MaxPreps 2014 Preseason All-American Baseball Team

It could be a big year for high school baseball talent in California this year, if the MaxPreps Preseason All-American Team is any indication.

Eight players from California highlight the 2014 preseason edition, including reigning MaxPreps National Player of the Year Jack Flaherty of Harvard-Westlake and Junior Player of the Year Alex Jackson of Rancho Bernardo.

Florida has four players on the team while Texas and North Carolina each have three.

The preseason All-American team consists mainly of players who excelled last year and also are potentially high Major League Baseball draft picks. Some exceptions were made for those who were injured last year but are considered first-round picks.


P – Tyler Kolek, Shepherd (Texas)
Kolek, who missed the majority of last season with a broken bone on his non-throwing hand, played in the Perfect Game All-American Classic and wowed scouts when he broke 100 mph with his fastball at a showcase in early June. At 6-5, 260 pounds, Kolek could be the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft.

P – Kodi Medeiros, Waiakea (Hilo, Hawaii)
Although he played mostly outfield and first base last year, Medeiros is expected to be one of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the country this year. A Perfect Game All-American Classic participant, Medeiros batted .585 with 36 RBIs and four home runs last year.

P – Grant Holmes, Conway (S.C.)
A Class 4A all-state pick last season, Holmes played in both the Perfect Game All-American Classic and the Under Armour All-American Game over the summer. He won seven games with 55 strikeouts and a 0.18 ERA as a junior. Look for Holmes to be drafted somewhere in the middle of the first round come June.

P – Sean Reid-Foley, Sandalwood (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Reid-Foley earned All-First Coast honors last year when he went 6-3 with 117 strikeouts in 70.1 innings pitched while leading Sandalwood to a 20-10 record. With a 94-mph fastball, some mock drafts have Reid-Foley going late in the first round of the MLB draft.

P – Luis Ortiz, Sanger (Calif.)
Ortiz was named honorable mention all-area by the Fresno Bee last spring, but he has been a hot commodity since posting a fastball in the mid-90s during summer showcases. Some reports have him going in the upper half of the 2014 MLB draft. He had an MVP performance for Team USA 18U in the World Cup over the summer, working as the team's closer with one win and three saves in a gold-medal winning effort. A student at Hallmark Charter School, Ortiz plays baseball for Sanger.

P – Touki Toussaint, Coral Springs Christian (Fla.)
Named the Broward County Small School Player of the Year by the Sun Sentinel, Toussaint posted a 6-2 record with a 0.78 ERA and 83 strikeouts. He also batted .458 with 32 RBIs and six home runs. He is known for a sharply breaking curveball and a fastball that has reached 97 mph.

P – Cobi Johnson, Mitchell (New Port Richey, Fla.)
Johnson earned All-North Suncoast honors while striking out 103 batters and posting a 1.68 ERA. He also batted .426. Mock Drafts have Johnson going late in the first round.

P – Dylan Cease, Milton (Ga.)
The top pitcher on the defending Georgia 6A state championship team, Cease posted a 9-0 record with a 0.81 ERA and 100 strikeouts as a junior. He also batted .358 with 28 RBIs, eight doubles and four home runs. Cease is considered a middle first-round draft pick.

P – Brady Aiken, Cathedral Catholic (San Diego)
A member of Team USA 18U over the summer, Aiken has emerged as one of the top pitching prospects for 2014. A lefthander, Aiken was the winning pitcher in the gold medal game last year at the World Cup. He went 5-3 as a junior with 80 strikeouts and a 0.92 ERA in 53.1 innings pitched.

P – Jack Flaherty, Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
The MaxPreps National Player of the Year as a junior, Flaherty earned every honor in the Los Angeles area including Player of the Year honors from the Los Angeles Daily News, the Los Angeles Times and the Southern Section. He posted a 13-0 record with a 0.63 ERA and he had 112 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 89 innings pitched. He helped lead the Wolverines to a Southern Section Division I championship. Also a member of Team USA 18U.

C – Alex Jackson, Rancho Bernardo (San Diego)
A three-time all-state selection, Jackson is considered the top catching prospect in the country. Last year he batted .343 with 33 RBIs and 14 home runs.

C – Jakson Reetz, Norris (Firth, Neb.)
A top performer for Team USA 18U, Reetz also played well in the Perfect Game All-American Classic. The Gatorade State Player of the Year as a junior, Reetz earned All-Super State honors after batting .464 with five home runs, 14 doubles and 49 RBIs.

C – Bryce Carter, Cascia Hall (Tulsa, Okla.)
A two-sport standout in basketball and baseball, Carter is regarded as one of the top offensive catchers in the nation. As a junior he batted .348 with three home runs. As a sophomore he batted .378 with four home runs.

1B – Braxton Davidson, Roberson (Asheville, N.C.)
Mock drafts list Davidson as one of the first high school outfielders to be drafted, however he also plays first base for one of the top teams in the country. As a junior, he batted .403 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs.

1B – Gavin LaValley, Carl Albert (Midwest City, Okla.)
Selected to the Oklahoma City Oklahoman all-state team, Lavalley led the nation in RBIs as a junior with 76. He also posted 20 home runs and 19 doubles to go with 61 runs scored and a .477 batting average.

IF – Nick Gordon, Olympia (Orlando, Fla.)
Considered in some circles as the top prospect in the class of 2014, Gordon was the Gatorade State Player of the Year and made the All-Central Florida Team by the Orlando Sentinel. He batted .505 with 15 doubles and 30 RBIs. He also pitched, posting a 5-1 record and a 0.78 ERA. He played in both the Under Armour All-American Game and the Perfect Game All-American Classic.

IF – Jacob Gatewood, Clovis (Calif.)
Gatewood suffered through a shoulder injury for part of his junior year, but still managed to post a 5-1 pitching record with a 2.02 ERA. He also batted .320 with four home runs and 31 runs scored.

IF – Ryder Ryan, North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.)
Named to the all-state team by NC Preps and the North Carolina Coaches Association, Ryan struck out 109 batters and had a 0.72 ERA, but also produced at the plate with a .593 batting average and five home runs.

IF – Gregory Deichmann, Brother Martin (New Orleans)
Earned a spot in both the Perfect Game All-American Classic and Under Armour All-American Game after earning all-state honors and All-Metro New Orleans honors as a junior. He batted .338 on the season.

IF – Trace Loehr, Putnam (Milwaukie, Ore.)
Selected the top player in the northwestern part of the United States by Baseball Northwest, Loehr batted .574 last year and started at second base for Team USA 18U. Also earned Class 5A all-state honors.

IF – Luke Dykstra, Westlake (Westlake Village, Calif.)
The son of former Major League all-star Lenny Dykstra, Luke has been in the spotlight since a standout freshman season at Westlake. He's been steady throughout his career and ranks as one of the top middle infielders in the nation. He batted .443 last year with five doubles and two home runs.

OF – Michael Gettys, Gainesville (Ga.)
One of the highest rated players in the country heading into the 2014 draft, Gettys played in the Perfect Game All-American Classic last summer and was named as the region Pitcher of the Year in Georgia. He batted .406 while striking out 114 batters in 73 innings pitched with a 0.99 ERA for the Red Elephants.

OF – Alex Verdugo, Sahuaro (Tucson, Ariz.)
Verdugo posted huge numbers on the mound and at the plate while earning All-Arizona honors by the Arizona Republic in 2013. He batted .484 with nine doubles, seven triples, seven home runs and 40 RBIs. On the mound, Verdugo was 10-0 with 130 strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA in 65 innings pitched. He played in the Under Armour All-American Game.

OF – Alex Destino, North Buncombe (Weaverville, N.C.)
A Class 3A All-State player in North Carolina, Destino excelled on the mound and at the plate. He posted an 8-2 record with 97 strikeouts and a 1.30 ERA in 53.2 innings pitched and he batted .471 with 33 RBIs, eight doubles and eight home runs.

OF – Stone Garrett, George Ranch (Richmond, Texas)
A two-time all-district pick and an All-Greater Houston selection as a junior, Garrett is ready for a breakout season after batting .359 with six home runs and 22 RBIs.

OF – Derek Hill, Elk Grove (Calif.)
Hill has shown himself to be a four-tool outfielder with good speed in the field and improved power at the plate. He could be the first outfielder drafted and he batted .417 with 27 RBIs last season for the Thundering Herd.

OF – Trenton Kemp, Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.)
Kemp has emerged as one of the top hitters in California after batting .442 with five doubles and seven home runs for the Bears in 2013. He was named the Fresno Bee's Hitter of the Year.

UT – Justus Sheffield, Tullahoma (Tenn.)
Named the Middle Tennessee Player of the Year by the Nashville Tennessean, Sheffield posted a 10-2 record on the mound with a 1.28 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 71.1 innings pitched as a junior. He was also a member of Team USA and played in the Perfect Game All-American Classic.

UT - Sam Hentges, Mounds View (Arden Hills, Minn.)
Selected for the Under Armour All-American Game after batting .420 with six home runs and a 4-0 record on the mound. He helped lead Mounds View to the Class 3A state championship.

UT - Chris Andritsos, The Woodlands (Texas)
The only junior in the lineup, Andritsos was the MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year after leading The Woodlands to a Class 5A state championship by batting .395 with 13 home runs, 12 doubles and 50 RBIs.