Loganville High's Frazier Is Gatorade National Boys Baseball Player of the Year

It was kept a secret until Tuesday, when former baseball player John Smoltz surprised Clint Frazier, Loganville High School, Georgia and indeed the nation's top high school baseball player with yet another national title. Frazier has now been named Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year.

Expected to be a first-round pick in this year's MLB draft on Thursday, Frazier was called to LHS, already out for the summer, on the pretext of being interviewed by Smoltz. During the interview, Smoltz surprised him with the award from Gatorade.

Matt Schiffman of Gatorade's Player of the Year Program gave some of the reasons why Frazier was chosen for this title out of all the other high school baseball players in the nation. Here are the statistics that helped in the decision.

• Scored 56 runs and hit 45 RBI and 17 home runs this past season while leading the Red Devils to a 26-6 record and the Class 5A quarterfinals
• Batted .294 with three home runs and nine walks in six postseason games, helping Loganville outscore its opponents by a collective score of 44-25
• Ranked as top recruit in 2013 class by Perfect Game USA and Max Preps
• Hit a school record 63 home runs throughout prep career
• Volunteers as a goodwill visitor for the Snellville Children’s Hospital
• Maintains a 3.03 GPA in the classroom
• Verbally committed to playing baseball on an athletic scholarship at the University of Georgia

Background on the Gaterade Player of the Year Program          

The rogram annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. In addition to athletic excellence, the award recognizes academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the field. The program has been in operation for 28 years, awarding 250 National Players of the Year during that time. Frazier joins some good company in receiving this award. Some previous top athletes who have received this recognition include Peyton Manning, Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, Kerri Walsh, Derek Jeter, and Emmitt Smith.

Frazier is now one of 12 National Gatorade Player of the Year winners who stand a chance of being named Gatorade National Athlete of the Year.

For more information, visit www.gatorade.com/poy.

Check back for video and photo updates.