Harper voted nation’s top player by Baseball America; first non-senior winner

In a month full of honors and headlines, Las Vegas High baseball standout Bryce Harper made another by being named national High School Player of the Year by Baseball America.

Harper, a sophomore, became the first non-senior to receive the award and is the 18th annual winner. Harper graced the cover of Sports Illustrated this month, then made national news by announcing he had enrolled at the College of Southern Nevada and would skip his final two years of high school.

Harper was nearly unstoppable this spring, batting .626 with 14 home runs and 55 RBIs in 39 games. He scored 76 runs, had 39 walks and stole 36 bases. Forty-five of his 72 hits were for extra bases.

Harper was a first-team all-state selection as a freshman and sophomore. A standout catcher, Harper also showed a mid-90s fastball on the mound and played shortstop, third base and outfield.