Mr. Baseball 2025: Seth Hernandez

It may be one of the no-brainer picks of all-time for Corona High’s Seth Hernandez to be the 2025 Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year, but going back-to-back as the player of the year in the greatest state in the nation for baseball is a remarkable achievement. It’s only the third time ever that it’s happened, the first in about 30 years and the first time was for 1902 and 1903. Hernandez is expected to hear his name called early in two weeks in the first round of the MLB Draft.

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Here is a list of those from California who are in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame who also have been the state player of the year in high school:

Walter Johnson, Harry Heilmann, George Kelly, Joe Cronin, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Bobby Doerr, Bob Lemon, Frank Robinson, Don Drysdale, Robin Yount, Rickey Henderson.

None of those gentlemen, based on the extensive research conducted by late Cal-Hi Sports founder Nelson Tennis, were ever the state player of the year in high school more than once.

Today, we can’t compete with all of the p.r. machines behind all of the honors that Corona High’s Seth Hernandez has been getting in recent weeks, including Gatorade National Player of the Year. But we can add the historical impact that Hernandez has made in his two years starring for the Panthers. And with his selection as the 2025 Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year, he has made a lot of history.

Hernandez has become just the third ever two-time winner of the state’s top individual honor, which goes back in our archives to 1899. The first shown is Mead Hamilton of San Francisco Lowell for 1902 and 1903 (which was three years before the famous earthquake/fire). The only other one on the list is for 1995 and 1996 and that was Eric Chavez from Mt. Carmel of San Diego, who played in the majors from 1998 to 2014, mostly with the Oakland Athletics. He is a member of the Athletics’ Hall of Fame and currently serves as hitting coach/third base coach for the New York Mets.

“Seth is the best high school baseball player I’ve ever seen,” said Corona head coach Andy Wise upon learning of this year’s honor. “Obviously incredibly talented, but all the intangibles that come with him is what makes him special.

“He checks every possible positive box,” Wise continued telling Cal-Hi Sports. “What a treat for all of us in our program to have had Seth out there with us on a daily basis. A true blessing.”

Although Corona was not able to repeat as CIF Southern Section D1 champion (lost to St. John Bosco of Bellflower in the semifinals), Hernandez still had another dominant season for the Panthers. With a 100 mph fastball, he had 105 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings and gave up just three earned runs. Only two of the hits he allowed were for more than singles and both were doubles.

Many of the top high school player of the year candidates are hitters and pitchers, which clearly describes Seth as well. At Corona this season, he was second on the team in home runs with seven and he had a .300 batting average with 24 runs scored and 30 RBI.

Hernandez doesn’t have prolific career stats since he didn’t play high school baseball as a freshman and sophomore, his family instead having him home schooled. Still, over his two seasons with the Panthers he ended 18-1 as a pitcher with a 0.51 ERA plus 178 strikeouts in 109 1/3 innings.

It’s the pitching potential that has had Hernandez at or near the top of the various Class of 2025 MLB Draft boards since before last year. Unlike the NFL or NBA drafts, predicting the first round for baseball is not as easy. There are signability factors always in play, and there are some teams that just get reluctant to pick a high school pitcher that high. There is a lot of history of high school pitchers picked No. 1 that haven’t worked out.

When Hernandez was presented with his Gatorade national honor earlier this month, MLB.com reported him also as being the No. 2 overall high school prospect for this year’s MLB Draft, which will be held on July 14. An ESPN mock draft on June 18 had him going at No. 9 in the first round to the Cincinnati Reds.

Corona teammate Billy Carlson, a rangy infielder who pitched for the Panthers as well, also is projected to go quite high in the upcoming MLB Draft. He was No. 7 in the nation on the same list that Seth was No. 2 and the ESPN mock had him going right behind Hernandez at No. 10. There has also been the chance that Corona could make history with three in the first round, but in the mocks checked out this week Brady Ebel of the Panthers hasn’t been included that high. We will see.

As another sign as to how highly regarded Hernandez has become in the Southern California baseball world, he was recently voted as the CIFSS D1 player of the year, which almost always goes to the top player on the championship team.

MR. BASEBALL STATE PLAYERS
OF THE YEAR ALL-TIME LIST

(Selected by Cal-Hi Sports)

2025 – Seth Hernandez, Corona P-INF
2024 – Seth Hernandez, Corona P-INF (Jr.)
2023 – Trent Caraway, San Juan Capistrano JSerra 3B
2022 – Malcolm Moore, Sacramento McClatchy C
2021 – Marcelo Mayer, Chula Vista Eastlake SS
2020 – No selection (pandemic)
2019 – Keoni Cavaco, Chula Vista Eastlake P/3B
2018 – Joe Magrisi, San Diego Torrey Pines, P-OF
2017 – Hagen Danner, Huntington Beach P/C
2016 – Mickey Moniak,
Carlsbad La Costa Canyon OF
2015 – Joe DeMers,
Pleasant Hill College Park, P/INF
2014 – Brady Aiken,
San Diego Cathedral Catholic, P
2013 – Jack Flaherty, North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, P-3B (Jr.)
2012 – Ty Moore, Santa Ana Mater Dei, P-INF
2011 – Henry Owens, Huntington Beach Edison, P
2010 – Cory Hahn, Santa Ana Mater Dei, P-OF
2009 – Tyler Matzek, Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley, P-1B
2008 – Aaron Hicks, Long Beach Wilson OF-P
2007 – Mike Moustakas, Chatsworth INF
2006 – Tyler Robertson, Fair Oaks Bella Vista OF-P
2005 – John Drennen, San Diego Rancho Bernardo OF
2004 – Matt Bush, San Diego Mission Bay INF
2003 – Ian Stewart, Westminster La Quinta INF
2002 – Delmon Young, Camarillo OF (Jr.)
2001 – J.P. Howell, Carmichael Jesuit P
2000 – Mike Stodolka, Corona Centennial DH-P
1999 – Ryan Christianson, Riverside Arlington C
1998 – Sean Burroughs, Long Beach Wilson 3B
1997 – Jon Garland, Granada Hills Kennedy P
1996 – Eric Chavez, San Diego Mt. Carmel SS-P
1995 – Eric Chavez, San Diego Mt. Carmel SS-P (Jr.)
1994 – McKay Christensen, Fresno Clovis West OF
1993 – Derrek Lee, Sacramento El Camino OF
1992 – Jason Kendall, Torrance C
1991 – Dmitri Young, Oxnard Rio Mesa 3B
1990 – Mike Lieberthal, Westlake Village Westlake C
1989 – Todd Johnson, Fresno Bullard C-P
1988 – Scott Davison, Redondo Beach Redondo Union P-DH
1987 – Tom Redington, Anaheim Esperanza SS
1986 – Brian Johnson, Oakland Skyline C
1985 – Gregg Jefferies, San Mateo Serra SS
1984 – James Mitchell, El Cerrito OF
1983 – Kurt Stillwell, Thousand Oaks SS
1982 – Bret Saberhagen, Reseda Cleveland P
1981 – Lenny Dykstra, Garden Grove OF
1980 – Darryl Strawberry, Los Angeles Crenshaw OF
1979 – John Elway, Granada Hills OF
1978 – Lloyd Moseby, Oakland 1B
1977 – Craig Landis, Napa Vintage SS
1976 – Rickey Henderson, Oakland Technical OF
1975 – Carney Lansford, Santa Clara Wilcox SS
1974 – Lonnie Smith, Compton Centennial OF
1973 – Robin Yount, Woodland Hills Taft SS
1972 – Scott McGregor, El Segundo P
1971 – Keith Hernandez, San Bruno Capuchino 1B-Semipro
1970 – Terry Forster, Santee Santana P
1969 – Jeff Burroughs, Long Beach Wilson OF
1968 – Tim Foli, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame SS
1967 – Bill Buckner, Napa 1B
1966 – Kemer Brett, El Segundo P
1965 – Bob Boone, San Diego Crawford P
1964 – Willie Crawford, Los Angeles Fremont OF
1963 – Bob Tolan, Los Angeles Fremont P-OF
1962 – Rudy May, Oakland Castlemont P
1961 – Bob Bailey, Long Beach Wilson SS
1960 – Wade Blasingame, Fresno Roosevelt P
1959 – John Boccabella, Kentfield Marin Catholic 3B
1958 – Dick Ellsworth, Fresno P
1957 – Johnny Callison, East Bakersfield OF
1956 – Mike McCormick, Alhambra Keppel P
1955 – Deron Johnson, San Diego OF
1954 – Don Drysdale, Van Nuys P
1953 – Frank Robinson, Oakland McClymonds 3B
1952 – Jim Gentile, San Francisco Sacred Heart 1B
1951 – Ed Cereghino, Daly City Jefferson P
1950 – J.W. Porter, Oakland Technical C
1949 – Paul Pettit, Harbor City Narbonne P
1948 – Karl Olson, Mill Valley Tamalpais OF
1947 – Gus Triandos, San Francisco Mission C
1946 – Jim Baxes, San Francisco Mission 2B
1945 – Jack Harshman, San Diego 1B
1944 – Jackie Jensen, Oakland OF
1943 – Herb Gorman, San Francisco Balboa 1B
1942 – Charlie Silvera, San Francisco St. Ignatius SS
1941 – Bob Brown, San Francisco Galileo SS
1940 – Duane Pillette, San Diego P
1939 – Ferris Fain, Oakland Roosevelt 1B
1938 – Bob Lemon, Long Beach Wilson SS-P
1937 – Rugger Ardizoia, San Francisco Commerce P
1936 – Bobby Doerr, Los Angeles Fremont 2B (Pro)
1935 – Ted Williams, San Diego Hoover OF
1934 – Frankie Hawkins, San Francisco Sacred Heart SS
1933 – Chet Smith, San Diego P
1932 – Gordon Maltzberger, Colton P
1931 – Joe DiMaggio, San Francisco Galileo SS (Semi-pro)
1930 – Athos Sada, San Diego OF
1929 – Arleigh Williams, Oakland Technical C
1928 – Frank Dobranksy, San Diego P
1927 – Willard Hershberger, Fullerton C
1926 – Dick Bartell, Alameda SS
1925 – Louie Almada, Los Angeles P
1924 – Joe Cronin, San Francisco Sacred Heart SS
1923 – Gene Hollister, San Francisco Mission P
1922 – Walter Berger, San Francisco Mission 3B
1921 – Babe Herman, Glendale 1B
1920 – Bernie Viveiros, Oakland Technical 2B
1919 – Ren Kelly, San Francisco Poly P
1918 – Brick Muller, San Diego OF
1917 – Johnny Gillespie, Oakland Technical P
1916 – Ray Lorrigan, San Francisco Poly P
1915 – Frank Schellenback, Hollywood P
1914 – Bert Cole, San Francisco Lowell P
1913 – George Kelly, San Francisco Poly 3B
1912 – Harry Heilmann, San Francisco Sacred Heart SS
1911 – Will James, Oroville P
1910 – Eddie French, San Francisco Sacred Heart P
1909 – Babe Hollis, San Francisco Cogswell P
1908 – Oscar Vitt, San Francisco Wilmerding SS
1907 – Lloyd Burton, Alameda SS
1906 – Mowatt Mitchell, Los Angeles 1B
1905 – Walter Johnson, Fullerton P
1904 – James Schaeffer, Berkeley C
1903 – Mead Hamilton, San Francisco Lowell P
1902 – Mead Hamilton, San Francisco Lowell 2B
1901 – Heinie Heitmuller, San Francisco Lick 1B
1900 – Orvall Overall, Visalia 1B-Town team
1899 – Will Moreing, Stockton P

Note: Selections prior to 1978 made by our founder, the late Nelson Tennis, based on researching each season.

Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports