The nation's No. 1 high school baseball prospect, a pair of outstanding two-way players and two of the nation's leading home run hitters highlight our look at the contenders for MaxPreps National Player of the Year.
The winner of the nation's highest honor will be announced in July along with the MaxPreps All-America Team. Read on for a look at past winners dating back to 2008 and 10 contenders for this year's POY award.
Past MaxPreps National Players of the Year
2008 — Jake Odorizzi, Highland (Ill.)
2009 — Matt Hobgood, Norco (Calif.)
2010 — Stetson Allie, St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)
2011 — Dylan Bundy, Owasso (Okla.)
2012 — Joey Gallo, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)
2013 — Jack Flaherty, Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
2014 — Jack Flaherty, Harvard-Westlake
2015 — Joe DeMers, College Park (Pleasant Hill, Calif.)
2016 — Kyle Muller, Dallas Jesuit (Dallas, Texas)
2017 — Jordan Adell, Ballard (Louisville, Ky.)
2018 — Nolan Gorman, O'Connor (Phoenix, Ariz.)
2019 — Bobby Witt Jr., Colleyville Heritage (Colleyville, Texas)
2020 — No selection due to COVID pandemic
2021 — Jack Walker, Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
2022 — Brock Porter, St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)
2023 — Christian Rodriguez, Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
2024 — Konnor Griffin, Jackson Prep (Jackson, Miss.)
Frontrunners
Seth Hernandez, Corona (Calif.)
Regarded
as the top overall pitcher in the Class of 2025, Hernandez is 7-0 for
the Panthers with a 0.16 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 37.1 innings pitched.
He is also a threat at the plate as he is batting .305 with 23 RBI and
five home runs.
Ethan Holliday, Stillwater (Okla.)
The third baseman is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2025 by Perfect Game. The brother of 2022 MLB No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday and son of former MLB all-star Matt Holliday, Ethan is batting .628 with 41 RBI and 11 home runs.
Mason Pike, Puyallup (Wash.)
The two-way threat has been spectacular on the mound for the undefeated Vikings, posting a 7-0 record with 64 strikeouts and a 0.18 ERA. He has also been a terror at the plate with a .475 batting average with 10 doubles.
Malachi Washington, Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.)
After hitting no home runs his first two seasons on the Parkview varsity, Washington leads the nation with 15 round-trippers in 2025. He is also batting .564 with 58 RBI and a 1.255 slugging percentage as an outfielder.
Contenders
Joey Lawson, Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Lawson
has been a force on offense and defense for the Vikings while leading
them to a 30-1 record. At the plate he is batting .359 with 30 RBI, 11
doubles and nine home runs. On the mound, Lawson is 9-0 with a 0.78 ERA,
111 strikeouts and three no-hitters.
Jacob Parker and JoJo Parker, Purvis (Miss.)
The
Tornadoes are ranked No. 1 in the state of Mississippi by the MaxPreps
computer rankings and the Parker brothers are the main reason why. Both
are expected to be selected in the MLB Draft in July. JoJo, a pitcher
and shortstop, is batting .513 with 28 RBI, nine doubles and 10 home
runs. He is also 5-2 on the mound with 59 strikeouts. Jacob is batting
.500 with 42 RBI, eight doubles and 12 home runs.
Gio Rojas, Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
The
Eagles are in contention for yet another state championship in Florida
thanks to the pitching and hitting of Rojas. A junior, Rojas is 10-0 on
the mound with a 0.71 ERA and 85 strikeouts in just 49 innings pitched.
At the plate, he is batting .371 with 28 RBI, six doubles and two home
runs.
Kruz Schoolcraft, Sunset (Portland, Ore.)
The 6-foot-8 pitcher has reclassified to the Class of 2025 and has been posting double-digit strikeout totals for Sunset. In 27 innings, Schoolcraft is 4-0 with 66 strikeouts and a 0.52 ERA. He has also been a monster at the plate, batting .490 with 23 RBI and six home runs in just 53 at-bats.
Quentin Young, Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.)
The nephew of former MLB players Delmon and Dmitri Young, Quentin has reclassified to the Class of 2025 and has established himself as one of the top power-hitting third basemen in the class with 12 home runs on the year and a .343 batting average.
