Ryne Price, it appears, was too good for his own good.

He arrived in Lawrence in the summer of 2002, straight from the baseball fields of central California. His junior year at Free State High was spectacular.

Coaches all over the eastern portion of the state marveled at how a junior could be so good at the plate, so powerful, so able to take over a game, yet so disciplined that he rarely, if ever, went out of his way to hurt his team.

The Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches agreed. A year of hitting .479 and helping turn a sub-.500 team into a state power does plenty to turn heads. Price was rightfully named first team All-State for his phenomenal year in 2003.

It’s amazing to see the difference a year can make in what sometimes amounts to a political popularity contest.

The KABC has released its 2004 all-state teams, just after Price, now a senior, led the Firebirds to a 21-4 record and second-place finish in the state tournament.

Ryne Price is not a first-team all-state selection. The coaches threw him on the second team instead.

It’s hard, especially in the high school ranks, to speak out against such an injustice. Saying Ryne Price should have received first-team honors can be twisted and translated to a rip against the guys who did make first team, either at catcher or at utility. For what it’s worth, I’ve seen both first-teamers play, and I know that they’re promising college prospects, even though one’s just a junior.

What I also know is that keeping Price off the top starting lineup in the state does plenty to discredit an honor that high school athletes all over the nation hold dear.

That’s the biggest shame in all of this.

Anyone who saw Price this season saw Barry Bonds in a Free State uniform. He’s one of the most patient, potent hitters I have ever seen. If Price sees a pitch he likes, he’ll drill it nine times out of 10, often to where they aren’t, often in the gaps and often over the fence.

But what makes Price the most dangerous hitter in Kansas is the tremendous discipline in his pitch selection. It’s rare in any amateur baseball player, but especially special in one who, like Price, sees such success when he does swing.

Price, a Kansas University signee, hit .477 this season, with eight home runs, 33 RBIs, 41 runs scored, 32 walks and a slugging percentage that makes you look twice: 1.092. To put it in perspective, Babe Ruth never slugged .900 when he was making his case as the greatest baseball player of all time.

It’s almost humorous, and definitely worth noting, that of the 14 players to grace the first team, only one comes from the Kansas City/Lawrence area, where four of the eight state tournament teams came from. Go figure.

Hopefully, the KABC learns its lesson, though it’s too bad it comes at Price’s expense.

Snubs like these happen, though, and I’m reminded of a certain stud I played against during my high school days in Kansas City. Like Price, this guy hit towering home runs, was pitched around several times a game and could ruin an opposing coach’s day with one swing of the stick.

Like Price, this player was overlooked simply because his greatness was to be expected. He was a second-team All-Metro pick his last year of high school despite being one of the best players in the country, much less the Kansas City area.

His name was Albert Pujols. Last I heard, he’s doing OK for himself these days.

It’s disappointing, arrogant and just plain stupid to leave Price off the all-state first team. But, like Pujols, Price is fortunate that he has goals much bigger and better to shoot for in the future.