2026 Preseason Player of the Year Candidates: Utah
February 28, 2026
Taylor Berg
Utah Scouting Director
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!
PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCHLIST
5 FRONTRUNNERS FOR UTAH's PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD
| Cooper Goff |
Mountain Ridge |
OF |
TCU |
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| McCoy Johnson |
Alta |
OF |
Army West Point |
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| Cache Poulson |
American Fork |
C |
BYU |
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| Harmon Skeen |
Desert Hills |
SS |
Air Force |
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| Nathan Horstmann |
Corner Canyon |
SS |
Utah Valley |
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POTY CONTENDERS
5 NAMES WITH A CLEAR PATH TO THE AWARD
| Carson Hunt |
Dixie |
RHP/1B |
- |
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| Miles Robinson |
Skyridge |
OF |
Cal State Northridge |
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|
| Trey Vaughn |
Snow Canyon |
RHP/OF |
Utah State Univ. Eastern |
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|
| Keaton Nordick |
Pleasant Grove |
RHP |
BYU |
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| Pratt Morley |
Spanish Fork |
RHP/SS |
BYU |
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POTY CONTENDERS
5 MORE NAMES WITH A CLEAR PATH TO THE AWARD
| Bode Gaggero |
American Fork |
SS |
SLCC |
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| Jeremiah Hall |
Maple Mountain |
RHP/SS |
- |
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| Ripken Roberts |
Skyridge |
RHP/SS |
Nicholls State |
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|
| Mason Henry |
Pleasant Grove |
RHP |
Arizona State |
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| Nixon Warren |
Spanish Fork |
OF |
BYU |
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DARKHORSES
5 PLAYERS THAT WITH A BIG SPRING COULD THROW THEIR NAMES INTO THE POTY CONVERSATION
| Ricardo Navarro |
Crimson Cliffs |
RHP/UTIL |
Northeastern |
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| Austin Brown |
Wasatch |
OF |
- |
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| Kaleb Weaver |
Davis |
OF |
College of Southern Idaho |
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| Jake Welch |
Lehi |
SS |
- |
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| Beckham Stanger |
Woods Cross |
RHP |
Utah |
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|
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