Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

2024 Prep Baseball Minnesota Player of the Year: Tyler Guerin

July 1, 2024
Parker Hageman
Prep Baseball Minnesota

Minnesota—One of the primary reasons Tyler Guerin wound up as the Prep Baseball Minnesota Player of the Year was his growth in confidence, and those around him agreed.

"Between the ears has been huge," says Mounds View's head coach Nik Anderson, who has seen him at the varsity level beginning in Tyler's sophomore year. "He's obviously bigger and stronger and throws the ball much harder now. The sky's the limit for a player like him but the question always is, does he believe that is the case? He progressed well on the mental side and there is more belief factor in the tank as he continues his career."

The Mustangs had faith in Guerin's abilities going back to his first year, even handing him the ball to start their section play in 2022. The Mustangs lost 5-4 in extra innings to a very good Maple Grove team but in that game, he struck out ten and hit a three-run home run in the sixth to give Mounds View a 3-2 lead. 

"You could tell then he was capable of being the best baseball player on the field," Anderson says of the burgeoning prospect. "And in that game you could see the moment when a dude realized that he's a dude." 

That year, Guerin says he had a few hiccups, particularly on the mound, and a shoulder injury limited his junior year innings. But his road to his senior year involved preparation in the form of facing two of the state's better-hitting prospects in older brother Blake, now at the University of Iowa, and former teammate Drew Rogers during preseason action. 

The younger Guerin says playing with his brother – one of the reasons he chose to become a Hawkeye – was one of his favorite memories of his high school career. But like with most siblings, the experience is always mixed.

"With Blake, it was like, I learned from him, but I didn't want to learn from him either because he was always trying to tell me what to do," Guerin said half-jokingly when asked if his older brother played a significant role in development as a player. 

From an evaluator's perspective, it's hard not to fall in love with what Guerin can do on the mound. There's the towering stature, the projectable frame, the easy low 90s velo with an obscene amount of run and sink. In February, he attended the Super 60 where his performance caught the attention of Prep Baseball's Vice President of Scouting, Shooter Hunt.

"Contemplating what this 92 mph bowling ball sinker from '24 Tyler Guerin would do to a metal bat on a cold early spring day in Minnesota," Hunt tweeted. "Two weeks in the gym and you get this 6'7" monster crushing thumbs in 40 degrees…" 

Guerin was often called to start against his conference's formidable foes — East Ridge, Stillwater, Cretin Derham Hall — some of the best lineups in the state. That's one of the reasons you don't see eye-popping numbers in his final stat line. 

"Our first game against East Ridge in the regular season, Luke Skinner hit a first-pitch fastball off the top of the wall for a double," says Guerin. Nevertheless, he settled in and struck out 13 over six innings. He also went 3-for-4 at the plate, scoring three runs to a 10-4 Mustangs victory.

To that last point, while most believe Guerin's future is on the hill, you also have to appreciate his contributions with the stick. He also did a fantastic job compartmentalizing the two areas of his game. For instance, with the Mustangs' state tournament hopes on the line and needing to beat Rogers twice in the section championship, Guerin allowed seven runs on seven hits in an inning and a third. Lesser players may have crumpled at that moment, but Guerin picked up the bat, pounded out a pair of hits, and scored twice in Mounds View's remarkable 15-10 comeback. 

"I love pitching but I love hitting just as much," Guerin says and he is headed to Iowa City with the intention of doing both. His numbers overall this season were punctuated by a loud swing in Mounds View's quarterfinal game: He got a hanging slider that he launched onto CHS Field's right field concourse for a grand slam. 

"I'm not a home run hitter, I'm a gap guy," he explains his approach at the plate. "I'm due for one a year and that was a good time for it. I mostly look for fastballs but if I see spin really well, I'm going to try to put a good swing on it."

(Wait you hit too was his brother Blake's response to the grand slam.) 

Coach Anderson said that Guerin's ability to contribute on both sides of the ball was another reason he was such a factor for the Mustangs. His name would be at or near the top of the lineup, setting the table for those behind him with a patient approach. He would draw 22 walks to just 11 strikeouts and work deep into counts. 

Getting to that championship game involved beating the state's number one team, the undefeated Wayzata Trojans, and Guerin would get the ball. This game was pivotal for the senior as he had just posted his worst outing of the season against Rogers in the section championship game. There would be no doubt in his mind or questioning of his abilities in that performance. 

"He just went out and attacked a great team," says Anderson. 

Guerin shouldered the load, going seven innings while allowing three runs to one of the state's best teams. Quick thinking may have also helped save a run, and the state title hopes: It was Guerin who, during a sixth-inning mound visit and the tying run at third, decided they should try a hidden ball trick with the runner at third.

Procedurally, the Mustangs may have absconded with an erroneous call, but you have to appreciate the mindset. "That was a very proud moment for a coach. He's thinking about the whole baseball game and noticing all aspects, like the runner getting too far down the baseline. Not too many high school players think in those terms."

Mounds View's goal of winning a state championship came up just short. Guerin was given the ball and went five innings, including an hour-and-half rain delay in the middle of it. He said he felt fine going to the bullpen but noticed it was harder to get loose after downtime. He left after five innings with a 2-1 lead. 

As far as the future goes, he will reunite with his brother this summer, spend a month with the Madison Mallards in the Northwoods League, and then head to the University of Iowa—and who knows how far after that. 

"That's one of the things I'm most excited about," says Anderson. "I now get to be a fan as he launches off." 

PAST PREP BASEBALL MINNESOTA PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS

+ 2023: Cale Haugen, SS/RHP, Esko
+ 2022: Kristofer Hokenson, OF/LHP, St. Louis Park
+ 2021: Josh Kingery, LHP/OF, Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City
+ 2019: Drew Gilbert, LHP/OF, Stillwater
+ 2018: Seth Halvorsen, RHP/SS, Heritage Christian Academy