Palm Beach Post Midseason Baseball Awards: Vote for the top players midway through 2024
It's a good time to check in with our Palm Beach County baseball squads at the midway point of the high school spring season.
About six weeks from the state tournament in Fort Myers, several local power programs stand a good chance of making the trip, with others recently finding their stride at the right time.
As we head into the second half of the season, here are The Palm Beach Post High School team rankings, along with our nominees for Midseason Player of the Year, Slugger of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year. You can vote in the polls below to have your say in the winners.
High Heat: An essential guide to Palm Beach County high school baseball
Midseason Player of the Year
Brady Blanks, Jupiter
Blanks made an instant impact for the Warriors after making the move from Dwyer last spring. Now, he's keeping the success alive in his junior season. Jupiter is 13-4 with a team-best slugging percentage of .840 and on-base percentage of .541 from the catcher, who's hit .460 for eight runs on 23 hits − eight doubles, one triple, and three home runs − and 17 RBIs at the halfway point. Behind the plate, the uncommitted prospect has a near-perfect fielding percentage of .975 with just three errors in 122 total chances.
Brady King, Suncoast
King has proven himself a contributor in all phases of the game over the last few seasons with Suncoast. Nothing's changed halfway through his senior season as the Chargers build on their 13-3 run. The Barry catcher commit has been an asset on offense, hitting .326 for four runs on 15 hits and 11 RBIs with two doubles, and a menace in the dirt, accumulating a .989 fielding percentage against one error over 93 total chances. And you can't forget King's efforts on the mound. This year, King is maintaining a 2.29 ERA and 3-1 record after striking out 34 through 18 innings.
Tyler Lichtenberger, West Boca Raton
App State will be glad to have Lichtenberger's talents on the roster next spring, but for now, he's rolling out of West Boca with a bang. The infielder currently leads the county with four home runs, swinging .288 on the season to come second on the roster with 12 runs and 17 hits, highlighted by four doubles and a triple. Lichtenberger also leads the Bulls with 19 RBIs. Defensively, he's recorded 24 putouts and 27 assists, including six double plays, for a .946 fielding percentage, and has been a game-changer out of the bullpen. In eight innings on the mound, Lichtenberger has given up four hits and struck out six for a win and a save.
Jackson Miller, Dwyer
Palm Beach County's most coveted prospect is a Panther. With an offensive stat line of .432/.561/.681 for 20 runs on 19 hits with 11 RBIs, five doubles, and three triples, the Ole Miss commit is trailblazing what Dwyer hopes will be the season it returns to the 6A final four. Dwyer has forged a 13-4 record with a lockdown performance from Miller in the outfield, going error-free with 19 putouts and one assist.
Have your say. Vote below for your pick for the Midseason Player of the Year.
Midseason Pitcher of the Year
Joey Abbazia, American Heritage-Delray
An impressive 53 strikeouts for the Florida Atlantic commit are keeping Heritage-Delray's hopes of another deep postseason run alive. Abbazia is 4-3 in his senior season with a 1.24 ERA, giving up 25 hits and earning six of 12 total runs through 34 innings on the hill.
Brady Benevides, Suncoast
Still undefeated on the mound with a 6-0 record, the junior ace is just heating up this spring. Benevides, a Richmond commit, has a team-best 0.19 ERA with 50 strikeouts and is holding opponents to a .183 batting average through 36 innings. As Suncoast has gone 13-3, he's allowed 23 hits and earned just one run of three total.
Ethan Mattison, Park Vista
The Post's reigning Baseball Player of the Year is living up to the honor in 2024. The Florida Gulf Coast commit's 73 strikeouts lead Palm Beach County, and his 13-K performance to upset reigning 7A state champion Stoneman Douglas has set Park Vista on the straight and narrow heading into the back end of the season. After finishing out last year's final four run with a 1.39 ERA, Mattison has improved to a .21 ERA in his senior year, limiting hot hitters to a .149 batting average through 34 innings.
Nick Rovitti, Dwyer
Old reliable is back for one last season on the hill with Dwyer, and he's been as solid as ever. Rovitti is sporting a 1.75 ERA and 6-1 record this spring, striking out 51 in 40 innings.
Have your say. Vote below for your pick for the Midseason Player of the Year.
Midseason Slugger of the Year
Gabe Acevedo, Cardinal Newman
Acevedo comes in second on the Crusaders roster with a pair of home-runs, but he's also driving the ball into the gaps as well as anyone in the county, having tallied six doubles and a triple. He also leads Cardinal Newman with 18 RBIs. His sparkling .389 batting average lands him with the third-best mark on the team, while his 21 hits and 17 runs scored are both second-highest a team that has been clicking form the get-go.
Colton Schwarz, Jupiter
Batting amid a talented Jupiter lineup, Schwarz's .483 average stands above the rest, but so does his power. The junior is driving the ball with purpose this season, having already tallied a team-high four home-runs to go along with seven doubles and a pair of triples. His 28 hits, 24 runs, and 23 RBIs are all team-leading marks.
Luke Hogue, Palm Beach Gardens
The Gators have battled inconsistency due to injuries and lack of depth, but Hogue is the exception to any of those struggles. Hogue tops Gardens' offensive production with a .417 average, with 25 hits, 16 runs scored, four doubles, and two triples, all team-high marks. His lone home-run was an extra-innings game-winner against Park Vista back in mid-March.
Parks Fucci, West Boca Raton
Named one of our players to watch at the start of the season, Fucci has not disappointed. The Bulls offensive leader tops of the stat-sheet with a .375 average, while his 21 hits, five doubles, and 18 runs scored are high marks on his squad. Fucci has also contributed 11 RBI, but an aspect of his game that cannot be ignored is his elite speed on the base-paths. 14 stolen bases will give any pitching staff paranoia.
Have your say. Vote below for your pick for the Midseason Player of the Year.
Midseason Newcomer of the Year
Lucas Bratten, Wellington
The continued success of the Wolverines looks good with Bratten among a crew of promising sophomores. In 17 games, Bratten has 23 putouts and two assists, going error-free in the field. In five appearances on the mound, the sophomore has had 14 strikeouts through 12 innings. The offense has benefitted from Bratten, too, with four runs on 11 hits with 12 RBIs, two doubles, and two home runs.
Scotty Crowe, Saint John Paul II
The Eagles are 9-9-1 at the midway point, and the future is bright with Crowe in the lineup and the dirt. On defense, the freshman has a .917 fielding percentage, and a 1.95 ERA with 14 strikeouts through 12 innings in seven appearances on the mound. The offense has benefitted from his bat, swinging .385 for five runs on five hits with three RBIs.
Jackson Hageman, King's Academy
Hageman’s debut on the varsity diamond hasn’t gone unnoticed. The freshman infielder has navigated a solid inaugural campaign on the mound with a 3-1 record through six appearances. Hageman has a 3.06 ERA through 16 innings, notching 13 Ks. In the dirt, he has 18 putouts and five assists with a triple play against one error over 11 games.
Camden McFadden, Palm Beach Central
McFadden is carrying a 2.00 ERA into the second half of the season. The Broncos are 9-8 with the freshman stud with 20 strikeouts through 21 innings. McFadden solidified himself as a premier arm for Central with three strikeouts over four innings to upset Dwyer.
Have your say. Vote below for your pick for the Midseason Player of the Year.
Midseason Baseball Rankings
1. Jupiter
Ranked 24th in the state and sixth in their class, the Warriors pack a punch as the FHSAA's top ranked baseball program hailing from Palm Beach County. Jupiter has amassed a 14-4 record, having taken down Dwyer, Treasure Coast, George Jenkins, and others. Most recently, the Warriors' victory over Suncoast pushed the program into the top spot for our rankings. The Warriors boast an impressive team batting average of .336, and, supported further by a combined 15 home-runs, they've scored 128 runs to 66 allowed from collective opposition in a grueling schedule.
2. Cardinal Newman
Ranked by the FHSAA as the 27th best team in the state of Florida as well as the seventh best team in their class, the Crusaders boast a 15-3-1 record at the time of writing. One-run wins against Dwyer, King's Academy, Winter Springs, Benjamin, and Martin County have proven this squad's track-record of clutch victories and late-inning heroics. The team currently has a collective batting average of .324, including seven home-runs hit, while a 1.75 team earned run average is positively sparkling.
3. Dwyer
Ranked 46th in the state and 13th in their class by the FHSAA, the Panthers currently have a 12-4 record. Over average, the team is allowing fewer than three runs per game, amounting to a team earned run average of just 1.82. That pitching performance has certainly helped Dwyer in big wins over Boca, Park Vista, and even top-ranked Jupiter. And while they may be ranked at No. 3, it's arguably the hottest team on our list with 10 wins in their last 11 games played.
4. Suncoast
This is the first time we start to deviate from the FHSAA's rankings, as although Suncoast is not quite the next-highest ranked team from Palm Beach County, they claim our No. 4 spot. The Chargers' 1.87 team earned run average has made a living devastating opposing lineups, illustrated by the fact that teams have scored just a combined 39 runs against them in 17 games played. Removed the one-sided Jupiter result from this week and opponents are averaging fewer than two runs scored per game. Paired with a .309 team batting average, that's a receipt for success.
5. Benjamin
Benjamin's FHSAA rankings took a little knock after losing a pair of games to top competitors this week. However, the No. 72 spot in the state is still nothing to scoff at, and they've shown that the elite talent is certainly there in some quality wins. A team batting average of .307 has been one of the primary strengths for the Buccaneers, who have allowed their fair shared of runs in some shootout victories and losses. Their 10-6 record is highlighted by a victory over Calvary Christian and, ironically, a one-run loss against Cardinal Newman that shows as much as anything that this team belongs in our top five.
6. West Boca Raton
West Boca can be tough to get a read on because their schedule is among the most difficult in the state this year. Although the 10-8 record is one of the lower marks in our midseason rankings and they have a run differential that is just north of even, the Bobcats still hold the No. 85 rank in the state of Florida, according to the FHSAA. They have quality wins over Westminster Academy, Bishop Moore, and a top-50 Columbus squad. However, a lack of consistency, marked by this week's puzzling loss to an equally-puzzling Palm Beach Central leaves us with a few questions as to where this team truly belongs in the rankings. For now, No. 6 feels like a good spot.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County midseason baseball: vote for top teams, players
