The deep South is well represented on the 2022 Preseason MaxPreps All-America Baseball Team with 13 out of the 30 players hailing from Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
Florida has six players on the team, including a pair from IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). Georgia has five players while South Carolina has two. By comparison, Texas and California have two each. St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.), meanwhile, joins IMG Academy as the only school with two players.
A pair of sons of MLB All-Stars also make the team. Druw Jones, the son of former Atlanta Braves outfielder Andruw Jones, is a top outfield prospect while Carsten Sabathia, son of former New York Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia, is one of the nation's best first basemen.
Players are selected based on draft potential, recruiting rankings such as Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report, last year's statistics, last year's MaxPreps Underclass All-American Team and other 2021 postseason honors.
Preseason MaxPreps All-America baseball team
P — Dylan Lesko, Buford (Ga.)
The MaxPreps Junior Player of the Year posted an 11-0 record with a 0.35 ERA in leading the Wolves to a 32-2 record and a No. 1 national ranking for most of the season. He finished with 112 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched.
P — Jackson Ferris, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Tossed multiple no-hitters last year, including one in the season opener. He defeat three of the nation's best teams in Baylor, Jesuit and Calvary Christian Academy, and went 8-0 with a 0.55 ERA and 86 strikeouts.
P — Brock Porter, St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)
The top player on what could be the No. 1 team in the nation to start the season earned MaxPreps All-America honors last year after posting a 12-0 record for the Division 2 champions. He had 127 strikeouts and a 0.56 ERA in 62.2 innings.
P — Brandon Barriera, American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)
Ranked one of the nation's top pitchers following his sophomore year, Barriera only pitched 16 innings in 2021, but had a 0.00 ERA and has yet to lose a high school game. He's ranked one of the top left-handed pitchers in the nation.
P — Noah Schultz, Oswego East (Oswego, Ill.)
One of the tallest players in the nation, Schultz grew nearly a foot between his freshman and junior season and tops out a 6-foot-9. Perfect Game has Schultz as the top player in Illinois.
P — Levi Huesman, Hanover (Mechanicsville, Va.)
Has developed into one of the top power pitchers in the country with a fastball that has topped out at 95 mph. He helped the Hawks to the Class 4A championship game as a junior.
P — Tristan Smith, Boiling Springs (Spartanburg, S.C.)
Ranks as the top player in the state after emerging as one of the top pitchers in the nation. Mock drafts have Smith going somewhere near the end of the first round in the MLB Draft.
P — Ian Ritchie Jr., Bainbridge (Bainbridge Island, Wash.)
Earned Gatorade State Player of the Year honors as a junior while going 6-0 with 54 strikeouts and a 0.38 ERA. He's a potential first-round draft choice.
P — Chase Shores, Midland Legacy (Midland, Texas)
One of the top power pitchers in the country, Shores has hit close to 100 mph on his fastball. The LSU commit is also one of the tallest pitchers in the country at 6-foot-8.
P — Jacob Miller, Liberty Union (Baltimore, Ohio)
Prep Baseball Report picked Miller as the state player of the year as a junior after he went 9-1 with 143 strikeouts and a 0.70 ERA in 60 innings.
C — Malcolm Moore, McClatchy (Sacramento, Calif.)
The Player of the Year by the Sacramento Bee, Moore ranks as one of the top catchers in the Class of 2022 after batting .535 with 55 RBI, 46 runs scored and seven home runs.
C — Adonys Guzman, Brunswick School (Greenwich, Conn.)
A New York native who plays in Connecticut, Guzman batted .560 with 12 home runs and 37 RBI last year.
C — Ike Irish, St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)
Emerged as a rising talent on St. Mary Prep as he belted 11 home runs, 12 doubles and 50 RBI en route to all-state honors.
1B — Carsten Sabathia, Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.)
A third baseball prospect as well, Sabathia has even taken to the mound, just like his famous father C.C. Sabathia. At 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, he has the build of his father.
1B — Jayden Hylton, Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.)
Ranked as the nation's top first baseman by Perfect Game, Hylton batted .298 as a junior with 25 RBI and eight home runs.
IF — Jayson Jones, Braswell (Little Elm, Texas)
The Offensive Player of the Year by the Denton Record-Chronicle, Jones batted .377 with 22 RBI and four home runs. He's the top-rated shortstop in Texas by Perfect Game.
IF — Termarr Johnson, Mays (Atlanta)
The top recruit in the Class of 2022 by Perfect Game, Johnson was a MaxPreps Junior All-America pick while batting .400 with eight home runs.
IF — Cam Collier, Mount Paran Christian (Kennesaw, Ga.)
Collier has reclassified as a member of the Class of 2022 after earning MaxPreps Sophomore All-America honors last year. He was the Class 1A Private School state player of the year by the Georgia Dugout Club while batting .434 with 13 home runs and 40 RBI.
IF — Tucker Toman, Hammond (Columbia, S.C.)
Led Hammond to a state championship last year in the SCISA and is one of the nation's top two-way players as a third baseman and pitcher.
IF — Cole Young, North Allegheny (Wexford, Pa.)
The player of the year in Western Pennsylvania batted .437 with 33 runs, 23 RBI and six home runs.
IF — Mikey Romero, Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Romero ranks as one of the nation's top infielders and is a potential Day One selection in this year's MLB Draft. He batted. 362 last year for the Lancers.
OF — Elijah Green, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
The potential No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft, Green batted .321 with 26 runs, 21 RBI and six home runs while starring in the outfield for the Ascenders.
OF — Druw Jones, Wesleyan (Norcross, Ga.)
The son of MLB All-Star by the same name, Jones has emerged as another possible No. 1 overall pick candidate in this year's MLB Draft. He batted .445 with 39 RBI, 58 runs and 16 home runs as a junior.
OF — Justin Crawford, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Crawford was one of the top hitters for the Nevada state champions last year with a .492 average. Perfect Game pegs Crawford as the state's best player.
OF — Paxton Kling, Central (Martinsburg, Pa.)
A MaxPreps Junior All-America pick led the Dragon offense batting .482 with 53 runs 39 RBI and six home runs.
OF — Gavin Turley, Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)
Versatile enough to play outfield or middle infield, Turley batted .355 for the Huskies with 28 runs, six doubles and four home runs while earning all-state honors.
OF — Roman Anthony, Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Part of a loaded Douglas team last year, Anthony was the Sun Sentinel player of the year after leading the Eagles to a Class 7A state title. He batted .362 with 21 RBI and five home runs.
AP — Nazier Mule, Passaic County Tech (Wayne, N.J.)
A force at the plate and on the mound, Mule batted .359 with nine doubles and three home runs as a junior and also struck out 64 batters in 30 innings.
AP — Sal Stewart Jr., Westminster Christian (Miami)
One of the top home run hitters in the nation last year, Stewart blasted 17 round-trippers while leading the Warriors to the Class 3A championship game. He also batted .534 with 40 RBI.
AP — Jared Jones, Walton (Marietta, Ga.)
The MaxPreps freshman and sophomore of the year, Jones was also a junior All-America pick last year after batting .432 with 30 RBI, seven doubles and nine home runs.
