High School All-American Game top performers

DENVER -- The second High School All-American Game, run by Major League Baseball and USA Baseball, was won by the American League, 8-3, but there were impressive performances from both teams from the top high school players from 2022 Draft class.

That’s what exhibitions like this are about anyway, right? Many of these players will be mainstays on the showcase circuit this summer and some will end up playing for the U.S. 18U National Team in international competition this fall. While one game doesn’t dictate next year’s Draft stock, how these players follow up their performances over the rest of the summer will help teams formulate their follow lists for 2022.

That’s a long way off. For now, here’s a look at some of the top performers at Coors Field on Friday.

1. Jason Torres, 3B/1B, Miami Springs Senior High School
Jason Torres, a corner infielder who is committed to the University of Miami, came ready to swing the bat, going 3-for-5 with a homer and five RBIs to earn Most Valuable Player honors. His three-run homer in the sixth gave the AL squad a 3-1 lead, a 375-foot shot to left, according to StatCast, off of a 92-mph fastball from Aiden Moffet. He drove in two more when he laced a line drive on a hanging curve in the top of the ninth.

“I’ve never been to anything like this,” Torres said after the game. “This is the best feeling of my life, being around great players, guys I’ve been playing against my entire life, sharing the field with them, doing what I can do and them doing what they can do, it’s a blessing.”

2. Roman Anthony, OF, Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS (Fla.)
Anthony was 0-for-4 coming in to his final at-bat in the ninth inning. Then the Mississippi recruit absolutely crushed a 92-mph fastball to right-center field for a two-run homer. It was kind of blast that barely made the outfielders move, sent 450 feet and hit 105 mph off his bat.

3. Nazier Mule, SS/RHP, Passaic County Technical Institute (N.J.)
Mule is a legitimate two-way player who started the game at shortstop and went 0-for-2. But it was his performance on the mound to close things out for the AL that really caused a buzz. Mule, a Miami recruit, threw the 11 hardest pitches of the game, all in the ninth, topping out at 99 mph and not throwing a fastball below 96 mph. He struck out the side (and walked one), getting two strikeouts on his fastball and one on a mid-80s changeup while also flashing very solid breaking stuff.

4. Termarr Johnson, 2B, Mays HS (Ga.)
After having one of the more impressive batting practice sessions, the left-handed-hitting middle infielder carried it over to the game. Johnson went 2-for-2 for the National League team, drew two walks, drove in a run and stole two bases. He went the other way on both of his hits, doing a nice job of keeping his hands back even though his body was out in front on a changeup on his first hit and lashing a line drive to left for his second.

5. Andrew Dutkanych, RHP, Brebeuf Jesuit Prepatory (Ind.)
The Vanderbilt recruit had his power stuff on display in a perfect inning for the NL, striking out two. His fastball was up to 95.4 mph, per StatCast, sitting 93-94 mph. He got one whiff on the heater and the other on his mid-80s slider which had cutter-like action to it.

6. Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford HS (Ga.)
Considered to be the best prep pitcher in the 2022 class, Lesko started the game for the NL squad and while he gave up a hit and struck out only one, he showed why he’s atop most rankings at this juncture. He was 94-96 mph with his fastball throughout his outing and his best secondary pitch, his changeup, helped set up his strikeout.

7. Elijah Green, OF, IMG Academy (Fla.)
Green, considered by many to be the top player in next year’s Draft class, went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks and two runs scored to go along with an RBI. But it was actually what the Miami recruit did on two out-inducing plays that really stood out. Green clocked sprint times of 32.2 feet per second and and 32.1 ft/sec on two ground balls. That’s well clear of the 30.0 threshold for elite MLB speed.

8. Noah Schultz, LHP, Oswego HS (Ill.)
Coming at hitters with a slightly lower slot to provide deception, Schultz tossed a scoreless inning and struck out one. He gets the unofficial spin-master title for throwing three of the top five breaking balls based on spin rate, topping 2,800 rpm four times. Right-hander Eli Jerzembeck (Providence HS, N.C.) might have gotten this crown for topping 3,000 rpm on his curve and having six of the top 10 spin rates for the day, but for the fact that Schultz also owned the best fastball spin rate (2,533 rpm) in the game.