Mr. Baseball 2022: Malcolm Moore

The 2021 State Junior of the Year had an outstanding season behind the plate and at the plate as his team from McClatchy of Sacramento had one of its best seasons in school history. Moore is only the fourth player ever from the Capital City region to gain baseball’s state player of the year honor in more than 120 years.

For a rundown of the other State Players of the Year for baseball, CLICK HERE.

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It’s not always the key factor in determining the Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year, but in many years the highest selected high school player from California in the annual MLB Draft is also Mr. Baseball.

This summer, for the first time in many years, it won’t be known who will have been picked the highest because the MLB Draft is going to be held in conjunction with the All-Star Game in July instead of during the first week in June. Choosing the Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year can’t wait.

Still, we’re pretty sure about the talent that’s been displayed for the scouts and the high school season and career that was enjoyed by senior catcher Malcolm Moore from McClatchy High of Sacramento. He has now been named as the 2022 Cal-Hi Sports Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year.

Moore was tied for the reported state lead in home runs with 13. He also batted .500 with 51 RBI and 49 runs scored. For his four-year career, Moore’s career batting average almost matched his senior season at .476. He also wrapped with 27 homers, 39 doubles, 147 RBI and 136 runs scored.

It’s the team accomplishments that have always gotten the most attention from Malcolm and he had to have been excited from the start. With teammate pitcher and fellow senior Gabe Henderson also putting up strong totals, the Lions finished 29-5 and pushed themselves to the title game of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs. They lost in that game, 2-1, to Whitney of Rocklin and then lost in the semifinals of the CIF NorCal D2 playoffs to Archbishop Mitty of San Jose.

McClatchy has been No. 1 in the state before, but that was in 1951 and for most of its history has not been close to winning 29 games in a season. The Lions have had some well-known MLB players, including shortstop/manager Larry Bowa along with Nick Johnson, Dion James, Rowland Office and Vance Worley. Moore is their first-ever State Player of the Year.

The last player from Sacramento area of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section to be Mr. Baseball was David Robertson from Bella Vista of Fair Oaks in 2006. The only others have been J.P. Howell from Jesuit of Carmichael (2001) and Derrek Lee from El Camino of Sacramento (1993).

In some respects, Moore adding Mr. Baseball to honors he’s already gotten is not a surprise. He was recently named Gatorade State Player of the Year (which is an honor based on additional criteria than just what happened on the field and is usually chosen before a season is over) and he was the Gatorade pick as a junior as well. Last season, Malcolm was the State Junior Player of the Year but Mr. Baseball went to first-round MLB pick and a player who had a great senior season — Marcelo Mayer of Chula Vista Eastlake.

Among the other finalists recently announced for Mr. Baseball, the one that was the closest to unseating Moore’s favored position coming into the season was outfielder Henry Bolte of Palo Alto. Bolte also hit 13 homers and he had 57 runs scored and an amazing 48 steals for a Vikings team that went 26-7 and was a few spots higher than McClatchy in the final state rankings. Both Bolte and Moore have been seen in some evaluations as second-round or late first round picks in this year’s draft and both higher than any other high school players from the state. Moore has signed with Stanford, Bolte has signed with Texas.

“While we all marvel at Malcolm Moore’s amazing power as a hitter, he’s also an elite catcher,” McClatchy head coach Mike de Necochea said in a press release for the Gatorade honor. “He is an excellent receiver with a very strong and accurate arm. He’s our team captain and a great teammate who helps others around him to get better.”

Moore began the season with a bang as he went 4-for-4 with two homers and seven RBI in a win by the Lions over Inderkum of Sacramento. He also had a memorable week at the San Diego Lions tourney which included outings of 3-for-4 with five RBI vs Brawley, 2-for-4 vs Coronado and 2-for-4 with two homers and four RBI vs Ramona. In a NorCal D2 playoff game vs 27-3 Pleasant Valley of Chico, Malcolm went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Moore’s career is the contact he makes on just about every at-bat. In 134 at-bats as a senior, he only struck out eight times and walked 34 times. His career on-base percentage of .584 shows how effective he can be knowing the strike zone as a hitter.

Northern California baseball fans have missed Buster Posey catching and hitting for the San Francisco Giants this season. But perhaps there’s another Buster Posey type of player from Northern California coming up soon.

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

(Selected by Cal-Hi Sports)

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, Bakersfield East 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