Dylan Lesko
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| Photo: MiLB.com |
Bio:
Age: 19
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Draft Profile: 1st round, 15th pick of the 2022 draft by San Diego
Drafted Out of: Buford High School (Buford, Georgia)
Career Stat Line: N/A
For this week's Minor League Spotlight...let's go into Dylan Lesko!
The righty was born in Atlanta, Georgia, growing up northeast of the metropolitan area in Buford. He and his older sister Kaitlyn were always close. helping fuel his drive for athletic success as a highly competitive future collegiate lacrosse player.
Lesko played travel ball for East Cobb Baseball-- a youth team that's featured future pros such as Javier Baez, Joey Bart, Marlon Byrd, Harry Ford and many more. The young star won Most Valuable Pitcher for the club's 14U team while pitching in three tournaments-- cumulatively going 22.1 innings, with five hits, one earned run and 35 strikeouts (East Cobb Baseball). Two years later, he won the same award as a member of East Cobb's 16U squad. Clearly a step above many of his peers.
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| Photo: Buford Wolves |
As a member of Buford High School, he rocked the #15 as quarterback on the football team. More pertinently, the prep baller was a star on the diamond. He was the first junior ever to win the Gatorade Player of the Year award, doing so with an 11-0 record, 0.35 ERA and 112 strikeouts in just 60 innings (North Gwinnet Voice). He would commit to play college ball for Vanderbilt University the following fall.
His senior season was not as bright unfortunately. In April of 2022, Lesko learned that he required Tommy John surgery, forcing him to forgo his final high school campaign and muddying his professional projectability. "It was definitely devastating," Lesko said of the injury. "Being senior year, being the last time out on a high school field, my best friends, it was definitely devastating. Even with the future, the college or pro route, I didn't know what was going to happen. But for me, I was just turning it into a positive, trying to figure out what happened and make the most of it and make sure it didn't happen for nothing and just come back stronger." (San Diego Union Tribune)
Despite the roadblock, the San Diego Padres fell in love with the young starting pitcher, so much so that they made him the 15th overall pick in last years draft. A $3.9 million dollar signing bonus was sufficient to pry him away from his commitment to the Commodores, officially kicking off his professional career (Wikipedia).
Unfortunately, this exciting prospect is still recovering from the surgery and has yet to throw in a pro game. Given that he's almost fourteen months out though, we expect to see him getting some work for the Arizona Complex League before the seasons' end. And if not, the kid's only 19 and still has a very bright future still ahead of him. Just about getting back to 100% and beginning his climb up the minor league ladder.
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| Photo: Instagram/ @dylanlesko |
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@Choppinglines
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