Top Stories of 2022: Single Best High School Season in History
January 6, 2023
Following high school baseball in North Carolina, we all know, there are a ton of great stories, players, and teams to follow each year. As we continue to look back at 2022, we will take a look at some of the great stories of the year. Today’s look back features a a player that was looking to repeat as a state champion and may have had the best high school season in the history of the state on the way.
The state of North Carolina has seen a ton of good players and big seasons. In my time in the state, I flashback to the mid-1990’s when New Hanover HS was a machine rolling out high end prospects year and year, including Shawn Gallagher who set national records for home runs in consecutive at-bats as well as hits in a career and a hitting streak. Prior to Gallagher, prospects like Brien Taylor, a Yankees 1st Round prodigy prior to a hometown fight derailed his career, garnered national attention out of high school.
As we travel throughout the state, one of my favorite pastimes is to listen to coaches and scouts that have been around the state longer than myself, and hear them talk about players that had great amateur careers. While it can be debated, and it probably will for years to come, there is a case to be made that Randleman HS Catcher Brooks Brannon had the greatest single season of any high school baseball player in North Carolina history.
Brannon, a 2022 graduate that was committed to North Carolina, played for a state title with Randleman as a Freshman. In his COVID shortened SO year, the Tigers were again a favorite to make a state championship series. His JR year and then in 2022, Brannon was a big part of the back-to-back state championship teams at Randleman.
Brannon entered the 2022 year as a high profile prospect, earning an invite to the prestigious PBR Super 60 in Chicago in early February. Already on the radar of MLB Scouts, Brannon’s performance at the Super 60 moved him up the board, showing good barrel feel and explosive power off the bat. On top of the offensive performance, Brannon handled the top arms in the country with a unique energy, simply enjoying the moment to work with other high end athletes.
The next weekend, Brannon repeated the performance from the national event for a lot of the MLB Scouts that have coverage in North Carolina at the PBR NC ProCase. A couple of weeks later Randleman and Providence HS squared off in a scrimmage that drew a lot of attention due to the number of draft follows on the field from the two programs. For Brannon and the Tigers of Randleman, the attention would follow throughout the spring as Brannon began to put up just incredible numbers.
The depth in the Randleman lineup forced opposing teams to attack Brannon throughout the spring. Brannon rewarded opposing teams by putting up just insane numbers. His 91 RBIs, 20 HRs, and 70 Hits all stand atop of the North Carolina history books for single season success. The RBI record was demolished as Brannon’s 91 RBIs was 29 better than the record set in 2018. His State Championship performance solidified the single season hits record, giving him 5 more than Shawn Gallagher had in 1995. The 20 HRs tied a mark set in 1989 by Brannon’s father, Paul Brannon. In 34 games, he hit .609/.644/1.331 adding 17 doubles and two triples to the homerun and RBI totals..
Brannon’s all-around performance, as well as the impact he has had on Randleman HS, in their championship season, has earned him the 2022 Prep Baseball Report North Carolina Player of the Year honors as well as 2022 All-PBR 1st Team Catcher (All-American).
Brannon was rewarded for his season, and all of his hard work, during the MLB Draft. The Boston Red Sox took Brannon in the 9th round with pick number 279. In his 1st summer in professional baseball, Brannon quickly flew up the prospect boards, as he continued to put up a high average with power showing at the pro level.
Brooks Brannon
Class of 2022 / C
Player Information
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Graduating Class: 2022
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Primary Position: CSecondary Position: OF
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High School: RandlemanState: NC
- Summer Team: 5 Star National
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Height: 6-0Weight: 215lbs
- Bat/Throw: R/R
Player News
- Podcast: The Boys Are Back - Jan 18, 2023
- Top Stories of 2022: A Dominant Year of the Tigers - Jan 17, 2023
- Top Stories of 2022: Single Best High School Season in History - Jan 6, 2023
- Most Viewed Profiles of 2022: No. 3 Brooks Brannon - Dec 29, 2022
- 2022 MLB Draft Review: North Carolina Prospects - Jul 22, 2022
- 2022 MLB Draft: Day 2 Takeaways - Jul 18, 2022
- 2022 All-PBR Team - Jun 22, 2022
- PBR State Players of the Year Announced - Jun 21, 2022
- PBR North Carolina State Player of the Year - Jun 21, 2022
- Scout Blog: Regional Finals - Jun 3, 2022
- State Playoffs Scout Blog - Rd 2 - May 16, 2022
- High School Crosscheck: May 9-14 - May 16, 2022
- Randleman Rolls to 11-0 Win in Round 2 - May 13, 2022
- Pitcher & Player of the Week: April 11-16 - Apr 19, 2022
- Power Alley: Power in the #336 - Mar 22, 2022
- ACC Commits, Uncommitted 23's & More - Mar 21, 2022
- High School Crosscheck: March 14-19 - Mar 21, 2022
- Randleman Cruises to 9-1 Victory - Mar 18, 2022
- NC ProCase: Blast Leaderboard - Feb 21, 2022
- NC ProCase: Trackman Hitting Data - Feb 17, 2022
- NC ProCase: Quick Hitters- Position Players - Feb 16, 2022
- Statistical Breakdown: NC ProCase - Feb 15, 2022
- NC ProCase Preview: Inside the Roster - Feb 11, 2022
- NC ProCase Preview: Roster, Schedule, & Notes - Feb 11, 2022
- Super 60: Statistical Analysis - Feb 10, 2022
- 2022 Super 60 Breakout Candidates - Feb 2, 2022
- Super 60 Spotlight: Brooks Brannon - Jan 24, 2022
- The Best of 2021: TrackMan Barrel Awareness - Jan 6, 2022
- The Best of 2021: Catcher Pop Times & Arm Velo - Jan 4, 2022
- The Best of 2021: Trackman Exit Velocity - Jan 3, 2022
- Commitment Tracker: Power 5 Early Signees - Nov 23, 2021
- NC ProCase: Trackman Offensive Analytics - Apr 5, 2021
- NC ProCase: Quick Hitters-Position Players - Mar 31, 2021
- Statistical Leaders: NC ProCase - Mar 30, 2021
- Preview: 2021 North Carolina PBR ProCase - Mar 26, 2021
- Nine to Know: NC Prospects Ready for the 2022 Super 60 - Feb 10, 2021
- The Best of 2020: Top Exit Velocities (Off a Tee) - Jan 7, 2021
- South Atlantic Border Battle: Scout Blog-Royals - Oct 5, 2020
- By The Numbers: Inside the Updated 2022 Rankings - Sep 29, 2020
- NC 2022 Rankings Update - Sep 25, 2020
- Nine to Know: Jumps Move These '22s into the Overall Rankings - Sep 18, 2020
- Statistical Leaders: Future Games Trials - Jun 30, 2020
- Nine to Know: Top Uncommitted Outfielders & Catchers - May 20, 2020
- Positional Rankings: NC's Top Catchers - Apr 30, 2020
- Nine to Know: Top Uncommitted Exit Velos in NC - Apr 29, 2020
- NC Leaderboard: Top Catcher Pop Times - Apr 28, 2020
- Nine to Know: Risers in the Updated 2022 Rankings - Apr 8, 2020
- NC Leaderboard: Top Exit Velocities - Mar 31, 2020
- Podcast: Blast, TrackMan, & the Power 25 Preview - Feb 26, 2020
- Superlatives: Preseason All-State West - Feb 19, 2020
- 2020 Preseason All-State West: 2022 Catchers - Feb 12, 2020
- Total Leaders: Combined 2020 Preseason All-State - Feb 7, 2020
- Record Book: Preseason All-State Events - Feb 7, 2020
- Nine to Know: Stock Up on these 9 from the PAS West - Feb 5, 2020
- Statistical Leaders: Preseason All-State West - Jan 29, 2020
- Quick Hitters: Preseason All-State West - Hitters - Jan 28, 2020
- Preview: Preseason All-State West - Jan 24, 2020
- The Five: Standout Position Players from the Underclass Games - Nov 1, 2019
- Prospects To Know: Underclass World Series - Oct 17, 2019
- Carolina Fall Championship - 16U & 17U Player Scout Blog - Oct 10, 2019
- Fall Championship Standouts Part IV - Oct 9, 2019
- North Carolina Class of 2022 Rankings - Updated & Expanded - Oct 2, 2019
- 2019 Top Underclass Games - Catcher Analysis - Sep 9, 2019
- 2019 Top Prospect Games - Catcher Analysis - Sep 4, 2019
- NC Top Underclass Games Record Book - Aug 16, 2019
- 2019 Top Underclass Games - Statistical Leaders - Aug 15, 2019
- 2019 Top Underclass Games - Quick Hitters - Aug 14, 2019
- 2019 Top Prospect Games - Statistical Analysis - Aug 14, 2019
- NC Top Underclass Games - Roster, Schedule, History - Aug 5, 2019
- NC Top Prospect Games - Schedule and Roster - Aug 5, 2019
- 2019 Top Underclass Games - Catcher Preview - Jul 20, 2019
- NC Top Underclass Games at UNC - Roster, Schedule, History - Jul 18, 2019
- NC Players at the Prestigous PBR National Program Invitational - Jul 1, 2019
- 5 Star Baseball Organizational Day: Statistical Analysis - Jun 7, 2019
- Uncommitted Underclassmen Standouts from Hi-Toms Classic - Mar 21, 2019
- Aces Pitch Randleman Past East Forsyth - Mar 18, 2019