Best high school athletes of 2022-23: Meet the national baseball players of the year

The high school sports season is finished in most states and almost done in others, so SBLive Sports is starting to take a look back at some of the best high school athletes of 2022-23.

Over the next month we'll be highlighting some of the players of the year in volleyball, football, boys basketball, girls basketball, boys wrestling, girls wrestling, boys soccer, girls soccer, baseball, softball, track and field and lacrosse.

Here are 20 high school baseball players who had a 2022-23 season worthy of national recognition.

Slade Caldwell, jr., Valley View (Arkansas)

The SBLive Arkansas Player of the Year, Caldwell hit .512 with a .656 on-base percentage. The speedster had seven triples, scored 54 runs and stole 40 bases. On the mound, the Ole Miss commit went 7-1 with a 2.31 ERA in 54.1 innings, striking out 72 and walking only 16.

Trent Caraway, sr., JSerra (California)

Caraway was the offensive leader for a JSerra squad that won back-to-back CIF-SS Division I titles, earning California player of the year honors from multiple outlets. The Oregon State commit hit .467 with seven home runs, 11 doubles and an on-base percentage of .521. 

Roch Cholowsky, sr., Hamilton (Arizona)

The son of an MLB scout, Cholowsky has committed to UCLA but seems a strong candidate to go straight to MLB. The Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year hit .466 with a .571 on-base percentage, slugging 11 home runs, scoring 45 runs and driving in 35.

Max Clark, sr., Franklin Community (Indiana)

Named the national Gatorade Player of the Year earlier this month, Clark could be the top high school player picked in this year's MLB Draft. The Vanderbilt commit finished his senior season with a .646 batting average, six home runs, 33 RBIs and 45 runs scored.

Bryce Eldridge, sr., Madison (Virginia)

A power pitcher and hitter, the 6-foot-7 Eldridge was one of the most imposing baseball players in the country this season. He led Madison to its sixth baseball state championship, and "the American Ohtani" who's committed to Alabama is expected to be a first-round pick in the MLB Draft.

Colt Emerson, sr., John Glenn (Ohio)

Emerson hit .446 with eight home runs and 39 runs scored this season for John Glenn and became the first Ohio Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year from the school. The Auburn commit and projected late-first round draft pick also stole 26 bases while posting a .594 on-base percentage.

Colin Houck, sr., Parkview (Georgia)

Houck led Parkview to a 32-8 record and a Class 7A state runner-up finish this spring. He hit .487 with eight home runs, 50 RBIs, 56 runs, 16 stolen bases and an on-base percentage of .589. The three-time first-team all-state honoree is committed to Mississippi State but is projected as a first-round pick in the MLB Draft.

Walker Jenkins, sr., South Brunswick (North Carolina)

Jenkins spent his senior season being pitched around a lot, drawing 32 walks in 95 plate appearances, compiling an on-base percentage of .632. The projected top-five pick in the MLB Draft hit .417 with 33 runs scored. Ranked as the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2023 by Perfect Game, the North Carolina commit is a member of the USA Baseball Under-18 National Team. 

Bryce Johnson, sr., Eastlake (Washington)

Eastlake's first state championship in program history wouldn't have happened without Johnson on the mound. The Oregon State pledge and SBLive Washington Player of the Year led the Wolves' pitching staff with a four-pitch arsenal that threw hitters off all season long. He went 12-0 with a 0.37 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and struck out 110 batters in 76.1 innings, walking just 13.

Walker Martin, sr., Eaton (Colorado)

No hitter had a more dominant senior season than Martin, who led the nation with 20 home runs, and his power didn't affect his average. The left-handed-hitting shortstop who's projected as a first-round pick in the MLB Draft hit .633, drove in 75 runs and scored 64.

Kevin McGonigle, sr., Bonner-Prendie (Pennsylvania)

Bonner-Prendie fell just short of the state championship game for the third straight year, but McGonigle continued to prove he's one of the best hitters in the country. He finished with a .530 average while drawing 32 walks in 100 plate appearances and is yet another player on this list projected as a first-round MLB Draft pick.

Tate McGuire, sr., Liberty North (Missouri)

McGuire struck out 11 in six innings in a 2-1 win in the state semifinals before Liberty North busted out the bats to win its second straight state championship. The Arkansas commit went 10-0 on the season and allowed just two earned runs in 59.2 innings, striking out 109. The 6-foot-4 pitcher/first baseman also hit .360 at the plate.

Noble Meyer, sr., Jesuit (Oregon)

The top-ranked high school pitcher in the country by MLB scouts, Meyer finished his prep career with another dominant season. He went 10-2 record with a 0.41 ERA, 0.58 WHIP and struck out 142 batters in 69 innings. In his two hard-luck losses, Meyer gave up one unearned run in 13 innings.

Steven Milam, sr., Centennial (New Mexico)

"Monster" Milam might be just 5-foot-7, but the outstanding defensive shortstop also boasts some serious pop. The LSU commit hit .627 with seven home runs, 50 RBIs and scored a state-high 65 runs. He also led the state in slugging percentage (1.313), hits (52), doubles (18) and triples (nine).

Blake Mitchell, sr., Sinton (Texas)

Mitchell starred at the plate and on the mound for a team that finished the season on a 31-game win streak en route to winning its first state title since 2002. He hit .452 with 15 doubles and six homers, scoring 49 runs and stealing 44 bases. The LSU commit pitched a shutout to get Sinton into the championship game, but the presumed first-round pick this summer will be a catcher in the majors.

Arjun Nimmala, sr., Strawberry Crest (Florida)

The shortstop was as good as they come on the diamond for the Chargers, with the Florida State commit making only four errors all season. At the plate, Nimmala hit .479 with six home runs, 29 RBIs, 30 runs, seven doubles and three triples. The 17-year-old is projected as a top 10 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Cooper Pratt, sr., Magnolia Heights (Mississippi)

Pratt was a two-way star for the state champion Chiefs, going 10-0 on the mound with a 0.14 ERA, striking out 66 batters in 49 innings and hitting .469 with four home runs, 50 RBIs and 38 stolen bases. The 6-foot-4 pitcher/shortstop will be playing for Ole Miss next season.

Christian Rodriguez, sr., Stoneman Douglas (Florida)

Rodriguez is committed to Florida but is expected to take the major league route this summer. For his senior campaign, Rodriguez was one of the dominant pitchers in the country, going 12-0 with a 0.69 ERA and 117 strikeouts in helping lead the Eagles to the Class 7A state championship. 

Easton Shelton, sr., Bishop Gorman (Nevada)

A 6-foot-5, 230-pound power-hitting first baseman, Shelton led Bishop Gorman to a 35-2 record and the Class 5A state championship as a senior. The UNLV signee hit .400 with 12 home runs, 39 runs, 48 RBIs and a .507 on-base percentage.

Landon Victorian, jr., Barbe (Louisiana)

Victorian was a workhorse as a sophomore, pitching 74 innings and striking out 94 while logging an ERA of 1.04. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder got even better as a junior, going 8-0 with 80 strikeouts in 50.1 innings, walking only four and boasting a 0.97 ERA. He's committed to LSU but seems likely to be on several MLB teams' radar for the 2024 draft.