1. AMERICAN HERITAGE HS,
Plantation, Fla. (23-6)
American Heritage High is a
clear-cut choice as the nation’s No. 1 high school team. In fact, it may
arguably have the greatest collection of talent on one high school team in the
last decade—or at least since a Seminole (Fla.) High that featured first
baseman Casey Kotchman went wire-to-wire in 2001, winning 31 straight games.
The Patriots are loaded at
virtually every position and feature a pair of Aflac All-Americans in senior
1B-LHP Eric Hosmer and senior C Adrian Nieto. Hosmer (.380, 10
HR), an Arizona State recruit, is the nation’s top-ranked prep hitting prospect
and almost a cinch to be drafted in the first round in June. Nieto (.376-5-18),
one of the top catching prospects in the country and a South Florida recruit,
is also a target in the early rounds of this year’s draft.
As many as seven players could be
drafted off this year’s Patriots club, which would be a record for one high
school team. In addition to Hosmer and Nieto, other Patriot players who will be
heavily scouted this spring include North Carolina State-bound RHP Greg Conver,
a transfer from Miami Northeast High; Florida-bound RHP Juan Carlos Sulbaran;
Jacksonville-bound OF Joey Belviso; Miami-bound RHP Kevin Youst;
and College of Charleston-bound OF-RHP Austin Yeager.
Not all the talent is
concentrated in this year’s draft class, either, as junior SS Devin Marrero
and sophomore 3B Nick Castellanos, who anchor the left side of the
infield, and are both ranked among the Top 20 prospects nationally in their
respective draft classes.
Conver, Sulbaran, Youst and
Yeager will anchor a deep, prospect-rich pitching staff, but senior LHP Ryan
Kahn (10-2, 1.81), the team’s top winner in 2007, also returns. The
versatile and multi-talented Hosmer (4-1, 0.53), who can run his fastball into
the low 90s from the left side, will again serve as the team’s closer.
While it is extremely tough to
run the table in high school baseball, especially in the competitive Greater
Miami area, American Heritage clearly has the talent to do it.
--JEFF SIMPSON