Best High School Baseball Player Ever From Every State

These are the greatest high school baseball players from every state in the U.S.

High school baseball has been played for over a century across the United States, with some of the greatest players of all time finding their first taste of success and fame as teenagers while they represented their communities and their schools.

Using high school baseball as a launching pad, some of the greatest high school players of all time have gone directly into their professional careers. In the last 20 to 30 years, that’s meant turning high school kids into instant millionaires with record signing bonuses.

Currently, only South Dakota and Wyoming don’t have high school baseball, but it’s played in all of the 48 other states. With the one caveat of actually having to have played high school baseball in the state — some players from older eras didn’t have that opportunity — here’s a look at the greatest high school baseball players ever from every state.

Alabama: Condredge Holloway

Courtesy photo

Born: Jan. 24, 1954 (Huntsville, Alabama)

High school: Lee High School (Huntsville, Alabama)

Position: Shortstop

Graduation year: 1971

College: Tennessee

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1971), All-SEC (1975), All-American (1975), Tennessee All-Century Baseball Team

Bottom line: Lee High shortstop Condredge Holloway was a high school All-American in 1971 and was the No. 4 overall pick in the MLB Draft, but his mother refused to sign the forms to let him play pro baseball.

Holloway starred in baseball and football at the University of Tennessee, where he became the first Black quarterback in school history and SEC history and the first Black baseball player in school history.

He was an All-American in both sports at Tennessee, where he still holds the school record with a 27-game hitting streak. He played in the Canadian Football League for 13 seasons, winning two Grey Cups and was elected to the CFL Hall of Fame in 1999.

Alaska: Jonny Homza

AP Photo

Born: June 13, 1999 (Anchorage, Alaska)

High school: South Anchorage High School (Anchorage, Alaska)

Position: Infielder/right-handed pitcher

Graduation year: 2017

College: None

Career highlights: Two-time Alaska Gatorade Player of the Year (2016, 2017)

Bottom line: The only two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Alaska history, South Anchorage High’s Jonny Homza capped his career with a .560 batting average, 28 runs, 19 stolen bases and 14 RBI as a senior while also going 3-0 with a 1.15 ERA and 23 strikeouts in just 15 innings. The same year, his team finished as state runner-up.

Homza turned down a scholarship offer to play baseball at the University of Hawaii after he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the fifth round of the 2017 MLB Draft.

The Padres converted Homza to catcher, and he’s been in their minor league system since 2017, rising as high as Double A.

Arizona: Paul Konerko

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Born: March 5, 1976 (Providence, Rhode Island)

High school: Chaparral High School (Scottsdale, Arizona)

Position: Catcher

Graduation year: 1994

College: None

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1994), Arizona Republic Player of the Year (1994), Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year (1994), World Series champion (2005), ALCS MVP (2005), six-time MLB All-Star (2002, 2005, 2006, 2010-12), Roberto Clemente Award (2014)

Bottom line: Paul Konerko was a high school star at Chaparral High, where he led his team to the Class 4A state championship as a senior, setting his school’s single-season records for batting average (.558) and doubles (18).

Konerko, who set school career records for home runs and RBI, was the No. 1-ranked catcher in the nation and signed to play for Arizona State. But he was lured away to pro baseball by the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was converted from catcher to first base.

He played 18 seasons in the majors and was a six-time All-Star, spending his last 15 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, where he helped lead the team to a World Series championship in 2005.

Arkansas: Torii Hunter

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Born: July 18, 1975 (Pine Bluff, Arkansas)

High school: Pine Bluff High School (Pine Bluff, Arkansas)

Position: Outfield

Graduation year: 1993

College: None

Career highlights: Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year (1993), five-time MLB All-Star (2002, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013), nine-time Gold Glove Award (2001-09), two-time Silver Slugger Award (2009, 2013)

Bottom line: Torii Hunter was a four-sport star at Pine Bluff High in baseball, basketball, football and track.

Hunter’s true gifts were in baseball, where he was a two-time All-State selection and the 1993 Arkansas Gatorade Player of the Year. Hunter made the 1992 U.S. Junior Olympic Team but couldn’t afford the $500 fee until then-Arkansas Governor and future U.S. President Bill Clinton stepped in and paid the money.

Hunter played 19 seasons in the majors and was one of the best players in the game in the early 2000s. He was also one of the best fielding outfielders of all time, winning nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 2001 to 2009.

California: Barry Bonds

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Born: July 24, 1964 (Riverside, California)

High school: Junipero Serra High School (San Mateo, California)

Position: Outfield

Graduation year: 1982

College: Arizona State

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1982), Sporting News All-American (1984), All-Time College World Series Team, seven-time National League MVP (1990, 1992, 1993, 2001-04), eight-time Gold Glove Award (1990-94, 1996-98), 14-time MLB All-Star (1990, 1992-98, 2000-04, 2007), 12-time Silver Slugger Award (1990-94, 1996, 1997, 2000-04)

Bottom line: California was by far the most challenging state to pick just one player from, but former Junipero Serra star and MLB home-run king Barry Bonds barely edged out San Diego Hoover High’s Ted Williams.

Bonds starred at Junipero Serra in the early 1980s, hitting .467 as a senior and earning high school All-American honors before becoming an All-American at Arizona State. He eventually played 22 seasons in the majors, setting MLB records for most MVP awards with seven and breaking Hank Aaron’s career home-run record.

Colorado: Roy Halladay

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Born: May 14, 1977 (Denver, Colorado)

Died: Nov. 7, 2017, 40 years old (Gulf of Mexico)

High school: Arvada West High School (Arvada, Colorado)

Position: Right-handed pitcher

Graduation year: 1995

College: None

Career highlights: Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year (1995), ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1995), eight-time MLB All-Star (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008-11), two-time Cy Young Award (2003, 2010)

Bottom line: Roy Halladay was a high school All-American and the Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year at Arvada West High in 1995 and led his school to a Class 6A state championship in 1994. Committed to playing college baseball for Arizona, the Toronto Blue Jays selected him No. 17 overall in 1995. The 6-foot-6 pitcher ended up playing 16 seasons in the majors, pitching a perfect game on May 29, 2010, against the Florida Marlins and winning two Cy Young Awards. Halladay had his jersey retired by both of the teams he played for, the Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies.

Halladay died in 2017 when he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Connecticut: Scott Burrell

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Born: Jan. 12, 1971 (New Haven, Connecticut)

High school: Hamden High School (Hamden, Connecticut)

Position: Right-handed pitcher

Graduation year: 1989

College: UConn (basketball)

Career highlights: Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year (1989), ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1989)

Bottom line: Scott Burrell was one of the top high school baseball players in the nation coming out of Hamden High in the mid-1990s, where pro teams salivated at his future as a dominant right-handed pitcher. Burrell was headed to play college baseball for Miami and was drafted in the first round by the Seattle Mariners out of high school but chose to play basketball for the University of Connecticut instead. There, he was a three-time All-Big East selection and was picked in the first round of the 1993 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets.

Burrell actually played two summers of minor league baseball in the Toronto Blue Jays organization while in college before embarking on a 13-year NBA career, which included an NBA championship alongside Michael Jordan in 1998.

Delaware: Delino DeShields

Seaford High School

Born: Jan. 15, 1969 (Seaford, Delaware)

High school: Seaford High School (Seaford, Delaware)

Position: Second base

Graduation year: 1987

College: None

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1987)

Bottom line: Delino DeShields was a high school All-American in baseball and basketball and originally signed a scholarship to play basketball at Villanova University. But the Montreal Expos selected him with the No. 12 overall pick in 1987.

DeShields finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting in 1990, led the NL in triples in 1997 and finished top 10 in stolen bases nine times.

Florida: Alex Rodriguez

Marta Lavandier / AP Photo

Born: July 27, 1975 (New York, New York)

High school: Westminster Christian School (Palmetto Bay, Florida)

Position: Infield

Graduation year: 1993

College: None

Career highlights: Gatorade National Player of the Year (1993), USA Today National Player of the Year (1993), Florida Gatorade Player of the Year (1993), ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1995), World Series champion (2009), 14-time MLB All-Star (1996-98, 2000-08, 2010, 2011), three-time American League MVP (2003, 2005, 2007), two-time Gold Glove Award (2002, 2003), 10-time Silver Slugger Award (1996, 1998-2003, 2005, 2007, 2008)

Bottom line: Westminster Christian’s Alex Rodriguez swept National Player of the Year honors from Gatorade and USA Today in 1993 before he was selected No. 1 overall in the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners.

Rodriguez, who was committed to play baseball for the University of Miami, signed with the Mariners at just 17 years old and would go on to play 22 seasons in the majors. Rodriguez was named American League MVP three times and won a World Series championship with the New York Yankees in 2009 but was banned from baseball for the entire 2014 season for his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Georgia: Druw Jones

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Born: Nov. 28, 2003 (Atlanta, Georgia)

High school: Wesleyan School (Peachtree Corners, Georgia)

Position: Outfield

Graduation year: 2022

College: None

Career highlights: Two-time ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (2021, 2022), Class A state champion (2022)

Bottom line: One of just two players in over 50 years to be named a two-time ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American, Wesleyan School outfielder Druw Jones is one of the few players to make this list who graduated from high school in the last decade. He led his school to the Class A state championship in 2022, hitting .570 with 13 home runs, 39 RBI and hit safely in all 40 games his team played.

Jones, the son of former MLB outfielder Andruw Jones, is considered one of the top baseball prospects of the last decade and was selected No. 2 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the 6-foot-3, 185-pounder received a reported signing bonus of $8.1 million.

Hawaii: Shane Victorino

Courtesy photo

Born: Nov. 30, 1980 (Wailuku, Hawaii)

High school: St. Anthony High School (Wailuku, Hawaii)

Position: Outfield

Graduation year: 1999

College: None

Career highlights: Two-time World Series champion (2008, 2013), two-time MLB All-Star (2009, 2011), four-time Gold Glove Award (2008-10, 2013)

Bottom line: Shane Victorino’s reputation as one of the fastest players in the majors has its roots in his time at St. Anthony High, where he swept the 100-, 200- and 400-meter state titles as a senior in high school and had an offer to play baseball and football for the University of Hawaii before the Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the sixth round of the 1999 draft.

Victorino collected four Gold Gloves, was a two-time All-Star and won two World Series titles — one with the Phillies (2008) and another with the Red Sox (2013).

Idaho: Harmon Killebrew

AP Photo

Born: June 29, 1936 (Payette, Idaho)

Died: May 17, 2011, 74 years old (Scottsdale, Arizona)

High school: Payette High School (Payette, Idaho)

Position: Infield/outfield

Graduation year: 1954

College: None

Career highlights: American League MVP (1969), 13-time MLB All-Star (1959, 1961, 1963-71)

Bottom line: If Harmon Killebrew were in high school today, he might have chosen a football career over a baseball career. The 5-foot-11, 213-pound Payette High star was a high school football All-American with a scholarship offer from the University of Oregon in the early 1950s.

Instead, Killebrew chose baseball and started playing in the majors for the Washington Senators before his 18th birthday, and he played for 23 seasons. Nicknamed “Killer,” he was a 13-time All-Star, led the American League in home runs six times and hit 573 career home runs. Killebrew was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984 and died in 2011 at 74 years old.

Illinois: Danny Goodwin

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Born: Sept. 2, 1953 (St. Louis, Missouri)

High school: Peoria Central High School (Peoria, Illinois)

Position: First base/designated hitter

Graduation year: 1971

College: Southern University

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1971), three-time NAIA All-American (1972-75), Sporting News College Player of the Year (1975)

Bottom line: Danny Goodwin is the only baseball player drafted No. 1 overall in two different drafts.

Goodwin was picked No. 1 overall by the Chicago White Sox as a catcher out of Peoria Central High in 1971 after he was named a high school All-American, but he chose to go to HBCU Southern University instead. Goodwin was a three-time All-American and the National Player of the Year at Southern and was picked No. 1 overall again in 1975, this time by the California Angels.

After the Angels signed Goodwin to a record $150,000 bonus, he bounced around the majors for parts of seven seasons and finished his career with a .236 batting average, 13 home runs and 86 RBI. Goodwin became the first player from an HBCU to be inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011.

Indiana: Lance Lynn

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Born: May 12, 1987 (Indianapolis, Indiana)

High school: Brownsburg High School (Brownsburg, Indiana)

Position: Right-handed pitcher

Graduation year: 2005

College: Mississippi

Career highlights: Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year (2005), Louisville Slugger/EA Sports All-American (2005), two-time Class 4A state champion (2004, 2005), three-time Class 4A All-State (2003-05), two-time All-SEC (2007, 2008), NCBWA All-American (2008), World Series champion (2011), two-time MLB All-Star (2012, 2021)

Bottom line: Lance Lynn gained his first measure of fame when he led his Brownsburg Little League team to the 1999 Little League World Series before going on to star at Brownsburg High alongside another future MLB pitcher in teammate Drew Storen.

Lynn won two state championships at Brownsburg, including an unbeaten 35-0 season in 2005 and he finished his career with a 39-4 pitching record with a 1.10 ERA and 455 strikeouts in 288 innings.

The Seattle Mariners selected him in the sixth round of the MLB Draft out of high school, but Lynn chose to play for Ole Miss, where he was a two-time All-SEC selection. The St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft, and he won a World Series with the team as a rookie in 2011. Lynn was in his 13th MLB season in 2023 after being named an All-Star in 2012 and 2021.

Iowa: Bob Feller

AP Photo

Born: Nov. 3, 1918 (Van Meter, Iowa)

Died: Dec. 15, 2010, 92 years old (Cleveland, Ohio)

High school: Van Meter High School (Van Meter, Iowa)

Position: Right-handed pitcher

Graduation year: 1937

College: None

Career highlights: World Series champion (1948), MLB Pitching Triple Crown (1940), eight-time MLB All-Star (1938-41, 1946-48, 1950)

Bottom line: Van Meter High’s Bob Feller had one of the strongest arms in MLB history — his cannon was on display when he was in high school, where he earned the nickname “The Heater From Van Meter” and future Heisman Trophy winner Nile Kinnick was his catcher in American Legion baseball.

Feller was one of the most prodigious talents in baseball history and made his MLB debut with the Cleveland Indians on July 19, 1936 — four months before his 18th birthday and one month before he began his senior year of high school.

Perhaps the greatest pitcher of his era, Feller led the Indians to a World Series title in 1948 and, for his career, had three no-hitters and 12 one-hitters. Feller was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 on his first ballot with 93.8 percent of the vote. He died in 2010 at 92 years old.

Kansas: Bubba Starling

Gardner Edgerton outfielder Bubba Starling

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Born: Aug. 3, 1992 (Gardner, Kansas)

High school: Gardner Edgerton High School (Gardner, Kansas)

Position: Outfield

Graduation year: 2011

College: None

Career highlights: USA Today High School All-American (2011), ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (2011), two-time Class 5A All-State (2010, 2011), Olympic silver medal (2020)

Bottom line: Bubba Starling was an All-State selection in football, basketball and baseball at Gardner-Edgerton High, and he was considered one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation for the Class of 2011. Starling turned his back on a chance to play football and basketball at the University of Nebraska when the Kansas City Royals selected him No. 5 overall in the MLB Draft and gave him a $7.5 million signing bonus.

Starling’s MLB career never panned out the way the Royals hoped — he spent almost a decade in the minor leagues before playing parts of two seasons with the Royals in 2019 and 2020 and retiring from baseball in 2021.

Kentucky: Lee Tinsley

Ted S. Warren / AP Photo

Born: March 4, 1969 (Shelbyville, Kentucky)

Died: Jan. 12, 2023, 53 years old (Scottsdale, Arizona)

High school: Shelby County High School (Shelbyville, Kentucky)

Position: Outfield

Graduation year: 1987

College: None

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1987), Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year (1987)

Bottom line: Shelby County High’s Lee Tinsley was an outfielder on the ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American Team alongside Ken Griffey Jr., who would later become his teammate in the majors on the Seattle Mariners.

At Shelby County, Tinsley was named Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year in 1987 and drafted by the Oakland A’s in the first round of the MLB Draft the same year Griffey Jr. was selected No. 1 overall. Tinsley played five seasons in the majors before spending a decade as a coach for five different MLB teams. He died January 2023 at 53 years old.

Louisiana: Josh Booty

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Born: April 29, 1975 (Starkville, Mississippi)

High school: Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, Louisiana)

Position: Shortstop/third base

Graduation year: 1994

College: LSU (football)

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1994), four-time LHSAA All-State (1991-94), U.S Junior Olympic silver medal (1992), USA Today High School All-American (1994)

Bottom line: Evangel Christian Academy’s Josh Booty was a high school All-American in two sports but was more widely known for being one of the top high school quarterback prospects of all time, beating out fellow Louisiana native and future NFL MVP Peyton Manning for all of the major National Player of the Year Awards as a senior.

In baseball, Booty was just as good — he was a four-time All-State selection at shortstop and, as a senior, had a .429 batting average with 12 home runs, 25 stolen bases and 20 intentional walks. Booty turned his back on college football after the Florida Marlins drafted him No. 5 overall in the 1994 MLB Draft and signed him for a then-record $1.6 million signing bonus.

Booty played three seasons in the majors before returning to his football career, becoming the starter for LSU under head coach Nick Saban before being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2007 and playing three seasons in the NFL.

Maine: Bill Swift

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Born: Oct. 27, 1961 (Portland, Maine)

High school: South Portland High School (Portland, Maine)

Position: Right-handed pitcher

Graduation year: 1980

College: Maine

Career highlights: Olympic silver medal (1984), three-time ABCA All-American (1982-84)

Bottom line: The son of a former minor league pitcher, Bill Swift was one of 15 children growing up in Maine. He became a baseball star at South Portland High before leading the University of Maine on four consecutive trips to the College World Series.

Swift remains the highest player ever picked in the MLB Draft from the Pine Tree State after the Seattle Mariners took him No. 2 overall in 1984 — the same year Swift won a silver medal with the U.S. Olympic baseball team.

Swift went on to play 14 years in the majors, led the National League in ERA in 1992 and finished second in the voting for the NL Cy Young Award in 1993.

Maryland: Babe Ruth

Cardinal Gibbons pitcher/outfielder Babe Ruth

Wikipedia

Born: Feb. 6, 1895 (Baltimore, Maryland)

Died: Aug. 16, 1948, 53 years old (Manhattan, New York)

High school: Cardinal Gibbons School (Baltimore, Maryland)

Position: Right-handed pitcher/outfield

Graduation year: Unknown

College: None

Career highlights: Seven-time World Series champion (1915, 1916, 1918, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1932), American League MVP (1923), two-time MLB All-Star (1933, 1934), MLB All-Century Team

Bottom line: When he was just 7 years old, Babe Ruth was sent to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys — now known as Cardinal Gibbons — after his family, which ran a saloon in Baltimore, decided they could no longer deal with unruly behavior that was labeled as “incorrigible” on the school records for his admission.

Under the direction of the school’s Prefect for Discipline, Brother Matthias Boultier, Ruth became a sharply honed baseball machine as a power hitter and pitcher, playing up to 200 games per year through his teenage years.

Ruth was 19 when he became a pro baseball player, becoming a star for the Boston Red Sox first, then a legend with the New York Yankees. He retired with MLB career records for home runs (714) and RBI (2,214).

Massachusetts: Tom Glavine

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Born: March 25, 1966 (Concord, Massachusetts)

High school: Billerica Memorial High School (Billerica, Massachusetts)

Position: Left-handed pitcher

Graduation year: 1984

College: None

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1984), two-time Cy Young Award (1991-98), World Series MVP (1995), 10-time All-Star (1991-93, 1996-98, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006), five-time NL wins leader (1991-93, 1998, 2000), four-time Silver Slugger Award (1991, 1995, 1996, 1998)

Bottom line: Tom Glavine was an ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American as a senior at Billerica Memorial High in 1984. The All-American team also featured Glavine’s future MLB teammate and Nevada high school star Greg Maddux.

In one of the cooler draft anomalies of all time, Glavine was drafted out of high school by both NFL and MLB teams, with the Los Angeles Kings picking him ahead of future Hall of Famers Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille.

Michigan: Derek Jeter

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Born: June 26, 1974 (Pequannock Township, New Jersey)

High school: Kalamazoo Central High School (Kalamazoo, Michigan)

Position: Shortstop

Graduation year: 1992

College: None

Career highlights: USA Today National Player of the Year (1992), ABCA National High School Player of the Year (1992), ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1992), five-time World Series champion (1996, 1998-2000, 2009), World Series MVP (2000), AL Rookie of the Year (1996), 14-time MLB All-Star (1998-2002, 2004, 2006-12, 2014), AL Rookie of the Year (1996), five-time Gold Glove Award winner (2004-06, 2009-10), five-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2006-09, 2012), Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year (1992)

Bottom line: Kalamazoo Central High’s Derek Jeter took almost all of the National Player of the Year awards for high school baseball as a senior in 1992 after he batted. 508 with 23 RBI, 21 walks, four home runs, 12 stolen bases and only one strikeout.

Jeter turned down a baseball scholarship to the University of Michigan after the New York Yankees drafted him No. 6 overall, embarking on one of the more storied careers in MLB history.

Jeter played all of his 20 seasons in the majors with the Yankees, winning the World Series five times and becoming a 14-time MLB All-Star — he was also named World Series MVP in 2000.

Minnesota: Joe Mauer

Jim Mone / AP Photo

Born: April 19. 1983 (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

High school: Cretin-Derham Hall High School (St. Paul, Minnesota)

Position: Catcher

Graduation year: 2001

College: None

Career highlights: Baseball America National High School Player of the Year (2001), ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (2001), Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year (2001), American League MVP (2009), six-time MLB All-Star (2006, 2008-10, 2012, 2013), three-time Gold Glove Award (2008-10), five-time Silver Slugger Award (2006, 2008-10, 2013)

Bottom line: Like many players on this list, Cretin-Derham Hall High’s Joe Mauer starred in multiple sports in high school, although we would put Mauer as a notch above most when it came to that experience.

Mauer was the USA Today National Player of the Year in both football and baseball as a senior in high school and remains one of the most highly recruited high school football players of all time. But his commitment to play quarterback and catcher for Florida State came to a screeching halt when he was selected No. 1 overall by his hometown Minnesota Twins in the 2001 MLB Draft.

Mauer would play his entire 15-year MLB career with the Twins, earning American League MVP honors in 2009 and racking up $223.7 million in career earnings.

Mississippi: Jason Barber

Ole Miss Athletics

Born: Aug. 21,1997

High school: Oxford High School (Oxford, Mississippi)

Position: Pitcher

Graduation year: 2016

College: Mississippi

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (2015), USA Today High School All-American (2016), two-time Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year (2015, 2016), Louisville Slugger High School All-American (2016)

Bottom line: There have been a lot of great MLB players who have come out of Mississippi — none of them had a prep career like Oxford High’s Jason Barber.

Barber is the only two-time Gatorade Player of the Year from Mississippi and led Oxford to back-to-back Class 5A state championships in 2015 and 2016. As a senior, Barber went 10-2 with a 1.08 ERA in 78 innings while batting .330 with five home runs and 37 RBI. Barber played one season for Ole Miss and made five appearances — three on the mound and two as a pinch runner — before deciding to end his baseball career.

Missouri: Rick Sutcliffe

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Born: June 21, 1956 (Independence, Missouri)

High school: Van Horn High School (Independence, Missouri)

Position: Right-handed pitcher/infielder

Graduation year: 1974

College: None

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1974), three-time MLB All-Star (1983, 1987, 1988), National League Cy Young Award (1984), National League Rookie of the Year (1979), Roberto Clemente Award (1979)

Bottom line: The 1974 ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American Team was truly something to behold — five of the nine players picked would go on to have starry MLB careers with Dale Murphy, Lance Parrish, Willie Wilson, Lonnie Smith and Van Horn High infielder/pitcher Rick Sutcliffe.

Sutcliffe starred in football, basketball and baseball for Van Horn and was just 17 years old when the Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the first round of the 1974 MLB Draft. Sutcliffe would go on to play 18 seasons in the majors, earning National League Rookie of the Year honors in 1979 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and earning the NL Cy Young Award in 1984 with the Chicago Cubs.

Montana: High School Baseball Debuts in Spring 2023

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The Montana High School Athletic Association voted to bring high school baseball back to Montana in January 2022 — the sport has not been played on the high school level in Montana since the 1970s — and it debuted in the state in the spring of 2023.

All 16 schools in Montana’s largest division, Class AA, play the sport as well as 23 Class A schools and 20 Class B-C teams that operate mostly in co-ops between two schools.

Nebraska: Gregg Olson

AP Photo

Born: Oct. 11, 1966 (Scribner, Nebraska)

High school: Omaha Northwest High School (Omaha, Nebraska)

Position: Right-handed pitcher

Graduation year: 1985

College: Auburn

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1985), four-time Class A state champion (1982-85), American League Rookie of the Year (1989), MLB All-Star (1990)

Bottom line: Omaha Northwest pitcher Gregg Olson led his team to four consecutive state titles under his father, head coach Bill Olson. Omaha Northwest’s 1983 team is considered one of the greatest high school baseball teams of all time, and Gregg Olson finished his high school career with a 27-0 record, including three no-hitters in the state tournament, with the final one being in the state championship game his senior year.

Olson played college baseball for Auburn and was the No. 4 overall pick in the 1985 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He went on to play 13 seasons in the majors and was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1989 and an MLB All-Star in 1990.

Nevada: Bryce Harper

Isaac Brekken / AP Photo

Born: Oct. 16, 1992 (Las Vegas, Nevada)

High school: Las Vegas High School (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Position: Utility

Graduation year: 2009 (GED)

College: College of Southern Nevada

Career highlights: Baseball America National High School Player of the Year (2009), Golden Spikes Award (2010), two-time National League MVP (2015, 2021), NLCS MVP (2022), NL Rookie of the Year (2012), two-time Silver Slugger Award (2015, 2021), seven-time MLB All-Star (2012, 2013, 2015-18, 2022)

Bottom line: Bryce Harper was just 16 when he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated as “Baseball’s Chosen One.” He only played two years of high school baseball at Las Vegas High but was still named Baseball America’s National High School Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2009.

Harper obtained his high school diploma via a GED in October 2009, the fall of his junior year of high school, making himself eligible for the MLB Draft one year earlier than expected. Harper played one season at a junior college, Southern Nevada, and was selected No. 1 overall in the 2010 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals.

Harper became the youngest player to earn National League MVP honors in 2015, at 22 years old, and signed a 13-year, $330 million free agent contract with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019. He won his second NL MVP award in 2021.

New Hampshire: Carlton Fisk

CarltonFisk.com

Born: Dec. 26, 1947 (Bellows Falls, Vermont)

High school: Charlestown High School (Charlestown, New Hampshire)

Position: Catcher

Graduation year: 1965

College: New Hampshire

Career highlights: 11-time MLB All-Star (1972-74, 1976-78, 1980-82, 1985, 1991), AL Rookie of the Year (1972), Gold Glove Award (1972), three-time Silver Slugger Award (1981, 1985, 1988)

Bottom line: Carlton Fisk was born in Vermont, just across the Connecticut River from his hometown of Charlestown, New Hampshire, but he became the signature high school sports star (not just baseball) to ever come out of the state, once scoring 42 points and grabbing 38 rebounds for Charlestown High in a state semifinal loss.

Fisk played one year of college basketball and baseball at the University of New Hampshire before he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the first round.

Fisk played 24 seasons in the majors and authored one of the most famous moments in MLB history when he hit the game-winning “wave it fair” home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. Fisk was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.

New Jersey: Mike Trout

DJ_on_Trout / Twitter

Born: Aug. 7, 1991 (Vineland, New Jersey)

High school: Millville Senior High School (Millville, New Jersey)

Position: Outfield

Graduation year: 2009

College: None

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (2009), New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year (2009), three-time American League MVP (2014, 2016, 2019), 10-time MLB All-Star (2012-19, 2021, 2022), American League Rookie of the Year (2012), nine-time Silver Slugger Award (2012-16, 2018-20, 2022), two-time MLB All-Star Game MVP (2014, 2015)

Bottom line: The son of a former minor league baseball player, Millville High’s Mike Trout set the New Jersey state record with 18 home runs as a senior in high school and was committed to playing college baseball for East Carolina University. That was before a trip to the Area Code Games in California showed he was not just one of the best prep players in the country but a generational talent, as he torched the best high school pitchers. A Los Angeles Angels scout declared him the “fastest, strongest 17-year-old I’ve ever seen.”

The Angels selected Trout No. 25 overall in the 2009 MLB Draft, and he was in the majors by 2011. Trout is now a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer — he was named American League Rookie of the Year in 2012, is a 10-time All-Star and has won American League MVP honors three times.

In 2019, Trout signed a 12-year, $426 million contract with the Angels, which was the richest deal in North American sports history at the time.

New Mexico: Alex Bregman

RyanLSack / Twitter

Born: March 30, 1994 (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

High school: Albuquerque Academy (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

Position: Utility

Graduation year: 2012

College: LSU

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (2011), Brooks Wallace Award (2013), Baseball America All-American (2013), two-time World Series champion (2017, 2022), two-time MLB All-Star (2018, 2019), Silver Slugger Award (2019)

Bottom line: Alex Bregman led Albuquerque Academy to a state championship as a freshman when he batted .514 and hit a home run in the state championship game at Isotopes Park, the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers Class AAA team. As a junior in 2011, Bregman batted .678 and set the New Mexico record with 19 home runs while earning ABCA/Rawlings All-American honors.

Bregman’s injury cost him a spot in the first round of the MLB Draft, and he headed to play for LSU, where he won the Brooks Wallace Award as the nation’s best collegiate shortstop in 2013 and was a three-time All-American.

Bregman was selected No. 2 overall in the 2015 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros and made it to the majors in 2016 — in his first seven MLB seasons, he’s won two World Series championships and been a two-time All-Star.

New York: Lou Gehrig

Wikipedia

Born: June 19, 1903 (Manhattan, New York)

Died: June 2, 1941, 37 years old (Bronx, New York)

High school: Commerce High School (Manhattan, New York)

Position: First base

Graduation year: 1920

College: Columbia

Career highlights: Six-time World Series champion (1927, 1928, 1932, 1936-38), two-time American League MVP (1927, 1936), seven-time MLB ALl-Star (1933-39), Triple Crown (1934), MLB All-Century Team

Bottom line: Lou Gehrig was basically the LeBron James of the 1920s as a high school baseball and football phenom at New York’s City School of Commerce, which closed in 1968.

Gehrig and the Commerce baseball team were named high school national champions in 1920 when they traveled from New York to Chicago to play powerhouse Lane Tech High at Wrigley Field, and the 17-year-old Gehrig hit a grand slam in the top of the ninth inning in front of 10,000 fans. The feat made Gehrig so famous that President William H. Taft asked to meet him, and it also landed the teenager on the cover of The New York Daily News.

Gehrig played baseball and football at Columbia University and debuted with the Yankees in 1923 at 20 years old. He was named American League MVP twice and won six World Series titles before he was forced to retire in 1936 because of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and died in 1941, at 37 years old. Gehrig’s record of 2,130 consecutive games played stood for 56 years.

North Carolina: Josh Hamilton

John Marshall Mantel / AP Photo

Born: May 21, 1981 (Raleigh, North Carolina)

High school: Athens Drive High School (Raleigh, North Carolina)

Position: Outfield

Graduation year: 1999

College: None

Career highlights: Baseball America National High School Player of the Year (1999), North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year (1999), USA Today High School All-American (1999), ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1999), American League MVP (2010), five-time MLB All-Star (2008-12), ALCS MVP (2010), three-time Silver Slugger Award (2008, 2010, 2012)

Bottom line: Few high school athletes, regardless of sport, have been as celebrated as Athens Drive High’s Josh Hamilton, who swept most of the National Player of the Year awards as a senior in 1999 and was selected No. 1 overall in the MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Hamilton would never play a game for the Devil Rays and was totally out of baseball from 2003 to 2005 because of substance abuse issues and would miss two more seasons down the road for the same reasons. Somehow, Hamilton pulled his life back together and played in 1,027 MLB games over nine seasons from 2007 to 2015 and was named American League MVP in 2010 with the Texas Rangers.

North Dakota: David Ernst

AP Photo

Born: Sept. 8, 1992 (Fargo, North Dakota)

High school: West Fargo High School (Fargo, North Dakota)

Position: Right-handed pitcher/infield

Graduation year: 2011

College: North Dakota State

Career highlights: Two-time North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year (2010, 2011), two-time Class A All-State (2010, 2011), Class A state champion (2011), All-Summit League (2014), All-Summit League Tournament Team (2013)

Bottom line: West Fargo High has been a hotbed for baseball talent, and no player has been better than two-time North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year David Ernst, who led his team to a 35-2 record and the Class A state championship as a senior in 2011.

Ernst batted .474 with four home runs, 46 RBI and 17 extra-base hits along with going 7-0 with a 0.62 ERA as a senior, and he set career records for runs (87), hits (109), doubles (32), RBI (109), wins (21) and strikeouts.

Ernst stayed home for college and starred at North Dakota State, where he finished his career with the school record for starts and was second in innings pitched. Drafted out of high school by the Chicago Cubs, Ernst pitched two seasons in the Independent League after college.

Ohio: Ken Griffey Jr.

SentimentalSpo1 / Twitter

Born: Nov. 21, 1969 (Donora, Pennsylvania)

High school: Archbishop Moeller High School (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Position: Center field

Graduation year: 1987

College: None

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1987), Baseball American National Player of the Year (1987), Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year (1987), American League MVP (1997), 13-time MLB All-Star (1990-2000, 2004, 2007), 10-time Gold Glove Award winner (1990-99), seven-time Silver Slugger Award winner (1991, 1993, 1994, 1996-99), NL Comeback Player of the Year (2005), MLB All-Century Team

Bottom line: The son of MLB outfielder Ken Griffey, Ken Griffey Jr. was a high school baseball prodigy at Cincinnati’s Archbishop Moeller, where he only played his junior and senior years of baseball but set the school’s career batting average record by hitting .478 in two seasons.

Griffey Jr. was named National Player of the Year as a senior in 1987 and was promptly selected No. 1 overall in the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners — he was just 19 years old when he joined his father in the starting lineup for Seattle and became one of the most popular athletes in the world.

Griffey Jr. went on to play 22 seasons in the majors, earning American League MVP honors in 1997 as well as being a 13-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award winner. Griffey Jr.’s 630 home runs are No. 7 on MLB’s career home run list and he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame with a near-unanimous vote in 2016.

Oklahoma: Jackson Holliday

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Jackson Holliday

Julio Cortez / AP Photo

Born: Dec. 4, 2003 (Austin, Texas)

High school: Stillwater High School (Stillwater, Oklahoma)

Position: Shortstop

Graduation year: 2022

College: None

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (2022), Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year (2022), Perfect Game All-American (2021)

Bottom line: The son of former MLB All-Star Matt Holliday, Stillwater High’s Jackson Holiday set the national single-season record with 89 hits as a senior in 2022, becoming the third person in his family after his father and uncle to earn Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year honors.

Holliday led his team by hitting .685 with 17 home runs, 79 RBI and 74 runs — he also had 30 stolen bases without being caught.

Holliday signed to play college baseball for his uncle, Josh Holliday, at Oklahoma State but went pro after the Baltimore Orioles selected him No. 1 overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, giving him the largest rookie signing bonus in baseball history at $8.19 million.

Oregon: Dale Murphy

AP Photo

Born: March 12, 1956 (Portland, Oregon)

High school: Woodrow Wilson High School (Portland, Oregon)

Position: Outfield/catcher

Graduation year: 1974

College: None

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1974), two-time National League MVP (1982, 1983), seven-time MLB All-Star (1980, 1982-1987), six-time Gold Glove Award (1982-1987)

Bottom line: Dale Murphy was a high school All-American catcher at Woodrow Wilson High — now called Ida B. Wells-Barnett High — before the Atlanta Braves selected him No. 5 overall in the 1974 MLB Draft.

Murphy started his pro career as catcher before moving to the outfield and becoming one of the best players in the majors, earning back-to-back National League MVP honors in 1982 and 1983.

During 18 MLB seasons, Murphy also won five Gold Gloves but only played in the postseason once in 1982. He’s also one of the most notable players not in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Pennsylvania: Ben Davis

RootsDelco / Twitter

Born: March 10, 1977 (Chester, Pennsylvania)

High school: Malvern Preparatory School (Malvern, Pennsylvania)

Position: Catcher/right-handed pitcher

Graduation year: 1995

College: None

Career highlights: Baseball America National High School Player of the Year (1995), USA Today High School Player of the Year (1995), ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1995), Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year (1995)

Bottom line: Ben Davis starred in baseball and basketball for Malvern Prep, where he squared off on the court against future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant but found his road to the pros on the baseball diamond.

At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, Davis swept all of the major National Player of the Year awards in 1995, as he batted .514 with six home runs and 37 RBI in just 70 at-bats and was tabbed as the best catching prospect in 20 years.

Davis was selected No. 2 overall in the 1995 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres and played seven seasons in the majors — most notably for breaking up a perfect game by Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Curt Schilling with a bunt single in the eighth inning.

Rhode Island: Rocco Baldelli

Bishop Hendricken Outfielder Rocco Baldelli

Courtesy photo

Born: Sept. 25, 1981 (Woonsocket, Rhode Island)

High school: Bishop Hendricken High School (Warwick, Rhode Island)

Position: Outfield

Graduation year: 2000

College: None

Career highlights: USA Today High School All-American (2000), ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (2000), Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year (2000), four-time RIHSAA state champion (1997-2000)

Bottom line: Rocco Baldelli was an All-State player in four sports at powerhouse Bishop Hendricken High, earning honors in indoor track, basketball, volleyball and baseball.

Baldelli’s star shined the brightest in baseball, where he led his school to four consecutive state titles and was an All-American as a senior in 2000 when he hit .531 with five home runs, 13 RBI and nine stolen bases in only 32 at-bats. Baldelli also scored 1300 on the SAT, had a 4.25 GPA and could have played for Yale, Wake Forest or Princeton but turned pro after the Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected him No. 6 overall in the MLB Draft.

Baldelli went on to play eight seasons in the majors. He was named American League Manager of the Year with the Minnesota Twins in 2019.

South Carolina: Preston Wilson

Michael S. Green / AP Photo

Born: July 19, 1974 (Bamberg, South Carolina)

High school: Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School (Bamberg, South Carolina)

Position: Outfield

Graduation year: 1992

College: None

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1992), South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year (1992), Baseball American High School Player of the Year (1992)

Bottom line: Both of the players considered for this spot come from the same family and the same school — future MLB players Mookie Wilson and his nephew and stepson, Preston Wilson, both starred at Bamberg-Ehrhardt High for legendary head coach David Horton.

We give the nod to Preston Wilson, who was named Baseball America High School Player of the Year in 1992 after leading Bamberg-Ehrhardt to a state championship. Wilson was selected by the New York Mets in the first round of the 1992 MLB Draft and went on to play 10 seasons in the majors, where he was an All-Star in 2003 and won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006.

Tennessee: Mookie Betts

LolRosesIG / Twitter

Born: Oct. 7, 1992 (Nashville, Tennessee)

High school: Overton High School (Nashville, Tennessee)

Position: Outfield

Graduation year: 2011

College: None

Career highlights: Two-time World Series champion (2018, 2020), American League MVP (2018), six-time MLB All-Star (2016-19, 2021, 2022), five-time Silver Slugger Award (2016, 2018-20, 2022), six-time Gold Glove Award (2016-20, 2022)

Bottom line: Mookie Betts was a three-sport star at Nashville’s Overton High, where he was an All-State selection in baseball, basketball and bowling and was named Tennessee Boys Bowler of the Year in 2010.

Betts turned his back on a baseball scholarship to the University of Tennessee after the Boston Red Sox selected him in the fifth round of the 2011 MLB Draft and offered him a $750,000 signing bonus.

In 2018, Betts became the first player in MLB history to win the Most Valuable Player, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, batting title and the World Series in one season — which is kind of wild if you think about how long people have been playing baseball. Betts won another World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020 and is already a six-time Gold Glove Award winner.

Texas: Nolan Ryan

RyanLSack / Twitter

Born: Jan. 31, 1947 (Refugio, Texas)

High school: Alvin High School (Alvin, Texas)

Position: Right-handed pitcher

Graduation year: 1965

College: None

Career highlights: Eight-time MLB All-Star (1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1985, 1989), World Series champion (1969), MLB All-Century Team

Bottom line: Legendary New York Mets scout Red Murff saw Nolan Ryan pitch for the first time in 1963 when Ryan was a sophomore at Alvin High.

Murff had been hearing rumors that some of Alvin’s opponents refused to bat against the 16-year-old for fear of their own personal safety. In this case, the rumors were true. “(Ryan) has the best arm I’ve seen in my life,” Murff wrote in his scouting report.

As a senior at Alvin in 1965, Ryan went 19-3 with 12 complete games, 211 strikeouts and 61 walks while leading his school to a state runner-up finish. He also set the school record with 21 strikeouts in a 7-inning game — a record that would stand for 44 years.

The Mets selected Ryan in the 12th round of the 1965 MLB Draft, and he earned his first call-up to the majors in 1966 when he was just 19 years old. Ryan was in the majors for good by 1968 and played 27 seasons, setting MLB records for career strikeouts (5,714) and no-hitters (7).

Utah: Bruce Hurst

Paul R. Benoit / AP Photo

Born: March 24, 1958 (St. George, Utah)

High school: Dixie High School (St. George, Utah)

Position: Left-handed pitcher

Graduation year: 1976

College: Dixie State

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (1976), MLB All-Star (1987), Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame

Bottom line: Dixie High’s Bruce Hurst was one of the best pitchers from MLB’s “forgotten era” of the 1980s, but before making it to the majors, he was a two-sport star in basketball and baseball. In a sign of how different things were in this era, Hurst, 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, even played a season of college basketball for Dixie College — now Division I Utah Tech University — during the 1979-80 baseball offseason, finishing just a few months before his first call-up to the majors.

Hurst pitched 15 seasons in the majors and was at his best in the 1986 World Series, where he won two games and gave up one hit in five innings in Game 7 but earned the no-decision in a loss to the New York Mets.

Vermont: Tyler Pelland

Addison County Independent

Born: Oct. 9, 1983 (Middlebury, Vermont)

High school: Mount Abraham High School (Bristol, Vermont)

Position: Left-handed pitcher

Graduation year: 2002

College: None

Career highlights: Two-time Vermont Gatorade Player of the Year (2001, 2002), two-time Division II state champion (2001, 2002)

Bottom line: Mount Abraham High’s Tyler Pelland was a two-time Vermont Gatorade Player of the Year winner in 2001 and 2002.

Pelland was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the ninth round of the 2002 MLB Draft and, after making sure the franchise agreed to pay for his college education, embarked on a seven-year minor league career spent mostly in the Cincinnati Reds farm system. Pelland came incredibly close to making it to the majors, reaching Triple AAA in his last two seasons before shoulder injuries ended his career.

Virginia: Justin Upton

AP Photo

Born: Aug. 25, 1987 (Norfolk, Virginia)

High school: Great Bridge High School (Chesapeake, Virginia)

Position: Shortstop/outfield

Graduation year: 2005

College: None

Career highlights: Baseball America High School Player of the Year (2005), AFLAC National High School Player of the Year (2005), two-time USA Today High School All-American (2004, 2005), ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (2005), two-time Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year (2004, 2005), four-time MLB All-Star (2009, 2011, 2015, 2017), three-time Silver Slugger Award (2011, 2014, 2017)

Bottom line: Few prospects in baseball history have been as revered as Great Bridge High’s Justin Upton, a two-time USA Today High School All-American and two-time Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year.

Upton was selected No. 1 overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2005 MLB Draft — older brother B.J. was selected No. 2 overall in the 2002 MLB Draft — and converted to outfield in the pros after he picked up a $6.1 million signing bonus.

Justin was called up to the majors in 2007 when he was still 19 years old and was the Diamondbacks’ Opening Day right fielder in 2008. He has won three Silver Slugger Awards and made four All-Star appearances in the last 15 seasons. He’s also banked a whopping $180.6 million in career earnings through 2022.

Washington: Ryne Sandberg

spokaneindians / Twitter

Born: Sept. 18, 1959 (Spokane, Washington)

High school: North Central High School (Spokane, Washington)

Position: Second base

Graduation year: 1978

College: None

Career highlights: National League MVP (1984), 10-time MLB All-Star (1984-93), nine-time Gold Glove Award (1983-91), seven-time Silver Slugger Award (1984, 1985, 1988-92)

Bottom line: Ryne Sandberg was a Parade All-American quarterback and signed a letter of intent to play football for Washington State University before the Philadelphia Phillies drafted him in the 20th round and lured him away from college football with a $20,000 signing bonus.

Traded to the Cubs with Larry Bowa for Ivan de Jesus in one of the most lopsided deals in big league history, Sandberg was a 10-time All-Star and National League MVP in 1984. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

West Virginia: Nick Swisher

AP Photo

Born: Nov. 25, 1980 (Columbus, Ohio)

High school: Parkersburg High School (Parkersburg, West Virginia)

Position: Outfield

Graduation year: 1999

College: Ohio State

Career highlights: Three-time Class AAA All-State (1997-99), Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2000), two-time All-Big Ten (2001, 2002), World Series champion (2009), MLB All-Star (2010)

Bottom line: The son of former MLB All-Star catcher Steve Swisher, Nick Swisher moved to Parkersburg in junior high school and became a two-sport star for The Big Red, earning three All-State nods in baseball and two in football, where he was good enough to earn a scholarship offer from Notre Dame.

Swisher went with baseball and starred at Ohio State, where he was a two-time All-Big Ten pick and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2000 — the Buckeyes’ now play at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. Swisher eventually matched then eclipsed his father’s success in the majors, playing 12 seasons while winning a World Series in 2009 with the New York Yankees and making his lone All-Star appearance in 2010.

Wisconsin: Gavin Lux

WIBallCentral / Twitter

Born: Nov. 23, 1997 (Kenosha, Wisconsin)

High school: Indian Trail High School (Kenosha, Wisconsin)

Position: Utility

Graduation year: 2016

College: None

Career highlights: ABCA/Rawlings High School All-American (2016), Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year (2016), Perfect Game All-American Classic (2015)

Bottom line: Indian Trail High’s Gavin Lux Lux only played 17 games his senior year of high school but led his team with a .544 batting average, five home runs and 19 RBI and became a top prospect after he shined at the Perfect Game All-American Classic against some of the nation’s top competition.

Lux signed to play college baseball for Arizona State but went pro after the Los Angeles Dodgers selected him No. 20 overall in the 2016 MLB Draft and gave him a $2.31 million signing bonus. Lux earned his first MLB call-up in 2019 and finally became the Dodgers’ everyday second baseman in 2022 when he led the National League in triples. Lux looked ready to have another big year in 2023, but he tore his ACL in spring training and was ruled out for the season.