2023 Diamond Prospect Media Player of the Year
This year we will be announcing our 2nd annual Diamond Prospect Media Player of the Year Award for the 2023 high school season on Friday, May 5th, 2023. This award encompasses a player who has not only had an outstanding year personally, but has elevated their team throughout the year and put them in a great position heading into the playoffs. The 12 players nominated with their stats will be listed under the rules of the award selection on Monday, May 1st.
Award Rules and Selection
The Diamond Prospect Media Player of the Year award will be decided by three different aspects which will be voted on. Below are the parameters of the final decision:
-Fan Vote: On Tuesday (May 2nd) at 10AM our Twitter account (@DiamondProMedia) will have a 3 part vote (12 players total) which will go for 24 hours. At the conclusion of each vote, we will then select the top 3 from each along with a “wild card” (whoever receives the most votes outside of the top 3) from each and put them in a Final Four Vote which will begin at 5PM Wednesday night (May 3rd) and go for 24 hours. Whoever wins the Final Four Vote will win the Fan Vote.
Twitter Vote Update on 05/03/2023
The Final Four Fan Vote will be decided on by the following four players:
-2023 RHP/MIF Landen Maroudis of Calvary Christian HS, FL
-2023 IF Braden Holcomb of Foundation Academy, FL
-2023 RHP/IF Christian Rodriguez of Stoneman Douglas HS, FL
-2023 IF Jack Kuzmicki of Oak Hall HS, FL
Twitter Vote Update on 05/04/2023
Final Four Fan Vote Winner:
2023 IF Braden Holcomb of Foundation Academy, FL wins the Fan Vote
*In the event of a tie for the Final Four Vote (two receive the same overall percentage and are within that percentage point of each other) there will be a Vote Off between the two that will begin within an hour of the initial Final Four Vote ending. For example, if two nominees both receive 32% of the vote but one is 32.8% and one is 32.2% it will go to the Vote Off. If one is 33% and the other is 32%, the one with 33% will win.
-DPM Staff: The scouting staff of DPM (outside of the Scouting Director) will vote amongst themselves and come up with a pick from the 12 players nominated.
DPM Staff Pick 05/05/2023: 2023 RHP/1B Christian Rodriguez of Stoneman Douglas HS, FL is the staff pick for “DPM Player of the Year.” The Florida commit pitched to a minuscule 0.74 ERA over 47 innings and racked up 90 Ks. With a fastball that tops off at 95 mph, a slider that sits between 78-80 mph, and a plus changeup in the upper 70s. Most notably, he was lights out with 13 strikeouts en route to a no-hitter against Naples earlier on in the year. At the plate, he posted a 1.058 OPS with 4 HRs and 11 RBI. Rodriguez has been front and center for what has been a historic season for his school (currently undefeated). Most recently, Rodriguez was instrumental in Douglas’ 11th straight District Championship with a 12-2 win over Boca Raton. He contributed two hits (one of which was a HR) and three RBI. The sky's the limit for Rodriguez as he is sure to make an impact at the next level. He could be in line to hear his name called this summer at the 2023 MLB Draft.
-Scouting Director: Mike Maerz will turn in a pick as well from the 12 players nominated.
Scouting Director Pick 05/05/2023: Like the Final Four Vote on Twitter, this one was an extremely tough call as many of these nominees had seasons that were nothing short of spectacular. My back and forth came between Landen Maroudis and Braden Holcomb, knowing that both were more than worthy to win the award. Ultimately I went with Holcomb as his his presence in the lineup was too much to ignore.
While the 10 home runs, plus .500 batting average, plus .600 on-base percentage, all come together for a real difference maker, it’s that teams didn’t even want to take the chance of him hurting them with one swing of the bat. One of the numbers that really stood out was the 1.720 OPS he put up during the season. Teams pitched around him consistently but when he got his chance he made them pay for it.
The Vanderbilt commit has been a strong MLB Draft follow all throughout the spring and there’s a reason he commands the respect at the plate. His physical frame coupled with above average athleticism makes him a nightmare for any opposing team. Expect to hear plenty more in the future for Braden Holcomb.
*The winner will be decided by having 2 of the same picks from the 3 areas listed above. If all three are different, then the tiebreaker will be the leading vote getter of the Final Four Fan Vote to determine the winner.
Diamond Prospect Media Player of the Year Award Nominees:
2023 RHP/IF Christian Rodriguez (Stoneman Douglas HS, FL)
90 Ks in 47.1 IP/0.74 ERA/9-0
.310 BA/.437 OBP/4 HRs/6 2Bs
2023 RHP/IF Landen Maroudis (Calvary Christian, FL)
59 Ks in 39.1 IP/2.85 ERA/6-1
.400 BA/.528 OBP/3 HRs/19 RBI
2023 IF/RHP Jack Kuzmicki (Oak Hall HS, FL)
.593 BA/.654 OBP/43 RBI
1.654 OPS/9 2Bs
2023 OF/LHP Wes Mendes (Jesuit HS, FL)
.430 BA/.526 OBP/26 RBI
4 HRs/6 2Bs
2023 1B/OF Collin Priest (Mount Dora Christian Academy, FL)
.409 BA/.598 OBP/1.492 OPS
10 HRs/24 RBI
2024 RHP Dylan Ziels (Marathon HS, FL)
123 Ks in 54.1 IP/1.93 ERA/6-2
2023 OF/C Nathanael Coupet (North Broward Prep, FL)
.438 BA/.522 OBP/34 RBI
1.385 OPS/7 HRs/8 2Bs
2023 IF Braden Holcomb (Foundation Academy, FL)
.517 BA/.620 OBP/23 RBI
1.720 OPS/10 HRs/5 2Bs
2023 MIF Arjun Nimmala (Strawberry Crest HS, FL)
.478 BA/.578 OBP/27 RBI
1.504 OPS/6 HRs/6 2Bs
2023 IF Tate Sanders (Escambia HS, FL)
.578 BA/.690 OBP/22 RBI
1.487 OPS/8 2Bs/2 HRs
2023 RHP/IF Liam Peterson (Calvary Christian, FL)
.507 BA/.580 OBP/36 RBI
46 Ks in 25 IP/2.52 ERA
2023 IF Cooper Jones (North Marion HS, FL)
.427 BA/.527 OBP/27 RBI
1.514 OPS/12 HRs/6 2Bs
