In 2010, a state-record five Georgia high school baseball players were chosen in the first round of Major League Baseball’s June amateur draft, most of any state.
This year, there’s no guarantee that even one Georgia high school player will be taken in the first round. It might be called a down year, but that doesn't mean there’s no wealth of talent.
Here are some players in the metro area that pro scouts are flocking to watch:
Julius Gaines, Luella: Gaines is small (6-foot, 150 pounds), but almost unstoppable on the bases. He scored 46 runs last season for Luella's Class AAAAA semifinal team on just 41 hits. He's hitting .366 with six doubles and two triples this season, despite a sore shoulder that has forced him to bat as the designated hitter for several games. He's back at shortstop this week. Gaines is the No. 52 high school prospect in the nation, according to Baseball America, and has signed with Florida International.
Josh Heddinger and Jake Burnette, Buford: Both are tall, right-handed pitchers who throw in the lows-90s and have both signed with Georgia Tech. Both were Rawlings Underclass All-Americans as juniors. Their coach, Troy Wolfe, says they're drawing scouts from a dozen major league teams per game. Heddinger, 6-4 and 230, bats third in Buford's lineup. He's 2-0 with a 2.83 ERA and has 21 strikeouts in 18 innings. He's also batting .333 with two home runs. Burnette, who is 6-4 and 185, was a member of Buford's Class AA runner-up basketball team and joined the baseball team late. The brother of former Tech outfielder Chase Burnette, he's 2-0 with a 2.33 ERA with eight strikeouts in only six innings.
Connor Lynch, Pope: Lynch, who has also signed with Georgia Tech, is the No. 7 overall prospect and No. 1 catcher in Georgia, according to Perfect Game. He's off to a big start for Pope, a strong contender in AAAA this season, batting .457 (21-for-46) with five home runs and 20 RBI.
Dwight Smith, McIntosh: Smith, a center fielder and the son of former Braves player Dwight Smith, is almost the unanimous pick as Georgia's top high school prospect. He is Georgia's only preseason first-team All-America player according to Baseball America and most draft forecasters have him as a borderline first-round pick. At McIntosh, he's hitting .625 (20-for-32) with four home runs, 14 RBI and 21 runs scored in just 12 games. Smith has signed with Georgia Tech.
Deion Williams, Redan: Williams and Smith were Georgia's only representatives in the Under Armour All-America Game last summer. Perfect Game ranks the lanky shortstop (6-3, 180) as Georgia's No. 5 prospect. Williams is hitting .333 (10-for-30) for a team that dropped to Class AAAA this season after making the AAAAA semifinals in 2010. Williams' grandfather is George Scott, a former All-Star first baseman for the Red Sox.
Briefly …
Georgia's top prospect outside the metro Atlanta area is Berrien outfielder Larry Greene, a 6-1, 230-pound left-handed power hitter who has signed with Georgia. The Aflac All-American has eight home runs in 13 games after hitting 15 in 2010. ... Pope pitcher Duane Underwood, Parkview first baseman Matt Olson and Appling County outfielder Bryon Buxton were selected this week to play in the 2011 Under Armour All-America Game on Aug. 13 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. ... Marist (11-1) is No. 17 and East Coweta (11-0) is No. 23 in Baseball America's national rankings this week.
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