High School Preview: Picking the top 2019 teams and players in the Baltimore area

We’re back for our fourth season of high school baseball coverage.

We kick it off today with previews of top players and teams to watch in Baltimore and its surrounding counties, as well as the MIAA private schools.

On Monday, April 1, we will run our first installment of the popular, “Prep Ballplayer of the Week” feature and vote.

Each week throughout the season, we highlight three of the Baltimore area’s top individual performances. The readers then get to vote — early and often — for the finalist they believe should be our prep winner. Voting ends on Thursday nights and the winner is announced every Friday.

If you’re interested in submitting candidates for our consideration, please send the player’s name, key statistics from the previous week and your contact information to my email, sean@baltimorebaseball.com. We welcome suggestions and your feedback.

BaltimoreBaseball.com’s 2019 high school players and schools to watch

Anne Arundel County

Team to watch: Broadneck High School

Broadneck enters 2019 with a strong group of upperclassmen, four of whom – now juniors – started on varsity as sophomores. The Bruins’ core group of pitchers are among that group, including Stevenson University commit Nick Gatton.

Player to watch: Jake Murphy, North County, Sr.

The North County right-hander hopes to excel on the mound for a second straight season. Murphy is coming off a year in which he had a sub-1.00 ERA while allowing only four runs and striking out 24 hitters in 31 2/3 innings.

Baltimore City

Team: City College

A host of seniors hope to lead City College to its second city championship in three years – the Black Knights beat Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 2017 but fell to the Engineers last season.

Player: Richard Sammy, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Sr.

Sammy was a big part of Poly’s success and city championship last year. The senior batted .362 and had 17 RBIs.

Baltimore County

Team: Catonsville High School

Catonsville will be led by senior Will Jones, who put up big numbers offensively and on the mound. Continued success from Jones and the mix of juniors and seniors will should put Catonsville in the top of the county.

Player: Todd Mozoki, Dulaney, Soph.

Mozoki wasn’t fazed as a freshman on the varsity. The right-hander earned six wins for the Lions and posted a 2.65 ERA. He also batted .310 last season with three triples.

Carroll County

Team: Winters Mill High School

Winters Mill is coming off a season in which it racked up four more wins than the previous year and captured a Class 2A playoff win, its first under head coach Erik Barnes. The Falcons have a strong offensive presence led by seniors Alex Barnes and California University of Pennsylvania commit Grant Brady, who, last year, was a Prep Ballplayer of the Week candidate.

Player: Ryan Clatterbuck, Westminster, Sr.

The senior hopes to expand on last year’s success. Clatterbuck hit over .400 and knocked in nearly a dozen runs. He had seven doubles and three home runs.

Harford County

Team: Harford Tech

Harford Tech looks to build off last year’s Class 2A playoff win. The Cobras can do that by relying on senior leadership and a good mix of sophomores and juniors with varsity experience.

Player: Nathan Reed, Harford Tech, Jr.

The Harford Tech left-hander looks to pick up where he left off in the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference. Reed recorded a 2.73 ERA in 43 2/3 innings. He struck out 42 hitters, holding opponents to a .267 batting average.

Howard County

Team: Howard High School

Howard finds itself on this list for a second straight year, and for good reason. The defending Class 4A state champions return six starters, including seniors Gabe Delgado, Ryan Kulick and Brian Jakubek, who all had success in 2018 on the mound and at the plate.

Player: Gabe Delgado, Howard, Sr.

Delgado, a UMBC commit, hopes to carry over his success into his senior season. The two-time Prep Ballplayer award winner posted a sub-2.00 ERA with 73 strikeouts. He also batted .339 with 13 RBIs.

MIAA

Team: Archbishop Spalding High School

Archbishop Spalding has a lot of depth in 2019. The offense will be paced by junior infielder Josh Moylan, an East Carolina commit. The Cavaliers also return a solid pitching staff.

Player: Tyler Locklear, Archbishop Curley, Sr.

Locklear hopes to continue his success at the plate for the Friars, who took home a MIAA ‘A’ Conference championship in 2018. The VCU commit hit .355 with seven doubles, 10 home runs and 35 RBIs last year.

Note: Statistics compiled from various newspapers, on-line and social media sites.