JSerra Catholic's Chase Strumpf is the top sophomore in the nation for this baseball season.
File photo by Terry Jack
Orange County has been a breeding ground for some of the top high school baseball players in the country, and the next great player from that area of Southern California tops the MaxPreps list of the Top 50 sophomore baseball players for the 2014 season.
Chase Strumpf, a shortstop at
JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), comes in at the top of the list, just ahead of a pair of Florida players and a fellow Southern California standout. Playing in one of the toughest baseball leagues in the nation in the Trinity League, Strumpf batted .309 as a freshman with three doubles and 14 runs scored.
While JSerra Catholic struggled to a 10-16 record last year, it's off to a better start this year and Strumpf is a big reason why. He's batting .400 through seven games and has helped JSerra post a 6-1 record.
Anthony Molina, a 6-5 left-handed pitcher from
Somerset Academy (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), wowed scouts this fall when he threw in the low 90s at several showcases. Molina, a transfer from American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), is 2-1 on the season with the loss coming against his former school. Molina has a 1.17 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched.
Another Florida prospect,
Austin Bergner of
West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.), is the No. 4 sophomore. The right-handed pitcher had a strong showing during the offseason as well, hitting the low 90s with his fastball.
From
Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.),
Blake Rutherford comes in at No. 3 in the ratings. He's the top outfielder in the class and he batted .322 last year for the Eagles.
Seth Beer of
Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.) rounds out the top 5. Also an outfielder, Beer is off to an incredible start to his sophomore season, batting .850 (17-for-20) in his team's first eight games.
The sophomore rankings were based on several factors, including recruiting rankings, prospect guides, postseason honors and summer showcase performances.
Check out the list of the
Top 50 Sophomore Baseball Players.
