2023 Preseason High School All-American Teams — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Baseball America presents its 2023 Preseason All-America high school teams, as voted on by the scouting departments of major league organizations.

The teams are led by three unanimous first-team members: Texas catcher Blake Mitchell, Indiana outfielder Max Clark and Oregon righthander Noble Meyer.

Baseball America annually polls major league teams to vote for its Preseason All-America teams, asking only that they make their selections based on performance, talent and professional potential. The BA Preseason All-America teams have been a predictor of first round draft talent in recent years.

Six of the 13 2022 first-team members were drafted in the first round and 21 of the 39 total Preseason All-Americans went on to sign bonuses of $1 million or more.

Both Clark and Walker Jenkins are return nominees from the 2022 teams. Clark was named to the second-team as an underclassmen and Jenkins was named to the third-team as an underclassmen. Both are first-team members this year.

Righthander and first baseman Bryce Eldridge made the first-team as a hitter and the second-team as a pitcher, while California outfielder Derek Curiel is the lone underclassman to crack one of the teams, as a third-team member.

Baseball America received votes from 15 organizations.

Bold indicates unanimous first team member
* indicates underclassman

First Team

Pos	Player	School
C	Blake Mitchell	Sinton (Texas) HS
MIF	Kevin McGonigle	Monsignor Bonner HS, Drexel Hill, Penn.
MIF	Arjun Nimmala	Strawberry Crest HS, Dover, Fla.
CIF	Aidan Miller	Mitchell HS, New Port Richey, Fla.
CIF	Bryce Eldridge	Madison (Va.) HS
OF	Max Clark	Franklin (Ind.) Community HS
OF	Walker Jenkins	South Brunswick HS, Southport, N.C.
OF	Dillon Head	Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Flossmoor, Ill.
SP	Noble Meyer	Jesuit HS, Portland, Ore.
SP	Travis Sykora	Round Rock (Texas) HS
SP	Thomas White	Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass.
SP	Charlee Soto	Reborn Christian Academy, Kissimmee, Fla.
SP	Barrett Kent	Pottsboro (Texas) HS

Blake Mitchell, C, Sinton (Texas) HS

A unanimous first-team member, Mitchell is the clear top backstop in the prep class with plenty of physicality and raw power from the left side, as well as plus arm strength that also makes him a solid pitching prospect in his own right.

Kevin McGonigle, MIF, Monsignor Bonner HS, Drexel Hill, Penn.

Perhaps the best pure hitter in the high school class, McGonigle wowed scouts throughout the entire summer but consistently hitting the ball hard and performing. He has an aggressive approach at the plate and likes to swing, but pairs impressive bat-to-ball skills with a keen batting eye and clean bat path.

Arjun Nimmala, MIF, Strawberry Crest HS, Dover, Fla.

Nimmala is exceptionally young for the class with a wiry, projectable frame and solid foundation of tools that could become very loud very quickly. He shows more power than you’d expect with whippy bat speed and quick-twitch hands in the box and has all the actions you’d want to see from a middle infielder.

Aidan Miller, CIF, Mitchell HS, New Port Richey, Fla.

Miller was the leading hitter on Team USA’s gold-medal winning 18U national team and has a chance for plus hitting ability with plus power. His track record of performance as a high schooler stands up with anyone else in the class and he also has one of the better infield throwing arms of the prep ranks from third base.

Bryce Eldridge, CIF, Madison (Va.) HS

Eldridge looked more like a pitching prospect at the beginning of the summer, but he showed massive raw power and better hitting ability than scouts were anticipating with Team USA, where he was named the MVP of the tournament. Eldridge is a legitimate two-way talent in pro ball and many scouts in the industry now prefer him as a slugging, athletic first baseman.

Max Clark, OF, Franklin (Ind.) Community HS

One of the most famous players in the class, Clark combines exceptional pure hitting ability and contact skills with a wide range of impact tools. He’s a double-plus runner, at least a plus defender in center field, he has one of the best arms in the class and he is strong enough to get excited about his power as well. He’s simply a well-rounded, explosive player and unanimous first-team member.

Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick HS, Southport, N.C.

Jenkins has some of the biggest offensive upside in the class with an idyllic lefthanded swing that produces easy power to all fields, as well as a strong track record of hitting. He has a sound approach at the plate with good contact ability, present physicality and plenty more on the way. He can play all three outfield positions now but perhaps fits best in a corner in the long run.

Dillon Head, OF, Homewood-Flossmoor HS, Flossmoor, Ill.

Head is a quick-twitch speedster with some of the best straight-line speed and defensive acumen in the prep class. He combines that speed and defense with above-average hitting ability and a strong feel to maneuver the barrel in the zone and find the sweet spot. He’s more of a line drive hitter than a slugger, but his speed should provide plenty of extra-base hits.

Noble Meyer, RHP, Jesuit HS, Portland, Ore.

Meyer moved into the top prep pitching position after a dominant summer, where he showed elite fastball velocity, the best breaking ball in the class and some of the best command in the class when he was on as well. Pair that stuff with athleticism and a projectable, 6-foot-5, 195-pound frame and you’re looking at a unanimous first-team pitcher.

Travis Sykora, RHP, Round Rock (Texas) HS

No one in the class throws as hard as often as Sykora, who was already in the upper 90s as an underclassmen. He’s now regularly in that velocity range and has eclipsed triple-digit velocity, with a pair of intriguing secondaries to go with it.

Thomas White, LHP, Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass.

White has some of the easiest, mid-90s velocity you’ll see from a lefthanded high school pitcher, and has been one of the top players in the class dating back to his sophomore season. He has flashed promise with a breaking ball, but during the 2022 summer his changeup looked like a plus offering as well.

Charlee Soto, RHP, Reborn Christian Academy, Kissimmee, Fla.

Soto is relatively new to pitching full-time as a converted shortstop, and he brings plenty of athleticism to the mound. His fastball gets into the upper-90s with bat-missing life, he has potential with a power breaking ball and his mid-80s changeup is one of the best in the class.

Barrett Kent, RHP, Pottsboro (Texas) HS

A multi-sport, physical righthander with athletic bloodlines, Kent has a classic Texas workhorse frame at 6-foot-3, 208 pounds to go with a solid three-pitch mix headlined by a fastball that gets into the mid 90s and a strong track record of strike throwing.

Second Team

Pos	Player	School
C	Ralphy Velazquez	Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS
MIF	Roch Cholowsky	Hamilton HS, Chandler, Ariz.
MIF	Colt Emerson	Glenn HS, New Concord, Ohio
CIF	Eric Bitonti	Aquinas HS, San Bernardino, Calif.
CIF	Gavin Grahovac	Villa Park (Calif.) HS
OF	Jonny Farmelo	Westfield HS, Chantilly, Va.
OF	Drew Burress	Houston County HS, Warner Robins, Ga.
OF	Will Gasparino	Harvard-Westlake HS, Studio City, Calif.
SP	Adam Hachman	Timberland HS, Wentzville, Mo.
SP	Cameron Johnson	IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.
SP	Zander Mueth	Belleville Township East HS, Illinois
SP	Bryce Eldridge	Madison (Va.) HS
SP	Liam Peterson	Calvary Christian HS, Clearwater, Fla.

Third Team

Pos	Player	School
C	Ryder Helfrick	Clayton Valley HS, Concord, Calif.
MIF	Colin Houck	Parkview HS, Lilburn, Ga.
MIF	Roman Martin	Servite HS, Anaheim, Calif.
CIF	Cameron Kim	Norco (Calif.) HS
CIF	Brandon Winokur	Edison HS, Huntington Beach, Calif.
OF	Kendall George	Atascocita HS, Humble, Tex.
OF	*Derek Curiel	Orange (Calif.) Lutheran HS
OF	Andrew Duncan	A3 Academy, Tampa
SP	Alexander Clemmey	Bishop Hendricken HS, Warwick, R.I.
SP	Hunter Dietz	Calvary Christian HS, Clearwater, Fla.
SP	Cole Schoenwetter	San Marcos HS, Santa Barbara, Calif.
SP	Josh Knoth	Patchogue-Medford HS, Medford, N.Y.
SP	Parker Detmers	Glenwood (Ill.) HS