MaxPreps National Baseball Player of the Year Watch

This week's MaxPreps National Player of the Year Watch takes a look at 10 more baseball players who are having outstanding seasons, including the sons of two former Major Leaguers.


Dazmon Cameron, Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.), Senior

The son of former Major League centerfielder Michael Cameron, Daz has been stellar at the plate this year for Eagle's Landing Christian, batting .490 with a 1.100 slugging percentage. A possible high first round draft pick, Cameron has eight doubles and seven home runs to go with 27 RBI in just 51 at-bats.

Austin Riley, DeSoto Central (Southaven, Miss.), Senior

Possibly the top two-sport athlete in Mississippi (he was one of the state's top punters in football), Riley is also versatile in baseball, as he has been solid at the plate and on the mound for the Jaguars this season. He is batting .462 with 11 doubles, six home runs and 22 RBIs. On the mound, Riley is 3-2 with a 3.54 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings pitched. He has 21 career home runs.

Chris Andritsos, The Woodlands (Texas), Senior

Andritsos seems to be most dangerous at the plate when he is also doing the pitching for the Highlanders. In a key 4-3 win over Atascocita, Andritsos went nine innings in a no-decision and struck out 15. He also hit two home runs. In a 9-1 win over Kingwood, he got the win, striking out six, and also went 2-for-4 with four RBIs, a double and a home run. For the season, Andritsos is batting .400 with 19 RBIs, six doubles and six home runs. As a pitcher, he is 4-1 with a 1.17 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched.

Nick Shumpert, Highlands Ranch (Colo.), Senior
Shumpert is off to a fantastic start, batting .686 through 12 games and leading Highlands Ranch to a 9-3 record. He is 24-for-35 with 21 runs scored, 12 RBIs, six doubles, two triples and four home runs. The son of former MLB player Terry Shumpert, Nicholas is considered one of the top shortstop prospects in the nation.

Logan Allen, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), Senior
Allen has been the ace of the IMG Academy staff, posting an 8-0 record in eight starts. His best outings include back-to-back shutouts. In a 9-0 shutout of Port St. Lucie, he allowed three hits and struck out 14. In a 2-0 win over Southwest, he gave up just one hit and struck out 10. For the season, Allen has 64 strikeouts and a 0.93 ERA in 45 innings pitched.

Chase Smartt, Charles Henderson (Troy, Ala.), Senior

Smartt, a catcher, is the leading hitter on a team aiming for its third-straight state championship in Alabama. The state hitter of the year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association as a junior, Smartt is likely the frontrunner for the award again this year, as he is batting .537 (51-for-95) with 47 runs, 43 RBIs, 18 doubles, four triples and five home runs.

Peter Lambert, San Dimas (Calif.), Senior
Lambert, a member of Team USA 18U, has been the top pitcher for an undefeated San Dimas (19-0) team ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section Division 3 rankings. He is 6-0 on the season with double-figure strikeouts in three games. He had 13 strikeouts against South Hills, 11 against Bonita and 11 against Paul VI. He is 6-0 on the season with a 0.35 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 40 innings pitched.

Tyler Williams, Kellis (Glendale, Ariz.), Senior
One of the top outfielders in the country, Williams is one of the top hitters in Arizona. He is batting .635 (33-for-52) with 27 runs scored and 25 RBIs. He has eight doubles, six triples and three home runs to his credit.

Brax Garrett, Florence (Ala.), Junior

One of the top pitchers in the Class of 2016, Garrett is also one of the leading strikeout pitchers in the nation. He is 7-0 on the season with 132 strikeouts and a 0.70 ERA. He has given up just eight walks in 59 2/3 innings pitched and has struck out at least 13 batters eight times this season, including a high of 17. He's also solid at the plate with a .382 batting average, 30 RBIs and 14 doubles.

Seth Beer, Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.)
While the preseason No. 1-ranked Longhorns have fallen out of the rankings with a 14-5 record, it's certainly no fault of Beer, the MaxPreps Sophomore of the Year in 2014. As a junior, Beer is batting .538 with nine doubles, six home runs and 22 RBIs. He is 3-1 as a pitcher with 28 strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA in 23 1/3 innings pitched.