Five locals ranked among MaxPreps' top 100 baseball players

Five Tampa Bay athletes are among MaxPreps’ top 100 baseball players in the country, according to rankings released late last week.

Gaither INF Oscar Mercado led the locals as the site’s No. 9 overall prospect. The Florida State commit batted .370 as a junior and knocked in 29 runs.

King right-hander and Florida commit Brett Morales was No. 22 after posting a 0.99 ERA as a junior. Wharton’s SS Tucker Neuhaus, a Louisville commit, was No. 81, followed immediately by Durant star and UF recruit Tyler Danish.

Hernando INF and UF recruit Christian Arroyo was the site’s No. 91 prospect after earning MVP honors at a U-18 world baseball championship in Korea over the summer.

Florida trailed only California by producing 15 players on the list.

Full disclosure: I gave MaxPreps a quote on Arroyo.

Teams in post

• Durant High School
• Gaither High School
• Hernando High School
• Wharton High School