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The two most influential prep baseball players from the spring, Cleveland shortstop Anthony Del Angel and La Cueva pitcher Dylan Blomker, are the headliners on the 2026 Journal All-Metro first team.
Del Angel, who has signed with Oklahoma, batted .500 for the Storm, with 13 home runs and 59 runs scored from the leadoff spot, plus 20 stolen bases and 43 RBIs. Not to mention his sharp glove work. Just a pure baseball talent.
Blomker, who’s signed with LSU, was a two-way force. He was 8-1 on the bump with a 1.95 ERA and 113 strikeouts in just 53.2 innings, and opposing hitters batted just .120 against him. Blomker also hit seven home runs and drove in 49 for the Bears.
Cleveland’s terrific lefty, senior Xavier Vasquez, is the other first-team starting pitcher, along with Blomker. Vasquez was 11-1 with a nifty 1.21 ERA, and struck out 111 in 69.2 innings. He had eight complete games, five of them shutouts, the last of them against Eldorado in the 5A quarterfinals.
There was some quality depth at the catcher position. Senior Sullivan Wilson gets the nod after a season in which he batted .630 for the Eagles (a school record), belted five homers and had 35 RBIs.
La Cueva senior Chase Qualler had an equally superior season behind the plate; he is on our first team at designated hitter, after hitting .531 with nine homers and 38 RBIs, and a lofty 1.597 OPS as an invaluable piece of the lineup for the Bears.
Albuquerque Academy sophomore Jace Gabaldon was his district’s player of the year, and what a season he authored, hitting .580 with 58 hits and 54 RBIs, plus 37 runs. He is our first baseman.
Cleveland has the two middle infielders, with senior Francisco Hernandez (.412, 35 RBIs) at second base and Del Angel at shortstop.
Sophomore third baseman Mikey McMullan of La Cueva, who had a solid defensive season, was the team’s cleanup hitter. He hit .407 with 37 runs and 39 RBIs, plus five home runs.
Our first team outfield is stacked. Rio Rancho senior Wyatt Tinker was a tremendous center fielder who hit .449 with a big 1.010 slugging percentage, 11 home runs and 39 RBIs.
He is joined by Eldorado’s Tim Kamphuis, arguably the metro’s best defensive outfielder who hit .457 with 47 runs from the leadoff spot. And he is also joined by East Mountain’s Charlie Birdwell, a very rare Class 3A first-teamer for the Journal.
Birdwell had a monster season for the state champion Timberwolves. He batted .615 with nine home runs (four of them grand slams), 65 RBIs and 69 hits (21 of them doubles). His OPS? A staggering 1.928.
Qualler is our DH — not many catchers are that productive hitting leadoff — and Cleveland senior Treven Polanco, who filled multiple roles for the Storm, is our first-team utility selection.
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2026 All-Metro Baseball
First team
Pitcher: Dylan Blomker, sr., La Cueva
Xavier Vasquez, sr., Cleveland
Catcher: Sullivan Wilson, sr., Eldorado
First Base: Jace Gabaldon, soph., Albuquerque Academy
Second Base: Francisco Hernandez, sr., Cleveland
Shortstop: Anthony Del Angel, sr., Cleveland
Third Base: Mikey McMullan, soph., La Cueva
Outfield: Wyatt Tinker, sr., Rio Rancho
Tim Kamphuis, sr., Eldorado
Charlie Birdwell, sr., East Mountain
Designated hitter: Chase Qualler, sr., La Cueva
Utility: Treven Polanco, sr., Cleveland
Second team
Pitcher: Everett Burdett, sr., La Cueva
Matt Cook, jr., Rio Rancho
Catcher: Trey Baillio, sr., Hope Christian
First Base: Dean Ellison, sr., Rio Rancho
Second Base: Porter Chastain, jr., Hope Christian
Shortstop: Eric Yturbe, fresh., Eldorado
Third Base: Ryan Williams, sr., Albuquerque Academy
Outfield: Kaiden Swanson, sr., St. Pius
Caleb Budagher, soph., Cleveland
Logan Gonzalez, sr., Belen
Designated hitter: Logan Lemons, jr., Sandia Prep
Utility: Daniel Kean, soph., Cibola
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Del Angel, who has signed with Oklahoma, batted .500 for the Storm, with 13 home runs and 59 runs scored from the leadoff spot, plus 20 stolen bases and 43 RBIs. Not to mention his sharp glove work. Just a pure baseball talent.
Blomker, who’s signed with LSU, was a two-way force. He was 8-1 on the bump with a 1.95 ERA and 113 strikeouts in just 53.2 innings, and opposing hitters batted just .120 against him. Blomker also hit seven home runs and drove in 49 for the Bears.
Cleveland’s terrific lefty, senior Xavier Vasquez, is the other first-team starting pitcher, along with Blomker. Vasquez was 11-1 with a nifty 1.21 ERA, and struck out 111 in 69.2 innings. He had eight complete games, five of them shutouts, the last of them against Eldorado in the 5A quarterfinals.
There was some quality depth at the catcher position. Senior Sullivan Wilson gets the nod after a season in which he batted .630 for the Eagles (a school record), belted five homers and had 35 RBIs.
La Cueva senior Chase Qualler had an equally superior season behind the plate; he is on our first team at designated hitter, after hitting .531 with nine homers and 38 RBIs, and a lofty 1.597 OPS as an invaluable piece of the lineup for the Bears.
Albuquerque Academy sophomore Jace Gabaldon was his district’s player of the year, and what a season he authored, hitting .580 with 58 hits and 54 RBIs, plus 37 runs. He is our first baseman.
Cleveland has the two middle infielders, with senior Francisco Hernandez (.412, 35 RBIs) at second base and Del Angel at shortstop.
Sophomore third baseman Mikey McMullan of La Cueva, who had a solid defensive season, was the team’s cleanup hitter. He hit .407 with 37 runs and 39 RBIs, plus five home runs.
Our first team outfield is stacked. Rio Rancho senior Wyatt Tinker was a tremendous center fielder who hit .449 with a big 1.010 slugging percentage, 11 home runs and 39 RBIs.
He is joined by Eldorado’s Tim Kamphuis, arguably the metro’s best defensive outfielder who hit .457 with 47 runs from the leadoff spot. And he is also joined by East Mountain’s Charlie Birdwell, a very rare Class 3A first-teamer for the Journal.
Birdwell had a monster season for the state champion Timberwolves. He batted .615 with nine home runs (four of them grand slams), 65 RBIs and 69 hits (21 of them doubles). His OPS? A staggering 1.928.
Qualler is our DH — not many catchers are that productive hitting leadoff — and Cleveland senior Treven Polanco, who filled multiple roles for the Storm, is our first-team utility selection.
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*
*
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2026 All-Metro Baseball
First team
Pitcher: Dylan Blomker, sr., La Cueva
Xavier Vasquez, sr., Cleveland
Catcher: Sullivan Wilson, sr., Eldorado
First Base: Jace Gabaldon, soph., Albuquerque Academy
Second Base: Francisco Hernandez, sr., Cleveland
Shortstop: Anthony Del Angel, sr., Cleveland
Third Base: Mikey McMullan, soph., La Cueva
Outfield: Wyatt Tinker, sr., Rio Rancho
Tim Kamphuis, sr., Eldorado
Charlie Birdwell, sr., East Mountain
Designated hitter: Chase Qualler, sr., La Cueva
Utility: Treven Polanco, sr., Cleveland
Second team
Pitcher: Everett Burdett, sr., La Cueva
Matt Cook, jr., Rio Rancho
Catcher: Trey Baillio, sr., Hope Christian
First Base: Dean Ellison, sr., Rio Rancho
Second Base: Porter Chastain, jr., Hope Christian
Shortstop: Eric Yturbe, fresh., Eldorado
Third Base: Ryan Williams, sr., Albuquerque Academy
Outfield: Kaiden Swanson, sr., St. Pius
Caleb Budagher, soph., Cleveland
Logan Gonzalez, sr., Belen
Designated hitter: Logan Lemons, jr., Sandia Prep
Utility: Daniel Kean, soph., Cibola
Continue reading...
