Three Opening Day Starters Emerge From One California High School
Harvard-Westlake High School sits on the valley side of the Hollywood Hills in a sheltered canyon near the Los Angeles neighborhood of Sherman Oaks. Tuition is high, and expectations of the students are through the roof to succeed. As a result, they take sports very seriously, and many successful professional athletes have emerged from this California high school. Three of which are Major League pitchers starting for their respected teams this Opening Day.
What’s even more astounding about this fact is that Chicago’s Lucas Giolito, Atlanta’s Max Fried, and St. Louis’ Jack Flaherty played on the same Harvard-Westlake team not so long ago. They all emerged as first-round draft picks and have risen up through the ranks as impressive pitchers.
All three have earned Cy Young votes for their accomplishments on the field in the last three seasons. Flaherty finished as high as fourth in the voting, posting an astounding 2.75 earned run average and led the National League with a 0.968 WHIP.
“That’s crazy. I’m really happy and really excited for those guys. They worked extremely hard to put themselves in that position. To be in that position and share that feeling with those guys is pretty cool.” -Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried
Max Fried had a great 2020 campaign for Atlanta going 7-0 with a 2.25 earned run average. He wound up finishing fifth in Cy Young voting. Lucas Giolito broke out in 2019 as an ace for the White Sox, with a 3.41 earned run average and striking out 228 batters. He finished sixth in Cy Young voting and also made an All-Star appearance.
What will the former Harvard-Westlake Alumni bring to the season this year? They all play for young and hungry teams. Just another reason to be stoked for the return of a full 162 game season.
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