New York Mets Shortstop Francisco Lindor
Surprises Winner with Honor
ORCHARD
LAKE, Mich., June 14,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 37th year of
honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade
today announced Brock Porter of St.
Mary's Preparatory School in Orchard
Lake, Mi. is the 2021-22 Gatorade National Baseball Player
of the Year. Porter won the prestigious award for his
accomplishments on and off the field, joining an impressive group
of former Gatorade National Baseball Players of the Year 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 Porter 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 Porter as the nation's best high school baseball
player. The Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which
leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others to
evaluate candidates, selected Porter from nearly half a million
other student-athletes who play high school baseball
nationwide.
Competition for the national award was fierce. Porter topped the
list of state winners in baseball who collectively boast an
incredible list of accomplishments, including 35 with signed
National Letters of Intent to play at Division I
colleges/universities, 27 who joined two or more charitable
organizations and 18 with a GPA of 4.0 and above.
"Brock Porter is such a deserving
winner of the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year Award,"
said Jim Callis, senior writer for
MLB Pipeline. "He's the best high school pitcher in the country,
potentially the first pitcher to be selected in the 2022 Draft, and
a driving force on one of the best high school teams in the nation.
He's 6-0 with a 0.167 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 42 innings, and he
does damage at the plate with a .517 average, four home runs and a
1.528 OPS in 29 at-bats. He also stands out with his work in the
classroom and by helping others."
At the time of his selection, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior
right-handed pitcher had led the Eaglets to a 42-0 record, a No. 1
national ranking by MaxPreps and the semifinals of the Division 1
state postseason tournament, scheduled for June 18. He compiled an 8-0 record on the mound
through 42 games with a 0.271 ERA and 109 strikeouts against 23
walks in 51.2 innings. He also posted a WHIP of 0.619 and held
opposing batters to a miniscule .056 average. In 35 at-bats this
spring entering the state final four, he hit .486 with 17 RBI, four
home runs and an OPS of 1.412. Ranked as the nation's No. 12
prospect in the Class of 2022 by Baseball America and No. 7 by
Perfect Game, Porter was a 2021 MLB Player Development Pipeline
invitee. Michigan's returning
Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year, Porter was also the winning
pitcher of the 2019 state title game, he fired a complete-game
six-hitter in last year's semifinals, surrendering one run and
fanning 12 to help lead St. Mary's to Collegiate Baseball News' No.
1 national ranking in 2021.
A past student council president and vice president at St.
Mary's, Porter is an altar server at the Holy Spirit Church and is
a student representative for his school with the Michigan High
School Athletic Association Student Advisory Committee. He has also
volunteered locally on behalf of St. Williams Church and the
Miracle League, in addition to donating his time to the Pickens
Baseball Academy as well as multiple community service initiatives
in association with the National Honor Society.
Porter has maintained a 4.24 weighted GPA in the classroom. He
has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball on
scholarship at Clemson University this
fall, but is projected as an early-round selection in July's Major
League Baseball draft.
"There are nearly six million student-athletes who participate
in the 12 sports we award Gatorade Players of the Year," said
Gatorade Senior Vice President and General Manager Brett O'Brien. "It's a testament to Brock Porter's hard work and incredible
achievements on and off the field that have outshined the
competition not just in his state, but the whole nation."
Each year, a selection committee evaluates the nation's top
talent to choose one state winner from each of the 50 states as
well as Washington D.C., 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 & field. In all, 608
athletes are honored each year. From the pool of state winners, one
national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports.
Gatorade has a long-standing history of serving athlete
communities and understands how sports instill valuable lifelong
skills 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, 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 or follow us on social media on
Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at
instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.
PREVIOUS GATORADE
NATIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS
|
YEAR
|
NAME
|
HOMETOWN
|
STATUS
|
2020-21
|
Dylan Lesko
|
Buford, GA
|
Vanderbilt
University
|
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, and
Evolve. The solutions they provide are driven by a deep
understanding of the unique occasions and needs across athletic
activity. Gatorade, their marquee brand, is underpinned by a
56-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 $79
billion in net revenue in 2021, driven by a complementary
beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's,
Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and
SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of
enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that
generate more than $1 billion each in
estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in
Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with PepsiCo Positive
(pep+). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts
sustainability at the center of how we will create value and growth
by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive
change for planet and people. For more information, visit
www.pepsico.com.
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