For the past three years, the St. Louis American has honored the best and brightest players on the baseball diamond with its All-Area Baseball Team. The team is headed by Player of the Year Derrick Phillips of Westminster Christian, who was a 34th round draft pick of the Washington Nationals in the recent Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
Here are the members of the 2008 St. Louis American All-Area Baseball Team along with brief summaries.
First Base: James Latimore (Gateway Tech): One of the top hitters in the metro area, Latimore led the Jaguars to the Public High League title. He finished the year with a robust .745 batting average with four home runs and 36 runs batted in. He also had 31 stolen bases.
Second Base: Aaron Lee (Hazelwood East): An All-Suburban East selection, Lee was the top performer for the Spartans. He finished the season with a .441 batting average, 19 runs batted in and 13 stolen bases without being caught.
Shortstop: David Owens (McCluer): The All-Suburban North Conference selection was the Comets’ top performer with a batting average of .441 with three homers and 24 RBIs. He also sported a slugging percentage of .647.
Third Base: T.J. Peyton (Hazelwood East): An All-Suburban North Conference selection, Peyton was sixth in the league in hitting with a .438 batting average. He was also an excellent base stealer with 12 thefts without being thrown out.
Outfield: Derrick Phillips (Westmister Christian): The 2008 St. Louis American Player of the Year, the 6’2” 215-pound Phillips led Westminster to a 21-6 record and a district title. A three-year starter, Philips had a .425 batting average with seven homers and 35 RBIs and an .850 slugging percentage. Phillips also had a rifle of a throwing arm from center field. He was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the recent Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
Outfield: Trey Massenburg (Lutheran North): An All-ABC League selection, Massenburg was a talented lead-off hitter for the Crusaders. Massenburg hit .443 with three homers, 15 RBIs and a team-high 21 stolen bases.
Outfield: Travion Ambrus (Metro): The speedy junior outfielder led the Panthers to a share of the Public High League title after hitting .600 with one homer, 17 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.
Catcher: Jearoyd Blackwell (McCluer South-Berkeley): A beefy backstop at 6’2” and 255 pounds, Blackwell earned All-Suburban East Conference honors after hitting .370 as a junior.
Pitcher: Zack Smith (Fort Zumwalt South): The talented senior was the Bulldogs’ top pitcher in 2008 with a 4-0 record and a 1.05 earned run averaged. He struck out 41 batters while walking only 12.