Utah's High School landscape in 2026 is one of the more talented and physically advanced groups we have evaluated in recent years. At the top sits a collection of proven performers who have built strong résumés through in-game production, Summer dominance, and consistent impact at Prep Baseball events. Several of these Upperclassmen enter the Spring as established leaders in their programs with the tools, track record, and presence to separate themselves in a major way.

As always, the Player of the Year race is fluid. Production matters. Winning matters. Big moments matter, and in a state as deep as Utah is right now, there are always a handful of players ready to make a jump.

In addition to our 5 Frontrunners, we have included 10 Contenders who have clear pathways to the award if things break right this Spring, along with 5 Darkhorses who have the talent to crash the conversation with breakout seasons.

Click HERE to register for upcoming Prep Baseball Utah events.

Stay tuned for continued preseason and in-season coverage including Daily Scores from around the state, updated rankings, and in depth player spotlights throughout the Spring!

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PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCHLIST

5 FRONTRUNNERS FOR UTAH's PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

PLAYERS	HIGH SCHOOL	POS	COMMITMENT
Cooper Goff	Mountain Ridge	OF	TCU
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Cooper Goff Class of 2027 / OF Rankings  StateRank: 1 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 72 / POS: 18 Player Information Graduating Class: 2027 Primary Position: OF High School: Mountain Ridge State: UT Summer Team: Wow factor national Height: 6-1 Weight: 179lbs Bat/Throw: L/R

McCoy Johnson	Alta	OF	Army West Point
Click to view MORE View Full Profile McCoy Johnson Class of 2026 / OF Rankings  StateRank: 5 / POS: 1 Player Information Graduating Class: 2026 Primary Position: OF Secondary Position: RHP High School: Alta State: UT Summer Team: Canes West/RA White Height: 6-1 Weight: 180lbs Bat/Throw: L/R

Cache Poulson	American Fork	C	BYU
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Cache Poulson Class of 2026 / C Rankings  StateRank: 3 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 466 / POS: 33 Player Information Graduating Class: 2026 Primary Position: C High School: American Fork State: UT Summer Team: Trosky/Milwaukee Brewers Scout Team 2026 Height: 6-0 Weight: 188lbs Bat/Throw: R/R

Harmon Skeen	Desert Hills	SS	Air Force
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Harmon Skeen Class of 2026 / SS Rankings  StateRank: 2 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 465 / POS: 112 Player Information Graduating Class: 2026 Primary Position: SS Secondary Position: RHP High School: Desert Hills State: UT Summer Team: CBA Victus National Height: 6-5 Weight: 227.7lbs Bat/Throw: R/R

Nathan Horstmann	Corner Canyon	SS	Utah Valley
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Nathan Horstmann Class of 2026 / SS Rankings  StateRank: 4 / POS: 2 Player Information Graduating Class: 2026 Primary Position: SS Secondary Position: 3B High School: Corner Canyon State: UT Summer Team: Canes MW National ‘26 Height: 6-0 Weight: 192.5lbs Bat/Throw: R/R

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POTY CONTENDERS

5 NAMES WITH A CLEAR PATH TO THE AWARD

PLAYERS	HIGH SCHOOL	POS	COMMITMENT
Carson Hunt	Dixie	RHP/1B	-
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Carson Hunt Class of 2027 / 1B Rankings  StateRank: 12 / POS: 1 Player Information Graduating Class: 2027 Primary Position: 1B Secondary Position: RHP High School: Dixie State: UT Summer Team: GBG St George Height: 6-5 Weight: 227lbs Bat/Throw: L/R

Miles Robinson	Skyridge	OF	Cal State Northridge
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Miles Robinson Class of 2026 / OF Rankings  StateRank: 8 / POS: 2 Player Information Graduating Class: 2026 Primary Position: OF Secondary Position: 3B High School: Skyridge State: UT Summer Team: Mountain West Baseball Academy Height: 6-1 Weight: 178.1lbs Bat/Throw: L/R

Trey Vaughn	Snow Canyon	RHP/OF	Utah State Univ. Eastern
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Trey Vaughn Class of 2026 / OF Rankings  StateRank: 16 / POS: 4 Player Information Graduating Class: 2026 Primary Position: OF Secondary Position: RHP High School: Snow Canyon State: UT Summer Team: CBA Summit 2026 Height: 6-1 Weight: 195lbs Bat/Throw: R/R

Keaton Nordick	Pleasant Grove	RHP	BYU
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Keaton Nordick Class of 2026 / RHP Rankings  StateRank: 7 / POS: 2 Player Information Graduating Class: 2026 Primary Position: RHP High School: Pleasant Grove State: UT Summer Team: MBA 2026 Height: 6-2 Weight: lbs Bat/Throw: R/R

Pratt Morley	Spanish Fork	RHP/SS	BYU
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Pratt Morley Class of 2027 / RHP Rankings  StateRank: 2 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 242 / POS: 71 Player Information Graduating Class: 2027 Primary Position: RHP Secondary Position: SS High School: Spanish Fork State: UT Summer Team: Mountain West Baseball Academy-Navy Height: 6-2 Weight: 205lbs Bat/Throw: R/R

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POTY CONTENDERS

5 MORE NAMES WITH A CLEAR PATH TO THE AWARD

PLAYERS	HIGH SCHOOL	POS	COMMITMENT
Bode Gaggero	American Fork	SS	SLCC
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Bode Gaggero Class of 2026 / SS Rankings  StateRank: 6 / POS: 3 Player Information Graduating Class: 2026 Primary Position: SS Secondary Position: 2B High School: American Fork State: UT Height: 6-0 Weight: 180lbs Bat/Throw: L/R

Jeremiah Hall	Maple Mountain	RHP/SS	-
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Jeremiah Hall Class of 2028 / SS Rankings  StateRank: 1 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 11 / POS: 3 Player Information Graduating Class: 2028 Primary Position: SS Secondary Position: RHP High School: Maple Mountain State: UT Summer Team: USA Prime National Height: 6-2 Weight: 200.2lbs Bat/Throw: R/R

Ripken Roberts	Skyridge	RHP/SS	Nicholls State
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Ripken Roberts Class of 2026 / SS Rankings  StateRank: 11 / POS: 5 Player Information Graduating Class: 2026 Primary Position: SS Secondary Position: 3B High School: Skyridge State: UT Summer Team: Mountain West Height: 6-2 Weight: 182.8lbs Bat/Throw: R/R

Mason Henry	Pleasant Grove	RHP	Arizona State
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Mason Henry Class of 2026 / RHP Rankings  StateRank: 1 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 377 / POS: 135 Player Information Graduating Class: 2026 Primary Position: RHP Secondary Position: 1B High School: Pleasant Grove State: UT Summer Team: Ohio warhawks Height: 6-8 Weight: 229.3lbs Bat/Throw: R/R

Nixon Warren	Spanish Fork	OF	BYU
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Nixon Warren Class of 2027 / OF Rankings  StateRank: 5 / POS: 2 OverallRank: 248 / POS: 49 Player Information Graduating Class: 2027 Primary Position: OF Secondary Position: LHP High School: Spanish Fork State: UT Summer Team: Brewers scout team/trosky Height: 6-0 Weight: 166.7lbs Bat/Throw: R/L

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DARKHORSES

5 PLAYERS THAT WITH A BIG SPRING COULD THROW THEIR NAMES INTO THE POTY CONVERSATION

PLAYERS	HIGH SCHOOL	POS	COMMITMENT
Ricardo Navarro	Crimson Cliffs	RHP/UTIL	Northeastern
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Ricardo Navarro Class of 2026 / SS Rankings  StateRank: 9 / POS: 4 Player Information Graduating Class: 2026 Primary Position: SS Secondary Position: 3B High School: Crimson Cliffs State: UT Summer Team: CBA summit 2026 Height: 5-7 Weight: 172lbs Bat/Throw: R/R

Austin Brown	Wasatch	OF	-
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Austin Brown Class of 2028 / OF Rankings  StateRank: 2 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 26 / POS: 10 Player Information Graduating Class: 2028 Primary Position: OF Secondary Position: 1B High School: Wasatch State: UT Summer Team: Artillery Baseball Height: 6-2 Weight: 222lbs Bat/Throw: L/L

Kaleb Weaver	Davis	OF	College of Southern Idaho
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Kaleb Weaver Class of 2026 / RHP Rankings  StateRank: 14 / POS: 4 Player Information Graduating Class: 2026 Primary Position: RHP Secondary Position: 3B High School: Davis State: UT Summer Team: Mountain West Baseball Academy Height: 6-3 Weight: 195.3lbs Bat/Throw: R/R

Jake Welch	Lehi	SS	-
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Jake Welch Class of 2028 / SS Rankings  StateRank: 4 / POS: 2 OverallRank: 141 / POS: 41 Player Information Graduating Class: 2028 Primary Position: SS Secondary Position: 2B High School: Lehi State: UT Summer Team: USA PRIME 16u NATIONAL Height: 5-11 Weight: 169lbs Bat/Throw: R/R

Beckham Stanger	Woods Cross	RHP	Utah
Click to view MORE View Full Profile Beckham Stanger Class of 2026 / RHP Rankings  StateRank: 10 / POS: 3 Player Information Graduating Class: 2026 Primary Position: RHP Secondary Position: 1B High School: Woods Cross State: UT Summer Team: East Cobb Astros 17u Height: 6-4 Weight: 205lbs Bat/Throw: R/R

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Upcoming Events

Showcase	State	Date	Location
Northern Utah Rising Stars ID	UT	04/01	West Field HS - Taylor, UT
St. George Rising Stars ID	UT	04/18	Crimson Cliffs - St. George, UT
Salt Lake Rising Stars ID	UT	04/25	Riverton HS - Salt Lake City, UT
2026 Four Corners ProCase (Invite-Only)	UT	06/02	Grand Canyon University - Phoenix, AZ
Utah Rising Stars Games (Invite-Only)	UT	06/04	Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake Summer ID	UT	06/23	University of Utah - Salt Lake City, UT
Utah Top Prospect Games (Invite-Only)	UT	07/13	BYU (Miller Park) - Provo, UT

View Past Events