2026 Diamond Prospect Media Player of the Year Award

This year we will be announcing our 5th annual Diamond Prospect Media Player of the Year Award for the 2026 high school season on Tuesday, May 5th, 2026. Past winners have included IF/RHP Joey Lawson of Bishop Verot HS in 2025, RHP Chase Mobley of Durant HS in 2024, IF Braden Holcomb of Foundation Academy in 2023, and RHP Caden McDonald of Sickles HS in 2022. This award encompasses a player who has not only had an outstanding year personally, but helped elevate their team throughout the regular season. The 12 players nominated with their stats will be listed at the bottom of this article following the Award Rules and Selection details.

Award Rules and Selection 

The Diamond Prospect Media Player of the Year award will be decided by three different aspects which will be voted on. Below are the parameters of the final decision:

-Fan Vote: On Wednesday, April 29th at 9AM our X/Twitter account (@DiamondProMedia) will have a 3 part vote (12 players total) which will go for 24 hours each. At the conclusion of each vote, we will then select the top 3 from each along with a “wild card” (whoever receives the most votes outside of the top 3) from each and put them in a Final Four Vote which will begin at 10AM on Thursday, April 30th and go for 24 hours. Whoever wins the Final Four Vote will win the Fan Vote.

X/Twitter Vote Update on 04/30/26

The Final Four Fan Vote will be decided on by the following four players: 

2026 RHP Matt Altman
2027 IF Tavis Honeycutt
2026 IF Tyler Lomas
2026 RHP Ethan DeJesus

X/Twitter Vote Update on 05/01/26 

Final Four Fan Vote Winner: 2026 RHP Ethan DeJesus of Sumner HS, FL

*In the event of a tie for the Final Four Vote (two receive the same overall percentage and are within that percentage point of each other) there will be a Vote Off between the two that will begin within an hour of the initial Final Four Vote ending. For example, if two nominees both receive 32% of the vote but one is 32.8% and one is 32.2% it will go to the Vote Off. If one is 33.1% and the other is 32.9% the one with 33% will win.

-DPM Staff: The scouting staff of DPM (outside of the Scouting Director) will vote amongst themselves and come up with a pick from the 12 players nominated. This will be announced on Sunday, May 3rd.

DPM Staff Pick: Congratulations to all nominees in this year's 2026 Diamond Prospect Media Player of the Year award. The decision was tough after breaking down the stats. I wanted to first acknowledge the season that 2027 IF Tavis Honeycutt had with Newberry HS…truly an astonishing season and every week gave it his all for his team from hitting over ten home runs and hitting for a high average as well. There’s a bright future ahead for him as he heads into a senior season where he will look to produce those same numbers again. Numerous times I went back and forth between two great players in Tavis Honeycutt and my final choice during this selection process. With that being said, I submit my pick to be 2026 RHP/IF Coleman Borthwick of South Walton HS, FL for my Diamond Prospect Media Player of the Year. At the plate and on the mound, Coleman stood out on many occasions for the Seahawks, leading his team to another impressive regular season. Possessing a fastball that clocks into the high 90s, a 0.00 ERA, and hitting for a .447 batting average with eight home runs in the regular season put him over the top as my eventual choice. Whether it’s at Auburn University in the fall or possibly as a high school draft pick, Borthwick possesses the talent to continue to shine at the next level. 

-Scouting Director: Mike Maerz will turn in a pick as well from the 12 players nominated. This will be announced on Tuesday, May 5th.

Scouting Director Pick: This was one of the toughest calls to make in picking a winner that we’ve had over the past five years as it seemed like so many players were deserving of winning Diamond Prospect Media Player of the Year. Ultimately it came down to three finalists in 2026 RHP/IF Coleman Borthwick, 2027 IF Tavis Honeycutt, and 2026 LHP/OF Carter Cox. Honeycutt pretty much put up video game numbers that I had to check multiple times, Cox was lights out on the mound and been consistently clutch for the Venice Indians, and Borthwick seems on a mission this year to deliver in as many ways possible for the South Walton Seahawks. 

My pick for 2026 Diamond Prospect Media Player is Coleman Borthwick. Among all the nominees his impact both on the mound and offensively with his numbers and leadership stood out amongst the rest. The Auburn commit will look to bring home a State title this year followed by possibly hearing his name in the upcoming MLB Draft or arriving at Auburn in the fall. 

*The winner will be decided by having 2 of the same picks from the 3 areas listed above. If all three are different, then the tiebreaker will be the leading vote getter of the Final Four Fan Vote to determine the award winner. 

Diamond Prospect Media Player of the Year Award Nominees:
*Note: This is a regular season award and the numbers below reflect regular season stats only.

2027 RHP/IF Samir Mohammed (Jesuit HS, FL)
LSU commit
5-0/0.43 ERA/64 Ks in 32.2 IP
.353 BA/15 RBI/2 HRs

2026 LHP/OF Carter Cox (Venice HS, FL)
FAU commit.
8-0/0.44 ERA/82 Ks in 47.2 IP
.300 BA/11 RBI/3 doubles

2026 LHP/OF Gio Rojas (Stoneman Douglas HS, FL)
Miami commit.
6-1/0.82 ERA/76 Ks in 42.2 IP
.311 BA/13 RBI/ 4 HRs

2026 RHP/IF Coleman Borthwick (South Walton HS, FL)
Auburn commit
5-0/0.00 ERA/67 Ks in 37.2 IP
.447 BA/27 RBI/10 doubles/8 HRs

2026 RHP/OF Brayden Harris (St. John’s Country Day HS, FL)
Florida State commit.
6-2/1.37 ERA/96 Ks in 51 IP
.338 BA/11 RBI

2026 RHP Ethan DeJesus (Sumner HS, FL)
FGCU commit.
7-2 /1.74 ERA/91 Ks in 48.1 IP

2026 IF Tyler Lomas (Bishop Moore Catholic, FL)
Stetson commit.
.502 BA/25 RBI/4 HRs/11 doubles/15 SBs

2026 RHP/IF Joey Lawson (Bishop Verot HS, FL)
UNC commit.
4-2/1.45 ERA/62 Ks in 37.2 IP/1 No-Hitter
.342 BA/25 RBI/4 HRs

2026 RHP Matt Altman (Gaither HS, FL)
FAMU commit.
11-0/0.23 ERA/65 Ks in 60 IP

2027 IF Tavis Honeycutt (Newberry HS, FL)
Florida commit.
.593 BA/48 RBI/16 HR/1.458 SLG/2.189 OPS

2027 LHP/1B Ryan Harless (Mosley HS, FL)
Louisville commit
8-0/0.14 ERA/99Ks in 50 IP (Most in Florida)
.373 BA/14 RBI

2026 RHP/IF Donovan Thiery (Key West HS, FL)
FSU commit.
7-1/1.56 ERA/75 Ks in 44.2 IP
.324 BA/22 RBI/3 HRs