Malakhi Knight, Max Debiec named high school preseason All-Americans by Baseball America

Marysville-Getchell senior outfielder Malakhi Knight and O’Dea senior pitcher Max Debiec were named second team preseason high school All-Americans by Baseball
Malakhi Knight, Max Debiec named high school preseason All-Americans by Baseball America
Malakhi Knight, Max Debiec named high school preseason All-Americans by Baseball America /

Marysville-Getchell senior outfielder Malakhi Knight and O’Dea senior pitcher Max Debiec were named second team preseason high school All-Americans by Baseball America on Monday.

Knight, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior, is a UCLA commit, has been a highly-regarded prospect for several years. Prospects Live projects him as a high second round pick (34th overall) in its most recent 2021 mock draft.

The same site projects Debiec as a second or third round pick in the 2021 draft. 

At 6-foot-7, 200 pounds, Debiec flashes tremendous upside and is starting to show for it. His fastball touched 97 miles per hour over the summer, and he impressed competing among some of the nation’s top prospects playing with the Canes, which he did alongside Knight

Prep Baseball Report slots Knight as the No. 33 prospect and Debiec No. 77 nationally. Both are widely considered the top two 2021 prospects in of the state of Washington.

MORE:Top 20 outfielders in Washington high school baseball|Top 20 pitchers in Washington high school baseball

Baseball America polls MLB scouting departments to make up three teams and releases the preseason honor annually. Seven of the 13 first team players ended up becoming first round draft picks the last two years, according to the magazine.

Both are multi-sport athletes at the high school level. Knight was among the state’s top guards as a junior and enters a potential 2021 season as a legitimate 3A player of the year candidate. Debiec plays alongside Duke commit Paolo Banchero at O’Dea.

Knight and Debiec represented the state of Washington in the Perfect Game All-American Classic in September. 

Though high school sports scheduling has been anything but solid in the pandemic, fans may have a chance to see Debiec and Knight play one final season wearing their high school uniform. The Wesco, of which Marysville-Getchell is a member, has set a six-week baseball season starting March 30. O’Dea and the Metro League are scheduled to begin practices April 19 and play through June 12.

(Lead photo by Will Chitty)


Published
Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports
ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.