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Why Derek Jeter is the best high school baseball player Mick McCabe covered in 50 years

Detroit Free Press longtime columnist Mick McCabe has seen them all in the last half century. The best of the best in Michigan high school sports during that time. Detroit Free Press

It was the spring of 1992 and the best high school baseball player in the country could be found in ... Kalamazoo.

Not Texas. Not California. Not Arizona. Not Florida. Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Seriously?

Over the last 50 years I’ve seen some terrific high school baseball players from this state — guys like John Smoltz, Steve Avery, D.J. LeMahieu, Drew Henson, J.J. Putz, Derek Lowe and I could go on.