Daniel Corona still has two seasons remaining in his high school career, but the Baylor School junior is already very much on Major League Baseball's radar.
Corona, who has been the starting shortstop on Baylor's back-to-back Division II-AA state championship teams, has been selected as one of the top 80 juniors in the United States by USA Baseball and will have a chance to earn a spot in the prestigious High School All America game this summer.
"This means a lot," said Corona, who's from Brooklyn, New York. "Once I found out about this honor, I flipped out. I had this at the top of my list of goals that I've worked for. I'm going to work toward being one of the top 40 and later hopefully one of the top 20 players that get to represent our country.
"I've been working on my speed and pretty much hitting and fielding every day."
Baylor School baseball player Daniel Corona. / Staff photo by Robin RuddIn 2018 Major League Baseball and USA Baseball joined to form the Prospect Development Pipeline League to help spotlight high school prospects. Corona will be one of the 80 who will gather in Santa Clara, California, for a showcase from June 20 through July 8.
Forty players then will be selected to participate in the High School All America game on July 10 in Los Angeles as part of the MLB All-Star week.
Corona was contacted via email by Paul Seiler, USA Baseball's executive director and CEO, and MLB Network's Harold Reynolds tweeted a congratulatory video to Corona on his selection.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Corona, who has committed to sign with Wake Forest, batted .394 with 24 runs scored and 15 RBIs last season and was one of three Baylor players later selected to participate in USA Baseball's 16-under National Team Development Program last summer.
Baylor School co-head baseball coach Greg Elie, center, cuts up with Danny Corona, right, and Cooper Kinney during a 10-0 victory over Ensworth in the Division II-AA state tournament during the 2019 season. Corona smacked two of the Red Raiders' six extra-base hits in the game at Wilson Central High School. / Staff photo by Patrick MacCoonAlthough he pitched only seven innings for the Red Raiders last spring, he struck out 10 batters, and his fastball has been clocked at 93 mph.
"We knew he was a special player when we first saw him," said Baylor co-head coach Greg Elie. "Physically he has really bought into the strength and conditioning program, and his baseball IQ has gotten better, all of which is just making him a better prospect overall. He's an impactful player.
"It's an incredible honor for him, our program and his family. It's a testament to how hard he's worked in his career. To be his age and get this recognition, to be one of the top 80 guys in America is something you dream of, and there's a good chance he'll stay in that group next year as he moves up as a senior."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.