Watching the 2022 World Series between the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies got us thinking: Where did some of these players begin their baseball journey? Let’s answer that question today as we take a look at the high school baseball origins of some of the stars in the Fall Classic.
Bryce Harper
A No. 1 overall pick out of the College of Southern Nevada in the 2010 MLB Draft, Harper attended Las Vegas High School before heading to college after his junior year. He recently concluded his fourth season with the Phillies and has enjoyed a memorable 11-year career since making his MLB debut in 2012 with the Washington Nationals. His accolades include two MVP awards, 285 career home runs and seven All-Star appearances.
Alex Bregman
A top draft pick out of LSU in 2015, Bregman attended Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico, where he was originally selected in the 29th round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox. Bregman recently finished his sixth major league season with the Astros, a span that includes two All-Star appearances and now two World Series titles.
Kyle Schwarber
Schwarber attended Middletown High School in Ohio prior to playing collegiately at Indiana-Bloomington, where he was taken No. 4 overall in the 2014 MLB Draft. The eight-year MLB veteran is coming off his first season with the Phillies, one in which he led the National League with 46 home runs.
JT Realmuto
One of baseball’s top catchers, Realmuto was a third-round pick in the 2010 MLB Draft out of Carl Albert High School in Oklahoma. Selected by the then-Florida Marlins, Realmuto, like Harper, just concluded his fourth season in Philadelphia. He has made three All-Star appearances in his nine-year MLB career.
Rhys Hoskins
Philadelphia’s starting first baseman, Hoskins spent his high school days at Jesuit High School in California prior to playing collegiately at Cal-State Sacramento. A fifth-round pick by the Phillies in 2014, Hoskins recently finished his sixth MLB season with Philadelphia.
In addition to those five, here are a few more top players from the 2022 World Series, as well as where each played in high school:
- Justin Verlander – Goochland, VA
- Zack Wheeler – East Paulding, GA
- Aaron Nola – Catholic, LA
- Kyle Tucker – Plant, FL
- Nick Castellanos – Archbishop McCarthy, FL
- Ryan Pressly – American Heritage Academy, TX
