Best High School Baseball Player in Every State
Jordan Lawlar is a likely top five pick in the 2021 MLB draft. bigedmachine1 / Twitter
Baseball is often referred to as America’s pastime, and the game has played an important role for generations of young players. But baseball doesn’t have quite the same clout as other sports when it comes to scouting talent.
Over the past 20 years, powerful recruiting websites have been letting us know who the best high school football and basketball players are in the country by the time they’re barely in their teens. We don’t get the same luxury with baseball. That doesn’t mean future major league stars aren’t out there perfecting their craft every day,
Here’s a look at the best high school baseball player in every state, minus the states where there is no high school baseball — Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Alabama: Maddux Bruns, Left-Handed Pitcher
High school: UMS-Wright Preparatory School (Mobile, Alabama)
Graduation year: 2021
Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 210 pounds
Career highlights: Perfect Game No. 12 overall (2021), Perfect Game All-American (2020), USA U17 National Development Team (2019)
Bottom Line: Maddux Bruns
Maddux Bruns committed to play for Mississippi State in 2018 and has the look of a future major league pitcher.
Bruns started to top out at 97 mph consistently on his fastball in the summer of 2020, an increase from 88 mph the previous summer. And the left-hander already is considered a “four pitch” player with a fastball, curveball, steadily improving slider and changeup.
Before the 2020 high school baseball season got shut down, Bruns was 3-0 with a 1.11 ERA, nine hits, one save and 39 strikeouts in 19 innings.
Alaska: Clayton Boyett, Right-Handed Pitcher/Utility
High school: Wasilla High School (Wasilla, Alaska)
Graduation year: 2021
Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 180 pounds
Career highlights: Class 4A state champion (2019), Perfect Game Alaska No. 1 overall (2021)
Bottom Line: Clayton Boyett
There’s not a lot of Division I baseball talent that comes out of Alaska high schools, even though the state does have a thriving summer wooden-bat league that has filled its rosters with Division I talent for decades.
Clayton Boyett is the rare exception to the rule. The Wasilla High star is committed to play for the University of Oregon.
Boyett helped lead Wasilla High to its first state championship in 2019.