Video: Joseph Perez of Archbishop McCarthy
Watch the Maverick infielder perform at the National High School Invitational.
The 2017 high school baseball season is two months old and some of the nation's top recruits have performed well enough to be considered for MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors, which will be announced in July.
Here's a look at 10 candidates for the Player of the Year honor, including the nation's No. 1 recruit, Hunter Greene of Notre Dame.
National Baseball Player of the Year Watch
Player of the Year candidates Hagen Danner of Huntington Beach, Hunter Greene of Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) and Joe Perez of Archbishop McCarthy.
Graphic by Ryan Escobar
Greene started his season strong with a grand slam in a 10-3 win over Rio Mesa (Oxnard). Since then, however, the focus has been more on his pitching. Greene, the No. 1 recruit in the country, can hit 98 mph on his fastball and has a 3-0 record with a 0.75 ERA in five outings. He has struck out 43 in 28 innings, including 13 in a 2-1 win last week over Alemany. Offensively, Greene is batting .306 with three home runs, five doubles and 16 RBIs.
Jordon Adell, Ballard (Louisville, Ky.)
The nation's top outfield recruit, Adell ranks among the top home run hitters in the country with 10. He has a pair of two home run games, including a crucial 10-6 win over Farragut (Knoxville), Tennessee's top 3A team. He's batting .512 with 25 RBIs, 22 runs scored and five doubles. He's also tossed 2.2 innings with four strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA.
Trevor Rogers, Carlsbad (N.M.)
Rogers, expected to be one of the first left-handed pitchers chosen in the Major League Baseball draft, is blowing batters away this year. He has 75 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched with nine walks and three earned runs. He has a 0.64 ERA and a 6-0 record for Carlsbad. Rogers has also been stellar at the plate, hitting .326 with 17 RBIs and three home runs.
Tanner Sparks, Shawnee (Okla.)
Sparks has one of the more impressive stat lines in the country. He leads the nation with 62 RBIs, according to the MaxPreps leaderboards, and is near the lead in home runs with 10. He's scored 38 runs and is batting .571 with a 1.035 slugging percentage. On the mound, Sparks is 9-0 with a 0.80 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 43.2 innings.
Hagen Danner, Huntington Beach (Calif.)
A force for the Oilers, Danner is 5-0 with a 1.21 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched. He is batting .444 with 21 RBIs, five doubles and six home runs.
Jacob Pearson, West Monroe (La.)
West Monroe has been one of the surprise teams this year and Pearson is one of the reasons why. He recently completed a four-game stretch where he hit five homers and drove in 11 runs. For the season, Pearson is batting .547 with 22 RBIs, eight doubles, five triples and six home runs.
Jordan Butler, Alonso (Tampa, Fla.)
The Pitcher of the Year in the Tampa area last year, Butler is picking up where he left off. He is 6-0 with 72 strikeouts in 43 innings and a 0.81 ERA. He has also been strong at the plate, batting .481 with four home runs, 19 RBIs and six doubles.
Jacob Gonzalez, Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
The son of former Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Luis Gonzalez, Jacob is batting .556 with 36 RBIs, 12 doubles and seven home runs. He has two games with at least two home runs and three games with at least two doubles.
Kyle Jacobsen, Allatoona (Acworth, Ga.)
Jacobsen has been a force on the mound and at the plate. He is batting .475 with 28 runs scored, 33 RBIs, five doubles and five home runs. On the mound, he is 5-1 with 23 strikeouts and a 0.95 ERA in 29.1 innings.
Joe Perez, Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Perez is one of the reasons the Mavericks are one of the favorites to finish the year No. 1 nationally. He is batting .551 with five home runs, 10 doubles and 27 RBIs. On the mound, Perez is 3-0 with 38 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched.
