Posted By Deputy Editor Mark Tennis  

It's not the hitting player of the year, the pitching player of the year or the fielding player of the year. It's the Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year by CalHiSports.com and for displaying some of the most dynamic skills of any player in Southern California for many years we are proud to announce today that Aaron Hicks from Wilson High of Long Beach has been chosen for California's highest individual prep baseball honor for the 2008 season.

This honor has been selected under the name Cal-Hi Sports or CalHiSports.com for nearly 30 years and the list of previous winners in the state record book extends back for more than 100 years. 

It would have been easy to choose Hicks if he had led Wilson to a second straight CIF Southern Section Division I title. That didn't happen, but he still did enough just barely to edge out Patriot High of Riverside's Kyle Skipworth and Norco's Matt Hobgood in our selection process. 

What stands out about Hicks is his speed, his hitting, his play as a centerfielder and this year the 6-2, 175-pounder became one of the best pitchers in the state as well. 

Even as a junior last year, when Wilson won the CIFSS Division I title and was No. 2 in the final FAB 50 national rankings, Hicks was arguably the team's most impressive player. He led the team in scoring with 46 runs, stole 44 of 45 bases, batted .370 and in the championship game against Canyon of Anaheim made a memorable diving catch in centerfield. 

This year as a senior, with much of the pitching from 2007 team gone due to graduation and due to an injury to returning standout Ray Henson, Hicks added pitching to his repertoire and was sensational to say the least.

Pro scouts in one game clocked his fastball at 97 mph and his curve was wicked as well. In his last league game against perennial power Lakewood, Hicks pitched a one-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts. He had eight strikeouts in a 4-2 win over Hart of Newhall in the playoffs and in the CIFSS Div. I title game he easily could have had a two-hit shutout against Simi Valley, but an unearned run helped create a 1-1 tie that became a 4-1 win for Simi Valley in extra innings.

For the season, Hicks ended 8-2 on the mound with a 1.16 ERA. He had 112 strikeouts in 72 innings.

Of course, pitching is not what made Hicks the 14th pick in the first-round of the recent Major League Baseball draft of amateur free agents. His speed in the field and on the bases combined with his ability to get on base made him one of the most talked about players nationally.

Another of those players and a player who went even higher than Hicks in the draft at No. 6 overall in the first round was Skipworth. The 6-4, 205-pound senior would have been a legit state player of the year pick over Hicks, especially with his power numbers (.543 average, 13 homers, 47 RBI) and his incredible state record 18-for-18 batting streak.

Skipworth's team, however, didn't win a section title, either. Hicks also played against slightly stronger competition, had a better overall high school career and there seemed to be just as much support for Hicks among pro scouts as for Skipworth.

"He's a great hitter, no doubt, and you can see why someone would draft him that high," said one scout about Skipworth, who didn't want to be named. "But Aaron Hicks is one of the best outfielders I've ever seen and he's one of the best base-runners I've ever seen."

Offensively, Hicks added another 37 steals this year to the 44 from last year. He scored 50 runs and batted .473 with 12 doubles, four homers and 23 RBI. As a leadoff hitter, his power numbers don't compare to other state player of the year candidates we considered, but in his first two playoff games he went 5-for-7 with five runs scored and two RBI. 

Skipworth and Hobgood, both from Riverside County, were not left out completely from state player of the year recognition. Skipworth has been named the State Medium Schools Player of the Year while Hobgood has been selected as the State Junior Player of the Year.

Hicks signed for college with USC, but is expected to sign with the Minnesota Twins, which is the MLB team that drafted him so high. 

"He plays the game so effortlessly,"said Twins scouting director Deron Johnson in a quote about Hicks from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "He can do it all. Plus arm. Plus runner. Raw power. Good outfielder. One of the best, if not the best, in the draft."

In being named State Player of the Year, Hicks joins a group of four previous honorees from Wilson. The list includes Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Lemon for 1938, the father-son combo of Jeff Burroughs for 1969 and Sean Burroughs for 1998 and Bob Bailey for 1961. 

The only school in the state to have had more state players of the year in baseball than Wilson is San Diego High with seven.