Top 20 pitchers in the 2022 Washington high school baseball season: Who had the most impactful arm?

A pair of MLB Draft prospects, a junior gunning down Blake Snell's strikeouts record: Who were the 20 most impactful arms in Washington high school baseball in 2021-22?

Whether an MLB Draft prospect, a Division I commit, or a flat-out great high school hurler, there are hundreds of standout pitchers across the state of Washington, spanning all classifications and corners. Which arms rose above the pack?

As the first full WIAA high school baseball season in three years in Washington nears its end, SBLive is taking a look at the top performers across 2022 spring sports seasons. 

This list was based heavily on a combination of impact during the season, team success, scout assessment and conversations with coaches. For 12 of these pitchers, their respective seasons continue in the state semifinals and finals on Friday and Saturday.

Here are the 20 (OK ... 21) most impactful pitchers in the state in 2021-22. Names are in alphabetical order:

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COLTON ANARDI, Auburn, RHP, sr.

The North Puget Sound League's MVP delivered in Auburn's biggest moments. He went 5-0 with 0.80 ERA and 44 strikes while giving up just seven walks on the season in 52 2/3 innings pitched. He gave Bishop Blanchet three shutout innings in a 7-6 playoff win that went nine innings, threw a complete game shutout in league play and helped the Trojans on offense, too.

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SAM BOYLE, Columbia River, LHP, sr.

Sam Boyle, Columbia River 2022 pitcher

Last year, the left-handed Washington signee shoved with blurringly-high velocity, sometimes at the expense of command. As a senior? He's lived in the strike zone. He went 8-0 in 48 innings with 99 strikeouts and a 0.58 ERA opposite 17 hits, five walks and four earned runs. In a 2A regional playoff start, his 14 strikeouts helped the Rapids through to the state semis.

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ADAM BROOKS, Puyallup, LHP, sr.

 

Brooks is pictured pitching during a start in the 2021 season. He has emerged as Puyallup's top arm in 2022 and was named first team all-4A South Puget Sound League as a senior / Photo by Lauren Smith, The News Tribune

Puyallup's No. 1 arm on a loaded pitching staff racked up 62 strikeouts and a 1.24 ERA with 12 walks and 28 hits allowed in 45 innings. The senior lefty has a penchant for strikes and will bring his mid-80s velocity and three-pitch mix to Northwest Nazarene. On a deep Vikings pitching staff that also includes Wyatt Jones (Tacoma CC), whose fastball was touching 93 before undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer, Seattle U-bound lefty Bret Ellingson and freshman Oregon State commit Mason Pike.

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JACKSON COX, Toutle Lake, RHP, sr.

Photo by Andy Buhler

Thought Cox, a projected high-round MLB Draft pick in June, was done after a regular season in which he was 5-0 without an earned run and only gave up one walk? The Oregon signee sent the Ducks to the 2B semifinals by throwing his second no-hitter of the season. 

• Toutle Lake pitcher Jackson Cox, a high-round MLB Draft prospect, has become appointment viewing

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GRANT CUNNINGHAM, Seattle Prep, RHP, sr.

Amazing opportunity to compete against Bellarmine Prep at Cheney Stadium! #rollprep #pboe
7IP, 0R, 1H, 0BB, 12Ks
@SeaPrepBaseball @CoachCribby pic.twitter.com/xG77q4AKvt

— Grant Cunningham (@grantzilla206) April 15, 2022

First team all-Metro League selection posted a 1.32 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP in 52.2 innings, flashing a sfastball in the low-90s and a tight slider. The Washington signee helped lead the Panthers to a 15-9 season. Maybe his best game of the year? A 77-pitch no-hitter with eight strikeouts against Garfield April 25.

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TABER FAST, Olympia, LHP, sr.

The 6-foot-2 Texas Tech pledge has proved himself as a more-than-formidable arm in his first season on the bump for the Bears. He struck out seven in a strong 4 2/3 inning start to beat 2-seed Puyallup in the district title, then fanned nine in a two-hit shutout of Issaquah in the 4A quarterfinals last weekend. The lefty's fastball touches low-90s, his off-speed pitches keep batters in check and his command makes him hard to touch on the high school stage.

JUSTIN FELD, Cedar Park Christian, RHP, sr.

Photo by Madilyn Carrol, Cedar Park Christian

In 1A favorite Cedar Park Christian's commanding pitching duo, there is little separation when comparing stats. Feld, a senior Tacoma CC commit, has bloomed later in his high school career after overcoming an injury. He went 8-0 for a .151 ERA and 94 strikeouts, 14 walks and one earned run allowed in 46.1 innings pitched entering the regional round, highlighted by a 14-strikeouts performance in a five-inning start.

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PAYTON GRAHAM, Kamiakin, RHP, sr.

Everybody in the Mid-Columbia Conference knew Payton Graham's name after his dominant league-MVP-caliber junior season. He made a name for himself as a combination receiver/quarterback/defensive back/return specialist for Kamiakin's state semifinalist football team in the fall, and that do-it-all tag carries into baseball. The Gonzaga signee was one of the MCC's top offensive players as a senior. 

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SPENCER GREEN, Richland, RHP, jr. 

In 29.2 innings, the Bombers' second starter posted a 4-0 record with 0.944 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 21 walks — and a save. The right-hander and Oregon State commit "could be the most talented pitcher of the state," head coach Grant Richardson said of the junior whose fastball reaches 90 miles per hour. "When he's on, he's un-hittable."

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MILES GOZSTOLA, West Seattle, LHP, jr.

Photo by Porter Hammer

After a strong first varsity season as a sophomore, Gosztola entered his junior year committed to Gonzaga and determined to back it up. The Metro League MVP did just that, emerging as one of the state's top pitchers. He led the Wildcats to a Metro League title and the No. 1 overall seed in the Class 3A state tournament, dealing 115 strikeouts in 62 innings pitched. "I don't know what to say," West Seattle coach Dylan McLaughlin said. "It's literally like watching video games. Kid is unreal." 

—

RYLAN HAIDER, Olympia, RHP, sr.

The Bears might have the top pitching rotation in the state and Haider's the ace. In a talent-laden 4A South Puget Sound League, the Washington State-bound right-hander won league MVP. To do it, Haider posted a 7-1 record with 54 strikeouts in 48.2 innings and a .719 ERA. 

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KALE HAMMER, Snohomish, LHP, jr.

Photo by Tina Hale, Tomahawk Baseball

How's this for a junior season? The left-handed Gonzaga commit didn't give up an earned run, going 7-0 with 84 strikeouts while giving up 13 hits and 19 walks. "Incredible," Snohomish coach Nick Hammond said of Hammer, the 3A Wesco North MVP. "He took his game to a level that none of us were expecting."

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JORDAN HANSON, Tumwater, RHP, sr.

Set the single-game Tumwater strikeouts record with 17 against Black Hills, then his teammate, Ryan Orr, tied it (twice). The right-handed UNLV commit is big, tall — 6-foot-6 — and pounds the strike zone with a low-90s fastball. 

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BJORN JOHNSON, Lincoln (Seattle), LHP, jr.

Johnson impressed for Lincoln of Seattle as a junior, flashing a high-80s fastball and a breaking ball. His performances at showcase events in the south must have turned plenty of heads. Johnson committed to Auburn on May 22. "He's a super good lefty," one opposing coach said, "he's got good command, three pitches whenever he wants, pounds the zone, extremely competitive and he knows how to pitch really well."

—

BRYCE JOHNSON, Eastlake, RHP, jr.

Went 6-1 in 10 appearances with a 1.73 ERA, 36 strikeouts opposite 17 walks, leading Eastlake to the 4A state regional quarterfinals with a fastball that reaches 90 and stellar command, earning him 4A KingCo first team all-league recognition by coaches. "He's as good a No. 1 (pitcher) as there is," one coach said.

—

LEYTON LIND, Kennewick, LHP, soph. 

5 scoreless IP for #uncommitted ‘24 @LeytonLind4 (Kennewick) tonight

Wiry frame. Athletic mover down the mound. Controls the zone well with a steady 3 pitch mix. Very poised w/ a mature demeanor pic.twitter.com/6dqv1wNkIW

— Prep Baseball Washington (@PrepBaseballWA) April 23, 2022

Kennewick made a surprise run to win a Mid-Columbia Conference championship and reach the 3A state semifinals and Lind helped chop down some of the toughest tests on the schedule — Walla Walla, Richland and Kamiakin — to get there. As a sophomore, his command is staggering. He drops a sinking curveball for strikes and his fastball sits in the lower-to-mid 80s. Lind's dominant season (5-0, 1.34 ERA, 31.1 innings pitched) turned the heads of MCC coaches, who voted him league pitcher of the year.

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CHRIS MCCLEAN, Cedar Park Christian, RHP, sr.

Photo by Madilyn Caroll, Cedar Park Christian

There's pitching, then there's shoving. McClean has been utterly dominant as a senior and a big reason Cedar Park Christian is No. 1. He went 7-1 in his first eight starts with a 0.522 ERA, 107 strikeouts, 16 walks and four earned runs in 53.2 innings pitched, including a 19-strikeout game against Sultan. McClean, along with senior Tacoma CC commit Justin Feld have the Eagles looking like 1A state title favorites.

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RYAN ORR, Tumwater, RHP, sr.

Photo by Andy Buhler

What makes an Orr start appoint viewing? His aggressive style of pitching. "I just try to go after kids," he said. The Washington State signee has struck out 85 batters on the season with a 1.2 ERA and 21 walks. When teammate Jordan Hanson set the program single-game strike record early in the season (17), Orr had to go out and match it — twice.

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JR RITCHIE, Bainbridge, RHP, sr.

Ritchie warms up before a district tournament game against Bonney Lake / Photo by Todd Milles

He's the state's top MLB Draft prospect and his name has appeared as high as the first round in 2022 mock drafts. As a senior, Ritchie showed why. The UCLA signee led Bainbridge to a 16-3 record, tossing 74 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings pitched while allowing 12 hits, three walks and two earned runs. 

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FELIX SCHLEDE, West Seattle, RHP, sr.

Photo by Porter Hammer

Schlede is amid a dominant senior season. On a top-seeded West Seattle team. with five arms that can throw 85 miles per hour or above, he stands out getting off the bus at 6-foot-7, 230 pounds. And he backs it up on the mound, throwing a fastball that sits around 92-94 miles per hour, a much-honed command of the strike zone and a slider that Wildcats coach Dylan McLaughlin calls a "devastating pitch."

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ISAAC YEAGER, Bishop Blanchet, RHP, sr.

He was Bishop Blanchet's day one starter and standout first baseman who led the team to a third place Metro League finish and Class 3A state tournament appearance. Yeager, a Washington signee and hulking presence on the mound at 6-foot-6, was a second team all-Metro League selection struck out 55 in 49 innings with a 2.3 ERA.

MORE STANDOUTS

Tyler Alm, Mt. Spokane; Tyler Boden, University; Brendan Bowyer, Skyview; Jake Bresnahan, Sumner; Austin Cupic, Mercer Island; Noah Deese, South Kitsap; Ambrose Driver, Kennewick; Cameron Kallsen, Richland; Colton Kennedy, Lake Washington; Kennewick; Max Fraser, Camas; Garrett Hagy, Ephrata; Hunter Grasser, Puyallup; Zach Hauser, Battle Ground; Aaron Herst, Garfield; Carson Janke, Moses Lake; Tyler Logan, Curtis; Sax Matson, Olympia; Connor Mendez, Chiawana; Elias Oster, Liberty (Issaquah); Joey Pearson, Richland; Blake Smith, Tumwater; Casey Struckmeier, Columbia River; Lane Simonsen, Lynden.