Houston shortstop Ryan Mitchell named Gatorade's Tennessee Baseball Player of the Year
Mitchell, recently named The Commercial Appeal's Baseball Player of the Year, shared the announcement on social media. This is Gatorade's 40th year of selecting a player in each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Past winners nationwide include former MLB star Gary Sheffield and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
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"WOW!" Mitchell said on X. "Thank you to everyone that helped me in achieving this coveted award!"
Mitchell, a Georgia Tech commit, ranks as MLB.com's No. 53 draft prospect and is projected to be an early-round selection in July's amateur draft. This season, Mitchell led Houston (29-15) to the Class 4A sectionals with the consistent displays of power and speed at the leadoff spot.
He led Houston in almost every offensive category, including batting average (.462), on-base percentage (.615), OPS (1.547), runs (64), walks (49) and stolen bases (39). He also hit 12 homers and 13 doubles and drove in 55 runs, finishing the season as a finalist for the Mr. Baseball award.
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"Ryan Mitchell is an explosive high school athlete with the ability to take over a game at any moment," Houston coach Lane McCarter said in the release. "Every time he steps into the batter's box, it feels like a can't-miss moment. He has the maturity of a veteran major league player and the plate discipline of a future Hall of Famer. He has such a bright future in professional baseball."
Wendell Shepherd Jr. is The Commercial Appeal's high school sports beat writer. Reach Wendell at wendell.shepherd@commercialappeal.com or on X @wendellsjr_.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Houston's Ryan Mitchell is Gatorade Tennessee Baseball Player of Year
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