baseball. Drafted in the third round, Sizemore began his career with the Expos before playing the past five seasons with the Indians.

Jeremy Hermida, Wheeler (Ga.), 2001 – At Wheeler, Hermida batted .485 with nine doubles and seven home runs while earning USA Today first team All-American honors. Joined the Marlins in 2005 and became one of only two players in MLB history to hit a grand slam for their first career hit.

Jeff Francoeur, Parkview (Ga.), 2002 – All-American by USA Today in both football and baseball, Francoeur batted .487 with 16 home runs, 49 RBI and 51 runs scored. Played his first four season with the Braves before being traded this year to the Mets.

Delmon Young, Camarillo (Calif.), 2003 - Minnesota Twins – Young twice made the USA Today All-American team and was named the National Player of the Year as a senior. He hit 17 home runs and 56 RBI as a junior and batted .523 with seven home runs as a senior. The No. 1 overall pick in the draft by the Rays, Young now plays for the Twins.

Jay Bruce, West Brook (Texas), 2005 – A USA Today All-American, Bruce batted .500 with 31 RBI and 36 runs scored at West Brook. He was taken 12th overall in the draft and debuted with the Reds last year.

Utility

Justin Upton, Great Bridge (Va.), 2004 – The Gatorade and USA Today National Player of the Year, Upton batted .508 with 12 home runs and 33 RBI at Great Bridge. Taken No. 1 overall by the Diamondbacks, he made it to the Major Leagues by the age of 19 and was an all-star in 2009.

Alex Gordon, Lincoln Southeast (Neb.), 2002 – A two-time Gatorade state player of the year in Nebraska, Gordon batted .483 with 25 home runs in his career at Southeast. He was named the Minor League Player of the Year before joining the Royals in 2007.

Matt Hobgood, Norco (Calif), 2009 – The Gatorade, MaxPreps and USA Today National Player of the Year, Hobgood was taken with the fifth pick of the 2009 draft by the Orioles. He led the nation in home runs with 21 and was also 11-1 as a pitcher.

Micah Owings, Gainesville (Ga.), 2002 – Finished his high school career with 69 home runs, the fourth most in national history. Earned second team All-American honors and eventually debuted with the Diamondbacks in 2007. He currently pitches for the Cincinnati Reds.

Team selected by MaxPreps' Matt Smith and Kevin Askeland.