REFUGIO, Texas, May 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In its
35th year of honoring the nation's most elite high
school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Jared Kelley of Refugio
High School in Refugio,
Texas is the 2019-20 Gatorade National Baseball Player of
the Year. Kelley 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, 40 All-Star appearances and 27
became MLB first round draft picks.
Due to the ongoing situation with the coronavirus pandemic,
Gatorade coordinated a virtual surprise, including a video call by
the Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce
Harper to break the exciting news to Kelley.
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 Kelley as the nation's best high school baseball
player. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific
experts and sports journalists helped select Kelley from nearly
half a million high school baseball players nationwide.
Competition for the national award was fierce. Kelley topped the
list of 51 state winners in baseball who collectively boast an
incredible list of accomplishments, including eight
student-athletes projected as an early round selection in June's
Major League Baseball draft, five 2019 First Team All-State
selections and seven with GPAs higher than a 4.0.
Kelley is now a finalist for the most prestigious award in high
school sports, the Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year
award, which is announced in July.
"Jared Kelley owns what is easily
the most big-league ready prep arm in the Class of 2020," says
Carlos Collazzo, national writer for
Baseball America. "He's got the best fastball in the high school
class, a pitch that routinely brushes the upper-90s. A consistently
plus changeup and a solid breaking ball make him an intimidating
physical presence. Perhaps what separates him even more than his
velo is the ease with which he throws everything along with his
ability to dependably locate his entire arsenal. That's rare for a
prep pitcher, and exceedingly so for a pitcher with stuff like
his."
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound senior right-handed pitcher and
designated hitter was the starting pitcher at the Under Armour
All-America Game at Wrigley Field in Chicago last July, hurling two innings without
allowing an earned run while striking out five batters to earn the
win. Also a 2019 Perfect Game All-American Classic selection,
Kelley posted a 3-0 record with a 0.00 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 12
innings this spring before the season was canceled. The nation's
No. 1 prospect as rated by Baseball America, he concluded his prep
career with a 32-3 record, a 0.43 ERA and 23 pitching appearances
in which he didn't allow a
hit.
After Hurricane Harvey devastated his community in 2017, Kelley
devoted many hours to helping the area recover from the
destruction. He loaded and unloaded truckloads of supplies
delivered to Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church, and he also helped
deliver bags of clothes and food to people's residences if they
were in need of such supplies. In addition, he helped cut down and
remove trees, tree limbs and other debris from the homes and yards
of citizens in need of assistance. A member of the Refugio High
School National Honor Society, he has volunteered cleaning up
around the school and at the concession stands during various
sporting events. As a teacher's aide in a seventh grade math class,
he helped tutor students who were struggling and falling behind in
their math work. He has also donated his time as an umpire for the
Refugio Little League Baseball Association and, when he was
participating in the Long Beach Area Code Games, he spent time
playing baseball with the children undergoing treatment at Rady's
Children's Hospital in San
Diego.
Kelley has maintained a 96.2 average in the classroom. He has
signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball on scholarship
at the University of Texas, but is
projected as an early-round selection in June's Major League
Baseball draft.
"While many high schools have rightfully canceled sports seasons
in response to the coronavirus pandemic, we are continuing to
recognize and celebrate incredible athletes like Jared Kelley for their accomplishments on and
off the field," said Gatorade Senior Vice President and General
Manager, Brett O'Brien. "Like former
winners before him, Jared embodies everything we look for in an
award recipient and we are confident he will have continued success
in sports and in life."
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. From the 12 national
winners, one male and one female athlete are each named Gatorade
High School Athlete of the Year.
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, Karl-Anthony Towns, Derek Jeter 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
www.Gatorade.com/POY, on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/Gatorade.
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 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 $64 billion in net revenue in
2018, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that
includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana.
PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable
foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than
$1 billion each in estimated annual
retail sales.
At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our
fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably
linked to the sustainability of the world around us. We believe
that continuously improving the products we sell, operating
responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the
world enable PepsiCo to run a successful global company that
creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more
information, visit www.pepsico.com.
PREVIOUS GATORADE
NATIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS
|
YEAR
|
NAME
|
HOMETOWN
|
STATUS
|
2018-19
|
Bobby Witt
Jr.
|
Colleyville,
TX
|
Kansas City
Royals
|
2017-18
|
Ryan
Weathers
|
Loretto,
TN
|
San Diego Padres
organization
|
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
|
Baltimore
Orioles
|
2009-10
|
Kaleb
Cowart
|
Adel, GA
|
Los Angeles
Angels
|
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
|
Boston Red
Sox
|
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
|
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SOURCE The Gatorade Company