BUFORD, Ga., July 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In its
36th year of honoring the nation's most elite high
school athletes, Gatorade today announced Dylan Lesko of Buford
High School in Buford, Ga.
is the 2020-21 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year. Lesko
won the prestigious award for his accomplishments on and off the
field, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National
Baseball Player of the Year winners who have combined for four MLB
MVP awards, 42 All-Star appearances and 27 MLB first round draft
picks.
New York Mets Shortstop Francisco Lindor virtually surprised
Lesko with the news, while his family, coaches and teammates showed
up with the trophy at school. Check out a video of the announcement
here.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic
excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and
exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field,
distinguishes Lesko as the nation's best high school baseball
player. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific
experts and sports journalists helped select Lesko from nearly half
a million high school baseball players nationwide.
Competition for the national award was fierce. Lesko topped the
list of state winners in baseball who collectively boast an
incredible list of accomplishments, including 46 Gatorade State
Players of the Year who have signed Letters of Intent or made
verbal commitments to play baseball at Division I
colleges/universities, 22 with a GPA of 3.75 and above and 18 who
are expected to be selected in the early rounds of the 2021 MLB
Draft.
"Lesko has long been considered one of the top players in his
class and has already established a strong track record of
performance against older competition in some of the bigger high
school events around the country," said Carlos Collazo, a national writer for Baseball
America. "On top of impressive strike zone command, he was a poised
and polished pitcher with advanced secondary pitches even prior to
his junior season of high school, and he could develop a trio of
legitimate 'plus' pitches when it's all said and done."
The 6-foot-3, 197-pound junior right-handed pitcher and
infielder compiled an 11-0 record on the mound with a 0.35 ERA and
112 strikeouts in 60 innings this past season, leading the Wolves
to a 32-2 record and a berth in the second round of the Class 6A
playoffs. The nation's No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2022 as
ranked by Perfect Game and PrepBaseballReport, he held opposing
hitters to a .126 batting average and a 0.68 WHIP while
contributing offensively by posting a .417 average, 25 RBIs and an
OPS of 1.054.
A member of Buford High's
Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter, Lesko has volunteered
locally at the North Gwinnett Co-Op, which provides food and
services to the needy. He has also donated his time packing,
loading and delivering food to underserved families each
Thanksgiving. In addition, he has raised funds to support the
underprivileged during the Christmas holidays.
Lesko has maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom. He has made a
verbal commitment to play baseball on scholarship at Vanderbilt University beginning in the fall of
2022.
"Winning the Gatorade Player of the Year award is an enormous
accomplishment, as it's reserved for the best and brightest high
school student-athletes," said Gatorade Senior Vice President and
General Manager Brett O'Brien. "We
strongly believe in the lifelong benefits of playing high school
sports and look forward to seeing what Dylan Lesko will accomplish in the future."
Each year a selection committee evaluates the nation's top
talent in the District of Columbia
and all 50 states, choosing national winners in 12 different
sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country,
boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls
soccer, and boys and girls track and field.
Gatorade is dedicated to recognizing, supporting and keeping
athletes in the game because of the lifelong skills sports instill
on and off the field. Since the program's inception in 1985,
Gatorade Player of the Year award recipients have won hundreds of
professional and college championships, and many have also turned
into pillars in their communities, becoming coaches, business
owners and educators. Previous winners include a distinguished list
of athletes, such as Peyton Manning,
Abby Wambach, Jayson Tatum, Derek
Jeter, Elena Delle Donne and
many other sports icons.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program,
check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit
playeroftheyear.gatorade.com, on Facebook at
facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at
twitter.com/Gatorade.
PREVIOUS GATORADE
NATIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS
|
YEAR
|
NAME
|
HOMETOWN
|
STATUS
|
2019-20
|
Jared
Kelley
|
Refugio,
TX
|
Chicago White Sox
organization
|
2018-19
|
Bobby Witt
Jr.
|
Colleyville,
TX
|
Kansas City Royals
organization
|
2017-18
|
Ryan
Weathers
|
Loretto,
TN
|
San Diego
Padres
|
2016-17
|
Mackenzie
Gore
|
Whiteville,
NC
|
San Diego Padres
organization
|
2015-16
|
Kyle
Muller
|
Dallas, TX
|
Atlanta Braves
organization
|
2014-15
|
Luken
Baker
|
Conroe, TX
|
St. Louis Cardinals
organization
|
2013-14
|
Justus
Sheffield
|
Tullahoma,
TN
|
Seattle
Mariners
|
2012-13
|
Clint
Frazier
|
Loganville,
GA
|
New York
Yankees
|
2011-12
|
Lance McCullers
Jr.
|
Tampa, FL
|
Houston
Astros
|
2010-11
|
Dylan
Bundy
|
Owasso, OK
|
Los Angeles
Angels
|
2009-10
|
Kaleb
Cowart
|
Adel, GA
|
New York Yankees
organization
|
2008-09
|
Matt
Hobgood
|
Norco, CA
|
Retired from
Baltimore Orioles organization
|
2007-08
|
Kyle
Skipworth
|
Riverside,
CA
|
Retired from
Cincinnati Reds organization
|
2006-07
|
Rick
Porcello
|
West Orange,
NJ
|
MLB Free
Agent
|
2005-06
|
Clayton
Kershaw
|
Dallas, TX
|
Los Angeles
Dodgers
|
2004-05
|
Justin
Upton
|
Chesapeake,
VA
|
Los Angeles
Angels
|
2003-04
|
Mark
Rogers
|
Topsham,
ME
|
Retired from Texas
Rangers organization
|
2002-03
|
Chris
Lubanski
|
Collegeville,
PA
|
Retired from Kansas
City Royals
|
2001-02
|
Zack
Greinke
|
Apopka, FL
|
Houston
Astros
|
2000-01
|
Casey
Kotchman
|
Seminole,
FL
|
Retired from Toronto
Blue Jays organization
|
1999-00
|
Jason
Stokes
|
Coppell,
TX
|
Retired from Detroit
Tigers organization
|
1998-99
|
B.J. Garbe
|
Moses Lake,
WA
|
Retired from Florida
Marlins organization
|
1997-98
|
Drew
Henson
|
Brighton,
MI
|
Retired from New York
Yankees organization
|
1996-97
|
Darnell
McDonald
|
Englewood,
CO
|
Retired from Chicago
Cubs organization
|
1995-96
|
Matt White
|
Waynesboro,
PA
|
Retired from Los
Angeles Dodgers organization
|
1994-95
|
Chad
Hutchinson
|
San Diego,
CA
|
Retired from St.
Louis Cardinals organization
|
1993-94
|
Doug
Million
|
Sarasota,
FL
|
Deceased
|
1992-93
|
Alex
Rodriguez
|
Miami, FL
|
Retired from New York
Yankees
|
1991-92
|
A.J. Hinch
|
Midwest City,
OK
|
Retired from
Philadelphia Phillies organization
|
1990-91
|
Brian
Barber
|
Orlando,
FL
|
Retired from
Cleveland Indians
|
1989-90
|
Todd Van
Poppel
|
Arlington,
TX
|
Retired from
Cincinnati Reds
|
1988-89
|
Jeff
Jackson
|
Chicago,
IL
|
Retired from
Pittsburgh Pirates organization
|
1987-88
|
Mark Lewis
|
Hamilton,
OH
|
Retired from
Cleveland Indians
|
1986-87
|
Willie
Banks
|
Jersey City,
NJ
|
Retired from Boston
Red Sox
|
1985-86
|
Gary
Sheffield
|
Tampa, FL
|
Retired from New York
Mets
|
About Gatorade
The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), meets
the needs of consumers who participate in Sports and Fitness,
through brands that include Gatorade, Propel, Muscle Milk, Evolve
and Bolt24. The solutions they provide are driven by a deep
understanding of the unique needs and occasions of different types
of sports and fitness. Gatorade, their marquee brand, is
underpinned by more than 50-year history of studying the best
athletes in the world and sports-nutrition research by the Gatorade
Sport Science Institute, allowing it to provide
scientifically-formulated products that meet athletes' needs both
on and off the field. For more information and a full list of
products, please visit www.gatorade.com.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion
times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the
world. PepsiCo generated more than $70
billion in net revenue in 2020, driven by a complementary
food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade,
Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product
portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages,
including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail
sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in
Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning
with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the
marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of our business
strategy and brands. For more information, visit
www.pepsico.com.
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SOURCE The Gatorade Company