PRESEASON ALL-USA BASEBALL TEAM
The 2019 All-USA Preseason Baseball Team was selected by USA TODAY High School Sports staff based on statistics, coaches’ recommendations and scouting reports. All of the statistics listed, unless otherwise noted, are from last season. Players are listed in alphabetical order.
CJ ABRAMS
School: Blessed Trinity Catholic (Roswell, Ga.)
Position: SS. Height, weight: 6-2, 182.
Year: Senior
Abrams was dominant last year, batting .404 with six doubles, three home runs and 22 RBI. He is the No. 2 player in the country and an Alabama commit.
BRETT BATY Lake Travis (Austin, Texas)
Pos.: 3B-RHP. Ht., wt.: 6-3, 210. Yr.: Sr. Baty, a signee to the hometown Texas Longhorns, earned the Texas Gatorade Player of the Year award while a junior, an almost unheard of accomplishment in Texas. He hit .435 with 12 home runs and 27 RBI and had an impressive 1.35 ERA while starting on the mound in one of Texas’ most competitive districts.
CHANDLER BEST McGill-Toolen Catholic (Mobile, Ala.)
Pos.: LHP-1B. Ht., wt.: 6-0, 191. Yr.: Sr. Best, a Southern Mississippi commit, pitched a perfect game last season as part of his all-state year in which he went 8-1 with a 0.66 ERA and posted 103 strikeouts in 63 innings.
CORBIN CARROLL Lakeside (Seattle).
Pos.: OF. Ht., wt.: 5-10, 170. Yr.: Sr. The No. 6 player in the 2019 class, Carroll hit seven home runs and 27 RBI as a junior and was named the MVP of the Perfect Game All-American Classic.
PETE CROW-ARMSTRONG Harvard Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
Pos.: OF. Ht., wt.: 6-1, 175. Yr.: Jr. The No. 4 player in the 2020 class, Crow-Armstrong hit .427 with 22 RBI and stole 11 bases on 11 attempts as a sophomore. Then he started eight of nine games for Team USA U18, posting an OBP of .571.
JERRION EALY Jackson Prep (Miss.)
Pos.: OF. Ht., wt.: 5-10, 192. Yr.: Sr. Ealy, a Mississippi signee, is a two-sport star and earned MVP of the Under Armour All-America Game. Ealy batted .368 and had 20 RBI last season.
TREY FALTINE William B. Travis (Richmond, Texas)
Pos.: SS. Ht., wt.: 6-3, 185. Yr.: Sr. A two-way impact player as a hitter and pitcher, Faltine has deceptive power for his relatively slight frame and velocity that touches 93 mph on his fastball. A Texas signee and son of a coach, Faltine could be a contributor as a pitcher or hitter in Austin ... or in MLB.
TREJYN FLETCHER Deering (Portland, Maine)
Pos.: OF. Ht., wt.: 6-2, 190. Yr.: Sr. Fletcher was the No. 1 player in the 2020 class before his reclassification. As a Vanderbilt commit, he dominated against elite competition, batting .538 with a .613 OBP in 31 at-bats against top-500 pitchers last year, according to Perfect Game.
GEOFFREY GILBERT Bishop England (Charleston, S.C.) Pos.: LHP-OF. Ht., wt.: 6-2, 200. Yr.: Sr.
A Clemson commit, Gilbert led team to state title, going 8-0 with a 0.33 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 53 1 ⁄3 innings. Hit .446 with 26 RBI.
RILEY GREENE Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.)
Pos.: OF. Ht., wt.: 6-2, 190. Yr.: Sr. Greene is the No. 1 outfielder and No. 3 player in the 2019 class. The Florida commit batted .405 last season with 26 RBI and four home runs.
RECE HINDS IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Pos.: IF-OF. Ht., wt.: 6-4, 210. Yr.: Sr. The No. 3 shortstop and No. 8 player in the 2019 class, Hinds hit .494 with 53 RBI and 13 home runs as a junior. He is committed to LSU.
SAM HLIBOKI Harvard Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
Pos.: RHP. Ht., wt.: 6-3, 185. Yr.: Sr. Hliboki went 8-1 with a 1.26 ERA and 90 strikeouts with 14 walks in 65 innings last year, according to coach Jared Halpert, and was named Daily News’ All-Area pitcher of the year.
NOLAN HUDI Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.)
Pos.: LHP-OF. Ht., wt.: 6-0, 172. Yr.: Sr. After going 10-0 with a 0.52 ERA as a
sophomore, Hudi somehow improved his junior year. The TCU commit went 13-0 with a 0.44 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 80 innings.
SPENCER JONES La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.)
Pos.: LHP-1B. Ht., wt.: 6-7, 205. Yr.: Sr. A top lefty on the mound and at the plate, Jones hit .414 with five home runs and 32 RBI as a junior and showed off his 93-mph fastball and 12-6 curve at the national level in the Perfect Game All-American Classic. He’s the No. 2rated southpaw on the recruiting site.
JACK LEITER Delbarton (Morristown, N.J.)
Pos.: RHP. Ht., wt.: 6-1, 195. Yr.: Sr. The son of former MLB pitcher Al Leiter, Jack was second-team all-state as a junior after going 6-3 with 77 strikeouts and a no-hitter. He had a 0.768 ERA according to Maxpreps and pitched a 17-strikeout game against Pequannock.
BRENNAN MALONE IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Pos.: RHP. Ht., wt.: 6-5, 220. Yr.: Sr. North Carolina commit Malone throws heat, clocking 96 mph on his fastball. Last summer, Malone went 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA and nine strikeouts on the
18U national team.
MATT MCCORMICK St. Laurence (Burbank, Ill.)
Pos.: C-3B. Ht., wt.: 6-0, 195. Yr.: Sr. McCormick, who was the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year, returns to the team after batting .510 with a 1.743 OPS last spring. The West Virginia commit was an All-USA Baseball third-team member last year and is the No. 7ranked catcher in the country.
DAWSON NETZ Maranatha (Sierra Madre, Calif.)
Pos.: RHP. Ht., wt.: 6-1, 185. Yr.: Sr. As a junior, Netz had seven shutouts, eight complete games and 12 wins in 14 appearances (11 starts). He had a 0.26 ERA and struck out 117 in 80 innings.
CHRIS NEWELL Malvern Prep (Pa.)
Pos.: OF. Ht., wt.: 6-2, 190. Yr.: Sr. Newell has power and contact with a batting average of .422, OBP of .592 and slugging percentage of .811 while hitting five home runs and 18 extrabase hits last year. He also had 33 walks and stole 35 bases without getting caught as a junior.
DARIUS PERRY La Mirada (Calif.)
Pos.: C. Ht., wt.: 6-2, 215. Yr.: Sr. Perry blasted 11 homers and drove in 52 runs last season, both of which were third best in the state. His OPS was a remarkable 1.263, and he hit .378. Perry is the No. 3 catcher in the country.
MATTHEW THOMPSON Cypress Ranch (Texas)
Pos.: RHP. Ht., wt.: 6-3, 184. Yr.: Sr. With a 96-mph heater, Thompson is already off to a 2-0 start with 13 strikeouts across eight innings of work for Cypress Ranch after going 5-1 with a 2.38 ERA and 87 strikeouts last year.
ANTHONY VOLPE Delbarton (Morristown, N.J.)
Pos.: SS. Ht., wt.: 5-11, 180. Yr.: Sr. Volpe posted a line of .400/.513/.633 with 17 stolen bases as a junior. Perfect Game rates him as the No. 8 shortstop and No. 33 player in the country and the No. 2 player in New Jersey.
CAYDEN WALLACE Greenbrier (Ark.)
Pos.: 3B. Ht., wt.: 6-1, 205. Yr.: Jr. A two-way star for Greenbrier both on the mound — where his fastball reaches 91 — and as a power-hitting third baseman, Wallace is among the top prospects in the nation in the Class of 2020 and an Arkansas commit.
BOBBY WITT JR. Colleyville Heritage (Texas)
Pos.: SS. Ht., wt.: 6-1, 185. Yr.: Sr. The reigning junior home run derby champion at the MLB All-Star Game, Witt is as complete a high school prospect as prep baseball has had since at least Hunter Greene. He’s considered a near-slam dunk to be the top overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft barring an injury. He has signed with Oklahoma.
NATE WOHLGEMUTH Owasso (Okla.)
Pos.: RHP. Ht., wt.: 5-11, 195. Yr.: Jr. A pitcher whose elite fastball has hit as high as 97, Wohlgemuth was 8-0 as a sophomore with 72 strikeouts in 482⁄3 innings with a 1.23 ERA. Like Wallace, he’s committed to a powerful Class of 2020 for Arkansas.