It wasn’t long ago that Adam Meadows of Grayson, Matt Olson of Parkview and Charlie Blackmon of North Gwinnett were playing high school baseball in Gwinnett County. In 2019, each hit more than 30 home runs in the big leagues.
Meadows, now with the Tampa Bay Rays, and Blackmon, of the Colorado Rockies, made the 2019 All-Star Game. So did new Braves closer Will Smith from Northgate in Coweta County.
Former Georgia high school players are excelling in the big leagues like never before, some for years, others breaking through.
Giants catcher Buster Posey of Lee County is a former National League MVP and six-time former All-Star. Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright of Glynn Academy is a three-time former All-Star and two-time Cy Young Award runner-up. Jason Heyward of Henry County, Dexter Fowler of Milton and Nick Markakis of Woodstock are former All-Stars.
How would the best Georgia players do as a major league team?
“They’d handle their own by any stretch,” said Parkview coach Chan Brown, who teams won state titles in 2011 and 2012 with Olson as his first baseman. “Some of those guys have been in the league for years, and some have been in the league for only a couple of years and established themselves. You’ve got All-Stars. You’ve got Gold Glove guys.”
Yes, slick fielers, too. Olson won the American League’s Gold Glove at first base in 2019 and 2018 for the Orioles. Posey, Markakis, Wainwright and Heyward have won Gold Gloves. So have Twins center fielder Byron Buxton of Appling County and Astros right fielder Josh Reddick from South Effingham.
This is the third of three articles that will bear witness to Georgia's growing ascendancy in major professional team sports. Each will include an all-star team of active former Georgia high school players in the NFL, the NBA or major league baseball. The one for baseball is at the bottom of this article.
Georgia’s rise as a baseball power roughly corresponds to the rise of the Braves.
When the Braves came to Atlanta in 1966, only 11 Georgia players were in the majors, according to The Baseball Gauge. There were only 16 in 1991, when the Braves launched their streak of 14 division titles.
That’s when Georgia’s fortunes also seemed to change.
“The Braves’ success in the early ’90s going through that decade promoted baseball in the state,” Brown said. “Then you have the East Cobb Baseballs of the world from the travel ball-side and a lot of people moving to the area for baseball.”
By 1999, when Brown began coaching high school baseball, the number had nearly doubled to 32. By 2009, Parkview had three of its own in the majors — Jeff Keppinger, Jeff Francoeur and Clint Sammons.
In 2019, the number of Georgia players had reached 56, which ranked below only California, Texas and Florida nationwide. And that comes at a time when more and more spots are being filled by international players.
“The coolest thing about all these names [of Georgia players] is the amount of time they’ve spent together whether in travel ball or high school, playing with and against each other,” Brown said. “A lot of them have played in the Georgia Dugout Club tournaments. I’ve coached it for a long time, and it’s taken such a huge step in our state.”
Below is what a starting lineup from Georgia might look like. It includes backup players at each position.
C – Buster Posey (Lee County)
Posey’s 2019 season (.257-7-38) was the worst of his career, but the 33-year-old Hall of Fame candidate is a six-time All-Star with a lifetime .302 average. His defensive skills remain outstanding. If not just retired, Brian McCann would have a spot on the team. A Duluth graduate, McCann made seven All-Star teams. Backup: Tyler Flowers (Blessed Trinity)
1B – Matt Olson (Parkview)
Olson, a rising star with the Oakland A’s, hit 36 home runs and batted .267 in 2019. He’s averaging 40 home runs per 162 games in his three-season career. He’s won two Gold Gloves in the American League.
2B – Adam Frazier (Oconee County)
Frazier, 28, became a full-time starter in 2019 with the Pittsburgh Pirates and hit .278 with 10 homers. He’s an above-average defensive second baseman. Backups: Tim Beckham (Griffin)/Niko Goodrum (Fayette County)
Credit: Curtis Compton / AJC
Credit: Curtis Compton / AJC
SS – Dansby Swanson (Marietta)
The former No. 1 overall draft pick has been the Braves’ regular shortstop the past three seasons. Now 26, Swanson hit .251 with a career-high 17 homers last season. He’s considered an average defensive shortstop. Backups: Tim Beckham (Griffin)/Niko Goodrum (Fayette County)
3B – Michael Chavis (Sprayberry)
Chavis had a nice rookie season last year for the Boston Red Sox. He hit .254 with 18 homers in 347 at-bats. He played second and third base for the Red Sox, but he’s a natural third baseman, and that would be his position on this team. Georgia hasn’t produced a true full-time third baseman since Ray Knight of Albany in the 1980s. Backup: Gordon Beckham (Westminster)
LF – Austin Meadows (Grayson)
Meadows became a full-time starter for the first time last season and hit .291 with 33 homers and 89 RBI for the Rays. He made the American League All-Star team and finished 14th in the MVP voting. He’s considered an average defensive corner outfielder. Backup: Nick Markakis (Woodstock)
CF – Byron Buxton (Appling County)
Buxton, now 26, is a former No. 2 overall pick in the draft. Perhaps the fastest player in the major leagues, Buxton hit .262 with 10 homers and 30 doubles in 271 at-bats last season before crashing into the wall Aug. 1, shortening his season. He’s considered an exceptional defensive center fielder. He won a Gold Glove in 2017. Backup: Delino DeShields (Woodward Academy)
RF – Jason Heyward (Henry County), Dexter Fowler (Milton)
This is the deepest Georgia position by far. The Braves’ Nick Markakis and the Astros’ Josh Reddick wouldn’t rest easily on any bench. Meadows, also a right fielder, was moved to left field on this team while Charlie Blackmon is positioned as the designated hitter. That leaves Heyward, who had a typical season (.251-21-62) with the Chicago Cubs. He’s won four Gold Gloves. He bats left. Fowler, a switch-hitter, could platoon against left-handed pitching. He hit .238 with 19 homers last season for the St. Louis Cardinals. Backup: Josh Reddick (South Effingham
DH – Charlie Blackmon (North Gwinnett)
Blackmon, now 33, hit .314 with 32 home runs and 86 RBI for the Colorado Rockies last season. He won a batting title in 2017.
Georgia regulars (Click image to enlarge):
SP - Zack Wheeler (East Paulding), Brad Keller (Flowery Branch), Adam Wainwright (Glynn Academy), Dylan Cease (Milton), Collin McHugh (Providence Christian), Edwin Jackson (Shaw)
Georgia had three full-time starting pitchers in 2019 – Wheeler (11-8, 3.96 ERA) of the Philadelphia Phillies, Wainright (14-10, 4.19) of the St. Louis Cardinals and Keller (7-14, 4.19) of the Kansas City Royals. Keller, 24, is much better than his record, as his ERA was 13 percent better than the American League average. In fact, all three are better-than-average starters. Wainwright, now 38, is a former All-Star. Wheeler, formerly of the New York Mets, signed with the Phillies for $118 million over five years. The fourth starter might be Dylan Cease, who would’ve made the Chicago White Sox rotation this year. He had 14 starts as a rookie last season. McHugh peaked in 2015 with a 19-7 record and is now mostly a reliever with the Houston Astros. Jackson has 318 career starts but likely will pitch out of Arizona’s bullpen this year.
Closer – Will Smith (Northgate)
Smith, signed in the off-season by the Atlanta Braves, had 34 saves last season and made his first All-Star team.
Bullpen – Buck Farmer (Rockdale County), Cam Bedrosian (East Coweta), Lucas Sims (Brookwood), David Hale (Walker), J.B. Wendelken (South Effingham), Adam Morgan (Kell)
Farmer appeared in 73 games with the Detroit Tigers last year in his best season. Bedrosian appeared in 59 games for the Los Angeles Angels with a 1.141 WHIP. Hale, Wendelken and Morgan had solid seasons in 2019 and were projected to make their opening-day rosters. Morgan and the closer Smith would be the only lefties on the staff. Sims, a former first-round pick, is expected to make the Cincinnati Reds’ bullpen.
Georgia pitchers (Click image to enlarge):
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