[ayaghmour2]

The High School season is over, but after missing out on a championship last year, the New Orleans HS Cavaliers went on to defeat the Queens HS Islanders in the finals. It was the Cavaliers first title in six postseason appearances. Still, it was a bizarre high school season where ERA's in both sub leagues jumped from 4.68 and 4.77 to 6.30 and 6.08. It was a rough season for pitcher's all around as scoring was way up. It made the regular season feel weird, but now that it's all over, it will be a little easier to break down the prospects in the league.

Starting with the champions, the Cavaliers dominated all season and finished 30-10. They have one of my absolute favorite pitching prospects in 6'6'' lefty Russ Peeples. The sophomore dominated all year, going 8-0 with a 1.76 ERA (357 ERA+), 0.94 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts in 76.2 innings pitched. Peeples has really impressive stuff and seems bound to increase velocity as he's holder. He was throwing 84-86 during the season and then in May it jumped up to 85-87. A few more velocity boosts and Peeples could end up being a top pick when he's draft eligible.

There are a few other notable names on the pitching staff, including freshman Louis Wilber. The righty had a really good first season, finishing 7-1 with a 2.91 ERA (217 ERA+), 1.25 WHIP, and 30 strikeouts in 52.2 innings. Fellow freshman Wally Henderson was really good as well, going 3-1 with a 3.42 ERA (184 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts. He did walk 18 men, which is cause for concern. But, he's young and he can get things taken care of while he develops with this strong young staff. Interesting enough, they have an elite stopper (not sure how often these guys are used in high school) Jesse Bowen who's a combined 4-2 with 9 saves, a 0.84 ERA (771 ERA+), 0.79 WHIP, and 40 strikeouts in 43 innings across the last two seasons. He'll be draft eligible next season, but I'm not sure how high a stopper might go.

The offense was strong, led by junior third basemen Gabe Wimberly who hit .405/.511/.730 (175 OPS+) with 14 homers and 43 RBI's. That's now two straight seasons with double digit homers, 175 or higher OPS+, and 40 or more RBI's. The kid's got a really good eye and a ton of pop and has produced all three seasons he's started. Freshman Jack Davis had a good season once he took the starting job, hitting 11 homers and driving in 42 runs while hitting .374/.439/.645 (140 OPS+). None of their hitters are eligible for the draft this season, so you have to imagine they'll only get better.

On the other side of the field, the Queens HS Islanders didn't even win their division. They finished second at 25-15 which was three games behind the Elmira HS Emeralds who they actually beat in the semi-finals. They didn't have nearly as strong of a pitching staff as New Orleans, but they have an interesting freshman two-way player in Pat Miller. He started at shortstop in 34 games and he made 4 starts on the mound. He hit .316/.394/.563 (115 OPS+) with 3 homers, 3 steals, and 20 RBI's. In those starts, he was 4-0 with a 2.60 ERA (240 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts. He didn't look all that good defensively, but he's got a lot of time to work on that. I think his future may actually be on the mound, as he throws hard and has really good stuff. Regardless, I hope he stays both ways because he has the future to start on both sides.

The rest of the team isn't too special, but still a lot of quality prospects. John Upton had an excellent season, finishing 6-3 with a 3.05 ERA (204 ERA+), 1.04 WHIP, and 56 strikeouts in 76.2 innings pitched. It was his first season playing, as he sat out his entire freshman year. Junior Art Brandon had a second strong season, but he tore his labrum in his last start of the season. It's a tough break for the 6'1'' righty who was 7-3 with a 3.06 ERA (179 ERA+), 1.23 WHIP, and 80 strikeouts in 108.2 prep innings. He should be healthy to start next season and he's likely to rank in the top 10 to 20 for draft eligible pitchers. Freshman first basemen Pete Miller hit .374/.482/.574 (139 OPS+) with 8 homers and 37 RBI's across 195 plate appearances.

There are a few strong seasons worth noting from other players. Hartford HS ace John Edwards finished 6-3 with a 3.71 ERA (168 ERA+), 1.32 WHIP, and 53 strikeouts in 68 innings pitched. He's a big righty with excellent stuff. He settles in the 86-88 MPH range and he does an excellent job keeping the ball on the ground. Another arm with a strong year was Elmira ace Lou Jayson. Last year he was 4-3 with a 1.44 ERA (321 ERA+), 5 saves, and 26 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched. The Emeralds moved him into the rotation, and he excelled. He was 4-1 with a 2.15 ERA (284 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts in 54.1 innings pitched this year. He's definitely going to shoot up draft boards with this performance. He had a teammate, Lee Miller, who had a strong season as well, and has a career .327/.424/.542 (152 OPS+) line with 22 homers, 17 steals, and 103 RBI in his three seasons. He's also an excellent defensive third basemen which makes him a really valuable prospect.

Chicago native Mike Lee had a strong third year with Philadelphia. He was a perfect 6-0 with a 2.86 ERA (216 ERA+), 1.17 WHIP, and 33 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched. In 209.1 career innings, he's 15-10 with a 2.88 ERA (165 ERA+), 1.08 WHIP, and 134 strikeouts. I'm a big fan of this kid, who has a nice three pitch mix that he really works well. He's a finesse pitcher with solid velocity and great control.

Hartford righty Al Miller had a much needed bounce back year. After going 4-4 with a 1.91 ERA (190 ERA+), 0.85 WHIP, and 62 strikeouts in 61.1 innings in 1931, Miller was hit really hard last year. He was 4-0, but with a 4.85 ERA (97 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts in 42.2 innings. Despite all the chaos this year, he regained form and finished 5-4 with a 2.79 ERA (222 ERA+), 1.19 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts in 77.1 innings. He's a tall righty who does a great job keeping the ball on the ground. He saw a velocity uptick towards the end of the season while trying to bring Hartford to the postseason.

One of the best pitchers the past couple of seasons was Swoyersville righty Earle Robinson. After going 5-1 with a 1.57 ERA (300 ERA+), 0.72 WHIP, and 50 strikeouts in 51.2 innings last year, he almost matched those impressive numbers this year. He was 5-0 with a 2.18 ERA (285 ERA+), 0.99 WHIP, and 35 strikeouts in 57.2 innings pitched. He's only allowed 1 homer and only walked 13 batters in his 109.1 innings pitched. This guy really seems like the real deal, as he has an devastating sinker that just drops out of the zone. It gets so many swings and misses and if you're lucky enough to make contact with it, it's probably just because he wanted you to ground into a double play. He basically places his pitches exactly where he wants them and the command on his curveball and changeup is extremely advanced for his age. I'm a huge fan of this guy and I'd love a guy like him to fall to me towards the end of the first round.

One guy I have to cover is Mobile HS Mike Taylor. Of course, no relation here to our Mike Taylor (or Tom Taylor as well), this Mike Taylor does have similarities to our Taylor's. All three are excellent hitters and this Mike Taylor is a right fielder. He doesn't look like much of a defensive asset now, but he just turned 15 and has plenty of time to work it out. "The Gambler" absolutely mashed this season, hitting .394/.469/.824 (189 OPS+) and he added on 10 doubles, 9 triples, 15 homers, 54 RBI's, 21 walks, and 16 steals across 194 trips to the plate. This kid is filled to the brim with talent at the plate and he kind of looks like Tom Taylor at the plate. He's got the speed, he's got the power, and he's got the eye. Tom Taylor never hit like this in high school and he was still the 4th overall pick. If it wasn't for Rufus Barrell II, Taylor would be the most hyped prep prospect. The now 16-year-old Barrell has pitched two seasons at Macon HS. He's 12-6 with a 2.75 ERA (200 ERA+), 0.79 WHIP, and 169 strikeouts. What's even more impressive is how he walked only 7 hitters in 153.2 innings pitched. This kid seems destined to end up in Brooklyn, and this is not someone I'd want to have to face. He's a lefty who throws in the mid 90s with an excellent fastball. He also mixes in a slider, changeup, and splitter that he locates with perfection. The upside is unlimited with Rufus and he's probably even better then Tom. And Tom is as good as it gets.