http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/ The Home For Baseball Insiders Fri, 25 May 2012 18:10:23 EST en-us http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/baonlinelogo4.gif http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/ 96 9 1 http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613434.html Content: As state champions start to be crowned across the country, the Baseball America/National High School Baseball Coaches Association Top 25 sees more changes. The top two teams—Tampa's Jesuit High and Orlando's Olympia High—fell short of a state title and took a significant hit in the poll. Those upsets opened the door for Calallen High (Corpus Christi, Texas) to return to No. 1 as the Wildcats are still alive in the Texas playoffs. Las Vegas' Bishop Gorman High claimed a seventh straight state title in Nevada, but held fast at No. 7 as the Gaels had to go through the losers' bracket to qualify for the state tournament. Of the top six teams, only Calallen has the chance to still be playing after the next poll is released on June 5. The other five will know where they stand within in their states and could be watching Calallen's fate closely. The staffs of Baseball America and the NHSBCA compile the Top 25 rankings. In-season polls will be conducted every two weeks and released every other Tuesday throughout the season. Records indicated are as of May 20 and do not include ties. . . . Tue, 22 May 2012 10:41:05 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613434.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613408.html Content: Every spring, after a couple of months of winter workouts and conditioning, the same cliche rings throughout baseball: "I'm in the best shape of my life." It's easy to scoff at the comment as a player likely wouldn't offer the opposite, but for Addison Russell, there is a lot of truth to it. A shortstop at Pace (Fla.) High, Russell has dropped almost 30 pounds since last summer and is reaping the benefits. "I feel good," he said. "Probably the best I have in my high school career." Russell has been on the radar for a couple of years now, having been the starting shortstop at Pace since he was a freshman. He bulked up to add power and was curious about how he could carry the weight as a power-hitting shortstop. With Team USA last summer, however, he was moved to third base—partly in deference to the slick-fielding Gavin Cecchini, but also because coaches and scouts felt he had become too big for shortstop. Wanting to prove he was still capable of playing up the middle, Russell started conditioning between the USA trials and the 18-and-under team's trip to Colombia for the Pan Am Championships. He started running more, . . . Tue, 15 May 2012 15:23:24 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613408.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613355.html Content: Southern states have started playoffs and the lack of upsets early means there is very little movement in the latest Baseball America/National High School Baseball Coaches Association Top 25. The most notable change is arguably Mater Dei High (Santa Ana, Calif.) dropping four spots to No. 6. The Monarchs recently split two games with Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High, but ultimately lost the season series. North High of Riverside, Calif., returns to the Top 25 while riding a 10-game winning streak since a tough showing at the Anaheim Lions Tournament. Arizona teams are mercilessly beating each other up, but with a state champion to be crowned in the next couple of weeks, Scottsdale's Chaparral looks like a strong favorite. The staffs of Baseball America and the NHSBCA compile the Top 25 rankings. In-season polls will be conducted every two weeks and released every other Tuesday throughout the season. Records indicated are as of May 8 and do not include ties. . . . Tue, 08 May 2012 10:17:22 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613355.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613339.html Content: Growing up in South Florida, it was Lewis Brinson's dream to continue his baseball career in Coral Gables for the University of Miami. He visited the campus, met the coaching staff and was ready to make his decision. But Brinson's mother, Susie, urged her son to keep his options open and check out other schools. The two ventured north to Gainesville and things changed. "I had a visit with Florida," Brinson said. "As soon as I walked on campus it was done. It was Gators this and Gators that. There was a Gators gas station right when we got off the interstate. I fell in love with the school. Coach (Kevin) O'Sullivan is the nicest guy I know. He's serious about winning and that was my main goal in finding a school." While Miami may be heartbroken over Brinson committing to Florida, he's still far from a sure bet to make it to campus. A long-legged, physical specimen, Brinson has excellent athleticism and looks like a big leaguer when he steps on the field. At 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, he looks like Cameron Maybin or Dexter Fowler with a tapered frame and plenty of room to add strength. Given his . . . Tue, 01 May 2012 12:04:18 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613339.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613295.html Content: Florida's regular season ended last week and Orlando's Olympia High accomplished the improbable by finishing undefeated. District tournaments start this week and the single elimination format should provide plenty of drama in the Sunshine State. It was a wild week in Corpus Christi, Texas, with Calallen High falling to rival Moody High, but bouncing back with a win over No. 10 Carroll High. Calallen's small drop opened the door for Mater Dei High (Santa Ana, Calif.) to move up to No. 2 and Olympia to No. 3. The staffs of Baseball America and the NHSBCA compile the Top 25 rankings. In-season polls will be conducted every two weeks and released every other Tuesday throughout the season. Records indicated are as of April 22 and do not include ties. . . . Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:10:21 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613295.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613275.html Content: CARY, N.C.—When draft prospects gather in one location to play, the scouts tend to come out in droves. Summer showcases easily attract crowds of talent evaluators in the triple digits, but attendance thins out at spring games as players are spread across the country and prospect showdowns are less common. That's one of the reasons the inaugural USA Baseball National High School Invitational  created so much scouting buzz, with seven players from the Baseball America High School Top 100 in action. More than 100 scouts showed up to see the tournament, which was won by Mater Dei High of Santa Ana, Calif. The Monarchs won four games, three against teams ranked in the BA Top 10: No. 1 Carroll High (Corpus Christi, Texas); No. 2 Bishop Gorman High (Las Vegas) and No. 10 Harvard-Westlake High (Los Angeles). Mater Dei moved up to No. 5 from No. 18 in the latest rankings. The event did not disappoint, with several tightly contested games and big performances from potential early-round picks. And beyond the 2012 players who were already well known to scouts, several underclassmen put themselves on the radar for 2013 and beyond. Here are 10 underclassmen who stood out: Shaun Anderson, . . . Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:41:43 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613275.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613239.html Content: The latest Baseball America/National High School Baseball Coaches Association Top 25 has a new No. 1 and a lot of changes after several ranked teams faced off in the USA Baseball National High School Invitational. Tampa's Jesuit High jumped four spots to No. 1 after Carroll High (Corpus Christi, Texas) and Bishop Gorman High (Las Vegas) lost at the NHSI and Utah's Spanish Fork High as well as Klein-Collins High (Spring, Texas) dropped games in the last two weeks. The NHSI champion, Mater Dei High (Santa Ana, Calif.), made the biggest jump. The Monarchs climbed 13 spots to No. 5 despite splitting a doubleheader upon their return to Southern California. The staffs of Baseball America and the NHSBCA compile the Top 25 rankings. In-season polls will be conducted every two weeks and released every other Tuesday throughout the season. Records indicated are as of April 8 and do not include ties. . . . Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:06:31 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613239.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613219.html Content: For high school prospects, the summer is an opportunity to face opponents from around the country and get on scouts' radars for the spring leading up to the draft. The time in between is a chance to separate from the pack, and Zach Eflin is doing just that. A senior righthander at Hagerty High in Oviedo, Fla., Eflin caught the eyes of scouts last summer with his projectable frame, easy arm action and delivery. Coming into the season, he ranked 34th among high school draft prospects, but he hasn't always been viewed as a pitching prospect. "I've known Zach since he was in eighth grade," Hagerty head coach Jered Goodwin said. "He came on early as a hitter. He came in at about 5-foot-10 and by the end of his freshman year he was 6-foot-3. He just hit a growth spurt and had some growing pains with it. For the first year or so, we just let his body grow." During his sophomore year, Eflin started throwing well and closed out the district final game against Oviedo High and righthander A.J. Cole, a fourth-round pick that year and recipient of a $2 million signing bonus. Hagerty has a strength coach . . . Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:17:30 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613219.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613207.html Content: If you hit, you play.   It's the lesson that Ty Moore was taught by his father.   The Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) outfielder certainly took the lesson to heart, and he demonstrated his hitting prowess in his team's second game at the National High School Invitational launching a three-run shot over the right-field fence.   Moore also showed what he could do on the hill in the same game, throwing four shutout innings and striking out four Carroll High (Corpus Christi, Texas) batters in a matchup that ended early because of the mercy rule. The UCLA commit is capable both on the mound and at the plate, but Mater Dei head coach Burt Call believes the latter is what makes him stand out.   "He's probably one of the purest hitters I've seen," Mater Dei head coach Burt Call said. "He can just flat out hit. And that's going to carry him a long way. And just his competitiveness helps him on the mound, being able to get us some outs and come through in clutch situations. He's a pretty special player and I've been fortunate to coach him for the last four years, so it makes my . . . Sat, 31 Mar 2012 15:40:01 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613207.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613176.html Content: Carroll High of Corpus Christi, Texas, holds onto the top spot of the Baseball America/National High School Baseball Coaches Association Top 25 as the tigers remain unbeaten heading into the USA Baseball National High School Invitational in Cary, N.C. Corpus Christi's Calallen High jumped up to No. 7 after reaching the 20-win mark and staying undefeated. American Heritage High (Plantation, Fla.) joins the Top 25 after beating then-No. 22 Gulliver Prep (Pinecrest, Fla.). Gulliver Prep had beaten Jesuit High (Tampa), ranked No. 3 at the time, but is now 10-4. The staffs of Baseball America and the NHSBCA compile the Top 25 rankings. In-season polls will be conducted every two weeks and released every other Tuesday throughout the season. Records indicated are as of March 25 and do not include ties. . . . Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:26:39 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613176.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613171.html Content: It was supposed to be a rotation to remember. Like having Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee pitching for the same high school. It was supposed to be Harvard-Westlake High's year. After winning its first league title last season, the Studio City, Calif., school had higher expectations for 2012. It just wasn't meant to be. Circumstances put two premium draft prospects, lefthander Max Fried and righthander Lucas Giolito, on the same Harvard-Westlake team. Since the draft began in 1965, high school teammates have been selected in the first round six times, with the latest being Mike Moustakas and Matt Dominguez of Chatsworth (Calif.) High in 2007. Fried and Giolito certainly expected to join that fraternity—and they still may. But their path to the draft took an unexpected turn when Giolito went out with an elbow strain in March, likely knocking him out of action for the rest of the spring. The One-Two Punch The Wolverines had the core of their 2011 team returning, and excitement for the 2012 season grew when they made the high school equivalent of a free-agent signing. Just a nine-mile drive down the 101 and the 405 freeways from Harvard-Westlake is Van Nuys' Montclair College Prep, which . . . Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:22:45 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613171.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613172.html Content: Before a pitch was even thrown, the USA Baseball National High School Invitational, presented by Baseball America, was generating buzz as the premier high school tournament in the country. It's hard to argue when you look at the field, from the history of the programs participating to the long list of players with Division I scholarships or hopes of becoming premium draft picks in June. While scouts will flock to this event to evaluate players, the emphasis of the tournament is to highlight the top teams in the country. High school baseball has no national championship tournament and probably never will, so the NHSI should prove to be the best opportunity for teams to measure themselves against other teams from around the country. Few question the level of competition that schools in California, Florida, Georgia and Texas face, and this event will pit teams from those hotbeds against teams from other areas. No team from the same state will face off before the semifinal round. Here's a look at each school in the tournament field, organized by their four-team pods and their first-round games: . . . Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:00:12 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613172.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613106.html Content: Carroll High (Corpus Christi, Texas) found itself in the latest Baseball America/National High School Baseball Coaches Association Top 25 for the first time since beginning the 2010 season there. The Tigers are off to a hot start and living up to expectations so far in Texas. Preseason No. 1 Archbishop McCarthy (Southwest Ranches, Fla.) fell four spots to No. 5 after a 6-2 start. One of the two losses came at the hands of Columbus High (Miami). The Explorers made a big jump to No. 9 after a 9-1 start and the win over Archbishop McCarthy. Joining the Top 25 this week are No. 15 Calallen High (Corpus Christi, Texas), Olympia High (Orlando) and North High (Riverside, Calif.). The staffs of Baseball America and the NHSBCA compile the Top 25 rankings. In-season polls will be conducted every two weeks and released every other Tuesday throughout the season. Records indicated are as of March 11  and do not include ties. . . . Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:38:46 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613106.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613074.html Content: To anyone posted behind home plate, Mission Viejo (Calif.) High's Kieran Lovegrove looks like a typical high school righthander destined to pitch on a bigger stage. His background shows that he is anything but typical. Lovegrove is a late bloomer who hasn't been prominent on the showcase circuit. Not to mention there aren't many high school prospects who are natives of South Africa and co-founders of a charitable foundation. Lovegrove's father is from South Africa and met his wife in the United States in the 1980s. The couple moved back to South Africa and had two kids, Kieran and Kayla. Kieran, about three years younger than his sister, was born in Johannesburg, and the family moved to Cape Town when he was about a year old. Crime in the country was on the rise in the late 1990s so Keith Lovegrove put his wife, Kelly, and kids on a plane and they moved to Los Angeles in 1999. The family stayed with Kelly's parents before getting settled in Southern California. "I know my dad wanted a better life for me and my sister," Kieran Lovegrove said. "It's tough not knowing where you came from because I was so young. I . . . Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:10:34 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613074.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/awards/all-america-teams/2012/2613019.html Content: . . . Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:05:49 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/awards/all-america-teams/2012/2613019.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613012.html Content: For those of us that cover the amateur ranks at Baseball America, we're especially excited about the 2012 season. For starters, the draft class is exceptionally deep and we know the next few months won't be short of surprises, big performances and excitement. The level of talent directly affects the Preseason Top 50 as we see several teams that are clear contenders to finish at the top, starting with defending national champion Archbishop McCarthy High out of Southwest Ranches, Fla. Stacking high school teams against each other is a difficult task since few of the top teams square off on a regular basis. While a few of those in the Top 50 will have to face a ranked foe to get through the playoffs, national tournaments are good indicators when judging competition faced. Making its debut in 2012 will be the USA Baseball National High School Invitational. The event will be held at Team USA's National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., from March 28-31. Competition will be fierce with 10 teams from the Top 25 and 11 in the Top 50 participating. Schools making the trek include: No. 2 Bishop Gorman High (Las Vegas), No. 3 Carroll High (Corpus Christi), . . . Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:56:27 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613012.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613014.html Content: It would probably take just two hands to count the number of high school teams in the country that can reload and compete on a national level every season. But make sure to reserve a digit for Archbishop McCarthy High of Southwest Ranches, Fla. The back-to-back defending state champions in Florida finished atop the rankings for Baseball America in 2011 and start there again in 2012. Now the Mavericks will try to accomplish two things that have been done only once before: a three-peat in Florida and a second straight national title. The only school to win three consecutive Florida state titles is Rich Hofman's Westminster Christian School (Palmetto Bay, Fla.) from 1996-98. Chatsworth (Calif.) High is the only school to finish No. 1 in consecutive seasons for BA. The Chancellors accomplished that in 2003-04 under Tom Meusborn. Archbishop McCarthy head coach Rich Bielski is excited to defend the title, but was already expecting a challenging season. "We're going to have to focus on the here and now," he said. "We play every week as if it's a tournament. Come playoff time, that's what it is. You have to win every game and every inning. We have to stay focused." . . . Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:24:56 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/high-heat/2012/2613014.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/news/2012/2613013.html Content: At Baseball America, it's obvious we pride ourselves on our coverage of prospects, and for those of us who write about the draft, we work hard to know about as many as players as possible. We are human, and with 50 rounds of selections there have always been plenty of players who we're unfamiliar with who were picked. For it to happen in the first 10 rounds, however, is a surprise. Once the televised portion of the draft is finished, teams fly through their picks. The ninth round was barely under way last year when a selection caughts all of us off guard. With the 273rd pick, the Mariners took Cavan Cohoes. Shortstop. Patch High School in Stuttgart, Germany. Who? Where? After we made some phone calls, a very interesting story began to develop. Cohoes wasn't a German prospect somehow eligible for the draft. He was indeed an American citizen—an athletic and quick shortstop in fact—living on a military base in southwestern Germany. The Program The Patch Barracks house all four branches of the military, including a special forces group and two Navy SEAL teams, as well as the Coast Guard. Cohoes' father, Chris, was a Navy pilot for 14 . . . Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:20:20 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/news/2012/2613013.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/awards/all-america-teams/2012/2613017.html Content: The 2012 high school class is loaded with depth and the All-America Teams give a glimpse of what names will be followed closely as the draft approaches. All five pitchers have aspirations of being picked in the first round as do most of the position players. It's also a strong year for teammates with two schools landing a duo of All-Americans. Harvard-Westlake High (Studio City, Calif.) will have a wicked rotation with righthander Lucas Giolito and lefthander Max Fried making the first team. Olympia High in Orlando will see plenty of scouts with first-team righthander Walker Weickel and second-team outfielder Jesse Winker. Ballots were sent to all 30 Major League scouting directors. Fried transferred to Harvard-Westlake so his stats are from his junior season with Montclair Prep, Van Nuys, Calif. LHP Max Fried Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif. Fried has prototypical projection in his lanky 6-foot-4, 170-pound frame. He has long arms and a free and easy delivery. He fills up the strike zone with all of his pitches—a fastball in the 88-92 mph range, a very good 73-75 mph curveball and a changeup. RHP Lucas Giolito Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif. The ace of a vicious one-two punch at . . . Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:12:15 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/awards/all-america-teams/2012/2613017.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613018.html Content: The staff of Baseball America and the National High School Baseball Coaches Association compile the Top 50 rankings. In-season polls of the Top 25 will be conducted every two weeks and released every other Tuesday during the season. The first in-season poll will be released on March 13. The final poll, a Top 50, will be released in June. . . . Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:09:36 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2012/2613018.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/events/aflac-all-american-classic/2011/2612222.html Content: SAN DIEGO — The days of players starring for their high school teams may not be gone, but they are threatened now by the proliferation of showcase events, travel ball and other opportunities for the nation's top players to display their skills. Two examples of that were evident during the Perfect Game All-American Classic played Aug. 14 at Petco Park. With an eye on their professional futures, righthander Cody Poteet of Christian High in El Cajon, Calif., and infielder Tanner Rahier of Palm Desert High in Indian Wells, Calif., made choices that had to be disappointing to their high school teammates and coaches. Although the best pitcher on his team at Christian, Poteet threw fewer than 20 innings this past season for the Patriots. He wasn't injured. He was saving himself for several summer events. "I knew this was going to be an intense summer, so yes," said Poteet, "I kind of took junior year off." Rahier's choice was even more drastic. After starting at shortstop for Palm Desert as a freshman, Rahier decided to play in a spring wood-bat league instead the past two years. "It's just a higher level of competition . . . junior college pitching," said . . . Mon, 15 Aug 2011 16:44:37 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/events/aflac-all-american-classic/2011/2612222.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/high-heat/2011/2612211.html Content: Like many parents, Glenn and Raissa Cecchini have rarely missed an opportunity to watch their sons play high school baseball games. But unlike their peers, the Cecchinis do not take in the action from the bleachers. They can be found in the dugout, as the husband and wife have been coaching high school players—including their sons, Garin and Gavin—since 1987. The Cecchinis (pronounced chik-kee-nee) are well-known and respected in the baseball industry. Glenn and Raissa have helped build one of the country's best high school programs at Barbe High in St. Charles, La., while Garin is a third baseman in the Red Sox organization and Gavin heads into his senior year as one of the top shortstops in the 2012 draft class. Family members have been teased that they would make great subjects for a reality television show, which is probably true. Between Glenn's energetic and high-volume approach to coaching and Raissa's calm, collected, but stern demeanor, they are a sight to be seen. Add in that their sons are top prospects and have charismatic features as well, and you get a story that should top anything spoiled housewives have to offer. The Under Armour All-America Game powered by Baseball . . . Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:08:02 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/high-heat/2011/2612211.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/events/perfect-game-national-showcase/2011/2612031.html Content: See Also: Rhett Wiseman feature In addition to outfielder Rhett Wiseman from Buckingham Browne and Nichols High in Cambridge, Mass., here are 20 other players that stood out at the Perfect Game 2011 National Showcase. . . Lance McCullers, rhp, Tampa Jesuit HS Business as usual: 94-97 mph with a very hard, sharp slider at 86-87. Added strength improved balance on the mound. Hunter Virant, lhp, Camarillo (Calif.) HS First-year pitcher already shows everything scouts want to see: size, stuff and projection. Fastball was 90-91, touched 93 and threw four pitches for strikes.  Taylore Cherry, rhp, Butler HS, Vandalia, Ohio Hulking 6-foot-9, 260-pounder showed easy 91-92 mph fastball with command and slurvy breaking ball. Ty Hensley, rhp, Santa Fe HS, Edmond, Okla. Another big Oklahoma arm: physical righty sat 92-94, touched 95 and mixed in a hammer 77-78 mph curveball. Carlos Correa, ss, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy A physical 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, but very smooth at shortstop with some strength at the plate—big upside. Trey Williams, 3b, Valencia HS, Placentia, Calif. Pressed a little during batting practice, but crushed an opposite-field missile home run in his first real at-bat.   Clate Schmidt, rhp, Allatoona HS, Acworth, Ga. Whippy righthander . . . Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:56:47 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/events/perfect-game-national-showcase/2011/2612031.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/events/perfect-game-national-showcase/2011/2612030.html Content: See Also: 20 Other PG National Standouts FORT MYERS, Fla. — Massachussets hasn't produced a first-round high school position player in more than a decade, but that could change in 2012. Rhett Wiseman, a rising senior at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, Mass., is a speedy center fielder with power from the left side of the plate, which helped him stand out at the Perfect Game National Showcase in mid-June, the first stop on the summer showcase circuit. Wiseman got to play at the spring training site for his favorite team, the Red Sox, and he probably saw more quality pitchers than he will during his entire spring season next year. But he looked like he was up to the challenge. Sink Or Swim "With stuff like this, it's sink or swim," said Wiseman, 16. "Because if you can make the adjustments, then you're great, but if you can't make the adjustments then you're going to be in trouble because everyone is so good." Wiseman's father Mike played baseball growing up as well. Also a center fielder, Mike played for Brandeis (Mass.) and was one of the rare Division III players to play in the Cape Cod League, . . . Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:27:52 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/high-school/events/perfect-game-national-showcase/2011/2612030.html http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/awards/all-america-teams/2011/2612013.html Content: One look at the draft will show that it was an outstanding year for high school pitchers, and Baseball America's 2011 Postseason High School All-America teams should only drive that point home further. Whittling the list of quality candidates down to a number that would fit on three teams was a daunting task. Many talented prospects and eye-popping seasons were left out, and those that did make it should jump off the page. It also shouldn't come as a surprise that a pitcher was our High School Player of the Year. Dylan Bundy simply dominated the competition, putting up numbers reserved for video games. Several hitters eclipsed the 20-home run mark, with Kevin Cron doing his best impression of his older brother, C.J., in Arizona. The younger Cron set the state record for career home runs early in the season. David Thompson, a second-team selection in 2010 as a sophomore, broke Prince Fielder's record for career home runs in Florida—a number he'll add to during his senior season in 2012. While Bundy led the arms race, his friend and opponent Archie Bradley put up gaudy numbers as well, and has some bragging rights after earning a victory over Bundy's Owass . . . Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:41:02 EST http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/awards/all-america-teams/2011/2612013.html