The Texas Sports Writers Association has released its 2010 UIL All-State baseball teams for all classifications and a trio of heralded seniors from the Greater Houston area headlines the Class 5A list.

The Woodlands’ Jameson Taillon, La Porte’s Kendrick Perkins and Brazoswood’s Tyler Green were each selected as Class 5A first team members.

For each of them, though, that recognition may be overshadowed in the near future by the signing bonuses and the beginnings of professional baseball careers.

Taillon, a righthander who has been highly-touted for more than two seasons, is committed to Rice for the 2011 season, but was also the overall No. 2 pick in 2010 Major League Baseball Draft by Pittsburgh Pirates.

He is projected as a ‘can’t-miss’ prospect. At 6′ 7″ and 230 lbs., he has good size, and stuff to match. He has a strong repertoire of pitches for a prep player–fastball, slider, curve and changeup–and has good command of all of them.  Scouts love his mound presence and his pitching sensibility.

Perkins is a powerful lefthanded-hitting outfielder who has committed to Texas A&M, but was drafted early (sixth round) in the 2010 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox.

Also known in the area as a great running back in football, Perkins received a great deal of attention during the recruiting process which also brought a lot of high expectations. But those who saw him perform said he lived up to them.

“Much was expected of Kendrick,” said his high school coach, Ricky Torres. “He decided he wanted to (play football as well as baseball) and he went out and had a great season for the Bulldogs (football team). So I was kind of hoping that would lead to him having a great season on the baseball field, and he did.”

Green was selected by the TSWA as first-team second baseman. However, he is projected as a pitcher and was an eighth-round draft pick as a righthand pitcher by the Arizona Diamondbacks. As a junior, Green helped lead Brazoswood to the Region III championship series in 2009.

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The two teams that represented the Greater Houston area in the UIL Class 5A state tournament each managed to have only one player named to the teams, and both were selected as members of the second team.

Fort Bend Clements junior G.R. Hinsley received the nod as the second team designated hitter and was the only honoree from the Region III champions.

Clayton Crum was the lone selection from Region II champion and state finalist Klein to be selected by the writers. Crum, a 39th-round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs who spent the early part of the season recovering from arm surgery, was named to the second team as a pitcher.

Bellaire lefthander Toller Boardman also joined Crum as a second team pitcher.

The Class 5A third team had the largest contingent of Houston-area players, as four locals were selected.

Pitchers John Simms of College Park, 39th-round pick of the Washington Nationals, and Brian Hethcoat of Clements, who started the Rangers’ state semifinal game against Corpus Christi Carroll, were recognized by the writers’ vote.

Minnesota Twins’ draft pick Kelly Cross of Pearland was named third team catcher and junior Taylor Cobb of Fort Bend Austin was selected at third base.

In Class 4A, Lamar Consolidated’s Cody Abraham was named to the first team as an outfielder. Matt Roberts of New Waverly was recognized as a Class 2A first team pitcher.

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The number of 12 players to be selected among all classes and teams ranks as one of the smallest groups representing Houston in recent memory and the scarcity of Houston players on those teams, as well as a smaller number of Houston-area draft selections, surprised some local observers, including La Porte’s Torres.

“I thought that there would be more Houston kids,” he said. “But I think next year will be a lot different.  There’s a lot of good young talent in the area.”