High School

Angel, Logan and McManus named ‘Prep Ballplayer of Week’ candidates

By Dean Jones

Posted on May 2, 2016

For the first time in the history of BaltimoreBaseball.com – OK, so it has only been a month, but the statement is still accurate – our readers selected a public-school athlete as our “Prep Ballplayer of the Week.”

Bel Air’s Michael Yetter received more than 6,000 votes to top Calvert Hall’s Trevor Sprinkle and Howard’s Casey Crawford. He joined Archbishop Spalding’s Billy Godrick and Loyola Blakefield’s Jack Sheehan as the three honorees so far this year.

Remember, our primary goal with the “Prep Ballplayer of the Week” voting is to highlight three of the area’s top high school baseball performances each week in a post every Monday.

After we name the three candidates, you get to vote – early and often – for the one you believe should be our winner. To vote, make your selection at the bottom of this post. Voting ends 11:59 p.m. Thursday night. Each Friday, we reveal the winners.

Details on each of this week’s three candidates – for the games from April 25 to May 1 – are listed below, as well as the other players who received serious consideration.

If you would like to submit candidates to be considered “Prep Ballplayer of the Week” in the future, please send the player’s name, key statistics from the previous week and your contact information to [email protected].

This Week’s Finalists:

James Angel, Old Mill
The 6-foot, 170-pound senior right-hander went the distance and held Arundel to just four hits in a 2-0 win Monday. Angel, who has committed to play at Division III Marietta College (Ohio), struck out eight batters, walked four and hit two others. Although the Wildcats left at least one runner on base in every inning, Angel pitched effectively to preserve the shutout. Before being named a finalist this week, he had been considered for this honor in each of the previous two weeks. On April 13, Angel threw a one-hitter with five strikeouts and only one walk as Old Mill beat North County, 1-0.

Bryce Logan, Fallston
Logan struck out a season-high, eight batters against C. Milton Wright – including the side in the seventh inning – to complete a one-hitter in Fallston’s 4-0 win Wednesday. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound junior left-hander allowed only a third-inning single and two walks in the Cougars’ victory. He also had a sacrifice fly, two walks and a run scored as Fallston beat Harford Tech, 5-4, on Friday. Logan’s previous high for strikeouts this year was seven in a 5-3 win over Rising Sun on April 1. He also pitched a complete game in that victory.

Michael McManus, Mount Saint Joseph
McManus, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound junior, had a three-run home run and a two-run single as Mount Saint Joseph upset two-time MIAA A Conference champion – and current conference leader – Archbishop Spalding, 11-5, on Wednesday. The left-handed hitter’s blast in the fourth inning put the Gaels ahead of the Cavaliers for good. He completed his big day with the base hit in the sixth inning that gave his club important insurance runs. McManus’ teammate, junior Ethan Gallagher, also hit a home run in the Gaels’ victory.

Others considered (listed alphabetically): Tyler Blohm, Archbishop Spalding; Jake Brack, Mount Carmel; Trent Copenhaver, Francis Scott Key; Kieran Garner, River Hill; A.J. Gibbons, Fallston; Andy Hood, Northeast; Mark Lopez, Boys’ Latin; Jacob Michael, Patterson Mill; Luke Nakich, Archbishop Curley; Paul Nixon, Archbishop Curley; Trae Singleton, Severna Park.

BALTIMOREBASEBALL.COM PREP BALLPLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Week 1 (April 4-10): Billy Godrick, Archbishop Spalding
Week 2 (April 11-17): Jack Sheehan, Loyola Blakefield
Week 3 (April 18-24): Michael Yetter, Bel Air