High School All-America Teams

The Baseball America end-of-season High School All-America Teams are selected by BA staff after consulting with scouts and high school coaches. In keeping with the BA tradition of looking at both the present and future, players are honored for both their production and their tools.

In practical terms, that means a number of high school first-rounders fail to make our all-America teams each year. This year, the first-round omissions include outfielder Jarred Kelenic (Mets, sixth overall), shortstop Matt McLain (D-backs, 25th), righthander Mason Denaburg (Nationals, 27th), catcher Noah Naylor (Indians, 29th) and righthander Ethan Hankins (Indians, 35th).

C • Anthony Seigler
Cartersville (Ga.) HS

The Yankees’ first-round pick is a switch-hitting catcher who can also switch-pitch. Seigler is a standout at the plate with solid bat-to-ball skills from both sides of the plate and some doubles power, but it’s his excellent receiving that stands out the most.

CI • Triston Casas
American Heritage School, Plantation, Fla.

Casas becomes the latest American Heritage star to earn first-team All-America honors, joining the likes of Eric Hosmer. Casas played a better-than-expected third base this spring while hitting for average and power against a tough schedule.

MI • Jeremiah Jackson
St. Luke’s Episcopal School, Mobile, Ala.

Jackson’s .644 batting average leads all high school All-Americans, and he also hit a few tape-measure home runs. Jackson had shown some timing issues in the past, but he had no such problems this spring as he led his team to the state semis.

MI • Bobby Witt Jr.
Colleyville (Texas) Heritage HS

Witt is an early favorite to be our 2019 High School Player of the Year, but for now he’ll settle for All-America honors as a junior. Witt is a dynamic, do-it-all shortstop who has near top-of-the-scale speed, power and excellent defense at shortstop.

CI • Nolan Gorman
O’Connor HS, Phoenix

Gorman helped lead O’Connor High to an Arizona 6A state title a year after the team was knocked out in the first round of the state playoffs. He showed off some of the best power in the country as the season wore on, and he hit 10 home runs in just 74 at-bats.

OF • Alek Thomas
Mount Carmel HS, Chicago

The D-backs’ second-round pick demonstrated his plus speed (12 stolen bases) and his power (seven home runs in 104 at-bats) this spring. Thomas’ power comes from excellent bat speed which allows him to catch up to premium velocity.

OF • Nick Schnell
Roncalli HS, Indianapolis

The third of the Rays’ three first-round picks got off to an unavoidably late start because of the cold winter in the Midwest, but he swung a hot bat all spring. Schnell hit 15 home runs in just 85 at-bats and also swiped 19 bases as he helped lead Roncalli to the regional semifinal

OF • Joe Gray
Hattiesburg (Miss.) HS

Gray’s Hattiesburg High team easily won the Mississippi 5A title, run-ruling their opponent. The win helped soothe the pain of a narrow state finals loss when this group was sophomores. Gray hit for power and average while also playing excellent outfield defense.

UT • Simeon Woods-Richardson
Kempner (Texas) HS

Woods-Richardson did a little bit of everything for Kempner High. He was the team’s fire-balling ace—he struck out 107 batters in just 58.2 innings—and also was the team’s do-it-all, middle-of-the-order hitter as well. Woods-Richardson hit for both average and power.

SP • Cole Winn
Orange (Calif.) Lutheran HS

A number of top high school pitchers posted microscopic ERAs and outlandish strikeout totals this season, but Winn dominated while facing a brutal schedule as his team went to the National High School Invitational and the Boras Classic.

SP • Ryan Weathers
Loretto (Tenn.) HS

The son of long-time big leaguer David Weathers, Ryan recorded 154 outs this season, and 101 of them came via strikeouts. Simply making contact against the lefty was a successful at-bat. Just 17 players can say they managed a hit off of him.

SP • Grayson Rodriguez
Central Heights HS, Necogdoches, Texas

Rodriguez came the furthest this spring of any player on the first team. Already a good player, he emerged as a great player this spring. He dominated by striking out more than 18 batters per nine innings.

SP • Carter Stewart
Eau Gallie HS, Melbourne, Fla.

A wrist injury slowed Stewart at the end of the season, but the righthander’s fastball/curveball combo had left a trail of frustrated hitters by that point. He allowed just 26 hits in 61.2 innings this season.

SP • Gunnar Hoglund
Fivay HS, Hudson, Fla.

Hoglund’s control was impeccable this season. He ended up walking two batters at the very end of the season, which meant his strikeout-to-walk ratio was still an absurd 105-to-2. Hoglund’s control also made him difficult to hit.

SECOND TEAM

C Will Banfield, Brookwood HS, Snellville, Ga.

CI Grant Lavigne, Bedford (N.H.) HS

MI Jordan Groshans, Magnolia (Texas) HS

MI Osiris Johnson, Envinal HS, Alameda, Calif.

CI Rece Hinds, Niceville (Fla.) Senior HS*

OF Brennen Davis, Basha HS, Chandler, Ariz.

OF Jordyn Adams, Green Hope HS, Cary, N.C.

OF Elijah Cabell, TNXL Academy, Altamonte Springs, Fla.

UT Connor Scott, Plant HS, Tampa

SP Matthew Liberatore, Mountain Ridge HS, Glendale, Ariz.

SP Kumar Rocker, North Oconee (Ga.) HS, Bogart, Ga.